Using only 6 ingredients, this perfect angel food cake bakes up tall, light, and airy. For best results, follow this recipe and video tutorial closely. The delicate texture can only be achieved with particular ingredients and careful mixing methods.
Ready for a slice of heaven? We are no stranger to decadent and rich cakes. But what about a cake recipe where butter, fat, and egg yolks run away in fright? Meet angel food cake. Angel food cake is a low fat cake recipe made mostly from egg whites, cake flour, and sugar. It’s pristine white on the inside with a chewy light brown crumb around the exterior. What it lacks in butter makes up for in texture. This tall, tender, and timeless cake has a cloud-like crumb and ultra light flavor.
I’ve published angel food cupcakes and a super fun sprinkle angel food cake on my blog, but now it’s time visit where both originate: classic homemade angel food cake!
Angel Food Cake Video Tutorial
Let’s dive right in. First, here’s a video tutorial where I walk you through each step. The steps and ingredients are pretty straightforward, but it’s always helpful to have a clear visual. 🙂
6 Angel Food Cake Ingredients
You only need 6 ingredients to make angel food cake. With so little ingredients, understand that each one is imperative to the cake’s final taste and texture. Here’s the breakdown:
- Granulated Sugar: The recipe begins with granulated sugar. Pulse it in a food processor to create superfine sugar. Superfine sugar’s granules are the best size to provide optimal structure for angel food cake. It’s not as coarse as granulated sugar and not as fine as confectioners’ sugar. Granulated sugar is simply too coarse, while confectioners’ sugar dissolves too quickly in the egg whites.
- Cake Flour: Cake flour is a low protein flour and yields a tender angel food cake. Do not use all-purpose flour because the cake will taste like white bread…! In a pinch, you can use this cake flour substitute. But real cake flour is ideal.
- Salt: Adds flavor.
- Egg Whites: You’ll notice there’s no baking powder or baking soda. The egg whites are actually the sole leavening ingredient providing all the cake’s rise. Use freshly separated eggs because they aerate the best. Carton egg whites or egg whites that have been frozen won’t expand as much during the whipping process, which will negatively affect the rise of your cake. You’ll have a lot of leftover egg yolks, so make some lemon curd and serve it with the cake!
- Cream of Tartar: Cream of tartar is an acid and stabilizes the whipped egg whites, just as it does in my chocolate swirled meringue cookies too. Without it, the cake would collapse. Other acids, such as lemon juice, can work but they aren’t nearly as effective. Cream of tartar is found in the spice aisle and is actually a common baking ingredient. I have many recipes calling for it!
- Vanilla Extract: Adds flavor.
How to Make Perfect Angel Food Cake
I’m confident this will be the most perfect angel food cake to ever hit your lips. We can’t achieve angel food cake perfection for free, so make sure you follow these steps closely.
- Pulse the granulated sugar into superfine sugar. Use a food processor or blender.
- Set 1 cup of the superfine sugar aside. You’ll add it to the egg whites.
- Add cake flour and salt to food processor. Pulse them with the remaining sugar. This aerates the dry ingredients.
- Beat egg whites and cream of tartar together. Beat on medium-low speed until foamy.
- Slowly add 1 cup of superfine sugar. Turn the mixer up to medium-high and pour in the superfine sugar you set aside.
- Beat into soft peaks. Whip the egg whites, cream of tartar, and superfine sugar into soft and lofty peaks. This takes at least 5 minutes. After that, add the vanilla.
- Sift and fold in dry ingredients. In 3 additions, sift and fold in the dry ingredients.
- Pour/spread batter into a tube pan. Do not grease the tube pan. Greasing the pan causes the batter to slip down the sides, preventing it from properly rising. If you already greased it, wash and wipe it completely clean.
- Bake at 325°F (163°C). A higher temperature won’t properly cook the cake.
- Cool upside down on a wire rack. If cooled upright, the cake’s own weight will crush itself. Cool it upside-down on a cooling rack so it holds its shape and air can reach it.
- Run a thin knife around the edges to release. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to help loosen the cake, too.
- Slice with a serrated knife. A regular sharp knife squishes the cake.
Can I use a Bundt pan for angel food cake? No, do not use a Bundt pan for angel food cake. You’ll have a very hard time getting it out in one piece. You need a tube pan which has a flat bottom and straight sides. If you don’t have one, I recommend this tube pan. It’s relatively inexpensive for its great quality. Though it’s labeled as nonstick, the coating is VERY thin and has never been an issue for my angel food cakes.
