Angel Food Cake
Hi bakers!
While you can buy angel food cake, and you can make it from a box mix, it is quite a baking feat the first time you beat 12 (yes, 12!) egg whites into a fluffy meringue and bake it up into a delicious, golden brown angel food cake! I know this one calls for a lot of egg whites, so I have included a recipe below for what to do with the leftover egg yolks - make ice cream! There are instructions for how to make it with or without an ice cream machine. I've also included some crunches and crumbles that you can store in the freezer to add some flavor and texture to the pies, cookies, or cakes I know you’ll be making for family and friends! :) The method is the same for all the crunch/crumble recipes, so pick the one(s) you’d like to have in your house!
Meredith O'Neil
ANGEL FOOD CAKE (and a bonus recipe below!)
1 cup cake flour (yes, it does have to be cake flour; sorry!)
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1 3/4 cup egg whites (if you are using large eggs, 12 eggs/1 dozen will work*)
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon salt, any kind
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice (or the juice of half of a lemon)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Berries & whipped cream for serving if you’d like!
Special equipment:
- 10 inch tube pan
- Sifter, if you have it
- Electric mixer (hand or stand). Angel food cake can be made by hand, but have a friend nearby to switch off beating the egg whites so your arm doesn’t fall off!
- Wine bottle (or similar) for cooling cake upside down
Preheat oven to 325°. There is no pan prep! Your tube pan cannot be sprayed or buttered for this recipe.
Whisk flour and powdered sugar in a medium bowl; set aside.
Place egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt in the bowl of your mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Turn mixer on to medium to low speed for about 30 seconds, just to start to break up the egg whites. Increase mixer speed to medium-high and beat until egg whites are very foamy and start to form soft peaks (like a droopy bird’s beak!), about 45 more seconds. Gradually add sugar while the mixer is running and continue beating until whites are firm, glossy, and hold stiff peaks (upright bird’s beak). [You’ll know if you overheat the egg whites - the mixture will look curdled.] Add lemon juice and vanilla; beat to combine.
Remove bowl from mixer, and sift about 1/3 of the flour/powdered sugar mixture on top of the egg whites. Return bowl to mixer, and beat on low speed until dry ingredients are incorporated. Remove bowl again, and repeat with next 1/3 of dry ingredients, returning bowl to mixer after each addition to combine on low speed; repeat process with final 1/3 of dry ingredients. Remove bowl a final time, and fold mixture carefully with large rubber spatula to ensure ingredients are fully combined.
Dollop half the batter into the ungreased tube pan, and use a spoon or small offset spatula to push the batter lightly into the bottom of pan and up the sides. Scrape remaining batter into pan, and spread evenly, smoothing the top. Bake in preheated oven until top is puffed, split, golden, and springs back when touched - and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes. Take cake out of oven and immediately invert onto a long necked wine or other glass bottle.
Let cool at least one hour, then turn right side up. Using a thin metal spatula, offset knife, or butter knife, carefully cut down sides of pan and center tube to release cake from pan. Push bottom of pan up and out. Carefully slide knife/spatula around bottom of pan to release cake fully from pan. Invert cake onto plate/serving dish or carefully lift up and set on platter - displaying whichever side you like up! Serve with whipped cream and berries if you want, because it’s summer, and we need some sunshine.
- I KNOW; it’s so many eggs! If you need an idea of what to do with the leftover yolks, I highly recommend ice cream! Here’s a way to use up 6 of those yolks (or make two batches and use up all 12), no ice cream machine needed:
Vanilla Ice Cream
6 egg yolks
1 cup whole milk
2 cups heavy cream, divided
3/4 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whisk yolks in medium bowl; set aside. Place one cup of heavy cream in another medium bowl, and if you have a bowl one size larger, fill that bowl with ice. Place bowl with cream on top of ice; set aside. Pour milk and one cup of the heavy cream into a medium saucepan. Add sugar and salt; whisk to combine. Heat over medium heat just until it starts steaming lightly, stirring occasionally. Using oven mitts, start whisking the egg yolks again, pick up the sauce pan and slowly pour it into the egg yolks while whisking. This is called tempering the egg yolks, and you are doing it slowly and carefully to avoid scrambling your egg yolks (but no worries if you get a few egg bits; we can take care of those later!). Dump that whole mixture right back into the saucepan and return it to the stove. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently with a rubber spatula until mixture begins to thicken; 5-7 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when you lift the spatula out of the mixture, swipe one finger down the center, and the two sides don’t run back together. If you have a sifter/fine mesh strainer, set it over the bowl of heavy cream sitting on the ice, and scrape the custard into the strainer. Press mixture through and scrape off bottom of strainer. If you don’t have a strainer, just pour mixture right into heavy cream and stir to combine, letting it start to cool over the ice. Stir in vanilla, then let mixture cool on counter 20-30 minutes, then transfer to an airtight container with lid, and stash in the fridge for at least 8 hours and up to a week. When ready to turn it into ice cream, proceed with one of the methods below:
Option #1: I am crazy enough to own an ice cream maker
Me too! Process ice cream according to instructions for your ice cream maker. Scrape into a clean airtight container when it’s ready - or stop it just 2 minutes before it’s finished and mix in something yummy!
