Remember Moms heavenly angel food cake Ours has the same ethereal texture but with a bright burst of lemon flavor, thanks to fresh juice and zest. Fluffy citrus. Plan ahead Allow at least two days for the elderflower syrup to sit at room temperature before starting the cake. For the Easiest Angel Food Cake Ever, Just Beat ItPhotographs Vicky WasikTake everything you know about angel food cake, put it in a box marked outdated, and kick it to the curb. That may sound a tad presumptuous on my part, considering Americans have been whipping up angel food by one name or another since the 1. Paleo-Grain-Free-Angel-Food-Cake-H.jpg' alt='Best Angel Food Cake Recipe' title='Best Angel Food Cake Recipe' />I see a 1. Im not talking about an easy, comfortable rut thats well worn and safe. Im talking about a bumpy, rocky rut that can throw experienced bakers for a loop, leaving rookies to stumble and fall. Which may explain why so few of us ever bother baking angel food at home. Look at this cake and tell me thats not a cryin shame. Its pillowy soft, as light as cotton candy and just as tender, too. Its sweetness is tempered by a generous spoonful of salt and the toasted flavor of its lightly browned crust, plus an aromatic dose of vanilla. The sort of cake thats worthy of your time, not demanding of it. Before I can explain how and why my recipe breaks from tradition, lets first take a look at the status quo. Recipes for angel food cake always start with egg whitesthe fresher the better, they saybrought to room temperature in a clean bowl. Theyre whisked until foamy and light, then sugars spooned in a little at a time. Easy does it, though Go too fast and the fragile foam will deflate. The whipping and sugar sprinkling continue until the billowy meringue holds stiff to medium peaks, but watch outWhip too long or too hard and the fragile foam will deflate. Better sift the remaining sugar and cake flour, then carefully fold it all together at the end. I said carefully Fold too roughly and the fragile foam will deflate. Sensing a theme That fragile foam is a French meringue, the airiest of all styles, but the least stable and most prone to collapse because its vulnerable to rapid denaturation. Most of us are familiar with denaturation in terms of heatthe hardening of proteins that allows cakes and custards to set. Get Coffee Angel Food Cake Recipe from Food NetworkSteps 8http hIDSERP,5139. Homemade Angel Food Cake Recipe Allrecipes. This angel food cake is just like grandma use to make. Steps 5http hIDSERP,5160. Mock Angel Food Cake Recipe Allrecipes. This is an angel food cake for a sheet cake. My grandma used to use this when she had a bakery. I have never had a problem with it. It is so easy to do. Steps 5http hIDSERP,5177. GlutenFree Angel Food Cake Recipe King Arthur FlourThis cake is so tender and light, no one will suspect its glutenfreeTotal Time 3 hrs 15 minsCalories 120 per servinghttpswww. IDSERP,5192. 1TwoIngredient Pineapple Angel Food Cake Recipe. Two ingredients is all it takes to create a quick, delicious and easy pineapple angel food cakeTotal Time 2 hrs 10 minsCalories 160 per servinghttp hIDSERP,5205. Effortless Angel Food Cake Recipe Serious EatsDelicate, uberfluffy angel food cake is one of the easiest recipes I know Just throw some cold egg whites and sugar into a bowl, whip em up, and stop before they. But denaturation can also happen with agitation, a. That changes the viscosity of the whites, providing structure to facilitate the development of foam. With continued agitation, the proteins harden more, fueling a transformative cycle of structure and growth. Admittedly, there are a ton of other factors at play, and it would take an entire textbook to explain the full range of egg white proteins and their individual contribution to meringue. Suffice it to say, denatured proteins will eventually lose their ability to stretch and expand and will crack under pressure Meringues weep, angels fall, and all hell breaks loose. For successful angel food cake, French meringue needs to be whipped to just that point where it provides enough denatured proteins for structure, but still has native i. Finding that balance takes skill, but is relatively easy with the 1. Nobody can deny the convenience of upgrading from whisks to rotary beaters, then hand mixers, then stand mixers of ever increasing wattage, but they introduce a new problem When youre throwing that much power into a meringue, the risk of over whipping goes through the roof. By virtue of tradition, we still use the same basic French meringue technique despite our powerful new mechanical allies in the kitchen, choosing instead to offset the risk of failure with labor intensive steps like grinding superfine sugar in a food processor or sifting the flour five to six times. These are Band Aids that dont address the underlying issue. Heres the truth With electric mixers in our arsenal, when it comes to angel food cake, you shouldnt be making a French meringue at all. Nor anything so fancy as a Swiss or Italian meringue instead. No, the best angel food cake starts with a meringue made according to Michael Jacksons most famous command. Just