And good news: here’s a helpful trick for how to bake angel food cake without a tube pan.
You need 1 cup (16 Tablespoons) + 2 Tablespoons of cake flour. Sounds like an odd amount, but 18 Tablespoons is the precise quantity to bring enough structure to the cake.
Soft Peaks, Not Stiff Peaks
Remember, whip the egg whites into soft peaks. (Pictured above.) Soft peaks don’t hold a stiff shape. Instead, they “wilt” back into the mixture after a few seconds. Soft peaks are the optimum consistency because they’ll continue to expand in the oven. Stiff peaks, on the other hand, means that the egg whites have been over-whipped for angel food cake and will likely collapse in the oven.
Important to remember: Don’t let a drop of egg yolks into the mixing bowl. Any lingering fat could prevent the egg whites from forming peaks at all. Crack eggs over an egg separator into a small bowl, then add the whites one-by-one into the mixing bowl. This way if the yolk breaks, it doesn’t break directly in the mixing bowl.
Sift the dry ingredients over the beaten egg whites in a few additions, gently folding together after each addition. The goal is to retain as much of the whipped volume as possible. Pouring the dry ingredients on top all at once will quickly deflate the egg whites.
The Magic is in the Details
I’ve thrown a lot of information at you in this post, so here’s a quick summary of all the important success tips. Remember that the magic is all in the details.
- Use freshly separated egg whites.
- Pulse granulated sugar into superfine sugar.
- Whip egg whites into soft peaks, not stiff peaks.
- Sift and gently fold in dry ingredients.
- Do not grease the tube pan.
- Cool the cake upside-down on a wire rack.
- Use a serrated knife to slice.
Helpful Tools
- Food Processor – These range in price. You can use a little ninja, a big food processor, or even a blender.
- Egg Separator – This is very inexpensive, but SO HANDY!
- Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer
- Fine Mesh Strainer (Sieve/Sifter)
- Tube Pan
- Cooling Rack
Want to make angel food cupcakes? I have you covered.
Angel food cake doesn’t need to hide under frosting, but tastes blissful with fresh berries, raspberry sauce, and/or a dollop of whipped cream! Feel free to dust the top with confectioners’ sugar, too. If you enjoy these flavors together, you’ll love my fresh berry cream cake. (Which, if I’m being honest, isn’t quite as fussy as this cake!)
I know what you’re thinking: is this cake really worth it? The answer is YES. Angel food cake boasts a texture like no other and once you go through the process, you’ll understand the preparation isn’t that difficult—it’s just a little picky. 😉 Let’s do this!
See Your Angel Food Cakes!
Many readers tried this recipe as part of a baking challenge! Feel free to email or share your recipe photos with us on social media. 🙂
PrintAngel Food Cake
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours
- Yield: serves 10-12
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Using only 6 ingredients, this perfect angel food cake bakes up tall, light, and airy. For best results, read the recipe in full before beginning and have all your ingredients ready to go. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 and 3/4 cups (350g) granulated sugar*
- 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons (133g) cake flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 12 large egg whites, at room temperature*
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- optional: confectioners’ sugar for dusting, whipped cream, and berries
Instructions
- Adjust the oven rack to the lower middle position and preheat oven to 325°F (163°C).
- In a food processor or blender, pulse the sugar until fine and powdery. Remove 1 cup and set aside to use in step 3; keep the rest inside the food processor. Add the cake flour and salt to the food processor. Pulse 5-10 times until sugar/flour/salt mixture is aerated and light.
- In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip egg whites and cream of tartar together on medium-low until foamy, about 1 minute. Switch to medium-high and slowly add the 1 cup of sugar you set aside. Whip until soft peaks form, about 5-6 minutes. See photo and video above for a visual. Add the vanilla extract, then beat just until incorporated.
- In 3 additions, slowly sift the flour mixture into the egg white mixture using a fine mesh strainer, gently folding with a rubber spatula after each addition. To avoid deflating or a dense cake, don’t add the flour mixture all at once. Sift and very slowly fold in several additions. This is important! Pour and spread batter into an ungreased 9 or 10 inch tube pan. Shimmy the pan on the counter to smooth down the surface.
- Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 40-45 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through baking. The cake will rise up very tall while baking. Remove from the oven, then cool the cake completely upside-down set on a wire rack, about 3 hours. (Upside-down so the bottom of the tube pan is right-side up, see photo and video above.) Once cooled, run a thin knife around the edges and gently tap the pan on the counter until the cake releases.
- If desired, dust with confectioners’ sugar. Slice the cake with a sharp serrated knife. Regular knives can easily squish the cake. Serve with whipped cream and fresh berries.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Prepare the angel food cake one day in advance, then cover tightly and store at room temperature overnight. Angel food cake can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Blender or Food Processor | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Egg Separator | Fine Mesh Sieve | Rubber Spatula | Tube Pan | Cooling Rack
- Sugar: In this recipe, you use granulated sugar and pulse it in a food processor to make superfine sugar. If you have superfine sugar or caster sugar, use that. Pulse 3/4 cup of it with the dry ingredients in step 2. Use 1 cup of it in step 3.
- Egg Whites: I strongly recommend using fresh real egg whites instead of egg white substitutes, previously frozen egg whites, or egg whites from a carton. Separate the eggs when they’re cold, then bring the egg whites to room temperature. Fresh room temperature egg whites whip into the fluffiest volume. With the extra yolks, make lemon curd or some of these recipes.
- Pan: An angel food cake pan (aka tube pan) is imperative. Do not use a Bundt pan. Angel food cake’s structure and stability requires the tube pan’s particular specifications. Some angel food cake pans come with little feet, which makes cooling the cake upside down easy. If your pan has feet, no need to use a wire rack. Whether your tube pan has feet or not, cool the cake upside down as directed in step 5.
Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated
Taste is good. But chewy crust.
Is there a way to adapt this into something like a lemon chiffon cake? Can’t wait to try Sally’s version — I’ve failed with angle food in the past.
Hi Ryan! I’m sure cutting down the egg whites to use whole eggs would work nicely (as chiffon cake typically includes the yolks), but it’s not something I have tested. Chiffon cakes also (sometimes) include oil. Let me know if you test any chiffon cakes, or if you try this angel food cake!
Well, Sally’s Addiction recipe has not failed me once again. I made this Angel Food Cake recipe today and I love it! I followed the recipe and it came out perfect, delicious too!
I have loved so many of Sally’s cake recipes. I actually look up the recipe I want to make on her website first now. I wish I could attach pictures of it.
High altitude?
Hi Kate, we wish we could help, but we have no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
hi sally…would love to make as a lemon angel cake. how much grated lemon peel would you recommend and in which step would i add it? ty 😉
Hi Sonny, we haven’t tested this recipe with lemon, but you could try replacing half of the vanilla with lemon extract — so half vanilla extract, half lemon extract. Adding a bit of lemon zest (to your taste) with the extracts would be delicious, too. Let us know what you try!
Very complicated recipe. My cake was a disaster. Video too fast .
We followed the directions to the T and the cake was not fluffy and light bit dense. It formed a crust on top which sluffed off. It still tasted good but would not want to serve this to company
Delicious
Well I’m making my 2nd in 4 days because it was so good and disappeared so fast.
Followed the exact instruction and made sure everything was perfect before baking. Did not rise at all and basically turned into a hard wheel of a cake
Angel Food cake is my Mother in-laws favorite. She loved this recipe so much and the lemon curd. So much so that it was requested for her upcoming Birthday!
Can I add fresh blueberries to the cake before baked?
Thanks
Hi Denise, the batter is too light to mix berries into before baking, but it’s lovely to serve the baked cake topped with berries and fresh whipped cream!
Lexi, I did go ahead any try putting fresh blueberries in the angel food cake, and it came out beautifully. I did not mix the berries in the batter I put them between layers of cake batter before baking. I used about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of berries. I made the cake exactly as the recipe stated.
I use this website for almost everything and love the instructions. Thank you
Hi! I am going to make this recipe at about 7000′ altitude, if this affects the cake in any way, what can I do to improve it? Thanks!
I wish we could help, but have no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
This is by far the best angel food cake I’ve ever eaten. I’ve made it plenty of times. The last two times I made it, in the cooling process it came out of the pan. Is it OK to cool it up right since it came out of the pan?
Is it possible to substitute Splenda for part – or all – of the sugar?
We’d love to help but we are not trained in baking with sugar substitutes. For best taste and texture (and so you don’t waste your time trying to adapt this recipe since it may not work properly), it may be more useful to find a recipe that is specifically formulated for sugar substitutes. Thank you!
