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Classic Angel Food Cake from scratch and some memories of very special people and their baking equipment. This Angel Food Cake is also my husband’s favorite birthday cake. And you know what, it really isn’t that difficult to make this amazing cake from scratch!
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My husband’s favorite cake
For my husband’s birthday he requested an Angel Food Cake. It’s one of his favorite desserts, partly because he has fond childhood memories of his Grandma’s homemade Angel Food Cake.
I served it this time with Chocolate Espresso Sauce. It’s great with strawberries or jam as well.
We finally got to celebrate his birthday with his family (only about a month late). And that means I finally got to make the cake. I’ll be honest, I’ve made about 3 Angel Food Cakes in my life. Each one has turned out great. Light, fluffy, pretty, tasty.
But, I’m always a wee bit nervous. What if I don’t do it right? What if a mess it up? And, yet, that has never happened.
I guess they aren’t as hard as I think they might be. I know my husband would say that means I just need to make them more often! For this recipe, I used Alton Brown’s version.
Great Birthday Cake Recipes you’ll LOVE:
Chocolate Cream Cheese Cupcakes from Life Currents
Nanny’s Chocolate Fudge Brownie Cake from Lovefoodies
Classic Birthday Cake from Liv for Cake
Yellow Birthday Cake with Mocha Frosting from Serena Bakes Simply from Scratch
This is my husband’s Grandma’s Angel Food Cake Pan. This is how she always cooled her Angel Food Cakes: upside down on a glass bottle. Of course, I did update the bottle a bit; since I’m not a fan of Chardonnay wine, I use this to cool my Angel Food Cakes.
Special Baking Equipment
I’m honored and privileged to have been given some very special baking supplies.
First, I have my husband’s Grandma’s Angel Food Cake pan. It means so much to him that I have it, take good care of it, and actually use it.
I think it’s awesome when he takes the cake around and shows it to guests and proclaims that it’s Grandma’s cake pan with a from scratch Angel Food Cake, just like the ones Grandma used to make.
Then, he and his brother tell stories of how, when they were kids they would go to Grandma’s and spend the whole summer in her pool.
They had to walk through Grandma’s kitchen to get to the pool, and if Grandma had baked a cake, it would be on the kitchen counter cooling. Of course, it was upside down on a glass 7-up bottle to cool, so they would sneak little bites of the crust out from under the cake pan as they walked by.
It’s so awesome to think that I’m helping to carry on these memories and traditions from their family.
Cake Cover
This second piece of heirloom equipment, the cake cover, that I have that’s very special to me is from my dearly departed friend, Lou. Before he passed away, Lou, who was in his 90’s gave me a box of baking equipment. He told me that his dad was a baker, and that he would like me to have these things because he knew I would use them.
I do use, them, and they mean the world to me. Not only because they are great pieces of equipment, but that special people have entrusted me with their family memories. I am truly honored by their trust and their love.
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Recipe
Classic Angel Food Cake from Scratch
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups sugar
- ¼ teaspoon fine grain salt
- 1 cup cake flour, sifted
- 12 egg whites (the closer to room temperature the better)
- 1/3 cup warm water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoons cream of tartar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a food processor, spin sugar about 2 minutes until it is superfine. Sift half of the sugar with the salt and the cake flour, setting the remaining sugar aside.1 ¾ cups sugar, ¼ teaspoon fine grain salt, 1 cup cake flour, sifted
- In a large bowl, use a balloon whisk to thoroughly combine egg whites, water, vanilla extract, and cream of tartar. After 2 minutes, switch to a hand mixer. Slowly sift the reserved sugar, beating continuously at medium speed. Once you have achieved medium peaks, sift enough of the flour mixture in to dust the top of the foam. Using a spatula fold in gently. Continue until all of the flour mixture is incorporated.12 egg whites (the closer to room temperature the better), 1/3 cup warm water, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 ½ teaspoons cream of tartar
- Carefully spoon mixture into an ungreased Angel Food Cake tube pan. Bake for 35 minutes, and check for doneness with a wooden skewer (when inserted halfway between the inner and outer wall, the skewer should come out dry).
- Cool upside down on a glass bottle or a cooling rack for at least an hour before removing from pan.
- To remove from the pan, gently go around the outside of the cake, inside the pan, with an offset spatula to make sure it releases. Use one hand to hold the pan and one hand to catch the cake. Jiggle the pan a little and it should release with no problem.
Video
Notes
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
dishofdailylife
You had me with that chocolate espresso sauce. Your cake looks delicious! I love that your pan has a family history behind it…our possessions that have stories behind them are the ones that are truly treasures! Thanks for joining us again at Foodie Fridays…so glad to have you!
Joanne T Ferguson (@mickeydownunder)
G’day! Your cake looks great and brings back many wonderful choldhood memories!
Cheers! Joanne
Priya Shiva
This looks delicious! Thank you for sharing at #FoodieFridays
cookingactress
Angel food cake is one of my favorites!!! This recipe looks absolutely amazing!
Hadia
I love angel cakes, Debi, and yours looks so scrumptious! Thank you for sharing at our party! Pinned!
Culinary Ginger
Wow, this cake looks so light and fluffy. Love grandma’s way of cooling it too 🙂
Kevin Kady
I’ve made this a couple times. What a great cake.