How do you cool an angel food cake?

Substituting Ingredients

Angel food cake requires few ingredients. To get the right fluffy texture and taste, stick to the recipe exactly. That means no swapping cake flour for whole wheat flour or cutting down on eggs.

Using Cold Eggs

The ideal egg temperature for angel food cake is about 60°F. Eggs that are too cold won’t whip as well, so take a dozen eggs out of the refrigerator about an hour before you bake.

Not Whipping the Egg Whites Correctly

Angel food cake depends only on egg whites to rise since yeast isn’t used as a leavening ingredient. Whip the whites only until soft peaks form; overwhipping will make the cake chewy and thick. (This is not good!)

Stirring the Batter

When you go to dump the dry ingredients into your egg whites, it’s tempting to start stirring, the same way you would with any other cake batter. Instead, incorporate the flour into the whites with a rubber spatula, gently flipping the batter over.

Are you new to this technique? Learn how to fold ingredients (it’s easy!).

Greasing the Pan

That may seem unbelievable, but it is real! In order for the angel food cake to rise properly, it needs to be able to cling to the sides of the pan. If your pan is not coated, the batter will be unable to do so.

Not Using a Special Angel Food Cake Pan

If you’re serious about angel food cake, you’ll need a suitable mold, such as this angel food cake pan. Making this cake in a regular cake tin or even a Bundt pan will not yield the same airy results.

Opening the Oven

This is something we’re all guilty of. You want to check on the cake so you open the oven door every couple of minutes… but those changes in temperature can cause your cake to cook unevenly or even collapse. If you must peek while baking this chocolate angel cake, utilize the oven light.

Cooling the Cake Right-Side Up

This is an essential must. Every angel food cake must be cooled in the pan upside down. Why? Until the cake is completely cooled, its spongy structure hasn’t set. Flipping it upside down makes sure it doesn’t collapse during that process.

Some angel food cake pans feature feet, allowing you to simply turn the pan over to cool. If you have a pan without this feature, fit the hole of the pan over the neck of a bottle.

Using Any Ol’ Knife to Slice the Cake

While you typically want to use a sharp knife to slice most desserts, you want to try a different tack with angel food cake. To get nice slices of angel cake, grab your bread knife (or a good serrated knife). To cut pieces of this light cake, use a gently sawing motion. This will aid in the preservation of the look and texture.

Making Plain Cakes

When it comes to angel food cakes, many of us think of a classic white cake topped with berries or a bit of whipped cream, but really angel food cakes can be so much more! These cakes may be filled with sherbet, chocolate cream, or lemon curd. And don’t forget that you can top angel food cakes with frosting and glazes. It’s all up to you!