23 Angel Food Cake Variations That Are Just Heavenly

Lemon Angel Food Cake

4 Reviews

Total Time:30 min

Servings:12

Test Kitchen Approved

From the Recipe Creator: In Grande Prairie, Alberta, Debbie Segate relies on tangy lemon pie filling and a few other ingredients to quickly dress up a store-bought angel food cake. "If there's time, I use a boxed mix to bake the cake," she adds.

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Angel Food Cake Variations FAQ

What is the secret to a good angel food cake?

The secret to a good angel food cake is to avoid common angel food cake mistakes: use room-temperature eggs, fold the ingredients instead of stirring them and don’t grease the tube or loaf pan. Room-temperature eggs whip better than cold eggs, and properly whipped eggs are vital for angel food cake’s structure. Folding ingredients instead of mixing them gently combines the light, whipped whites with the heavier flour without deflating the eggs.

You shouldn’t grease an angel food cake pan because the batter needs to cling to the sides of the pan as it bakes to climb up and achieve its signature height. The cake doesn’t have leavening agents, just whipped egg whites, so climbing the pan is the only way it’ll rise. Greasing the pan will make the angel food cake fall flat and become dense instead of light, fluffy and spongy.

Can you use angel food cake in other desserts?

You can make other desserts with angel food cake, including trifle recipes, bars, parfaits, cupcakes and freezer desserts. These are really great options to use up your angel food cake if it accidentally broke coming out of the pan, or if you’re not a huge fan of angel food cake slices but still want a lighter dessert. Cube, slice, cut or tear the cake into pieces and use it in these recipes.

What are some unexpected angel food cake toppings?

Unexpected angel food cake toppings include chocolate ganache, lemon curd, toasted meringue, bananas Foster and cream pie filling (coconut cream pie or banana cream pie are excellent for this!). You can also brush balsamic butter on angel food cake slices, grill them until golden, then serve with strawberries, ice cream and syrup. Similarly, angel food cake slices are an excellent base for a sundae bar, complete with ice cream flavors, hot fudge, salted caramel, whipped cream and sprinkles.