I have the prettiest dessert for you!
Isn’t it so gorgeous? And how perfect is it for the 4th of July? I just can’t even with this angel food cake. It’s a very typical recipe for angel food cake. It’s light, fluffy and perfectly sweet – it’s even better topped with whipped cream and berries.
The recipe instructions may seem a bit daunting – I totally understand. Not all baking is easy, but what I can say is, everything gets easier with practice! I made this twice and it didn’t fail on me, and trust me, I screw up a lot.
I am a huge fan of watching videos of recipe that may have a higher difficulty rating. I watched this video twice before I went ahead and made the recipe, and I know that’s why I nailed it both time. I highly advise watching it before you make any angel food cake recipe! Joy of Baking know what’s up when it comes to baking – she’s one of my go-to’s for all my questions.
Just to give you a visual – the picture above shows what a “stiff peak” looks like – it’s when your batter holds up in a peak without falling. Soft peaks are the opposite – they form a peak but then they fall.
See? Not too hard!
Really though – this dessert is spot on. It’s not heavy at all and if you’re eating lighter, this is the dessert you want to make. The actual cake has no fat in it – it’s made with sugar, egg whites and flour. It’s sweet with a light almond flavor – you know I can’t say no to almond! I love using Nielsen-Massey pure extracts in my recipes. I used the Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Bean Paste and the Pure Almond Extract in this one. They simply are the best. If you look close, you can see vanilla bean flakes in the cake – YUM.
Angel food cake is the perfect recipe for 4th of July because of all the colors, duh! Also, it’s on the lighter side like I mentioned. If you’re eating heavy for the 4th, then this cake is the perfect way to end the meal.
I love angel food cake for any party really – a baby shower, wedding shower, or girls night. I bet it goes well with white wine…
Happy eating!
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- 1 cup cake flour
- 1¼ cups sugar, divided
- 12 egg whites, room temperature
- 1½ teaspoons cream of tartar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ - ½ teaspoon almond extract (use ¼ for a little flavor. Use ½ for a lot of flavor)
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- In a medium bowl, sift together cake flour and ¾ cup granulated sugar; set aside.
- Add egg whites to a stand alone mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whip on medium speed just until a little foamy, a few minutes.
- Add cream of tartar and salt and mix on medium-low to medium speed until soft peaks form - this could take several minutes, be patient.
- Next, add ½ cup sugar a tablespoon at a time with mixer on medium speed. Once all the sugar is mixed in, turn the mixer to medium-high speed and whip until mixture is shiny and stiff peaks form, this could take several minutes - be patient. Once this happens, add vanilla and almond extract and mix for an additional 10 seconds.
- You can use the mixing bowl or you can grab another larger bowl for the next part. I find using a larger bowl is easier, although it's more clean up - it's up to you!
- Next, sift the flour/sugar mixture AGAIN into the wet mixture a little at a time. Fold it in with a rubber spatula. Continue folding a little at a time until it's all mixed in.
- Pour batter into an UNGREASED angel food cake pan and bake for 30-35 minutes in a preheated oven. The top will be lightly browned and cracked when it's done. Invert pan upside on a glass to let cool (see video). If your pan has little legs like mine does, there is no need to use a glass - just turn it upside down on the legs. Let cool for 90 minutes. To remove cake, use a sharp or serrated knife to cut around the edge of the pan and the center of the pan a few times. Cake should pop out. It's okay if it crumbles a little - this is typical of angel food cake. Top with berries and whipped cream.
Recipe slightly adapted from Food.com
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