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 dessert 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 on my blog, but now it’s time visit where they 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. 🙂
Print
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 | Silicone 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.
- Party Angel Food Cake: Turn this cake into a party by gently folding in 1/2 cup of rainbow sprinkles before pouring and spreading the batter into the tube pan. Once cake is ready to serve, skip the confectioners’ sugar and top with chocolate ganache and more sprinkles.
Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated
Reader Comments and Reviews
This cake was so delicious. I did notice the cakes came out perfect size and volume but then shrunk down a lot, why is that?
Hi HC, Shrinking could be from a few things: overbaking or underbaking (which is why baking time can vary by oven), or possibly overmixing the egg whites after they’ve reached stiff peaks, which can cause the cake to lose volume and become dense.
Hi Sally!
Your site is my go-to for anything baked – always flawless!
Can this angel food cake be made with gluten free flour?
Thanks so much!
Hi Mary, we haven’t tested a gluten-free version of this cake. If you do, we’d love to know how it turns out for you!
It came out great! Definitely a bit of a picky recipe, but even after my first attempt, everyone was impressed! I also had to use the springform soda can hack for the pan – and it worked really well too! Thank you!
Do you happen to know the weight (in grams) of 12 egg whites? I made a ton of key lime pies and only used yolks, so I have lots of egg whites to use up
Hi Mary, a large egg white weighs about 30g.
Can you please give a volume or weight measurement for the egg whites? I use pastured eggs and the sizes are random.
Hi Stacey, a large egg white weighs about 42g, so you would need 504g for 12.
Hi sally! I have a 7 inch angel food cake pan. How would I adapt this recipe for that size pan? It seems like halving thr recipe might be too little but doing the full recipe would be too much.
Hi Kirsten, a 7-inch tube pan typically holds about 8-10 cups of batter while a 10-inch tube pan typically holds about 16 cups of batter. So a half recipe should work well. We are unsure of the exact bake time. Let us know if you try it!
Tysm for the quick reply! I appreciate you sharing that info it is super helpful. I will try it today and let you know how it goes!
Hi! Can this be made a day in advance of using it? Thanks!
Hi Lori, yes! Prepare the angel food cake one day in advance, then cover tightly and store at room temperature overnight.
As there are so many recipes using yolks, many people have stashes of egg whites in their freezer. Can you also list the egg whites in weight please and measure. I look forward to trying your formula with 6 fl. oz. egg whites or 170 g
Hi Cheryl! We strongly recommend using fresh real egg whites instead of egg white substitutes, previously frozen egg whites, or egg whites from a carton. Fresh room temperature egg whites whip into the fluffiest volume.
Hi Sally,
I’ve made this twice now and can’t say enough about how delicious and perfect it turns out! It seemed daunting at first considering how many eggs go in, but it truly is a very simple cake.
One question I have is in regards to getting the cake out once it’s done…maybe it’s just the pan I have, but the cake is SO resistant to coming out! I run a knife along the outside but it still clings to the sides of the pan. I know you say not to grease the pan but I’m almost to the point where I need to if only to salvage the outer layer of the cake. Any tips on getting stubborn cake out?
Hi Aric, thank you so much for trusting this recipe! If the cake was underbaked at all, that can sometimes be the culprit when just the bottom of the cake sticks. A few additional minutes in the oven should help for next time. Also, once it’s cooled, after running a thin knife around the edges, gently tap the pan on the counter until the cake releases. Don’t grease the pan! Greasing the pan causes the batter to slip down the sides, preventing it from properly rising. Are you using a nonstick pan by chance?
Hi sally,
Can I make this cake as a layered cake with chocolate mousse filling for a 60 people? do you think it will strong enough to hold the fillings and the layers? or will it be collapse?
Hi Sha, A tube pan is really imperative for angel food cake to bake up properly. We 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 mousse.
This cake turned out so well! I was nervous and a little intimidated when I read the instructions and all the baking tips. I read and reread everything and followed to the letter. Honestly, this might be the best cake I ever baked, and well worth the time! Everyone in my family loved it. My mom would be so proud! She always used a mix from a box when she would bake an angel food cake!
Do you have any recommendations for a strawberry batter? Thank you!!
Hi Amy, 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.
First time I’ve tried this and it’s the best cake I’ve ever made! Thank you for making the steps so easy to understand!
Hi Sally….do you think you could make this in two 8″ or 9″ pans instead, to make it as a layer cake? Thanks!
Hi Cathy, An angel food cake pan (aka tube pan) is imperative – see recipe notes for more details. You may love these angel food cupcakes instead!
