Lemon angel food cake

You know I’ve got a ton of egg whites in the fridge when you see a recipe here for angel food cake. One of my readers, Hang, sent me a link to these beautiful Garden Party Cupcakes that used up 10 egg whites. I loved this idea of this but didn’t have a need to make individual cupcakes at the moment. So I did the next best thing and made a lemon  angel food cake instead.

Angel food cake is one of my husband’s favorite desserts. He likes the fact that it’s light and airy and doesn’t seem too sweet. I opted to add a bit of lemon flavor for a variation on the classic angel food cake. He absolutely loved this, and our entire lemon angel food cake was gone pretty quickly.

 

Lemon angel food cake

Dress up a classic angel food cake with a bit of lemon juice. It will make the cake so refreshing!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Cake
Servings: 12
Author: Eva Bakes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups granulated sugar divided
  • 1 and 1/3 cups sifted cake flour not self-rising
  • 1 and 1/2 cups (10-12) egg whites at room temperature
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
  • 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1-2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice can also use lemon zest, lemon oil or lemon extract; if using extract, you may only need 1 teaspoon
  • Glaze optional

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of sugar with the flour. Set aside.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar. Using the whisk attachment, beat on high until the eggs make medium-firm peaks, about 1 minute.
  • Slow the mixer down to medium speed and add the remaining 1-1/2 cups of sugar by slowly sprinkling it over the beaten egg whites. Beat for a few minutes until the egg whites look thick and shiny. Then add in the vanilla and lemon juice and continue to beat until very thick, about 1 more minute. Pour about 1/4 of the flour mixture over the egg whites and gently fold it into the mixture with a rubber spatula. Continue adding the flour a little bit at a time until all the flour is incorporated. Remember, the fewer strokes you use to fold the flour, the better!
  • 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 invert the pan on a cooling rack until cool. If desired, drizzle the top with glaze (you can use powdered sugar mixed with a bit of water/milk or lemon juice). We like to top with a scoop or two of ice cream!

Notes

Source: Inspired by Hang but slightly adapted from Ina Garten, via Food Network

11 Comments

  1. Krystal Regueiro
    January 17, 2013 / 6:52 am

    What a beautiful cake!! You can always make macarons with leftover egg whites!!!

  2. Heidi Hawyes
    January 17, 2013 / 7:24 am

    I LOVE LOVE love lemony things! Brilliant to add lemon to angel cake! Yum!

  3. Dawn
    January 17, 2013 / 3:37 pm

    I love lemon desserts! This seems like such a light, airy and delicious cake! Yum!

  4. SallysBakingAddiction
    January 17, 2013 / 7:52 pm

    i love love love lemon desserts and have been meaning to make a lemon cake! this angel food cake looks incredible – so light, bright, and fresh. Gorgeous photo too! I want a huge slice right now. 🙂

  5. Alina Vicu
    January 18, 2013 / 10:53 am

    That looks amazing and the combination is a perfect match. I love it!

  6. BiteSizedJessica
    January 18, 2013 / 9:36 pm

    This is a great recipe to use up egg whites and make a delightful dessert! We always have a ton of extra egg whites laying around at work and I think people are getting sick of frittata for staff meal. I'll definitely try this!

  7. Anonymous
    January 19, 2013 / 6:28 am

    Oh, I always need a new way to use up egg whites when I make ice cream. Well, especially because my fist and last batch of macarons was a failure. My husband loves angel food cake. I don't know why I never think to make one homemade. I must. This looks delicious.

  8. Nicole, RD
    January 21, 2013 / 4:50 pm

    I need a tube pan STAT. Seriously.

  9. Nicole, RD
    January 21, 2013 / 4:56 pm

    …and I just bought one on Amazon. 🙂

    • Eva
      January 22, 2013 / 7:21 pm

      Awesome – I can't wait to see what recipe you make first with your new pan. Maybe you can help us come up with a healthier version of monkey bread?

  10. Aimee Shugarman
    January 21, 2013 / 5:40 pm

    This is beautiful and I bet it tastes amazing too!!!

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