Angel Food Cake Recipe

5 from 7 votes

Angel Food Cake is made from scratch in an angel food cake pan. This homemade angel food cake recipe makes the perfect dessert.

Prep Time20

Cook Time45

Total Time1 5

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Process 1 3/4 cups white sugar in food processor for 1-2 minutes to create a fine powder.
In a large bowl, combine sugar, 1 1/4 cups cake flour, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Using a fine mesh sieve and another large bowl, shake flour/sugar/salt mixture through sieve from one bowl to the other five times to fully sift. Each time, it should go through faster.
Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the 1 1/2 cups egg whites on medium speed. Once they start getting foamy, add the 1 teaspoon cream of tartar as well as the 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon almond extract, and 1/2 teaspoon orange extract. Continue whisking until medium to firm peaks form.
Add a layer of the flour and sugar mixture to the egg whites and gently fold to combine. Continue process until everything is well combined and smooth, but be sure to fold gently to maintain as much air as you can.
Line the base of a tube pan with with parchment paper. Spoon in cake batter.
Bake in preheated oven until a wooden stick comes out clean, about 40-45 minutes.
Slide a knife around the sides of the tube and invert the cake pan on a cooling rack. The cake shouldn't slide out of the pan, but by inverting it, the cake stays nice and fluffy while it cools upside down in the pan (kind of like stretching your back on an inversion table). Once the cake has cooled, slide it out of the pan.
Serve alone or with fresh strawberries and whipped cream.

Angel Food Cake is best enjoyed fresh but can be stored:

At room temperature: Keep it covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
In the refrigerator: Store it in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Freezing: Wrap slices tightly in plastic wrap and store in a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Let it thaw at room temperature before serving.