Fluffy angel food cake does not require any oil, butter or rising agents such as baking powder or baking soda. Instead, this angel food cake recipe gets its signature fluffy texture from egg whites whipped to stiff peaks and cream of tartar.
Egg whites
Cake flour
Salt
Sugar
Cream of tartar
Vanilla extract
Almond extract
You will notice that this angel food cake recipe does not use oil or butter like other recipes. You do not even need to grease the pan with butter or nonstick cooking spray.
Nor does this cake require baking soda or baking powder. The cake gets its height solely from the beaten egg whites.
Wondering what to do with those egg yolks?
Set aside the yolks and use them to make Moist Chocolate Chip Pound Cake.
Instead of sifting the flour multiple times like some angel food cake recipes call for, we're aerating or processing the flour with some of the sugar, in a food processor to give the cake its signature texture.
Tip: To tell if soft peaks have formed, stop the mixer. You should see the egg whites remain on the whisk without falling off or deflating.
Cooling an angel food cake right side up can crush the cake, as it will deflate onto itself as it cools. For that reason, you have an angel food cake cool upside down.
Use an offset spatula to loosen the cooled cake from the sides of the pan.Then lift the cake out of the pan and place it on a cake stand or plate.
Want to save some for later? Freeze them individually for best results by wrapping them in plastic wrap and then into an airtight container. They'll stay good for 3 mos.
Take your homemade angel food cake to the next level with fresh fruit or berries and homemade whipped cream