Angel Food Cake

Angel food cake on a cake stand, topped with berries.

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5 from 20 votes

Step-by-step instructions for baking a perfect angel food cake at high altitudes (7000 feet), with tips for success.

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Time to completely cool3

Total Time45

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: angel food cake, high altitude angel food cake

Servings:

Calories: 188kcal

Author: Susan Pridmore

Equipment

Ingredients

12 large egg whites room temperature
1 ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
¾ teaspoon Kosher salt (or ½ teaspoon table salt)
1 ⅓ cups super-fine sugar also called castor sugar (see Notes)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest or zest from 1 lemon
6 ounces cake flour, sifted 1 ⅓ cups sifted (see Notes)
2 cups fresh berries for serving

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325˚F. Set aside a tube pan for the batter, but do not grease it.
Pro- tip: The ideal tube pan is one designed for making Angel Food Cake, meaning it has a raised center tube allowing it to be easily turned upside down to cool the cake without the entire pan resting on the counter. It also will ideally have a removable bottom. This makes it much easier to release the cake from the pan.
Using the whisk attachment and a standing mixer, whip the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt on medium speed for several minutes until foamy.
With the mixer still running, gradually sprinkle in the super-fine sugar. The egg whites will transform into a soft meringue. This shouldn't take longer than 5 - 6 minutes.
It's important not to whip the meringue to stiff peaks, so once the meringue becomes thick and billowing, check the peaks every 20 seconds. To do this, remove the whisk attachment, dip it into the meringue, and turn it upside down. The peak should droop over at the top, not stand straight up, and hold it's shape.
Once your meringue is done, add the extract and lemon zest, and whip for just a few seconds to combine.
Remove the bowl from the standing mixer, and add the sifted cake flour in thirds to the meringue. Do this by hand using a rubber, silicone, or other flexible spatula to gently fold the flour into the whipped egg whites until there are no more flour streaks.
Pro-tip: Be careful not to over-fold the flour beyond the point where it's incorporated into the meringue. Over-folding can begin to collapse the air in the meringue, which results in a denser, chewier, and flatter cake.
Gently scrape the fluffy batter into the ungreased tube pan, and even out the top using the spatula. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Immediately turn the tube pan upside down on the counter for at least 3 hours, or until completely cooled. Only the center of the tube pan should touch the counter, allowing the cake to cook. If not, then turn the tube pan upside-down over a bottle.
When cooled, set the tube pan back upright. Run a smooth (non-serrated) sharp knife around the outside edge and around the center tube to loosen the cake. Then carefully turn the cake out of the pan. it should slide out fairly easily.
Serve with fresh berries, and be sure to use a serrated knife when slicing. This is essentially a meringue cake, and anything other than a serrated knife will pinch the cake instead of slicing through it.

Nutrition