How to Bake a Perfect Angel Food Cake
Summary
TLDRIn this video, Thomas Joseph addresses common issues with angel food cake and shares a recipe for a perfect one. He starts with room temperature egg whites, adds water, cream of tartar, salt, and vanilla extract, then gradually includes superfine sugar to achieve stiff peaks. Cake flour is sifted multiple times with superfine sugar for a light mixture, which is folded into the meringue. The batter is baked in a tube pan at 350°F for 35-40 minutes until golden and springy. The finished cake is inverted to cool to prevent deflation, resulting in a tender, cloud-like interior.
Takeaways
- 🍰 Angel food cake requires egg whites as the leavening agent, with 1 and 3/4 cups used in the recipe.
- 🥚 Room temperature egg whites are essential for achieving maximum volume.
- 💧 A tablespoon of room temperature water is added to the egg whites to help break them up.
- 🌬️ Cream of tartar is used to add strength to the egg foam and stabilize it.
- 🧂 A half teaspoon of cornstarch and two teaspoons of vanilla extract are incorporated for flavor and texture.
- 🍬 Superfine sugar, also known as castor sugar, is used for its fine granules that dissolve easily in egg whites.
- 📏 Sifting cake flour and superfine sugar together multiple times is crucial for a light texture.
- 🥄 The folding technique is used to gently incorporate the flour and sugar mixture into the egg whites without deflating them.
- 🧊 An aluminum tube pan is recommended for baking angel food cake, as it helps the cake rise properly.
- ⏱️ Baking time is approximately 35 to 40 minutes at 350°F until golden brown and slightly springy.
- 🔄 Inverting the cake after baking is necessary for it to cool properly and maintain its shape.
Q & A
What is the main leavening agent used in angel food cake?
-The main leavening agent used in angel food cake is egg whites.
How many egg whites are typically used for a recipe of angel food cake?
-A recipe of angel food cake typically uses about 14 large egg whites.
Why should egg whites be at room temperature when making angel food cake?
-Egg whites should be at room temperature to achieve maximum volume when whipped.
What is the purpose of adding water to the egg whites when making angel food cake?
-Water is added to the egg whites to help break them up and start the whipping process more easily.
What role does cream of tartar play in the angel food cake recipe?
-Cream of tartar adds strength to the egg foam and helps stabilize the meringue.
Why is superfine sugar used in angel food cake instead of regular sugar?
-Superfine sugar, also known as castor sugar, has finer granules that dissolve more easily in meringue, which is important for the texture of the cake.
How does the number of times you sift the flour and sugar mixture affect the cake's texture?
-Sifting the flour and sugar mixture multiple times helps to remove lumps and make the mixture light, which contributes to a more tender cake.
Why is cake flour preferred over all-purpose flour in angel food cake recipes?
-Cake flour has a lower protein content than all-purpose flour, which results in a more tender cake.
What is the significance of the tube pan for baking angel food cake?
-A tube pan is significant for baking angel food cake because it allows the cake to rise evenly and has a slight texture that helps the egg white batter climb up the sides.
How long should an angel food cake bake in the oven?
-An angel food cake should bake in the oven for about 35 to 40 minutes until it is golden brown on top and slightly springy to the touch.
Why is it important to invert the angel food cake after baking?
-Inverting the angel food cake after baking is important to prevent it from deflating as it cools.
Outlines
🍰 Angel Food Cake Recipe Introduction
Thomas Joseph introduces a solution to common issues faced when baking angel food cake, such as density, wetness, and collapse during cooling. He begins by emphasizing the importance of using egg whites at room temperature for maximum volume. He then adds room temperature water to help break up the egg whites before whipping them. Cream of tartar is introduced for strength and stability, followed by salt and vanilla extract. The process of beating the egg whites to soft peaks is described, and then the addition of superfine sugar is explained, which is crucial for its easy dissolution in the meringue. The importance of using sifted cake flour for a tender cake texture is highlighted, and the folding process to incorporate the flour and sugar mixture is detailed. The choice of an aluminum tube pan for baking is justified, and the method of spreading the batter evenly in the pan is described. Finally, the technique for baking the cake at 350°F and the visual and tactile cues for doneness are provided.
🕒 Cooling and Unmolding Angel Food Cake
The video script describes the process of cooling the angel food cake upside down to prevent deflation, using the feet of the tube pan or a bottle if the pan lacks feet. Once cooled, the script outlines the method for removing the cake from the pan using an icing spatula and a pairing knife. The importance of cleaning the cake of any crumbs around the outside is mentioned. The video concludes with a demonstration of the cake's tender, cloud-like interior, and a final encouragement for viewers to add this recipe to their baking repertoire.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Angel Food Cake
💡Egg Whites
💡Cream of Tartar
💡Superfine Sugar
💡Cake Flour
💡Meringue
💡Tube Pan
💡Inversion
💡Room Temperature
💡Vanilla Extract
💡Sifting
Highlights
Introduction to solving common angel food cake issues.
Use of 1 and 3/4 cups of room temperature egg whites for maximum volume.
Addition of 1 tablespoon of room temperature water to break up egg whites.
Incorporation of 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of cream of tartar for stabilizing the egg foam.
Use of half a teaspoon of cornstarch to strengthen the meringue.
Addition of 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract for flavor.
Achieving soft peaks before adding sugar to the meringue.
Gradual addition of 3/4 cup of superfine sugar for a stable meringue.
