This stunning angel food cake covered in cherry whipped cream was inspired by a recipe my friend, Jessie Sheehan, included in one of her cookbooks. Jessie visited Minnesota last summer and she joined me to eat our way through the Minnesota State Fair for season 3 episode 8 of Zoë Bakes on Magnolia Network!
Angel food cake is the lightest, fluffiest, most ethereal cake. It’s made even more amazing with whipped cream studded with maraschino cherries for flavor and beautiful color.
Angel food cake calls for superfine sugar, also known as caster sugar, and if you don’t have any 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.
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You can find a raspberry studded version of this angel food dream cake in my cookbook Zoë Bakes Cakes and you can also try this angel food dream cake. And don’t miss the orange creamsicle pops recipe from this episode as well!
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups (250g) superfine sugar, divided how to make superfine sugar
- 1 cup (120g) cake flour
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- Pinch kosher salt
- 1 3/4 cups (415 ml) egg whites (from about 13 large eggs) at room temperature
- 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
Cherry Whipped Cream
- 1 8-oz jar pitted maraschino cherries stemmed and chopped, plus 1 tablespoon of the cherry juice
- 2 cups (480ml) heavy whipping cream
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- Whole maraschino cherries for garnishing optional
- Roses or flowers for garnishing optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together half of the sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt. Sift the mixture three times to aerate, then set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites, lemon juice, and cream of tartar on high speed until the whites are foamy. Turn the speed to medium-low and slowly add the remaining sugar. Turn the speed to medium-high and continue to whip the mixture until medium-stiff peaks form, about 4 minutes. Add the vanilla, turn the speed to medium, and whip until incorporated.
- Sift a third of the sugar-flour mixture over the egg foam and, using a rubber spatula, gently fold them together. Repeat with another third of the sugar-flour mixture and gently fold together. Continue with the remaining sugar-flour mixture until incorporated. Fold in the lemon zest.
- Spoon the batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube or angel food pan. Run a knife or metal spatula through the batter to release any large air bubbles.
- Bake until the top is golden and a tester comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Immediately invert the pan onto its feet or a wine bottle and let it rest to prevent the cake from compressing. Leave suspended upside down until completely cool, at least 1 hour.
- Using a paring knife, very carefully loosen the cake away from the edge of the pan and the center. Invert the cake onto a serving plate.
Cherry Whipped Cream
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the chopped cherries, heavy cream and about 1 tablespoon of the cherry juice. Whip on medium speed with the whisk attachment until it just starts to thicken, add the vanilla and continue to whip until medium/soft peaks.
- Spread the cherry whipped cream over the sides and top of the cake. Garnish with whole maraschino cherries and flowers. Using a serrated bread knife or angel food comb, cut into individual slices to serve.
This is the best angel food cake! I have celiac disease so substituted Cup4Cup GF flour for the cake flour & corn starch. It’s super easy and delicious!
This is so helpful! So you substituted the flour and left out the cornstarch – is this correct? Thanks so much.
Ginger, yes that’s correct. It was delicious & texture amazing!
What other types of fruit could you use instead of cherries?
Hi Deena, Zoe has used blueberries and raspberries as well. She suggests avoiding blackberries because, although it is delicious, it turns a gray color. Happy baking!
I can’t find the Blue Ribbon Angel Food Cake recipe in this post. Can you print it out? Thank you.
Hi Milly! I see that you’re a free Substack subscriber. That recipe is an exclusive just for Zoë’s Extras subscribers. Sorry for the confusion!
I’m making this angel food cake today, but the recipe says 250g of fine sugar(divided). How is this divided? 59/50?
Hi Mick! You use half the sugar in step 2 and the remaining in step 3. Cheers!
I just baked this cake, and it’s beautiful. It will be served tomorrow. Can I frost it today, and if so, should it be left at room temp., or refrigerated? ZOE, you’re tha best.
So delicious! The whipped cream really takes it to a whole new level. I will say that my cake was done a bit earlier than the 40 minutes stated in the recipe, so I would just advise other bakers to check it around 30 and be willing to adapt.