Lemon Angel Food Cake Recipe

Course: Cake, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 1

Total Time: 1 30

Servings: people

Calories: 202kcal

Author: Becky Hardin - Easy Dessert Recipes

Perfectly light and airy and bursting with fresh flavor, this lemon angel food cake is all kinds of delicious.

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Equipment

Kitchen Scale (optional)
Tube Pan
Stand Mixer

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

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.

Storage: Store lemon angel food cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Nutrition