beat it. You have to show them that youre really not scared. Youre playin with meringue, this aint no truth or dare. Youll whip them and youll beat them and youll tell them its fair. So beat it. Just beat it. No one wants to be defeated by a bad technique, but seriously, thats it. Throw cold egg whites in a bowl, dump in some sugar, add vanilla. Bake Alton Browns light, airy Angel Food Cake from Good Eats on Food Network, then serve the prepared cake with whipped cream and berries. Steps 6http hIDSERP,5105. The Best Ever Angel Food Cake Chew Out LoudThis Angel Food Cake is the BEST EVER, because nothing at the store comes even close. This one is soft, pillowy, fluffy, tender, and moist. Healthy, too Before I can explain how and why my recipe breaks from tradition, lets first take a look at the status quo. Recipes for angel food cake always start with egg whites. Ever This is really the best, most moist, most rich, most chocolatiest cake Ive ever made. I know there are other chocolate cakes out there that claim to be the best. Whats dinner without a tasty dessert If youre looking for a Angel Food Pineapple Dessert, Ive got just the thing2Ingredient Pineapple Angel Food CakeStart on low to loosen the whites, increase to medium until foamy, then crank it up to medium high until the meringue turns glossy white. Forget stiff or even medium peaks you want to stop while its still runny and softso soft it runs right off the beater, but is thick enough to mound up on itself in the bowl. Thats the only detail you need to remember thick enough to pile up like soft serve. From the chilly temperature and massive sugar dump to the unstructured consistency, each step flies in the face of conventional wisdom by actively inhibiting the egg whites from whipping to their fluffy best. And you know whatThats okay. Angel food cake doesnt need a meringue thats super fluffy. It needs a meringue thats super stableaerated but relaxed, and ready to expand with hot air. And thats exactly what my meringue can do in the oven. It delivers consistently amazing results without any real effort at all the work is accomplished by your mixer. With that kind of horsepower, you dont have to make any special effort to ensure the bowl is psychotically clean, nor do you need to abandon perfectly good egg whites just because theyre flecked with a trace of yolk as Daniel proved here. In either case, the power of the mixer will see you through. And, even if you lose track of time jammin to MJ and beat it longer than you should, the cold temperature and early addition of sugar inhibit denaturation, providing a comfy margin of error. Adding all the sugar up front also makes the cake flour easier to incorporate because its all on its own, leaving less chance for over mixing as you fold. The cake is baked until golden and firm, roughly 4. But with a digital thermometer instead of a toothpick, theres no need to guess2. F and youre done Truth be told, the hardest part of my recipe is just waiting for the cake to cool. Cooling upside down is definitely the way to go, harnessing the power of gravity to stretch rather than compress the cakes tender crumb. Thats why its immensely important not to use a nonstick pan, or else the cake will go splat. Stick with a standard aluminum tube pan, about 1. Dont fall for marketing gimmicks here theres no feature that could justify paying any more than 1. I love the rustic appearance of the cakes craggy upper crust, but for a more stunning presentation, flip it over and pile all kinds of fresh fruits on top. Trust me, this cake is far too delicate and airy to frost or glaze. The former will only churn up a million crumbs, while the latter will be absorbed almost straight away. That said, I do like to glaze the fruit itself by tossing the berries and figs with a few tablespoons of Fresh Lemon Syrup for a touch of flavor and shine. If you dont have any on hand, a bit of melted jelly works better than watery simple syrup, or just serve em up au naturel. With a dollop of lightly sweetened Lemon Chantilly, angel food cake is fresh and breezy, simple enough to whip up on a weekday afternoon. Even better, its light enough to follow any meal, and fancy enough to trot out on special occasions bonus points there, because its also big enough to feed a crowd. Whether or not youve ever made angel food cake before, I hope youll put my method to the test and discover how truly simple it can be. For busy bakers, its the perfect solution to the seemingly endless supply of egg whites left over from yolk intensive projects like lemon bars and ice cream, so dont toss those whites Youll want to make this recipe again and again. Effortless Angel Food Cake RecipePhotograph Vicky WasikDelicate, uber fluffy angel food cake is one of the easiest recipes I know Just throw some cold egg whites and sugar into a bowl, whip em up, and stop before theyre stiff. After that, its simply a matter of stirring cake flour into the glossy meringue and baking the whole thing off. How To Make Milkshakes. With this approach, you and the egg white proteins stay relaxed, making collapsed cakes and angel food anxiety a thing of the past.