Back when we lived in Enid, Oklahoma, I had a wonderful neighbor by the name of Floralee Day who took me under her wing. One day when she was over at the house I was making a boxed… yes, boxed Angel Food Cake. Floralee looked at me and said, “Roma, no one makes boxed Angel Food Cakes.” She quickly went home and returned with her recipe and proceeded to say, “Once you make an Angel Food Cake from scratch, you will never go back to making a boxed one.” Well, she was right. It’s been 19 years since Floralee not only shared her recipe with me, but also her technique of cutting through the batter to eliminate air bubbles.

I love this cake because of its light texture and delicious taste. Thanks Floralee for sharing this recipe with me so many years ago. Now here’s sharing it with you.

This is what you will need:

  • 1 cup + 2 tbsp. cake flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1  1/2 cups egg whites (9 – 12 eggs depending on their size)
  • 1  1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
  • 1  1/2 tsp. vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp. almond extract
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Carefully separate each egg white into a small bowl and then pour the egg white into a larger bowl. Do this so you do not accidentally get yoke in your whites. Also, separate the eggs when they are cold, but beat the egg whites when they come to room temperature.
  3. Measure and sift cake flour (I use King Arthur), then measure the sifted cake flour with 1 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp. salt and sift again. Set aside.
  4. Pour the egg whites into a mixing bowl and beat egg whites with 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar until frothy.
  5. Add remaining 1 tsp. of cream of tartar and continue beating whites until they hold stiff peaks. The eggs are perfectly beat when you insert a rubber spatula into the eggs pull back quickly and the peaks barely fall over.
  6. Using a slotted spoon, sprinkle the 3/4 cup sugar into the egg whites one heaping tbsp. at a time. Fold quickly, mixing only three or four times to each tbsp. Do this until you have incorporated all of the sugar.
  7. Add in the 1  1/2 tsp. vanilla and 1/2 tsp. almond extract and fold gently, again using your slotted spoon.
  8. Then add in the flour/sugar mixture two heaping tbsp. at a time.  Again use only three to four folds to each addition. Use your slotted spoon. When all the flour/sugar has been added use as many folds as necessary to incorporate all the ingredients. Work quickly!
  9. Pour into an angel food cake pan… mine is a non stick 10″ pan and works well. Do not spray the pan. Using a long sharp knife or thin metal spatula cut through the batter going in circles from the outside to the inside to eliminate any large air bubbles.
  10. Bake in a 375 degree preheated oven for 30 – 35 minutes or until cake springs back when touched.
  11. Invert pan and let cake hang overnight. I usually invert my cake over a cookie sheet.
  12. In the morning, gently remove the outer portion of the pan by sliding a long thin metal spatula (the kind you use for applying icing) around the cake pan. Slide the spatula along the bottom of the tube portion to completely remove the cake.

Here’s to enjoying a slice of goodness smothered in strawberries and whipped cream. That just can’t be beat!