Angel food cake is the lightest, fluffiest, most ethereal cake. It’s even more amazing when topped with whipped cream studded with fruit.
Once upon a time, I would have served this cake with just a simple dollop of cream on top. That was before I saw my friend, and fellow baker, Jessie Sheehan grace an angel food cake with a fruit-studded sheath of whipped cream in her book The Vintage Baker. She boldly slathered the colorful topping over the whole cake. She forever ruined naked angel food cake for me, and I’m so grateful.
Jessie and I ate our way through the Minnesota State Fair for season 3 episode 8 of Zoë Bakes and I made a cherry version of her Angel Food Dream Cake for the episode! You can get creative with your favorite fruit in this recipe.
The secret to keeping the lightness of this cake is to cool it upside down. I balance mine over a wine bottle to cool because my pan is old and doesn’t have feet.
The Cake Academy chapter in my cookbook, Zoë Bakes Cakes, has lots more tips and tricks for all kinds of cakes. Be sure to check it out!
Angel Food Cake Ingredients
- Superfine sugar: Superfine sugar is granulated sugar that’s processed to be finer crystals. In Europe it is known as caster sugar and in the United States, it’s often labeled as baker’s sugar. It’s used in recipes when the sugar needs to dissolve quickly into the solution of the cake batter or egg foam. See the video below to learn how to make it yourself!
- Egg whites: The ethereal texture of this angel food cake comes from whipping a dozen egg whites to meringue perfection, then gently folding cake flour into it. I added some zest and rose water to make this beautiful cake even more festive. That’s the beauty of angel food cake, it is easy to play with different flavors.
- Cream of tartar: Cream of tartar is an acid produced by the process of making wine. It is used to create a stronger protein web when whipping egg whites.
- Cake flour: This is wonderful for cakes that have a delicate, tender crumb, which is precisely why the flour is named after them.
How to Make Superfine Sugar
If you don’t have any superfine sugar around, it’s actually quite easy to make yourself. I made this video to show you just how easy it is to make superfine sugar at home.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (120g) cake flour sifted
- 1 1/4 cups (250g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp table salt
- 12 egg whites at room temperature
- 1 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- Zest of one lemon optional, not part of the original recipe
- 2 teaspoons rose water optional, not part of the original recipe
Whipped Cream
- 2 cups (250g) fresh or frozen blueberries, plus a handful for the garnish. I used the same amount of Driscoll's raspberries
- 1/3 cup (65g) granulated sugar
- 2 cups (480ml) heavy cream
- 1/4 cup (50g) packed light brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Sift the flour, half the sugar and salt, set aside.
- Whip the egg whites until foamy. Add 1 tablespoon water, the cream of tartar and vanilla, whip until it begins to form soft peaks. Add the remaining sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time until incorporated. Add the zest and rose water if using and continue whipping until it is medium stiff peaks.
- Sift 1/3 of the flour over the whites and gently fold it in using a rubber spatula. Continue with another 1/3 and then the final flour. Transfer the batter into a 10-cup tube pan. Run a knife around the batter to get out any large air pockets, then smooth the top. Bake for about 30-40 minutes or just until a tester comes out with moist crumbs.
- Turn the pan upside down to cool. If your pan has feet, then you're all set, if not, you'll need a bottle of wine. Once the cake is completely cool, run a paring knife around the outer edge and the middle. Invert the cake onto the serving plate.
For the Whipped Cream
- Combine the berries, granulated sugar and a few tablespoons water in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until the fruit breaks down and thickens and is jammy. Put it in a container and chill. I threw it in the freezer to speed things up a bit. I wanted cake.
- Whip the cream and brown sugar on medium speed until it just starts to thicken, add the vanilla and continue to whip until medium/soft peaks. Fold in the cooled, cooked berries.
- Jessie sliced the cake in half and filled it with some of the berry cream, then spread the rest on top. This adds the creamy, dreaminess of the whipped cream throughout. I love the look of a tall angel food cake, so I just put all the berry cream on the outside of the cake.
How long does cake last with whipped cream topping at room temperature?
Hi Eileen! If it’s a room at about 70F it will last for hours. If it’s quite a bit warmer, then an hour or maybe two.
Does this recipe call for Blueberries and Raspberries ?
