Strawberry Angel Food Cake

Light and airy white sponge cake filled with strawberries and whipped cream, a fruity creamy version of a classic angel food cake

What is an angel food cake?

If you are looking for a soft and fluffy white sponge cake this is the one! As the name suggests this cake will remind you of heaven, with its light, airy, and cloud-like texture.

The white color of this cake comes from its lack of fat, as no egg yolks, butter or oils are used. Instead, it is made solely from egg whites, flour, and sugar. This results in a soft and fluffy cake that is pure white in colour and has the perfect texture.

You can eat this cake on its own, but it is best served with fresh cream and fruit. If you don’t have the time or decorating skills to frost this cake, feel free to serve the cake plain with a side of cream. It’ll be just as delicious!

Tips for the perfect angel food cake

The perfect angel food cake is characterised by a couple of things: a tall cake, light texture, and tight crumb. Here are a couple of tips that will ensure your cake has all these characteristics!

Use the right cake tin

One of the most important tips is to use the right kind of tin! To bake this cake you are looking for a 9 inch aluminum tube tin or angel food cake tin. The tube is important as it provides a structure in the centre of the cake to rise, helping it reach its tallest, fluffiest potential. It also helps with the circulation of hot air around the cake.

There are many tube tins on the market, however, make sure the one you use doesn’t have a non-stick coating. The cake needs the surface of the cake tin to attach to and rise. It provides a wall the batter can climb up, whereas the batter would simply slip down a non-stick coating.

Also, while not essential look for a tube tin with feet. These little feet on the top of the cake help when we turn the cake upside down to cool. They allow air to flow around the cake and cool evenly!

Whip up the perfect meringue

This cake relies solely on the meringue to rise and give it structure, therefore it is important that the meringue is strong and stable enough to support the cake. To ensure I have the perfect meringue I like to follow these steps!

• Wipe down all your utensils with vinegar or lemon juice: Grease is the enemy of egg whites as it inhibits them from whisking up properly. Make sure to wipe everything down before you begin!
• Add cream of tartar: While cream of tartar is not essential to making this cake, it’ll help strengthen the meringue and give it more stability. This helps especially when folding the flour into the meringue, as it will reduce the amount of deflation
• Beat on medium speed: In order to achieve a stable meringue with small air bubbles you want to give the meringue time at a lower speed, as beating the egg whites at high speeds increase the number of large air bubbles. Once the meringue reaches medium peaks reduce the speed to medium or medium-low and beat until stiff and shiny peaks

Fold carefully

As this cake is meringue-based it is important that you fold the flour into the meringue carefully. The air in the meringue is what helps the cake rise, so the more deflation the less fluffy your cake will be.

Add the flour 2 tbsp at a time and fold around the bowl and down the middle. Don’t forget to go around the bottom of the bowl occasionally too!

Remove large air bubbles

Large air bubbles will cause holes and tunneling in your sponge cake. To ensure your cake has an even tender crumb follow these steps:

• Give your meringue time on medium or medium-low speed: By whipping your meringue on a lower speed large air bubbles are popped
• Run a skewer or chopstick through the batter: Once the batter is in the cake tin use a chopstick or skewer and draw circles around the centre tube through the batter, this will even out the distribution of batter and get rid of inconsistencies in texture
• Tap the cake tin on your benchtop: Just before the cake goes into the oven give your cake a couple of big taps on your countertop. This brings any large air bubbles to the surface of the batter and pop

Do I have to use cake flour in an angel food cake?

The answer is no! Cake flour is not always available, and sometimes you just don’t have time to go searching for it. This recipe uses a mix of all-purpose flour and cornstarch that results in an equally light and fluffy angel food cake.

Cornstarch creates lightness in cakes without adding any extra gluten. Gluten is what causes cakes to be tough, so it’s perfect!

If you would like to use cake flour in this recipe simply replace the flour and cornstarch with the same amount (1 cup and 2 tbsp).

Tips for frosting the cake

As this cake is not the regular cake shape you might find it a little more difficult to frost. Here are a few tips that will take your frosting game to the next level.

Only whip your cream to medium-stiff peaks

Whenever you frost a cake with whipped cream never whip the cream to stiff peaks. As you frost the cake and move the cream around the cream will continue to whip.

The next stage after stiff peaks is curdled cream, so if you whip the cream to stiff peaks it’ll result in a grainy, curdled finish to your cream once you spread it across your cake. I like to whip my cream to medium-stiff peaks.

Keep everything chilled

Heat is the enemy of whipped cream, once the cream gets warm it will begin to melt and slide off your cake. Keep the cream in the fridge whenever you can and work in a cool room.

Try to work as fast as possible to prevent the cream from getting to warm and if needed you can place the cake into the fridge as you go to keep it cool.

