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    Home » cakes

    Published: Jul 4, 2018 • Modified: Jun 22, 2022 • This site generates income via ads and may contain affiliate links. See my privacy policy linked in the footer.

    Homemade Angel Food Cake

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
    Images of homemade angel food cake from BeyondtheButter.com | © Beyond the Butter®

    This Homemade Angel Food Cake is an easy-to-make classic, summer dessert that is cut into 2 layers and topped with cool whip and fresh berries! It's light and fluffy in texture and tastes incredibly delicious!

    Homemade angel food cake layered with cool whip and fresh berries on a ceramic cake stand with a white background | © Beyond the Butter®
    Slice of homemade angel food cake with berries on white dessert plate and white marbled background | © Beyond the Butter®
    Angel food cake with one slice on its side on a ceramic cake stand | © Beyond the Butter®

    Table of Contents

    • Is it Easy to Make Angel Food Cake?
    • Grab Your Ingredients
    • Helpful Angel Food Cake Baking Tips
    • Recommended Baking Tools
    • Recipe FAQs
    • Give These Other Beyond the Butter Cake Recipes a Try!

    Is it Easy to Make Angel Food Cake?

    Yes, I promise it is!

    You'll need either a hand mixer or a stand mixer to make this homemade angel food cake with berries recipe. Other baking tools needed are mixing bowls, offset angled spatula, and a 10-inch tube pan.

    Getting the egg whites to the correct stiff peaks consistency is really the only tricky part of this recipe. If you can keep your mixing bowl and whisk very clean (see tip below for this) and your egg whites free of any yolks, you'll be good! To fold in your whisked dry ingredients, please use a spatula.

    The other very minor part of this angel food cake recipe is the cake needs to cool upside down. I know it sounds weird, but it works! And the cake doesn't fall out of the pan, I promise.

    Homemade angel food cake on ceramic cake stand surrounded by dessert plates, forks, berries, and mauve colored cloth napkin on white marbled background | © Beyond the Butter®
    Close up image of angel food cake with one slice on its side on a ceramic cake stand | © Beyond the Butter®

    Grab Your Ingredients

    To make this homemade angel food cake recipe, you'll need:

    • Granulated Sugar
    • Cake Flour. Do not use all-purpose flour for this recipe.
    • Salt
    • Large Egg Whites. This is approximately 11 large eggs.
    • Cream of Tartar. This helps to give the egg whites some stability as it forms stiff peaks.
    • Vanilla Extract
    • Almond Extract. I love the flavor this adds to the angel food cake!
    • Cool Whip. To have this spread easily onto the cake, make sure it's thawed.
    • Berries. You can use raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, or whatever combination of berries you prefer!
    Angel food cake with once slice pulled out with on a ceramic cake stand | © Beyond the Butter®

    Helpful Angel Food Cake Baking Tips

    • Do not grease your tube pan!
    • Before beating your egg whites, the mixing bowl and whisk need to be super clean. Any leftover grease or residue can totally derail this part of the recipe!
    • You can give your mixing bowl and whisk a little bit of extra cleaning love by running a paper towel with some distilled white vinegar on it.
    • A good test to see if your homemade angel food cake is done is by gently pressing your finger or the backside of a spoon into the top. If it immediately springs back, it's done.
    • Cool your angel food cake upside down to room temperature.
    • If your tube pan doesn't have legs, you can place 2 cans of equal height underneath to cool it upside down.
    • Use a serrated knife to cut the angel food cake into 2 layers. It will cut much easier this way!
    • Adding the cool whip and berries is an optional step. If added, the angel food cake should be cooled first.
    Homemade angel food cake with berries on ceramic cake stand surrounded by berries, and mauve colored cloth napkin on white marbled background | © Beyond the Butter®

    Recommended Baking Tools

    KitchenAid KHM926CA 9-Speed Digital Hand Mixer with Turbo Beater II Accessories and Pro Whisk
    Wilton Icing Spatula Set for Baking, 3-Piece - 13 and 9-Inch Angled and 11-Inch Straight Spatulas
    KitchenAid KSM150PSER Artisan Tilt-Head Stand Mixer with Pouring Shield, 5-Quart, Empire Red
    Cake Carrier by Sweet Course Official 12" Large Round Container
    J.A. Henckels International Forged Synergy 8-Inch Bread Knife
    Cakewalk 6466 Melamine Cake Stand
    Wilton Angel Food Tube Cake Pan, 10-Inch
    Cooling Rack Stainless Steel Half size - Commercial Grade Steel 11.5" x 16.5" | 1 Piece | Cooking Rack Designed To Fit Perfectly Into Baking Half Sheet Pan | Only From Indigo True Company
    Zassenhaus Magnetic Retro Kitchen Timer
    KitchenAid KHM926CA 9-Speed Digital Hand Mixer with Turbo Beater II Accessories and Pro Whisk
    Wilton Icing Spatula Set for Baking, 3-Piece - 13 and 9-Inch Angled and 11-Inch Straight Spatulas
    KitchenAid KSM150PSER Artisan Tilt-Head Stand Mixer with Pouring Shield, 5-Quart, Empire Red
    Cake Carrier by Sweet Course Official 12" Large Round Container
    J.A. Henckels International Forged Synergy 8-Inch Bread Knife
    Cakewalk 6466 Melamine Cake Stand
    Wilton Angel Food Tube Cake Pan, 10-Inch
    Cooling Rack Stainless Steel Half size - Commercial Grade Steel 11.5" x 16.5" | 1 Piece | Cooking Rack Designed To Fit Perfectly Into Baking Half Sheet Pan | Only From Indigo True Company
    Zassenhaus Magnetic Retro Kitchen Timer

    Recipe FAQs

    Should you grease your tube pan for angel food cake?

