Angel Food Cake Light (Printable Version)

A delicate, airy cake made from whipped egg whites, ideal with fresh berries or cream topping.

# What You Need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 1 cup cake flour, sifted
02 - 1½ cups granulated sugar, divided
03 - ¼ teaspoon fine salt

→ Egg Mixture

04 - 12 large egg whites, at room temperature
05 - 1½ teaspoons cream of tartar
06 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
07 - ½ teaspoon almond extract (optional)

# How-To:

01 - Set oven to 350°F. Ensure the angel food cake pan is clean, dry, and ungreased.
02 - Sift together cake flour, ¾ cup of the sugar, and salt three times for aeration. Set aside.
03 - In a stand mixer bowl, beat egg whites on medium-high until foamy. Add cream of tartar and continue until soft peaks form.
04 - Gradually incorporate remaining ¾ cup sugar in small increments while beating until stiff, glossy peaks form. Fold in vanilla and almond extracts gently.
05 - Sift flour mixture over whipped egg whites in three additions, gently folding after each until combined without overmixing.
06 - Spoon batter evenly into the ungreased tube pan. Smooth the surface and run a knife through batter to remove large air bubbles.
07 - Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until golden and springy to touch.
08 - Immediately invert the pan over a bottle or rack to cool completely upside down, approximately 1 to 2 hours.
09 - Run a thin knife around edges to loosen cake from pan carefully.
10 - Present as is or accompanied by fresh berries and whipped cream.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It's guilt-free indulgence—pure, light, and somehow feels like eating clouds made of vanilla.
  • No butter, no oil, just egg whites and skill, which means you can serve it proudly at any gathering.
  • One bowl of ordinary ingredients becomes something that tastes like you spent hours on it.
02 -
  • Even one speck of egg yolk will prevent your whites from reaching their full potential—separate eggs carefully or buy pre-separated whites if you want insurance.
  • Room temperature egg whites beat to stiffer peaks than cold ones because the proteins relax and stretch better when warm.
  • Never, ever grease that pan; the cake must cling to the sides to climb, and grease is a slippery slope to disappointment.
03 -
  • Use a stand mixer if you have one—your arm will thank you, and the consistent speed produces more reliable peaks than hand-whisking.
  • If the cake doesn't rise as much as expected, check that your eggs were truly room temperature and your pan was genuinely ungreased; these two factors alone make the difference between average and exceptional.
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