Angel Food Cake with Strawberries & Whipped Cream

Light, airy, and made from scratch, a vintage sponge cake topped with fresh strawberries and whipped cream.

Jennifer Ann Blair writes about food, wine, and the stories that live in recipe boxes.

Angel food cake is one of those rare things that looks like it should be difficult and isn’t. Airy, fluffy, melting on the tongue like cotton candy but considerably more refined, this vintage sponge dates to the 1800s and has a mysterious history rooted in whispers of Near and Far Eastern origins.

Made with cake flour, baker’s sugar, egg whites, cream of tartar, and fine salt, it reaches its peak with vanilla, almond extract, and a splash of citrus. Top it with fresh fruit and whipped cream, and it becomes something else entirely: an edible canvas. Make it yours.

This is my mother’s favorite cake. So much that it usually comes from a box, because when she wants it, she wants it now.

For her 84th birthday, I made the classic version from scratch, just for her. She ate two slices. She didn't say anything for a moment. That was the review. It was worth every egg white.

Notes

1. Angel Food Cake doesn't care for grease. It's fussy like that. So don't grease the pan. And it prefers to cool upside down. Reminds me of Archie.

2. Immediately out of the oven, invert the pan onto the neck of a bottle or rack and cool for 2-3 hours to prevent the cake from collapsing. The best tube pan to use has a removable bottom, which makes it easier to remove the delicate cake cleanly.

3. Cake flour is low in gluten and perfect for those whose bellies resist traditional flour. I use Swans Down Cake Flour or King Arthur Unbleached Cake Flour when baking cakes.

4. Remove eggs from the refrigerator before you start. Separate the yolks from the whites while still cold, then let the whites come to room temperature before whipping. They'll have more lift and the cake will rise beautifully.

5. Serve with whipped cream and fresh berries. Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, on their own, mixed, or cooked into a compote.

6. Pair with an iconic Italian Moscato d'Asti.

Once everything is ready, gather 'around the table and toast to Mom!

I know she’d say it’s better than the box. She’d be right.

While You’re Here…

Raspberry Sorbet

Spicy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Fudgy Double Dark Chocolate Brownies

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Jennifer Ann Blair writes about food, wine, and the stories that live in recipe boxes.

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