Hold your spatula on an angle

As the cake doesn’t have a straight edge you need to position your spatula at the correct angle. If you hold the spatula at a right angle to your turntable you will scrape off the bottom edge of the cream, while having a thicker layer at the top of the cake.

Play around with the angle and adjust it so that it spreads the cream at an even thickness across the cake.

Additional Tips

Use a Cold Mixing Bowl for Egg Whites

Chilling your mixing bowl before beating egg whites helps them whip up faster and fluffier.

Sift the Flour and Sugar Multiple Times

This ensures the lightest texture by incorporating more air into the dry ingredients before folding them in.

Gently Fold the Batter to Keep Airiness

Use a spatula with a slow folding motion to avoid deflating the batter, which is key to a fluffy cake.

Recipe Variations

Berry Medley Angel Food Cake

Instead of just strawberries, use a mix of raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries for a more complex berry flavor.

Matcha Strawberry Angel Food Cake

Add 1-2 tsp of matcha powder to the dry ingredients for a light earthy taste that pairs beautifully with strawberries.

Vanilla Bean Strawberry Angel Food Cake

Use real vanilla bean paste instead of vanilla extract to enhance the depth of flavor.

Serving Suggestions

With Greek Yogurt & Honey

Serve slices with a dollop of Greek yogurt and a drizzle of honey for a healthy yet delicious dessert.

Turn It Into a Trifle

Layer cubes of angel food cake with whipped cream, fresh strawberries, and strawberry jam in a glass for an elegant trifle.

Grilled Angel Food Cake

Lightly grill slices of cake for a caramelized, slightly crisp texture and serve with fresh strawberries and whipped cream.

Strawberry Angel Food Cake

Print Recipe

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Light and airy white sponge cake filled with strawberries and whipped cream, a fruity creamy version of a classic angel food cake

• Author: Catherine Zhang
• Prep Time: 45 minutes
• Cook Time: 35 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
• Yield: 1 x 9-inch cake 1x
• Category: Cake
• Method: Intermediate
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Units MUS Scale 1x2x3x

Cake

• 12 Large egg whites (380g)
• 100g Icing sugar (1 cup)
• 120g All purpose flour (1 cup)
• 2 tbsp Cornstarch
• 200g Caster sugar (1 cup)
• 1 1/2 tsp Cream of Tartar
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract

Cream

• 600ml Thickened/heavy cream (2 1/2 cups)
• 37g White sugar (3 tbsp)
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract

Assembly

• 1 punnet Strawberries
• 2 tbsp White sugar

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Instructions

Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 235F/180C and prepare an ungreased 9 inch tube tin with a removable base
2. Add the egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk until foamy
3. Add the cream of tartar and continue to whisk until soft peaks
4. Add the sugar and whisk on high speed for 3-4 mins until the meringue reaches medium peaks
5. Reduce the speed to medium and continue to beat for 3-4 mins, or until the meringue is at stiff, shiny peaks
6. Add the vanilla extract and whisk until just combined
7. Meanwhile combine the flour, cornstarch, icing sugar in a food processor and pulse until a smooth, lump-free powder (you can also sieve the flour and sugar together 2 to 3 times if you don’t have a food processor)
8. Add 2 tbsp of the dry mixture to the meringue at a time and gently fold with a rubber spatula, until just combined
9. Transfer the batter to the tube tin and use the spatula to smoothen out the surface 
10. Run a skewer or chopstick through the batter, making circles around the centre tube to remove any airbubbles
11. Bake for 35-40 mins, or until the surface has levelled off and springs back when pressed with a finger
12. Remove from the oven and cool upside down for at least 1 hour
13. Run a thin knife around the edge of the cake and unmould

Cream

1. Combine the cream, sugar, and vanilla extract together in the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk until medium-stiff peaks form
2. Reserve in the fridge until ready to be used

Assembly

1. Combine 2 tbsp water and 60ml (1/4 cup) water in a small saucepan and heat over low heat until completely dissolved, cool
2. Reserve 6-8 strawberries for the top of the cake and halve
3. Thinly slice the remaining strawberries
4. Slice the cooled cake in half horizontally to form 2 layers
5. Place the a layer of cake on a turntable and brush with sugar syrup
6. Spread a thin layer of cream over the cake, top with a layer of sliced strawberries and another thin layer of cream
7. Brush the other cake layer with sugar syrup and place on top
8. Spread 2/3 of the remaining cream over the cake with a spatula, turning the turntable for a smooth finish
9. Transfer the remaining cream into a piping bag fitted with a round piping tip and pipe a border around the top of the cake
10. Top with the halved strawberries and enjoy!

Catherine Zhang

My name is Catherine, a food blogger and dessert lover. If I look familiar you may have seen me on NETFLIX's Zumbo’s Just Desserts S2! As an Australian-Chinese pastry chef and recipe developer I share recipes and tips on desserts inspired by amazing flavours, fresh produce and of course my Asian background.

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