Perfectly light and airy and bursting with fresh flavor, this lemon angel food cake is all kinds of delicious. Decorate it with fresh berries for a stunning occasion cake that everyone will love.
Best Lemon Angel Food Cake Recipe
Bursting with fresh citrus flavor, this lemon angel food cake is perfectly light and airy and an absolute pleasure to eat!
Made with simple ingredients, this is a great cake to serve for Easter and throughout summer and can easily be served up for a birthday treat.
Be sure to check out my traditional Angel Food Cake recipe or this Chocolate Angel Food Cake.
Why You’ll Love this Lemon Angel Food Cake Recipe:
- Simple Ingredients: With only 7 main ingredients, this cake is easy to make on a whim, with basic ingredients you will already have on hand.
- Quick: It only takes about 30 minutes to make the cake before it gets popped in the oven.
- Healthier: Because this cake contains no butter, it is lower in calories and fat compared to other cake recipes.
How to Make Lemon Angel Food Cake
Be sure to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!
- Whisk the egg whites, add the cream of tartar and salt, and whisk until faint lines are visible in the whites.
- Slowly mix in the sugar and whip into stiff peaks and add the vanilla and lemon extract.
- Mix together the dry ingredients.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the meringue.
- Pour the batter into a cake pan and bake.
- Let cool before removing from the pan.
Why is it called angel food cake?
Because angel food cake is made without butter, it is very light and airy, hence the name. It originated in America in the late 19th century and is traditionally topped with freshly whipped cream and berries, making it a great centerpiece.
How should I store angel food cake?
Once cooled completely, wrap the undecorated cake in plastic wrap or place in an airtight container. It will keep well at room temperature for up to 2 days and in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Decorate it the day of serving so that the toppings are fresh.
Can I freeze angel food cake?
Yes, this lemon angel food cake freezes well and will keep for up to 6 months. Wrap it tightly in a few layers of plastic wrap and place in a Ziplock bag or airtight container. Thaw the cake at room temperature for 2-3 hours before decorating and serving.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Make sure the eggs are beaten well into a meringue. It takes some time, but worth the effort!
- Don’t let any egg yolk get into the egg whites. The yolk can prevent the whites from forming peaks as they contain fat.
- Carefully fold the dry ingredients into the egg whites. You need to keep as much air in the batter as possible so that the cake doesn’t collapse during baking.
- Don’t use a bundt pan for this recipe. The lemon angel food cake needs the structure of a tube pan.
This lemon angel food cake is so wonderfully light and the lemon flavor is so perfect to enjoy in the warmer weather. Enjoy cake fans!
If you make this recipe be sure to leave us a comment or rating. Enjoy!
Lemon Angel Food Cake Recipe
Perfectly light and airy and bursting with fresh flavor, this lemon angel food cake is all kinds of delicious.
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 1 hour
Total Time
: 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 10 people
Ingredients
- 12 egg whites 420 grams
- 1¼ teaspoons cream of tartar 4 grams
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt 2 grams
- 1 cup granulated sugar 200 grams
- 1¼ cup powdered sugar 141 grams
- 1 cup cake flour 120 grams (see note)
- 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract 4 grams
- ¾ teaspoon lemon extract 3 grams
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Place egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip on low speed until small bubbles begin to form, about 1-2 minutes. Add in the cream of tartar and salt and continue whipping. Once it has slightly increased in volume and faint lines are visible in the egg whites, with the mixer still running, slowly pour the sugar in maintaining a steady stream.12 egg whites, 1¼ teaspoons cream of tartar, ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, 1 cup granulated sugar
- Once the sugar is added, increase mixer speed to medium-low (setting 4) and allow to whip to a stiff meringue. Do not increase speed higher than 4. This speed creates a steady, stiff meringue that will not fall. In this case, faster is not better. The higher speed will create a stiff meringue but not a steady one, resulting in varied results such as the cake falling in different spots causing an uneven cake. Achieving a sturdy meringue will take about 20 minutes.
- While the meringue is whipping, in a medium sized bowl, sift the cake flour and powdered sugar together. If you do not have a sifter, you may use a fine sieve. Sifting the flour and powdered sugar together will aerate them which in turn will create a lighter, more even textured cake. Once sifted set aside until the meringue is finished.1 cup cake flour, 1¼ cup powdered sugar
- After about 12 minutes of whipping the egg whites, you should have very soft peaks. With the mixer still going, add in the vanilla and lemon extracts. Continue whipping the egg whites until very stiff peaks have formed, about 8 more minutes. During the last 3-4 minutes, check your meringue about every 45 seconds by pushing the whisk through the meringue and pulling up. If, when you remove the whisk, the egg whites do not maintain a stiff peak (if they fall slightly over), your meringue is not ready. A good meringue will have stiff peaks and some noticeable resistance when the whisk is pushed through it. Once you have reached stiff peaks, do not keep whipping as the meringue can be overwhipped and get soft and can no longer be whipped back stiff, in which case you will need to start over.1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract, ¾ teaspoon lemon extract
- Add the flour and powdered sugar mixture to the meringue. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold them together until they are homogeneous. A good method to folding them together without killing the meringue is to start at one point, run the spatula around the outside edge of the bowl. Upon reaching the starting point again, cut down the middle of the bowl. Start again at the same starting point and run around the bowl, cut through the center until it is mixed. Be sure to scrape underneath the meringue to the bottom of the bowl to incorporate all of it.
- Carefully pour the batter into an ungreased tube pan and spread evenly throughout. Do not grease this pan. The cake will cling to the sides and rise as it is supposed to. Any kind of oil will kill a meringue.
- Place in the preheated oven and bake for 45-60 minutes, or until golden brown and the cake springs back when touched. Once baked, remove from the oven and place upside down onto a cooling rack, plate or cake stand. Allow to cool for about 1 hour. Carefully run a butter knife around the edges of the pan on both the outside and the inside tube. Remove the cake from the pan.
- Top with whipped cream and berries and serve!
Notes
- DIY Cake Flour: Measure 1 cup of all-purpose flour. Remove 2 tablespoons from the cup, then add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Whisk together and sift well before using.
- Make sure the eggs are beaten well into a meringue. It takes some time, but worth the effort!
- Don’t let any egg yolk get into the egg whites. The yolk can prevent the whites from forming peaks as they contain fat.
- Carefully fold the dry ingredients into the egg whites. You need to keep as much air in the batter as possible so that the cake doesn’t collapse during baking.
- Don’t use a bundt pan for this recipe. The lemon angel food cake needs the structure of a tube pan.
Nutrition Facts
Lemon Angel Food Cake Recipe
Amount Per Serving (1 slice)
Calories 202
Calories from Fat 9
% Daily Value*
Fat 1g2%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 1g
Sodium 235mg10%
Potassium 135mg4%
Carbohydrates 45g15%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 35g39%
Protein 5g10%
Vitamin A 1IU0%
Calcium 5mg1%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Wow! I made a perfect angel food cake thanks to your instructions! What to look for in the meringue and saying that it does require a long period of beating were precisely what I needed to know.