This is my all-time favorite Angel food cake recipe! It’s soooooo good my husband and I never do the traditional toppings of whipped cream and fruit because we are happy to just eat it plain. I have tried several recipes over the years, and this one is my favorite because it always comes out super-moist! What makes this recipe different from others? This recipe has an extra 1/2 cup of sugar than most recipes out there, and so the top of the cake crystallizes and seals in the moisture for an extra moist and delicious angel food cake! I plan on making 3 cakes for our Easter dinner, and I never make less than 2 because my husband and I each like to eat our own! Ha! It’s that good! Don’t hesitate to give this recipe a try! (This recipe was adapted from a recipe given to me by a friend in Colorado. I haven’t found one better!)
The Best ANGEL FOOD CAKE—So good we eat it plain!
1 1/2 Cups Powdered Sugar
1 Cup All Purpose Flour (Minus 2 Tablespoons)
1 1/2 Cups egg whites (about a dozen eggs, absolutely NO Yolks)
1 1/2 Teaspoons Cream of Tarter
1 Cup granulated Sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla
1/2 teaspoons Almond Extract
1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- Combine Flour and Powder Sugar Together. Mix, and set to the side in a bowl.
- In your mixer, add egg whites, cream of tarter, vanilla, almond extract and salt. Beat on low speed. When bubbles begin to form on the surface of this egg white mixture, then move to step 3.
- Increase the speed slightly, and then slowly pour in granulated sugar (NOT ALL AT ONCE). But gradually add the granulated sugar very slowly over the next few minutes as the egg whites thicken into a merengue consistency.
- Continue to beat this mixture until the egg white/Sugar-blend forms stiff peaks. To test, I dip the surface of my finger in, and pull it out quickly. It will form a stiff peak that holds its shape.
- FOLD your dry ingredients into your merengue/egg white mixture. The key here is to FOLD using a spatula. Combine all ingredients, just until the dry ingredients disappear. Do not over mix your ingredients or you risk causing your cake to fall in the oven.
- Pour your cake batter into an UNGREASED angel food cake tube pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 33-35 minutes, depending on your oven. Tap the top of the cake with your finger before removing it. If it “springs” back (ever so slightly), then it’s done. If you pull it out too soon, it will collapse. If you cook it too long, it will be dry. It’s a delicate balance. So, watch your cake!
- When the cake is done, remove it from the oven and COOL IT UPSIDE DOWN COMPLETELY before attempting to remove it. It should also be “raised off” the surface of the counter. (You can prop it up on a bottle, or buy a cake pan with little tabs on the edges so that the cake doesn’t rest on the counter top). Your cake can also collapse if you turn it right side up and it has not completely cool.
- Remove the cake from the pan by running a butter knife around the edges to remove it, ONLY when you are ready to serve it. I often make my cake the night before, cool it completely, then cover it with Saran Wrap and leave it in the pan until I am read to cut it out and serve it the next day.