Hi Hollie, Jessie’s original recipe calls for blueberries, but when Zoe made the recipe, she only had raspberries, so that’s what she used. The recipe in this blog post calls just for blueberries, but you’ll see Zoe noted that she used the same amount of raspberries for hers instead. I hope this helps!
Perfeito o seu trabalho! Parabéns Zoë!!
Just made this last minute for the 4th! It was the best textured Angel Food cake I have made. This will be my new go to! Thanks Zoe!
I luv this cake. I hope someone makes this cake for me next month
It was dreamy and delicious snd so much fun to re-create!
Hi, Zoe,
My son has requested your fluffy Swiss meringue topping for his angel food birthday cake. Would this pair well? And do you think it would work to mix the raspberry jam into that?
Thanks!
Zoe
Hi Zoe! Zoë would not recommend this pairing for a couple of reasons, but she does have some ideas, in case you would like to try it. Meringue is very sweet and angel food is also pretty sweet, so the pair may be too cloying. If you try it, you may want to add lemon zest or lemon extract to the meringue to counteract the sweetness. It is also not recommended to add jam to the meringue, but you could try a layer of raspberry jam underneath the meringueu’d like to incorporate that flavor. Another fun idea could be to fill the center of the cake with fresh raspberries so when you cut into it they spill out. Happy birthday to your son and happy baking!
Thank you so much for such a helpful (and fast) response! I very much appreciate the guidance.
Followed the recipe. It is delicious! Only change I made was to add some vanilla bean paste to the whipped cream and lessen the sugar in the raspberry jam to make it less sweet. Loved the results! Thank you!
Can Angel Food cake be frozen?
Hi Melissa,
This is an excellent question and I am trying to recall if I have ever tried to freeze it before. Most cakes can, but just be careful when defrosting it, you don’t want the texture to get soggy from condensation. I would try freezing a piece and see what you think of the results. If you get to it before I do, let me know what you find.
Thanks, Zoë
My mother-in-law would freeze her angel food cakes. She would take it out of the freezer and thaw it for an hour or so, cut it in half (easier when it is semi-thawed), and add her strawberry whipped topping to the middle and top of the cake and put it in the fridge. She would make a batch of homemade egg noodles, using the egg yolks, then make her angel food cake with the whites!
Can I make this gluten-free??
Hi Georgia! Zoe has not tested this recipe as gluten free, but she does have a suggestion if you’d like to experiment with it. She suggests using a combination of a 1:1 gluten free baking flour and some corn starch to try and replicate cake flour. Depending on what brand you use you may need more corn starch than others, so it will be somewhat of an experiment.
Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe! I never attempted to bake Angel Food Cake because I don’t know what to do with all the leftover egg yolks. I would be very happy about any suggestions because I really would like to bake this cake. Yum!
Hi! Zoë’s Key Lime Pie calls for 5 yolks in the filling and 6 for the curd. Her lavender crème brûlée calls for 10 yolks, butterscotch pot de crèmes call for 10 and I know a few of her ice creams call for several yolks. I hope this helps!
Thank you!!! Much appreciated.
you could also make a hollandaise sauce for something savory, like eggs Benedict
Hi Zoe!
A quick idea for the frosting: I put the pan of hot raspberries directly on top of a big bowl of ice and that cooled them in a minute or 2! Very fast because I also wanted cake
Angel food cake is my absolute favorite. It reminds me of my mom who always presented me with one if I was challenged by life in any way and just screams comfort to me. Problem is Im the only one in the house who enjoys it. This creative idea is beautiful and so tasty looking. Being in CA I always have berries whether fresh or frozen. Thank you for such a lovely looking treat!
do you keep the cake refrigerated or at room temp after frosting but before serving? thx for this post!!
Hi Clara,
You need to keep it refrigerated once you cover it in the whipped cream.
Enjoy! Zoë
Raspberry Rose is one of my favorite combos! Thanks for sharing!
I love angel food cake! So fluffy and delicious! This version looks and sounds amazing!
Hi Natalie,
It really is so amazingly tasty!
Cheers, Zoë
How do you keep the cake from sliding out of the pan while it’s upside down?
Hi Dana,
That’s why you don’t butter the pan, you want the cake to cling to the sides as it rises and bakes. It won’t come out until your cut it out.
Cheers, Zoë