Angel food cake is my mother in-law’s favorite. She was visiting when her birthday rolled around, so I asked her what kind of cake she wanted. I knew the answer before I asked. Angel food cake with a simple powdered sugar glaze. How could I refuse her? After all, she’s more like a mom than a mother in-law.
I met my mother in-law almost a decade before she was actually my mother in-law. I started dating my husband when I was 15 years old, and I was 17 when I finally met her. I know that sounds strange, but my husband lived with his biological mother when I met him. He was actually raised by his father and stepmother and had only recently moved back when we met.
I liked Berta from the start. She’s a warm and caring person and has a lot of love to give. She’s easy to talk to and loves our kids. In fact, they lived with us for almost a year when my first two children were just tiny little things. She watched the kids during the day while I went to work. She was such a huge help! But alas, they moved back to Nevada and it wasn’t six months afterward and we were on our way too.
Over the years we’ve lived close by and far away from each other. My father in-law passed away two years ago and she’s living back in Iowa near her family. Luckily for us, she still loves to come and visit and we always cherish the time when she is here. I love having her around. We sit outside on the patio and just talk and talk. I hate it when she leaves and goes home!
She was here for the entire month of June and it was great to have her. She’s a wonderful taste tester and a great audience for my cooking and baking experiments. So when she requested an angel food cake with a simple glaze I was more than happy to oblige.
3 1/2 years ago I made this angel food cake and it was great. I compared the recipes and they aren’t much different, just a couple of small variations, but I decided to try a different one just for fun.
Oh and yes, Berta loved the cake. :) So did we.
Make sure you let the egg whites sit for 30 minutes at room temperature before you whip the daylights out of them.
This recipe uses powdered sugar as well as granulated sugar.
After the cake has cooled, use an icing spatula to loosen it from the pan.
Homemade Angel Food Cake
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Print It Rate ItIngredients
- 12 egg whites
- 1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar
Instructions
- Measure egg whites, adding or removing whites as needed to equal 1-1/2 cups. Place in a mixing bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, sift confectioners' sugar and flour together three times; set aside.
- Add cream of tartar, extracts and salt to egg whites; beat on high speed. Gradually add sugar, beating until sugar is dissolved and stiff peaks form.
- Fold in flour mixture, 1/4 cup at a time. Gently spoon into an ungreased 10-in. tube pan. Cut through batter with a knife to remove air pockets.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Immediately invert pan; cool completely before removing cake from pan.
Expert Tips & FAQs
Amanda Formaro
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Lexy bae says
Hi Amanda. Do we need a tube pan? I’m making a quarter of the recipe to put in your trifle, so can I use a 6 inch pan?
Amanda Formaro says
I haven’t done that myself, but I think it should be fine!
Amberina says
How do you make your glaze?
Amanda Formaro says
it’s just a simple powdered sugar and milk combo. Just add a tablespoon of milk to a cup of powdered sugar and stir. Adjust either of the ingredients to change the consistency (thinner or thicker).
Elaine says
Thanks for mentioning the glaze. I remember that my maternal grandmother loved angel food cake and always made a strawberry glaze. I had looked up glaze recipes online, but they were more like syrups. Your simple glaze was exactly what I was looking for. I used pureed fresh strawberries instead of the milk. It gives it a nice pink color.
Amanda Formaro says
Thanks Elaine, so glad it was helpful! :)
kaymay says
This was the first angel food cake I have ever made. I did not have cream of tarter or almond extract so I left that out and ended up using cake flour. It turned out great! Everyone loved it. Thank You!!
Amanda Formaro says
So glad it all worked out and you enjoyed it kaymay!
chay reyes says
Hi Amanda. How did you do the glazed icing?
Amanda Formaro says
Hi Chay! it’s just a mixture of sifted powdered sugar and small amounts of milk added until you get the right consistency. For each cup of powdered sugar, start with 1/2 tablespoon of milk, mix, then add little bits of milk until you get it just right :)
georgia martin says
i am confused.. if you sift the sugar, powdered sugar and flour together 3 times, how do you add the sugar and flour separately?
Amanda says
Hi Georgia :) The instructions state to sift the powdered sugar and the flour together. The granulated sugar is added later. The instructions do not say to sift all three. Hope that helps! :)
Brenda @ a farmgirl's dabbles says
I haven’t made an angel food cake for a few years, now I want some!! And I’ve never glazed one, like you did – looks delicious!
Avanika {Yumsilicious Bakes} says
This looks amazing. Good on you for having such a great relationship with your MIL. I really need to go get a tube pan for myself :)
sara says
Gorgeous! I definitely need to get a tube pan! :)
Amanda says
Thank you Sara!
Maria says
I want a piece! One of my favorite cakes!
Cathy @ Noble Pig says
It looks beautiful with the icing. I have never made homemade Angel Food, do find it’s superior to store bought?
Amanda says
Most definitely. Store bought is good, but homemade just tastes fresher. Love it!
Katrina says
What are you planning to do with 12 egg yolks? ;)
Amanda says
I actually used about 10 frozen egg whites for this, just allowed them to thaw all the way and added two more :)
Carrie Jo says
I am using this for the leftover egg yolks :)
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Gold-Cake/Detail.aspx
Amanda says
Yum!
chay reyes says
I would like to share that when my mother used to make what we call in the Philippines “Leche Flan” (custard dessert) with egg yolks, she bakes an Angel Cake right after. :-)
http://panlasangpinoy.com/2009/07/02/leche-flan/
Amanda Formaro says
Oh my goodness! Those look amazing!