Option #2: Why would I own an ice cream maker; no, seriously, what’s wrong with you, Meredith?
Once ice cream base is thoroughly chilled in your fridge, pour it into a deep baking dish or bowl (stainless steel, plastic, anything durable that can be frozen and mixed in). Freeze for 45 minutes. Mixture will start to freeze near the edges; stir and mix it vigorously to combine all the frozen and not frozen parts. If you have a hand held mixer, use it here - but a spatula or sturdy whisk works just fine! Return to freezer, and let freeze another 45 minutes. Mix again. Return to freezer and repeat mixing process one more time until ice cream is frozen. It’ll take about 2-3 hours total (just depends on where in your freezer you stash it, etc.) for ice cream to be totally frozen. Feel free to mix in fun treats before the final freeze!
Let’s get creative: How to elevate your baked goods!
Once you know the basics of making a cake, cookie, or pie, you can start to mix and match recipes and techniques to create new favorites and originals. One of the easiest ways to get comfortable doing this is crunches and crumbles. These recipes come together quickly and can be added to a variety of baked goods to add another layer of flavor and texture. They can be made weeks or months (stored in the freezer) in advance and pulled out to use whenever the need strikes, and these recipes are begging to be doubled and saved for a rainy baking day!
Cornflake Crunch
5 cups cornflakes (1/2 of a 12 ounce box)
1/2 cup milk powder (also sold as dry milk or instant milk powder)
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt, kosher if you have it
9 tablespoons butter, melted
Preheat oven to 275 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper if you have it - otherwise just give it a spray with cooking spray. Put the cornflakes in a large bowl and crush them with your hands a few times. Add sugar, milk powder, and salt; toss to mix. Pour butter over mixture and toss with a spatula to coat - the butter will start to create clumps and clusters in the cornflake mixture. Spread on baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes until clusters are toasted and crunchy. Cool completely before using in a recipe. Store in an airtight container on the counter for up to a week or in the freezer for up to two months.
Alternatively: Pretzel Crunch
Swap out cornflakes for 2 cups mini pretzels and add 1 tablespoon malt powder. Follow rest of the recipe for a salty sweet combo! Use in cookie recipes or add to nuts and cereal for an elevated Chex Mix. Or - and don’t knock it until you’ve tried it - just eat it out of a bowl.
What can I do with this?
Cornflake Marshmallow Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons salt, kosher if possible
3 cups cornflake crunch
2/3 cup mini chocolate chips
1 1/4 cups mini marshmallows (if you only have large marshmallows, spray some clean scissors with cooking spray and cut them into smaller ones!)
Note: these cookies must be refrigerated for at least an hour before baking; they will spread and burn if you bake right after mixing.
Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in medium bowl; set aside. Place butter and both sugars in mixing bowl and beat with paddle attachment for 1 minute on low to spread butter around bowl, then increase speed to medium and beat until mixture is light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Scrape down bowl and beat on medium for another minute. Add egg and vanilla and mix well. Scrape down bowl and add dry ingredients all at once; mix until the flour just disappears. On low speed, add cornflake crunch, chocolate chips, and marshmallows; mix until just combined. Scoop cookies with 1/4 cup measuring cup, ice cream scoop, or cookie scoop into airtight container or baking pan (cover with plastic wrap or foil) to store in the fridge for at least an hour before baking and up to a week - after a week, transfer the dough balls to the freezer for up to a month.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 and line baking sheet with parchment paper if you have it or spray cookie sheet well with cooking spray. Place cookies at least 3 inches apart on prepared baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes - baking these cookies involves some trial and error. Rotate your cookie sheet halfway through baking. When you pull the cookies out of oven when they are golden brown and set, the edges might be irregular or they may have spread oddly on your sheet - this is just because of the marshmallows! I spray a pancake flipping spatula with cooking spray and use the edges to reshape the cookies into circles, but if you don’t mind the irregular shapes, don’t worry about it! Let cool on sheets before transferring to a cooling rack or an airtight container for storage. You can freeze the baked cookies if you made too many!
