# angel food cake



## sarahconstw (Dec 27, 2015)

Hi everyone! I recently made an angel food cake using this recipe http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/angel-food-cake-recipe.html

not too sure if there was something wrong with my method or anything cause it had such great reviews. Perhaps I may have overbeaten the egg whites? I'm not too sure what went wrong though. Anyhow my cake sank in the oven and the insides didn't even cook properly...


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## laurenlulu (Sep 9, 2012)

The ratios look correct so it may be overbeating, folding too aggressively or an oven that isn't calibrated.


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## petitetreats (May 31, 2015)

I have just made 2 angel food cakes in as many weeks and both times, using different recipes, the rise was high, texture airy and both were perfectly baked. Make sure you do NOT overbeat the eggs, just firm yet glossy looking and be very careful when (hand) folding in the flour mix..do NOT over fold that adding too much air and deflating the batter! (you did do the folding by hand and not by machine correct?) And when you add the sugar do so in 3 or 4 passes to make certain that the sugar grainy feel is gone each time!

Good luck,

Mary Howard

PetiteTreats.net


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## sarahconstw (Dec 27, 2015)

@petitetreats Hi, wow you're amazing cause I just made this for the second time and my meringue could not whip up at all  not too sure what went wrong sighs, I really tried very hard and wiped the beaters + bowl and everything. I find it very strange that the recipe whips warm water together with the egg whites though. Which recipe did you use?


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## petitetreats (May 31, 2015)

I don't think I would use warm water. I would make certain the eggs were at or slightly above room temperature and that tbe water was not cool was well.


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## petitetreats (May 31, 2015)

Just google angel food cake, and the furst two recopes are very good. If you want an der type angel food google: glorious sponge cake and that too is a winner!


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## sarahconstw (Dec 27, 2015)

@petitetreats I did do that - and the first two are the ones by alton brown & martha stewart. Both of them are very similar and they use warm water


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## petitetreats (May 31, 2015)

Stay AWAY from Alton Brown, Martha Stewarrt, Food Network, etc etc! Get yourself a textbook called Professional Baking by Gisslesin Everything is there for you.


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## fablesable (Oct 11, 2014)

@sarahconstw Here ya go. This recipe is foolproof and will get yo the results you are looking for. Minus the water thing as that is really only to be used if you are using a meringue powered form.

Angel Food Cake

1 cup (4 1/4 ounces) All-Purpose Flour 
1 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) sugar
12 large egg whites, at room temperature*
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract 
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a large bowl, whisk flour and 3/4 cup sugar. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine egg whites, salt and extract. Whisk until mixture is frothy, then sprinkle cream of tartar on top. Whisk until stiff peaks form and is glossy. Add remaining sugar 1/4 cup at a time, then gradually fold in the flour mixture.

Spoon into an uncreased angel food pan and bake for 40-45 mins or until golden brown and top springs back when lightly touched.

Remove from oven and turn your pan upside down on a bottle to cool and keep from crushing your cake. Let cool for at least 1 1/2 to 2 hours like this to set the structure of cake.

Loosen edges with a knife to remove from pan and enjoy!!

Couple of things......pay attention to your oven temp and NEVER rely on the temp/time for recipe at face value as all machines and atmospheres are different so be wary. I set my timer approximately 5 minutes before the earliest time suggested on a recipe just to ensure there are no mistakes. So if it calls for 40 mins at the earliest then I set my timer for 35 mins.

Also, if you think you are overbearing your egg whites then take a gander at some youtube videos that explain the different stages of peaks so that you know the difference between soft, firm and stiff and what they should look like.

Hope this helps and have fun! Send us a pic when you have accomplished it! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif


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## petitetreats (May 31, 2015)

Good recipe, thats all you need to make a great angel food cake!


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## petitetreats (May 31, 2015)

You can also add a bit of almond extract, or orange or lemon to flavor it as well!


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## berndy (Sep 18, 2010)

Ground Cinnamon is very tasty as well.


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## petitetreats (May 31, 2015)

Ohhhhhhh I like, I like.


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## sarahconstw (Dec 27, 2015)

@petitetreats hahaha oh my, alright I'll keep that in mind cause their recipes always pop up first on google >.<

@Fablesable Thanks so much for the recipe!! Will defo give it a go when I have the chance haha but currently running low on eggs so that might have to wait abit hahaha


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## petitetreats (May 31, 2015)

I myself have often thought I need several cows and chickens in my backyard!!


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## sarahconstw (Dec 27, 2015)

Hi, I just tested out this recipe (sort of) but it didn't turn out very well.... I used the recipe from professional baking by wayne gisslen cause I didn't have internet at that time oops. But anyhow, the recipes were nearly identical except that the egg whites had to be beaten til soft and glossy not stiff? But then I kinda beat them abit more anyway til they were nearly almost stiff. I tried my best to fold the flour and all in but to no avail sighs.... it still didn't turn out too well. I baked the cake at 180 degree celsius and it browned within 15min and remained rather undercooked even after almost an hour? I seriously have no idea what to do anymore... its my third time attempting this already


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## sarahconstw (Dec 27, 2015)

oh, one more thing I did was use cake flour instead of all purpose flour!!


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## fablesable (Oct 11, 2014)

Okay so remember in the previous posts we talked about baking being a science and that you MUST adhere to the science of a recipe....NO SUBSTITUTIONS PERIOD???
If you decided to use Wayne Gisslen's recipe then u MUST AHERE TO THE INSTRUCTIONS OF THAT RECIPE NO EXCEPTIONS. 

