Make A Lemon Angel Food Cake It’s Easier Than You Think
Lemon angel food cake and regular angel food cake are both delicious desserts but have different flavor profiles and textures. It’s a tough choice. Deciding if one is better than the other is subjective and depends on your personal taste. I will gladly volunteer to taste both, twice each, if necessary. I will let you know after a nap.
Who Baked The First Angel Food Cake
Angel food cake is a sponge cake made with egg whites, sugar, flour, and a few other ingredients. The question of who came up with the idea of angel food cake is shrouded in mystery, but it is generally believed it was created in the United States in the mid-1800s.
One theory is that angel food cake was invented by enslaved African Americans who were skilled bakers. They would use the leftover egg whites from their owners’ kitchens to make the cake, which became known as “white cake” or “silver cake.”
Another theory is that a Pennsylvania Dutch woman named Elizabeth Goodfellow was the first person to put that many egg whites in a cake. Goodfellow was said to have created the cake as a way to use up the excess egg whites that were left over after making custard.
Both ideas make sense to me, but who knows? Regardless of its exact origin, angel food cake became popular in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It’s now a favorite all over the US and enjoyed in countries worldwide.
Lemon Angel Food Cake Is Something Extra Special
Angel food cake is typically made with egg whites, sugar, and flour and has a light and airy texture. It has a subtle vanilla flavor and is often served with fresh fruit and whipped cream.
Lemon angel food cake is a variation of angel food cake that includes lemon zest and sometimes lemon juice for a bright, citrusy flavor. Some recipes may also have a lemon glaze or frosting to enhance the lemon flavor.
If you enjoy the tartness of lemon and prefer a more flavorful dessert, then lemon angel food cake may be more appealing for you than regular angel food cake.
If you prefer a more classic vanilla flavor and a lighter texture, then regular angel food cake may be the way to go. Ultimately, the choice between the two comes down to personal taste and preference. Again, if you need someone to taste test, I am available.
How To Make Lemon Angel Food Cake
It is not hard to make angel food cake, but you will need some patience and precision, two qualities I have in short supply unless I’m up for a challenge. You will also need two ingredients that may not be in your cupboard today, cake flour and superfine sugar. Superfine sugar is widely available in the UK, where it is called caster sugar.
You can buy both of them in local grocery stores or online, but the intrepid bakers at one of my favorite websites, The Spruce Eats, have a workaround for both in your very own kitchen.
Here’s how to make cake flour from all-purpose flour. And here is how to make superfine (caster) sugar from regular granulated sugar. You’re welcome!
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Now, combine one-half cut of the superfine sugar with one and one-third cups of cake flour and sift them together four times. Set that aside for now.
Put the egg whites, preferably at room temperature, salt, and cream of tartar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and beat on high speed until the eggs make medium-firm peaks, about 1 minute.
With the mixer on medium speed, add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of sugar by sprinkling it over the beaten egg whites. Whisk for a few minutes until thick and shiny.
Whisk in the vanilla and lemon zest and continue to whisk until very thick, about one more minute.
Sift about 1/4 of the flour mixture over the egg whites and fold it into the batter with a rubber spatula. Continue adding the flour by fourths, sifting, and folding until it’s all incorporated.
Pour the batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan, smooth the top, and bake it for 35 to 40 minutes until it springs back to the touch. Then remove the cake from the oven and set the pan upside down on a cooling rack until cool.
It is important to let the lemon angel food cake cool completely and firm up before attempting to remove it from the pan. Patience!
Be gentle and take your time. Run a thin-bladed knife along the edge of the pan and put a serving plate on top of the baking pan, then flip it upside down on the plate to remove the cake onto the serving plate. If the cake doesn’t come out of the pan right away, tap the bottom of the pan with a spatula or wooden spoon to loosen it.
Stand back and admire your creation while deciding whether to glaze it or leave it plain. Go you!
Lemon Angel Food Cake
A lofty and beautiful cloud-light angel food cake with a kiss of lemon flavor.
Ingredients
- 2 cups sifted superfine sugar, divided
- 1 1/3 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
- 1 1/2 cups egg whites at room temperature (10 to 12 eggs)
- 3)/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tsp grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Now, combine one-half cup of the super-fine sugar with one and one-third cups of cake flour and sift the together four times. Set that aside for now.
- Put the room-temperature egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and beat on high speed until the eggs make medium-firm peaks, about 1 minute.
- Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of sugar with the mixer on medium speed by sprinkling it over the beaten egg whites. Whisk for a few minutes until thick and shiny.
- Whisk in the vanilla and lemon zest and continue to whisk until very thick, about one more minute.
- Sift about 1/4 of the flour mixture over the egg whites and fold it into the batter with a rubber spatula. Continue adding the flour by fourths, sifting, and folding until it's all incorporated.
- Pour the batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan, smooth the top, and bake it for 35 to 40 minutes until it springs back to the touch.
- Remove the cake from the oven and set the pan upside down on a cooling rack until cool. It is important to let the cake cool completely and firm up before attempting to remove it from the pan.
- Run a thin-bladed knife along the edge of the pan and put a serving plate on top of the baking pan, then flip it upside down on the plate to remove the cake onto the serving plate.
- Be gentle and take your time. If the cake doesn't come out of the pan right away, tap the bottom of the pan with a spatula or wooden spoon to loosen it.
Notes
Egg whites need to be a room temperature to achieve maximum volume.
We’ve told you about our sweet tooth here at Yeyfood, so we have lots of cake recipes! Here are some of our extra-special, from-scratch cake recipes! Butterscotch Cake, Hummingbird Cake, Magic Rhubarb Pudding Cake, Chocolate Crazy Cake. Want more? We’ve got ’em! Just type “cake” in the search bar and prepare to be amazed!
P.S. Now are you wondering what to do with all those yolks? We’ve got you covered. Yummy Homemade Noodles, Simple Lemon Curd. 😉
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