Chocolate Crumb
2/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup cocoa powder, any kind
1 teaspoon salt, kosher if you have it
6 tablespoons butter, melted
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray well with cooking spray. Combine flour, cornstarch, sugar, cocoa, and salt in bowl of mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; turn on low to just combine. Add butter and continue beating on low speed until small clusters form. Spread mixture on prepared baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes. Let cool completely before using in a recipe or storing at room temperature for up to a week or in the freeze for up to two months.
What can I do with this?
Dark Chocolate Chocolate Cookies (My Favorite)
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 ounces (1/4 cup) dark chocolate, melted (don’t have dark chocolate? use whatever you’ve got!)
1 1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 3/4 teaspoon salt, kosher if you have it
1/2 recipe Chocolate Crumbs
Note: these cookies must be refrigerated for at least an hour before baking; they will spread and burn if you bake right after mixing.
Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl; set aside. Beat butter, sugar, and corn syrup in mixer fitted with paddle attachment until light and creamy, 3-5 minutes. Scrape down bowl really well - the corn syrup has a tendency to stick to the sides and bottom of bowl - and beat again to combine. Add egg, vanilla, and melted chocolate; beat to combine. Turn mixer off, add dry ingredients, and mix on low to just combine. Add chocolate crumbs and mix just until incorporate. Scoop cookies with 1/4 cup measuring cup, ice cream scoop, or cookie scoop into airtight container or baking pan (cover with plastic wrap or foil) to store in the fridge for at least an hour before baking and up to a week - after a week, transfer the dough balls to the freezer for up to a month.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 and line baking sheet with parchment paper if you have it or spray cookie sheet well with cooking spray. Place cookies at least 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes - these cookies can be tricky to tell when they are finished because the chocolate makes them so dark. Edges should be set and center shouldn’t be wet looking. Let cool on sheets before transferring to a cooling rack or an airtight container for storage. You can freeze the baked cookies if you made too many!
What else can I do with this recipe?
This crumble is awesome sprinkled in between layers of cake! If you are stacking layers of a cake, add the frosting between the layers and then a layer of crumble. Stack your next cake layer right on top and proceed with filling and frosting the cake.
You can also use it to make pie crust - any recipe that calls for graham cracker crumbs or chocolate wafer crumbs can be swapped with this crumble. Or just sprinkle it on top of ice cream, pudding, or eat it right out of the container - no judgment. :)
Birthday Cake Crumble
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
3/4 cup cake flour (you can swap in all purpose flour)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt, kosher if you have it
1/4 cup oil (canola, grapeseed or other neutral oil)
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons rainbow sprinkles
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray well with cooking spray. Combine sugars, flour, baking powder, and salt in mixer and mix low just to combine. Add oil and vanilla; mix until to moisten dry ingredients. Add sprinkles and mix just to form small clusters. Spread onto prepared baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes.
What can I do with this recipe?
Add to a sugar cookie recipe or layer between or on top of a birthday cake, or use to top ice cream.
All Purpose Crumble
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional; see note below)
8 tablespoons salted butter, melted
Stir together all ingredients in medium bowl. Add melted butter and stir with a fork until clumps form. Chill in airtight container in fridge for up to a week (clumps will stick together; just break them apart with tip of knife or fingers when ready to use).
What can I do with this recipe?
Use to top a pie - this crumble is fantastic on top of fruit pies, especially apple (if using for summer fruits like berry pies, you might want to omit the cinnamon, as it’s a warming spice - but if it’s your thing, leave it in - and add other flavors as you’d like!).
Bake it by itself - spread on a parchment lined baking sheet (or sprayed with cooking spray) and bake at 300 degrees for 15-20 minutes. At my house, people just eat it before I can do much else with it, but it’s really good crumbled on top of ice cream or a bowl of fresh fruit!