Hi Michelle…thank you so much for the quick response! Sally’s suggestion for the pan is now sitting on my counter and ready to use today for Father’s Day. Will let you know how I do! Cathy
I am 87 years old. My grandmother made angel food cake routinely because she kept chickens for their eggs and meat. Her recipe called for 13 egg whites and she only had an old rotary egg beater. Her tub tin had the little feet. Her husband told her he was a little tired of angel food cake so she made the left over angel food cake into bread pudding. Nothing went to waste in her kitchen.
What a sweet story, Jane! Thanks for sharing that…it gives us great perspective to how much easier cooking is today!
I will say, this recipe came out perfectly for an angel food cake in terms of look and texture. However, the taste was overly sweet. The texture was not my preference, as it was of the meringue-y sort, but my father seemed to enjoy it.
Those recipes and pictures makes my mouth water. I love angel food cake.
I have made this 3 times this spring. The first time it came out perfect with adding 5 minutes baking time. The second time the cake rose beautifully but it came out cheery- difficult to slice with a serrated knife and it shrunk. The third time was a disaster- again it rose beautifully but 30 minutes after inverting the pan over a bottle the cake fell out of the pan, texture was chewy and again difficult to slice. All 3 times people I served it to found the flavor very good.
What am I doing wrong?
Hi Carol, thanks so much for sharing your experiences. Angel food cake can be a bit tricky because it relies heavily on the egg whites and careful handling. The chewy texture and shrinking could be from a few things: overbaking or underbaking (which is why baking time can vary by oven), or possibly overmixing the egg whites after they’ve reached stiff peaks, which can cause the cake to lose volume and become dense. I like to use a serrated knife to slice angel food cake; I find it glides through the slice the best. I’m glad the flavor was a hit!
Love it taste amazing. I need to know, though if I should keep it in the fridge or freezer? I’m not building the cake until Sunday. It says online it will keep in the freezer but best kept in fridge. What would you suggest?
Hi Carl, angel food cake will be dry out in the fridge, we would freeze the cake until you’re assembling.
Are liquid egg whites a bad idea ?
Hi Lisa, Carton egg whites don’t whip up to nearly the same volume. You can try to use them, but the results will differ from the intended texture and pictured cake. See recipe notes for details on egg whites. Hope you enjoy this recipe!
I have made this cake so many times I’ve lost count! It’s amazing! I use 1 tsp vanilla and 1 tsp almond extract. This cake is a favorite with my family and friends. Thank you for such a great recipe!
Yes! Angel Food Cake has to have Almond Extract. Almost all recipes on the internet omit this crucial bit of information. Thanks for posting. I used 1t. vanilla and 1/2 t. almond flavoring. Perfect!
Could you use a 10 inch pan for this?
Hi Amber, WE use a 9 inch tube pan – your 10 inch should work the cake just won’t be as tall.
I made this yesterday and it turned out PERFECT! Thank you for this amazing and delicious recipe. The directions were easy to follow too. I would make this again if I have a surplus of eggs. Thank you again for all you do!!!
I am making this cake for the 5th time today. Really lovely recipe. I do bake it in a Bundt pan and use the smallest amount of oil just in the bundt ridges on the “top” and it comes out really nicely.
I’ve already bought a non sick angelfood cake pan. Could I line it with parchment paper instead of buying a new non stick pan. The cake didn’t rise to the top and was little crumbly even though I used a timer while it baked?
Hi Brenda, for angel food cake, its best to not use a nonstick pan, or one with very light nonstick coating like the one we link to in this post. We want the cake to cling to the side of the pan to rise and not fall out once inverted. You’ll want to avoid parchment paper, too, since that will prevent the batter from clinging to the sides. Hope this helps!
Hi Sally, can this be used for a cream roll? I have a friend request a 2 serving wedding cake and been pondering a AF roll with some kind of cream filling, then cutting the serving out, standing it up and decorating. Ty.
Hi Russell, this cake is really best baked in a tube pan and we fear it will be too delicate for a roll cake. You might enjoy this strawberry cake roll instead, and you can swap the filling for a cream filling instead. Let us know what you try!
Best cake ever – I had this for my son’s birthday and the cake was gone – all the kids and grown up loved that. I served it with whipped fresh cream with mascarpone and strawberries . It was luxiourious and divine.
Excellent recipe and instructions.
I made half the recipe (I only had 6 egg whites) in a loaf pan. It was delicious. I served it with whipped cream and strawberries. I love how the brown edges taste like meringues.
I’m going to use this in my next trifle.
I tried this recipe yesterday and served to family. Even my grandmother said this was the best angelfood cake she’d ever had!
I will say that this website is not very mobile phone friendly though so I recommend printing.
Recipe turned out correctly, I am just an idiot that sampled the wrong portion, and did so too early. Texture is perfect, and it is about as sweet as an angel food cake should be.