Classic 1950s Angel Food Cake Recipe From Scratch

Cake flour produces the most tender results because it has less protein than all-purpose flour, which means less gluten development. If you must substitute, use 1 cup all-purpose flour minus 2 tablespoons, then add 2 tablespoons cornstarch and sift the mixture together at least 5 times. The texture won't be quite as delicate as the original, but it will still work.

The cake's structure hasn't fully set when it comes out of the oven. Cooling it upside down prevents it from collapsing under its own weight as it cools and sets. The inversion stretches the cake downward, which actually helps create that characteristic tall, fluffy texture. If you try to cool it right-side up, you'll end up with a dense, compact cake about half the height.

No, cream of tartar is essential and cannot be substituted with lemon juice or vinegar in this recipe. It stabilizes the egg white foam by preventing the proteins from bonding too tightly, which keeps your meringue from deflating or weeping. Without it, the cake will collapse in the oven or during cooling. If you don't have cream of tartar, save this recipe for another day when you can pick some up.

Lift your whisk or beaters straight up out of the meringue. If the peaks stand straight up without curling over, you've reached stiff peaks. The meringue should look glossy and smooth, not grainy or dry. If the peaks curl over at the tips, keep beating for another minute and test again. Underbeaten whites won't give you enough lift, and overbeaten whites will look curdled and won't fold smoothly into the flour.

Each sifting aerates the mixture and creates an exceptionally fine, light texture that folds into the delicate meringue without deflating it. This might seem excessive, but it makes a measurable difference in the final cake height and tenderness. Unsifted flour forms lumps that require more aggressive stirring to incorporate, which knocks out air bubbles you worked hard to create.

The tube pan is necessary for proper baking and cooling. The center tube allows heat to reach the middle of the cake, ensuring even baking throughout. Without it, the outside would set before the inside finished baking. The tube also provides structure for inverting and cooling. If you try using a regular pan, the cake will be dense and gummy in the center.

Make lemon curd, homemade mayonnaise, custard, or hollandaise sauce. You can also add them to scrambled eggs for extra richness, use them in pasta dough, or freeze them for later use. Egg yolks freeze beautifully for up to 6 months. Just whisk them gently with a pinch of salt or sugar (depending on whether you'll use them for savory or sweet recipes), pour into ice cube trays, and freeze.

You either under-beat the egg whites (stopping at soft peaks instead of stiff), deflated the meringue by stirring too vigorously when folding in the flour, or used a greased pan that prevented the cake from climbing up the sides. Another possibility is that you didn't cool it upside down, which caused it to compress. Make sure you're following each step carefully, especially the meringue beating and gentle folding technique.

Yes, angel food cake actually benefits from a day of aging. Bake it a day ahead, cool it completely, and leave it in the pan loosely covered with a clean kitchen towel. Remove it from the pan and slice it the day of your event. The texture becomes even more tender and easier to slice cleanly after 24 hours. Don't frost it or add toppings until just before serving, as moisture will make the delicate cake gummy.

Use a long, thin knife with a straight blade (not serrated). Run it carefully around the outer edge, keeping the blade pressed against the pan, not the cake. Then run the knife around the center tube in the same way. Finally, push up on the removable bottom to release the cake. If the bottom is stuck, slide the knife between the cake and the pan bottom using a careful sawing motion. Work slowly and patiently.