Desserts
Angel Food Cake with Whipped Cream & Strawberries
When it comes to angel food cake, the devil is in the details — little things can truly make a big difference in taste and texture. And this version is so good, it’s almost sinful.
While simple, there are a few tips and a little technique to making an angel food cake. For starters, using cake flour and powdered sugar makes for a fine-crumbed, tender cake. But using granulated sugar to beat the egg whites ensures a more stable, airier meringue. However, be sure to add the sugar gradually so as not to weigh down the whites. Lemon juice and cream of tartar help stabilize the meringue, too, while vanilla bean paste adds exceptional flavor and some beautiful flecks. And for ahigh-rising cake, beat room temperature whites until soft (curled-under tips), not stiff, peaks form. That way the dry ingredients are easier to fold in so you won’t deflate the whites. Then once baked, cool and slice the cake, add a dollop and a drizzle, and you’ll be in heaven.
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE, WHISK:
BEAT:
FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM, WHIP:
Test Kitchen Tip
Be sure your egg whites are yolk-free. To separate them, crack one egg at a time into a small dish, and let the white drip in, looking for any stray yolk or shell. Then transfer the white into a measuring cup. Repeat with each egg.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325° with rack in bottom third.
For the cake, whisk together flour, powdered sugar, and salt in a bowl.
Beat egg whites with an electric mixer on medium-low speed until frothy. Add lemon juice, cream of tartar, and vanilla; increase speed to medium, and continue beating until soft and billowy.
Gradually add granulated sugar, 2 Tbsp. at a time, while continually beating egg whites until soft peaks form.
Sift flour mixture over meringue, in four increments, gently folding with a whisk after each addition, until incorporated.
Gently pour batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan with a removeable bottom. Cut a spatula through the batter to release any air pockets.
Bake cake until the top is golden, cracks are dry, and it pulls away from the sides, 55–60 minutes.
Invert cake onto the neck of a bottle; cool completely before removing from pan, about 2 hours.
For the whipped cream, whip cream, sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer until soft peaks form.
Serve cake with strawberries, syrup, and whipped cream.
For maximum lightness, be sure to sift the flour and powdered sugar before measuring them.
To maintain the meringue’s volume, sift the dry mixture in increments, gently folding in with a whisk.
Inverting the cake over a bottle prevents the cake from collapsing as it cools completely.
Nutritional Facts
Nutritional Facts
Per serving
Calories: 516
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 18g 27%
Saturated Fat 11g 55%
Cholesterol 66mg 22%
Sodium 210mg 8%
Carbs 80g 26%
Fiber 3g 12%
Protein 11g
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.