Homemade Angel Food Cake with Strawberries
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 162kcal
This classic Angel food cake is light and fluffy, low-fat dessert! Effortlessly impressive, this crowd-pleaser is a perfect make-ahead cake for any occasion.
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Ingredients
For cake:
- 1 ½ cups (300 g) caster sugar Note 1
- 1 cup (125 g) cake flour Note 2
- 12 egg whites at room temperature, Note 3
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar Note 4
- ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon orange zest freshly zested
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
For strawberry sauce:
- 1 cup strawberries frozen or fresh
- 1-2 tablespoons raw honey
Equipment
Instructions
To make Angel food cake:
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C).
- Sift together half of the sugar and cake flour.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy on a low speed. Add cream of tartar and salt and continue to beat, gradually increasing the speed to medium high.
- When the egg whites turn white with denser foam, stir in remaining ¾ cup of sugar one tablespoon at a time. Continue to beat on medium high speed until soft peaks form.
- Stir in orange zest and pure vanilla extract.
- If needed, transfer the meringue into a larger mixing bowl.
- Add flour/sugar mixture into the meringue and carefully fold the batter until all the dry ingredients are mixed in. Be careful not to deflate the batter.
- Now, transfer the batter into ungreased angel food cake pan. Smooth out the surface and run a butter knife through the batter to remove any air pockets.
- Bake the cake for 45-55 minutes, or until inserted wooden stick comes out clean.
- Cool the cake completely in the pan upside down, about 2 hours. I prefer to balance the pan upside down on an inverted mug as pictured above. This will make sure the cake stays light and fluffy while cooling.
To make honey strawberry sauce:
- In a small saucepan, combine strawberries and honey and bring it to a boil over medium high heat.
- Then, simmer the mixture for about 5 minutes, mashing the berries with a fork.
- Transfer the sauce into a bowl and cool completely.
To serve:
- Once the cake is completely cooled, run a thin knife around the edges of the pan and gently release the cake from the pan. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired, and serve with strawberry sauce, whipped cream and fresh berries.
- Store leftover cake, covered, in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Video
Notes
Note 1: Caster sugar is basically super fine granulated sugar. If you don't have it, you may pulse regular granulated sugar in a food processor, or blender, until nice and fine. Fine sugar dissolves quicker in the meringue, creating nice and stable meringue. Powdered sugar (or confectioner's sugar) won't work here.
Note 2: Cake flour makes the most tender and light cake, thanks to its low protein content. See my homemade version above.
Note 3: I've made Angel food cake with both fresh egg whites and carton egg whites. And honestly, I don't see much difference. (See comparison image above.) You'll need 420g of liquid egg whites. If you're using fresh eggs, here're 6 ideas for leftover egg yolks.
Note 4: Cream of tartar is an acid that stabilizes egg whites, making stronger and more stable meringue. While it's highly recommended, it's not crucial ingredient.
Nutrition
Calories: 162kcal
Carbohydrates: 35g
Protein: 5g
Fat: 1g
Sugar: 27g
Sodium: 148mg