Transferring the meringue to a bigger bowl for folding in more sugar and flour.
Sifting 1 cup of cake flour for a lighter texture.
Sifting 3/4 cup of superfine sugar with the cake flour to remove lumps.
Folding the flour and sugar mixture into the meringue to avoid clumps.
Using cake flour for its lower protein content, resulting in a more tender cake.
Transferring the batter into an aluminum tube pan for optimal rise.
Evenly spreading the batter and removing excess around the edges for a uniform layer.
Using a pairing knife to cut through the batter to release air bubbles.
Baking the cake at 350° for 35 to 40 minutes until golden brown and springy.
Inverting the cake after baking to prevent deflation while cooling.
Cooling the cake upside down using the feet of the tube pan or a bottle.
Removing the cake from the pan using an icing spatula and a pairing knife.
Final presentation of the angel food cake with a tender, cloud-like interior.
Transcripts
[Music]
hey guys Thomas Joseph here with another
kitchen conundrum people have been
saying that they're having trouble with
angel food cake it either comes out too
dense it's wet or when it's cooling it
falls well today I'm going to show you a
recipe for success and that is angel
food cake 101 so to start I have egg
whites which is the leavening in angel
food cake 1 and 3/4 cups of egg whites
here it's a volume measure but that's
about 14 large egg whites and they're at
room temperature cuz that's how you'll
get maximum volume and to this I'm going
to add 1 tbspoon of room temperature
water the water just kind of helps to
break up the egg whites and start this
on medium
speed and once the egg whites get
slightly frothy as they are now add 1
and 1/2 teaspoons of cream of tartar
cream of Charter adds strength to the
egg foam so it helps to stabilize half
teaspoon of core salt and 2 tpoon of
vanilla
extract so I'm going to continue beating
this on medium speed until I get soft
peaks now you want to make sure that you
have on hand 3/4 of a cup of superfine
sugar superfine sugar is also known as
castor sugar the granules are a little
bit finer than regular sugar and they
dissolve easily in mering or egg whites
just like this so it's been about a few
minutes beat this mixture until you
reach soft peaks so we're just about
there at soft peaks you can see they're
tipping over they're not holding a stiff
shape and now I'm going to increase the
speed to medium high and I'm going to
gradually add my sugar a tablespoon at a
time and I'm going to continue beating
this until it reaches stiff peaks but
the mering isn't dry so keep an eye on
it so our Peaks are nice and stiff if
you can see it's standing straight up
they're still
glossy now transfer to a bigger bowl
because we have to fold in a little bit
more sugar and our cake flour I have in
front of me one cup of sifted cake flour
meaning that you sift cake flour first
then measure one cup and 3/4 of a cup of
super fine sugar I've sifted that
together three times now you want to
make sure that you sift a number of
times to get out any lumps and make this
flour sugar mixture light I'm going to
take a portion of this and sift it right
over my egg whites you want to do this
in additions because it will help in
avoiding clumps of flour why are we
using cake flour well cake flour has a
lower protein content than allpurpose
flour which will yield a more tender
cake our last addition of our flour
sugar
mixture f folding is the process of
bringing up the batter from the bottom
up and over incorporating all of the
ingredients or kind of moving in a j so
this looks well mixed and now I'm going
to transfer it into a tube pan this is a
classic pan for angel food cake it is
Aluminum do not buy those non-stick
versions because the cake will not rise
nicely this anodized aluminum has a
slight texture to it which helps that
egg white batter hold on and climb up
the sides of the pan so evenly spread
your batter into the pan this Tu pan has
a removable bottom and what that does is
it makes an easy job of removing the
cake when it's baked and cooled and
there are some models that are sold with
these feet and this is great for cooling
the cake and I'll show you how we're
going to cool the cake once it's out of
the oven so take an offset spatula and
spread the batter out into a nice even
layer make sure your oven is preheated
to 350° with the rack in the middle of
the oven if you have any batter around
the edge of the pan just use your finger
to remove that so you have one nice even
layer and using a pairing knife a long
thin blade draw the knife through the
batter this batter is quite stiff so
when you place it in the pan sometimes
it doesn't work into all of the nooks
and crannies of the pan so this pops any
air bubbles and moves the into those
negative
spaces and then right into the oven for
about 35 to 40 minutes until it's nice
and golden brown on top and slightly
springy to the touch so our angel food
cake is completely cooled now when it
does come out of the oven you need to
invert it this is actually a little
trick here the cake needs to be cooled
upside down so it does not deflate so
these little feet help in that if you
have a tube pan that doesn't have these
feet what you can do is you can take the
tube of the pan the center and you can
invert it over a bottle like this and
let it cool just like that this
obviously is completely cooled and I'm
going to show you how to remove it from
the pan take one of these icing spatulas
something with a thin flexible blade and
run this along the interior perimeter of
the cake give pressure to the side of
the pan and rotate the pan around
gliding around the outside of the
cake and now fingers crossed you should
be able to pull the
cake right out of the pan just like
this take your spatula again and run it
along the very bottom of the pan and for
the center section all you need is a
pairing knife just go around the center
tube and you should be able to flip the
cake right out of the pan you can use a
pastry brush or you can use your hand to
knock away any of the crumbs around the
outside you know what I can't wait to
show you what the inside of this angel
food cake looks like it's perfectly
tender look at that beautiful cloudlike
interior so light and Airy and
surprisingly simple to make so there you
go you have the recipe and now you can
add it to your baking
[Music]
repertoire
[Music]
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