There’s just something special about an old-fashioned Angel Food Cake that takes me back. It reminds me of the kind of cakes Momma used to make–simple, sweet, and made with love. The heavenly, delightful cake has become a little favorite in my house.
My Story
Let me tell you the story about how I started baking this cake. Back in 2020, remember when the world shut down for COVID-19? I found myself in a unique situation, stuck at home with more eggs than I knew what to do with. I can hear y’all saying, nice problem to have.
Thanks to our hardworking hens out back, we had a steady stream of fresh eggs rolling in. Dozens and dozens (Chicken, Turkey, and Guinea eggs). I scrambled eggs, boiled eggs, fed them to my dogs, turned them into custards, or any recipe I could find to help use up the eggs. But after a while, I was running low on new ideas and high on eggs in the fridge.
Then one quiet afternoon, I stumbled across a recipe for Angel Food Cake from Allrecipes — with a few tweaks of my own. ;o) I’d never made this cake before, but something about that fluffy, cloud-like dessert just felt comforting. And best of all? It used eighteen egg whites. That’s 36 bantam egg whites (small eggs for those who don’t know). JackPot!
I’ll be honest with y’all—I was a little nervous to try it. Momma used to tell me that Angel Food Cake was a bit touchy. She would say that if you don’t beat the egg whites just right, or if you don’t sift the flour the proper way, or forget to cool it upside down, it will fall flat. But one quiet weekend, with plenty of eggs and not much else going on, I figured, why not?
Well, let me tell ya’ll it wasn’t as frightening as it sounded coming from momma. When I pulled that golden, fluffy cake outta the oven and the sweet smell drifted through the house, I knew I’d found something special. I topped it off with some fresh berries and whipped cream, and just like that, Angel Food Cake became a new family favorite. Read the notes on the recipe card before you begin.
What You Will Need
- Tube Baking Pan
- Eggs (lots of them)
- Flour
- Sugar (granulated and confectioners’)
- Cream of Tartar
- Vanilla extract
Recipe
Homemade Angel Food Cake
There’s just something special about an old-fashioned Angel Food Cake that takes me back. It reminded me of the kind of cakes Momma used to make, simple, sweet, and made with love. Light and fluffy cake has become a little favorite in my house.
Ingredients
- 18 Large Eggs Whites (room temperature)
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 pinch of salt – equals to 1/16 teaspoon
- 1 1/2 cups white granulated sugar – divided
- 1 cup cake flour – read notes if you don’t have cake flour
- 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- (Optional) 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Sift flour and confectioners’ sugar together 5 times and set aside.
- Get two bowls for the eggs. You want to separate the yolks from the whites—yolks in one bowl and whites in the other. Set the yolks aside; you will not need them in this recipe. If you haven’t yet, make sure the egg whites are at room temperature.
- In a clean bowl, whip egg whites with a pinch of salt until foamy. Add cream of tartar and continue beating until soft peaks form. Gradually add granulated sugar while beating, and continue to beat until very stiff. Add vanilla.
- Fold (do not stir) in the flour mixture. Add it slowly, making sure it’s smooth. Pour into a 10-inch tube pan. I love this tube pan, cakes are easy to remove.
- Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes.
- Turn the cake upside down to cool. If you don’t, it will become dense on the bottom. I put a plate on top of the pan and flip it over, leaving the cake in the pan to cool for about 1 hour.
- Once cool, release the pan and enjoy with berries and whipped cream or by itself.
Notes
Egg Ratio
I used 36 bantam eggs in this recipe. That’s two small bantam eggs equal one regular-sized large egg. Now, some people would argue about the ratio, but it has always worked out for me. So when in doubt, use the large eggs. It’s best to use room temperature eggs for this recipe.
How to Make Cake Flour
The original recipe calls for cake flour. I usually don’t keep cake flour in my house, so here is what you can do to turn all-purpose flour into cake flour. Remove two tablespoons of all-purpose flour for every 1 cup of all-purpose flour and replace it with two tablespoons of cornstarch. Sift the mixture 5 times to ensure the cornstarch is evenly distributed.
Extracts
Use vanilla extract, and for a bit of change, try adding an additional almond extract. So Good!
Tips
The longest part of this recipe is when beating the egg whites and waiting for the stiff peaks to form. I recommend using a mixer on a stand so you don’t have to hold a mixer. This could take 20 plus minutes. Be patient! Happy Baking.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
14Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 265Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 239mgSodium: 102mgCarbohydrates: 42gFiber: 0gSugar: 26gProtein: 10g
All nutritional information shared on this site is an approximation. I am not a certified nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared on this site should be used as a general guideline. Any nutritional information provided by Back to the basics with Laura is provided as a courtesy and should be considered an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary, and we cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.
Storage Tips
Angel Food Cake is light as a feather, so treat it gently! If you have leftovers, just wrap the cake in plastic wrap or store it in an airtight container on the counter—it will stay fresh for 2 to 3 days. Avoid the fridge if you can, since it can dry out that fluffy texture.
I hope you’ll give this Angel Food Cake a try. It’s light, sweet, and full of comfort. Sometimes the simplest ingredients can bring the biggest joy, and this cake is proof of that. Comment below or send me a message to let me know if you’d like a printable version of this recipe or additional tips for preparing it.
From my kitchen to yours, happy baking! 🫶
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