Last Updated on June 22, 2024 by Lisa Keys
This is my award winning recipe for easy homemade angel food cake with lemon ganache. It is everything you expect from a judges choice. Light as air with a luscious citrus kick no wonder it won the big blue ribbon. Do you want to win someone over this Valentine's Day? Bake this cake!
One thing I love about baking competitions is that it forces me to create and perfect a recipe to the best of my ability. I do the research and I learn about the science. So, what makes a great angel food cake? First, it has a light and fluffy texture. Second, the cake must have a delicate flavor. Lastly, it has a lightly golden brown crust. It takes great ingredients to make a great cake and a whole lot of patience.
Homemade Angel Food Cake Ingredients
- Egg whites. Use fresh, room temperature egg whites for the fluffiest meringue.
- Sugar not only sweetens the mix, but also stabilizes the meringue. Use superfine sugar which dissolves easily or follow what I do in the recipe.
- Cake flour is recommended for its lower protein content. Your cake will be more tender.
- Cream of tartar is an acid that helps stabilize the egg whites.
- Salt is used to balance sweetness.
- Lemon extract enhances the flavor and coordinates well with the lemon ganache.
Here are a few more things to remember when it comes to baking this easy homemade angel food cake. You will need a two-piece tube pan. Do not use a non-stick pan and do not grease the pan. For the best and tallest cake, it is necessary to cool the cake upside down. You don't want it to slide out while it is cooling. Last tip: pay attention to the details in the recipe card and you will create the best award winning dessert.
Easy Homemade Angel Food Cake with Lemon Ganache
Equipment
- 1 2 piece tube pan
Ingredients
- 12 oz. (340 g) sugar
- 5 oz. (142 g) cake flour
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 12 oz. (360 g) egg whites, room temperature (9 to 11 egg whites)
- 1 tablespoon warm water
- 1 ½ teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 1 bar (131 g) white chocolate baking bar
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Fresh berries for garnish, optional
- Fresh mint sprigs for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350ºF.
- Process the sugar for 2-minutes in a food processor. Transfer half the sugar to a small mixing bowl; set aside.
- Add the flour and salt to the remaining sugar in the processor. Pulse several times to combine (and aerate). Set aside.
- Whisk the egg whites and water in a large metal mixing bowl until the mixture just starts to foam.
- Add the cream of tartar and begin whipping on medium speed for 1 minute.
- Add the extract and keep whipping on medium speed while very slowly adding the reserved sugar. Whip until all the sugar is incorporated and forms medium peaks.
- Add enough of the flour mixture to just dust the top of the foam. Using a rubber spatula, fold it in and repeat until almost all of the flour mixture is incorporated.
- Gently spoon the batter into an ungreased tube pan and bake for 35 minutes. Use a long wooden skewer to check for doneness, inserting it halfway between the inner and outer walls of the pan. If the skewer doesn’t come out dry, bake for 5 minutes longer.
- Let the cake cool in the pan, upside down, for 2 to 3 hours before removing it from the pan.
- Make the lemon ganache. Melt chocolate in the cream until smooth. Stir in the lemon zest and juice. Mix with a immersion blender for the smoothest texture.
- Drizzle the lemon ganache over the top of the cake. Garnish cake with fresh berries and mint; if desired.
Nutrition
You might also like this angel food cake. You might also like topping the cake with this delicious citrus curd.
Bill Keys
This is a good one. Definitely award winning.
Lisa Keys
Very proud of this one. Glad you like it, too.