Angel Food Cake is my daughter’s favorite and her chosen “birthday cake” every year. It’s a spongy, light cake, much different from your average cake. It’s fitting for my girl, as she is and always has been a kid that does her own thing instead of following the crowd. Unfortunately, I wrestle with this cake. I can make it taste great but the form and texture is never right. This year when her birthday came around, our oven broke. I promised that I would make that cake once the oven was repaired. Well, a few months after the repair, I finally made it. She had been waiting for a long time and I wanted it to be good! I made the cake in a bit of a haste and it turned out like a deflated tire. I cried. Yes, I know that sounds silly but I wanted it to be perfect for her. Truthfully, it had never turned out great but never this bad. This was it, no more mediocre and especially no more flat tire cakes! I was determined! I did some reading on this cake, learned a few things and finally arrived at a beautiful cake!
First important tip, the egg whites must be room temperature. However, when separating the eggs, it is best if they are cold so that the yolk is less likely to break in the process and you only get the egg white. I separated the eggs right out of the refrigerator and then let the egg whites sit for about an hour to reach room temperature.
Second tip, and really this is for all cakes, be meticulous in your measurements. Level the spoon or the measuring cup for the cake flour, sugar, and cream of tartar.
Third tip, mix the cake flour, salt and half of the sugar together. Then put it in the food processor to come to a finer, powdery mixture.
Fourth, make sure you whip the eggwhites, cream of tartar, and remaining sugar until they form soft peaks. Keep an eye on it. If the peaks are too stiff, this will produce a dense, sinking cake. Soft peaks means that they hold their shape for a few seconds but then slowly start to fall over a bit.
Fifth tip, slowly fold the flour mixture into the eggwhites. Sprinkle a small handful in at a time, folding (not mixing) it in with a spatula each time. Folding means exactly what it sounds like, you are folding the mixture over itself with a spatula until the flour gets mixed in. Be patient, it takes a bit longer than just dumping the flour in and mixing but it’s important! You don’t want to loose that light, airy batter.
Sixth tip, the angel food cake should be baked until it’s a very golden brown on the outside. If it’s undercooked, it will again sink once you remove it from the oven.
Final tip, let it cool upside down. Be smart about it when you flip it. I place the wire rack on top of the cake, held it in place, and then slowly turned the cake pan over. Maybe that sounds like common sense but the first time I thought I could just flip it over really fast onto the wire rack and the cake partially plopped out!
The recipe I used was another one from Sally’s Baking Addiction, though it wasn’t much different from several others. One thing that was different than a few of them was the baking temperature and time. This recipe called for a lower temp of 325 degrees Farenheit with a baking time of 40-45 minutes. I’m guessing this slower bake allowed the cake time to rise, giving it more of that airy texture.
At the end of the day, my daughter was happy and that’s really all that matters. I like to serve the angel food cake with either a side of whipped cream or chocolate mousse (or both) and strawberries.
Here is the recipe:
INGREDIENTS
1 and ¾ cups sugar
1 cup + 2 Tablespoons cake flour
¼ tsp salt
12 large egg whites, room temp
1 ½ tsps. Cream of tartar
1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees Farenheit.
- In a food processor, mix cake flour, salt, and ¾ cup sugar. Pulse until fine and powdery.
- Using an electric mixer (stand or handheld), whip egg whites and cream of tartar together on medium-low until foamy (about 1 minute). Then add the remaining 1 cup of sugar and vanilla extract and whip on medium-high until soft peaks form (5-6 minutes).
- Slowly sprinkle the flour mixture over the whipped egg whites one small handful at a time, gently folding it in with a spatula each time. Don’t rush. Be patient here.
- Then pour batter into an UNGREASED tube pan.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean and the outside is golden brown.
- Let cake cool, upside down on a wire wrack for a few hours before flipping back over.
And hopefully when you flip your cake over, it will be a happy and not a deflated surprise!
