Lemon Angel Food Cake
This lemon angel food cake whips egg whites into stiff peaks, folds in cake flour and fresh lemon, then bakes and cools upside down for a tall, impossibly light cake, ready in about 90 minutes. This is the cake for anyone who wants dessert without the guilt of a butter-laden slice, all airy sponge and citrus brightness with basically no fat in the crumb itself. Serve it alongside our Danish-style lemon mousse if you’re building a whole light-and-citrusy dessert table.
Quick answer: Whipped egg whites folded with cake flour and fresh lemon, baked and cooled upside down for a tall, impossibly light cake with almost no fat in the crumb. Ready in about 90 minutes including cooling time.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C). Have an ungreased 10-inch tube pan ready, do not grease it, the batter needs to cling to the sides to rise.
Sift the cake flour with the powdered sugar together twice. Set aside.
Beat the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt until foamy. Gradually add the granulated sugar, beating until stiff, glossy peaks form. Beat in the vanilla, lemon juice, and zest.
Sift the flour mixture over the egg whites in three additions, gently folding after each addition just until no streaks remain.
Pour the batter into the ungreased tube pan and smooth the top. Bake 35-40 minutes, until the top springs back when lightly touched and is golden.
Immediately invert the pan and cool completely upside down, about 1 hour, before releasing the cake.
Whisk the remaining powdered sugar with lemon juice for the glaze and drizzle over the cooled cake.
Questions people actually ask
Angel food cake has a very delicate, airy structure held up by the egg whites. Cooling it upside down keeps it from collapsing under its own weight while it's still warm and fragile.
No, this is one of the few cakes where greasing the pan actually ruins the result. The batter needs to cling to the ungreased sides to climb and hold its height.
Save them for a batch of our lemon curd tartlets or lemon meringue pie filling, both use plenty of yolks.
It likely wasn't cooled upside down, or the egg whites weren't beaten to stiff enough peaks before baking. Both steps are essential for angel food cake's structure.
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