Angel Food Cake

Rating: 3.28 stars
623 Ratings
  • 5 star values: 129
  • 4 star values: 113
  • 3 star values: 224
  • 2 star values: 117
  • 1 star values: 40

There's a reason angel food cake is a favorite dessert—it's tender, light as air, and tastes, well, divine. What's more, it's virtually fat-free and uses just six ingredients.

Everyday Food, January/February 2009

Gallery

Read the full recipe after the video.

Recipe Summary

prep:
30 mins
total:
1 hr 10 mins
Servings:
8
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Ingredients

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place flour and salt in a sieve set over a bowl; sift into bowl, and set aside. With a mixer, beat egg whites on medium-high until foamy, about 1 minute. Add cream of tartar; beat until soft peaks form. Continue to beat, gradually adding sugar; beat until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla; beat to combine.

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  • Gently transfer egg-white mixture to a large, wide bowl. In four batches, using the sieve again, sift flour mixture over egg-white mixture. While turning the bowl, use a rubber spatula to fold in the mixture by cutting down the center and coming up the sides.

  • Gently spoon batter into an ungreased angel food cake pan with a removable bottom; smooth top. Cut a knife or small spatula through batter to release air bubbles. Bake until cake is golden and springs back when lightly pressed, 35 to 40 minutes. Invert pan; let cool in pan, 1 hour. Run a knife around the inside of the pan and around the tube to release cake, and unmold. Use knife to release cake from bottom of pan, and remove.

Variations

Craving chocolate? Replace 1/4 cup cake flour with 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder; reduce vanilla extract to 1 teaspoon.

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Reviews (21)

623 Ratings
  • 5 star values: 129
  • 4 star values: 113
  • 3 star values: 224
  • 2 star values: 117
  • 1 star values: 40
Anonymous
Rating: 5 stars
05/17/2019
beautiful cake ! made this for the first time it was a total hit...my main concern reading this recipe was the cake tasting too eggy since the batter is all about eggs (12!!) but you could not taste the eggs at all!!!i was just hoping for a high rise like in the video,it turned out exactly the size of my pan 9 x 3 inch which was not too high...any ideas how can make it taller? double batter?
Anonymous
Rating: 5 stars
08/26/2018
This is the recipe my family and I have used for years. Sara's video is great! I like my Angel naked with a lovely cup of tea. FYI..separate eggs over a different container, if you are on # 11 you do not want to break a yolk into them! If you struggle with what to do with all the yolks, make noodles! Make a sauce!!
Anonymous
Rating: 5 stars
07/31/2017
I've made it twice. Beautiful each time! Lovely taste! My family loves it! Texture is good. Trick is to have the perfect egg white mixture, of course :) I used my kitchenaid, and when it was time to add the vanilla, trickled it down the sides slowly. The instructions were easy to follow.
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Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
08/03/2015
Easy to make. Very fluffy texture, but disappointed in the flavor - Once it cooled it was very sticky and a very dominant egg flavor. Wondering if I can add more sugar next time and bake just a little bit longer to avoid the stickiness of the outside. Any help appreciated!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
07/31/2013
My cake turned out exactly like Sara's, slightly sunken. The taste was not sweet enough.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
07/29/2013
Hi, is there a way to get the correct converting for grams in Germany? I need to make this soon and is it also possible to use this recipe for Mini-Muffins? One pan is for about 24 Mini-Muffins. Would this be enough or should I double the ingredients? THANK YOU!!
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Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
06/08/2013
Have a question for Sarah: where could I get the spice jars you have? Love stainless steel spice jar! But never fund the perfect one...
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
06/08/2013
Regarding HARD TO CUT - - - ALWAYS cut angel food cake with a serrated / bread knife -- very easy -- very clean!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
06/06/2013
:) hey Martha I tried the recipe and the result was perfect. Thank you, I got a lot of compliments.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
05/07/2012
Within the past month, I have made 2 angel food cakes. A Betty Crocker box mix, and Martha's. The box one was sweeter, a more vanilla taste, a lot easier to make, with less clean up. A mix costs about $3.00 and I purchased a dozen of eggs for $1.70 and had the other ingredients at home. If you have the time and want to make something with the kids, go for it! It will be fun to make, with close results.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
03/16/2012
love it
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
02/17/2011
First effort at making an Angel Food Cake from scratch, and it turned out so well! I'll never buy another mix again. I did have to cook it abou 15 min. more - watch for the golden brown finish.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
02/17/2011
First effort at making an Angel Food Cake from scratch, and it turned out so well! I'll never buy another mix again. I did have to cook it abou 15 min. more - watch for the golden brown finish.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/16/2011
Ooops. Just read the helpful hint.....that's what happens when you are trying to research recipes with a wriggly child on your lap. ;)
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/16/2011
Can you add cocoa powder to make this chocolatey for a children's birthday party? My son can't eat dairy.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/16/2011
Can you add cocoa powder to make this chocolatey for a children's birthday party? My son can't eat dairy.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/03/2011
Yummy, lowfat and delicious! you can't go wrong with this recipe! Will definetely be making this one again! for a cheap topping I used the chocolate redi-whip in a can. All my guests loved it! And once you have all of the ingredients, it's alot cheaper than buying the cake in a store! Thanks Martha!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
07/20/2010
I tried to make this gluten free and I too found it to be tough. I am not sure if it was the flour or the fact that I may have also folded too much but next time I am going to try both adding xantham gum and folding less. I love martha but I am allergic to gluten so I keep trying to do things my way and some recipes work better than others.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
04/14/2010
how much flour i can use if i don?Ǭ
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
02/16/2010
I must have overmixed the batter since my cake turned out a little tough and hard to cut. I will try mixing in the flour in only two batches next time. But it was still delicious, especially with raspberries and whipped cream!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
10/04/2009
Very easy and very very good!
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