    No. Do not grease your tube pan when making angel food cake! This will prevent the cake from sticking to the sides and rising as it bakes.

    How will I know when my angel food cake is ready to come out of the oven?

    To check if your cake is done, gently press your finger into the top of it. If it springs back, you can remove it from the oven. Don't forget to cool it upside down on its legs or 2 cans of equal height.

    Why do you cool an angel food cake upside down?

    Cooling an angel food cake upside down (or inverted) allows the cake to keep its volume.

    What do I do if my tube pan doesn't have feet?

    If your tube pan does not have feet (like my Wilton tube pan), you can choose to use two cans that are the same height.

    Homemade angel food cake with berries cloeup image | © Beyond the Butter®

    Give These Other Beyond the Butter Cake Recipes a Try!

    • Single Layer Coconut Cake
    • Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake
    • Banana Chocolate Chip Snack Cake
    • Chocolate Zucchini Cake

    Angel food cake with once slice pulled out with on a ceramic cake stand | © Beyond the Butter®

    Homemade Angel Food Cake

    Author: Jennifer
    This Homemade Angel Food Cake is an easy-to-make classic, summer dessert that is cut into 2 layers and topped with cool whip and fresh berries! It's light and fluffy in texture and tastes incredibly delicious!
    (prevent your screen from going dark while making this recipe)
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 25 minutes
    Cook Time 45 minutes
    Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 12 servings

    Ingredients
     

    • 1 ¼ cups Cake Flour
    • 1 ¾ cups Granulated Sugar
    • ¼ teaspoon Salt
    • 1 ½ cups Large Egg Whites (from 11 eggs)
    • 1 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
    • ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
    • ½ teaspoon Almond Extract
    • 8 oz Cool Whip (thawed, optional)
    • Raspberries Strawberries, and Blueberries (optional)

    Instructions

    • Adjust the oven rack to 2nd level position (just above center) and preheat your oven to 350ºF.
    • Whisk together the cake flour, granulated sugar, and salt. Set aside.
      1 ¼ cups Cake Flour, 1 ¾ cups Granulated Sugar, ¼ teaspoon Salt
    • Using your hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until they are very frothy and can form soft peaks (see notes).
      1 ½ cups Large Egg Whites (from 11 eggs)
    • Add in the cream of tartar, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form.
      1 teaspoon Cream of Tartar, ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract, ½ teaspoon Almond Extract
    • With a spatula, gently fold in the whisked dry ingredients with the beaten egg whites. Do not use your mixer for this part.
    • Place the batter into an ungreased 10 inch tube pan, then bake for 45 minutes at 350ºF or until top is a nice golden brown (see notes).
    • After the cake is done, cool it upside down using the legs on your tube pan (if your tube pan has these) or on top of two equally sized cans.
    • After it's cooled completely, take a knife and gently run it along the edges before removing it from the pan.
    • Using a serrated knife, cut the cake in half, length-wise, creating 2 layers. You can also choose to not cut it at all!
    • Add a layer of cool whip, then a layer of berries. Place the next layer on top and repeat.
      8 oz Cool Whip, Raspberries Strawberries, and Blueberries
    • Serve and enjoy!

    Video

    Recipe Notes

    The suggested recipe baking times noted do not include cooling.
    Do not grease your tube pan!
    Before beating your egg whites make sure your mixing bowl and whisk are super clean. Any leftover grease or residue can totally derail this part of the recipe!
    You can give your mixing bowl and whisk a little bit of extra cleaning love by running a paper towel with some distilled white vinegar on it.
    A good test to see if your angel food cake is done is by gently pressing your finger or the backside of a spoon into the top. If it immediately springs back, it's done.
    Cool your angel food cake upside down to room temperature.
    If your tube pan doesn't have legs, you can place 2 cans of equal height underneath to cool it upside down.
    Use a serrated knife to cut the angel food cake into 2 layers. It will cut much easier this way!
    Adding the cool whip and berries is an optional step. If added, the angel food cake should be cooled first.
    Recipe adapted from 1987 St. Stephen's Family Recipe Cookbook and also inspired by Hoosier Homemade's Angel Food Cake with Berries post.
    Tried this recipe and loved it?Snap a pic and share it with me over on Instagram tagging @beyond.the.butter and #beyondthebutter in your caption or stories!

    More cakes

    • Chocolate Chip Ricotta Cake
    • Pumpkin Pie Cake Bars
    • Mini Strawberry Sheet Cake
    • Individual No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecakes

    © All images & content on BeyondtheButter.com are copyright protected. You may not republish, redistribute, or otherwise use any images, recipes, or content, in part or in whole, without express written permission from the author. Beyond the Butter® is a registered trademark of Jennifer Switzer. All rights reserved. For more information, please read my Policies page.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kiki says

      December 06, 2019 at 12:23 pm

      This looks so delicious and not too difficult! Can’t wait to try it! I was wondering though can you make this the day before serving and if, so what’s the best way to store it? Thank you!

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        December 06, 2019 at 1:15 pm

        Yay! I hope you love it as much as I do! To answer your question, yes...you can certainly make it the day before serving! You can leave it out at room temp just make sure it's covered so it doesn't dry out. Alternatively, you can also keep it in the refrigerator covered as well. My preference is room temp, especially if you're serving it the next day.

        Reply

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