Angel Food Loaf Cake

Between the renaissance of pistachio, the rise of banana pudding and the resurgence of unctuously chocolaty desserts, lately it feels as if every dessert is heavy, rich and indulgent. Sometimes I just want angel food cake: light, spongy and just sweet enough. But even with my entire fleet of baking tools, I just can’t justify a tube pan, the only pan that can bake an angel food cake—or so I thought!

This angel food loaf cake mitigates the one-trick-pony tube pan for a much more versatile option: two 8×4-inch loaf pans. You’ll still get the fluffy vanilla and almond-scented cake, but the loaf pans give it a new shape that’s perfect for slicing and serving. Top each slice with whipped cream, fresh berries and any of your other favorite toppings (I love lemon curd here!), and serve this lighter dessert on the next warm evening.

Ingredients for Angel Food Loaf Cake

• Egg whites: Unfortunately, there cannot be a single trace of egg yolk in your egg whites and the egg whites cannot come from a carton. Separate the egg whites from the yolks while they’re still cold, and let each egg white fall into a small bowl before adding it to a big bowl with all the other egg whites.

• Confectioners’ sugar: Because confectioners’ sugar is fine and powdery, we use it to sweeten the loaf while keeping it light. Granulated sugar is heavy and would weigh down the batter, which is why we use it only for the meringue.

• All-purpose flour: All-purpose flour creates a strong, stable, sturdy structure but keeps the crumb light and tender.

• Cream of tartar: Cream of tartar lowers the pH of egg whites, creating stronger peaks that won’t deflate so easily.

• Extracts: We flavor the angel food cake loaf with vanilla and almond extracts. Since they’re the main flavor drivers, splurge on the best vanilla extract and almond extract from the store.

• Sugar: Sugar helps turn the egg whites into a meringue, sweetening the angel food loaf cake.

Directions

Step 1: Prep the ingredients

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the egg whites in a large bowl and let them stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. In a separate bowl, sift the confectioners’ sugar and all-purpose flour together twice, and set the mixture aside.

Editor’s Tip: Sifting the ingredients together twice ensures there are no lumps, so everything dissolves easily into the meringue without overworking the batter and deflating the egg whites.

Step 2: Make the meringue

Add the cream of tartar, vanilla extract, almond extract and salt to the bowl of room-temperature egg whites. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the mixture on medium speed until soft peaks form.

Gradually add the granulated sugar, about 2 tablespoons at a time, beating on high until stiff glossy peaks form and the sugar is dissolved.

Step 3: Mix the batter

Switch to a rubber spatula and gradually fold in the sugar and flour mixture, about a 1/2 cup at a time, just until no streaks of flour remain.

Step 4: Add to pans

Gently spoon into two ungreased 8×4-inch loaf pans. Use a butter knife to cut through the batter to remove air pockets.

Editor’s Tip: Do not grease the loaf pans. Angel food cake needs to cling to the sides of the pan in order to climb up the sides. If you grease the loaf pans, the cakes will bake into flat rectangles.

Step 5: Bake

Bake the angel food loaf cake on the lowest oven rack until lightly browned and the entire top appears dry, 30 to 35 minutes.

Step 6: Cool and serve

Immediately invert the loaf pans onto cooling racks and allow them to cool completely to room temperature, about one hour.

Run a knife around the sides of the loaf pans. Remove the angel food loaf cakes to a serving plate. Serve with sweetened whipped cream and mixed fresh berries, as desired. Enjoy!

Editor’s Tip: Why cool the cakes upside-down? It prevents the cake from collapsing. The structure is very delicate at this time, so you need to turn it upside-down immediately.

Ways to Serve Angel Food Loaf Cake

After cutting angel food loaf cake into slices, finish them with toppings like lemon curd, homemade jam, fresh berries, lemon slices, edible flowers or ice cream toppings. You can also turn angel food cake into other desserts like strawberry shortcake or lemon cake bars, or cut the slices into cubes for pretty summer trifle recipes. You can also grill angel food cake and top it with a fruit salsa.

How to Store Angel Food Loaf Cake

Allow angel food cake in a loaf pan to cool completely to room temperature, then store it in an airtight container or cover it tightly with storage wrap, leaving it in its pan. Angel food cake is prone to drying out, so make sure it’s tightly covered! It can be stored at room temperature for up to two days.

Can you freeze angel food loaf cake?

Yes, you can freeze angel food loaf cake. Allow angel food loaf cake to cool completely to room temperature, then wrap the loaf cake or slices of the loaf cake tightly in storage wrap. Freeze for up to two months and thaw the cake on the counter at room temperature.

Angel Food Loaf Cake Tips

How do I cut slices of angel food loaf cake?

To cut slices of angel food loaf cake, use a serrated knife, not a chef’s knife, then slowly and gently saw in a smooth motion. The cake will respond better to this than to just pressing down as you would with a regular cake.

If you’d like clean, precise pieces, run the serrated knife under hot water, carefully wipe the knife dry, then make one cut. Repeat the steps again until all your pieces are cut. It’s tedious, but it prevents the crumbs from piling up on the slices.

What should I do with the leftover egg yolks?

Ten egg yolks are a lot, we get it! Save them in an airtight container for up to one week and use them in egg yolk recipes like ice cream, creme brulee, cheesecakes, custards, pasta dough, mayonnaise or aioli. Our Basque cheesecake, pastel de nata (Portuguese egg tart), nutty pistachio ice cream, custard tart and wintery cranberry curd tart all use between four and six egg yolks.

Can I bake an angel food loaf cake in a mini loaf pan?

Yes, you can bake angel food loaf cake in mini loaf pans. Instead of two 8×4-inch loaf pans, bake the batter in four 5-3/4 x 3-inch mini loaf pans. Check them after 20 minutes of baking, adding more time as needed to achieve the lightly browned color and dry appearance.