I misplaced my old recipe, went online and found this one. So glad I did! All the little details, such as the fine sugar and aerating the flour/salt I feel made a big difference in the final cake. Thank you for the recipe Sally, this is my go to from now on!
Can anyone tell me if it ok to use an organic granulated sugar (slightly brown-ish in color) as opposed to classic refined granulated sugar?
Peter Barile, I se organic granulated sugar and it comes out just fine!
Can I bake this in mini bundts?
Hi Mary, You need a tube pan for this recipe, not a Bundt pan. We link to the tube pan we use in the post above. If you don’t have a tube pan this is a great hack.
Or you can make Angel Food Cupcakes instead.
Whaat?! I can’t believe how good this was. Far better than any I had from the store. I used AP flour and replaced 2 T with cornstarch, and it seemed to do the trick. The cake was light, fluffy, and packed full of angel food cake flavor. Thank you, Sally. You’re always my go-to for baking recipes!
Didn’t have superfine sugar or cake flour, used frozen egg whites I had been saving . It still came out great and everyone loved it. Thanks for the recipe,love your website.
Hi Sally! I was wondering if this recipe would work for a layer cake? maybe 3 8″ pans? how should I adjust baking time or temperature? Thanks!
Hi Tekla! A tube pan is really imperative for angel food cake to bake up properly. We really haven’t tried baking this batter in smaller cake pans for a layered cake. However, you could assemble a layered cake from this baked and cooled angel food cake (baked in a traditional tube pan). Use a serrated knife to cut into layers and fill with whipped cream.
I’ve made this recipe before and it came out great! Unfortunately I forgot what I used for sugar and I need to make it again, so I had a question: rather than try and make granulated sugar superfine, wouldn’t powdered sugar work just as well?
Hi Laura, In our experience, powdered/confectioners’ sugar dries out the angel food cake’s crumb. We recommend sticking with granulated sugar, but if you try anything else let us know how it goes!
Hello, this recipe looks amazing! I only have an 8 inch angel food cake pan. Do you have a suggestion on how to reduce the measurements for the ingredients so the cake does not overflow the pan? Thank you!
Hi Angela, We haven’t tested that size pan before but you can simply fill your pan 2/3 full and then use the extra batter to make a few angel food cupcakes on the side. Baking time will be shorter for the smaller cake (same oven temperature).
Delightfully sweet, light and flavorful!
Mine looks nothing like angel food! Looks like pound cake. I’ll let you know when I cut it.
Hi Sally!
I have baked 3 cakes for BD’s from you. Coconut Cake; triple Chocolate an the Angel Food Cake. I am 66 retired career girl who is domestically challenged an baking cakes from your site is wonderful. So much fun an I learn every time making your cake recipes. They turned out Great even if it took me longer too do. No mixer or fancy kitchen gadgets.
Thank you so much for making and trusting our recipes, Charla!
Thank you for the wonderful recipe and helpful tips, sally! like always, my family and i LOVED the recipe, even though i made a few screw-ups along the way lol (didn’t fold the batter enough, forgot to sift, underbaked a smidge because my oven sucks). Can’t wait to make another birthday cake from your blog next year!
Hey sally!! I love your recipes!! Can I add a flavor to this recipe like pumpkin or strawberry? Would I use flavoring for that? Thanks for all you do!
Hi Michelle! We haven’t tried adding flavor to this cake, but you can certainly give it a try. For strawberry, you could try adding about 1/2 or 3/4 teaspoon of strawberry extract. For pumpkin, you could try adding some pumpkin pie spice — adding pumpkin puree would require a bit of testing since it would be adding another wet ingredient. Let us know what you try!
Made this for my friends birthday, and she absolutely loved it! Definitely went fast. My first time ever making an angelfood cake from scratch, and it was so easy. Making another this weekend. I made a lemon curd with the yolks, but it wasn’t even used with the cake, it was that good.
Delicious!!! I made this for the first time 3 days ago and making it again tomorrow night for a friend’s birthday. Interesting recipe and process. Sally you rock!! Thank you for all of your awesome recipes. I have made lots of different ones but am terrible at keeping up with reviews. Thanks again!!
So glad you loved this angel food cake recipe, Marnie!
i made this for my nieces birthday and it was a huge hit. i was nervous about it failing, but all your tips were so helpful and it turned out beautifully! thank you so much!