Angel food cake is a separate entity in the cake world. It will brown fast as a result of the egg white and sugar base however that doesn't mean it's done baking. 

Follow the recipe you are using to the letter and it will turn out. If it says to fold all the flour in then fold all the flour in......don't overthink or worry about it.

Just checking a couple of things:
You had said before that you have an extra oven thermometer in your oven to ensure the temp it says it's at on the oven is correct right??
All the ingredients were at room temperature meaning they had sat out at room temp for longer than a few hours??

Last.......I completely understand your frustrations as it really feels so disappointing not being able to get it right the first time. Perseverance is key. Also please forgive the capital letters as I am only trying to drive home a point so that you understand how critical it is to STOP SUBSTITUTING RECIPES, PROCEDURES, METHODS AND INGREDIENTS!!!! Please just stick to ONE RECIPE AND FOLLOW THROUGH TO.THE. LETTER. You will master baking if you just do this. I know you can do it and be successful so don't give up!!


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## sarahconstw (Dec 27, 2015)

Hey, thanks so much!!! but btw, I actually did follow wayne gisslen's recipe completely haha. I was just pointing out the differences between the cookbook's recipe and yours! oh I actually don't have an oven thermometer oops... perhaps you misread my statement. I'm just a home baker so I don't have much professional baking equipment unfortunately. Should I just alter her recipe and beat the egg whites to stiff peaks? and also may I know why you use all purpose flour actually? I thought cake flour would have been better for such a delicate cake...


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## flipflopgirl (Jun 27, 2012)

Quote:


sarahconstw said:


> Hey, thanks so much!!! but btw, I actually did follow wayne gisslen's recipe completely haha. I was just pointing out the differences between the cookbook's recipe and yours! oh I actually don't have an oven thermometer oops... perhaps you misread my statement. I'm just a home baker so I don't have much professional baking equipment unfortunately. Should I just alter her recipe and beat the egg whites to stiff peaks? and also may I know why you use all purpose flour actually? I thought cake flour would have been better for such a delicate cake...


Can you tell me why you think changing this recipe would be beneficial?

What is your reasoning for beating the whites longer than directed and/or changing the form of flour recommended by the recipe author?

If you have no intention of applying the information why are you asking?

mimi


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## sarahconstw (Dec 27, 2015)

I didn't change this recipe, I just wasn't using it at all to begin with. And the only reason why I didn't was because I didn't have my phone with me at that time as I said above. I did vaguely rmb someone recommending wayne gisslen's recipe though so I used that one since I happened to have the book on hand. I generally don't change most recipes unless I'm confident of them. Also I was unsure about the flour cause most recipes cake flour. Is it so wrong to ask why his recipe uses plain flour?


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## fablesable (Oct 11, 2014)

Okay, so I just want to clarify and understand this correctly as sometimes our communication on this site can get a little hazy. I am going to quote you and your words from your posts and then say how it is interpreted and we can go from there.


> Hi, I just tested out this recipe (sort of) but it didn't turn out very well.... I used the recipe from professional baking by wayne gisslen cause I didn't have internet at that time oops. But anyhow, the recipes were nearly identical except that the egg whites had to be beaten til soft and glossy not stiff? But then I kinda beat them abit more anyway til they were nearly almost stiff.


Let us start here. YOU decided to go with Wayne Gisele's recipe which is a good one. The recipes may LOOK identical but they ARE NOT. He stipulates that the egg whites must be room temp or warmer and that you must NOT GO PAST SOFT PEAK when whisking them. You then added that you whisked them more anyway until they were almost stiff.


> But then I kinda beat them abit more anyway til they were nearly almost stiff. btw, I actually did follow wayne gisslen's recipe completely haha


THIS IS NOT FOLLOWING THE RECIPE COMPLETELY WHICH MEANS IT WILL NOT WORK RIGHT FOR YOU. Completely means EXACTLY as they say in the method.


> oh, one more thing I did was use cake flour instead of all purpose flour!! I thought cake flour would have been better for such a delicate cake...


This will not make too much of a difference as your folding in the flour however, it will still be a lighter crumb if using cake flour. As Wayne Gisele's recipe calls for cake flour and you have it.....use it. Most home bakers do not invest in different flours on hand so they only have AP flour available which is okay to use in this case. This is why they call it All Purpose Flour. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/wink.gif


> oh I actually don't have an oven thermometer oops... perhaps you misread my statement. I'm just a home baker so I don't have much professional baking equipment unfortunately.


You don't need to be a professional kitchen to get an oven thermometer for your home oven. They are inexpensive and help leaps and bounds when it comes to troubleshooting your issues with all cooking and baking. I believe you can even buy them at the grocery or dollar stores now.


> Should I just alter her recipe and beat the egg whites to stiff peaks?


NO!!!! DO NOT ALTER RECIPES AS YOU DO NOT KNOW HOW!!!! Once again, BAKING IS A SCIENCE so unless you can formulate the bakers percentage or understand ratios, DO NOT ALTER ANYTHING!!! Follow the recipe you choose to the letter and disregard everything else.

Now, as for using the Wayne Gisele's Angel Food recipe, you might have noticed that you had a TON of batter?? This is because you must look at the weight of the end product. Which is:

_Total weight: __4 lb 12 _oz or _2403 g _

And all depending on which size angel food cake pan you are using:

8 in. (20 cm) 12-14 oz 340-400 g 360°F 180°C 30 mins approximate bake time

10 in. (25 cm) 24-32 oz 700-900 g 350°F 175°C 50 mins approximate bake time

This means that the recipe is for approximately 3 - 10 in. (25cm) or 6 - 8 in. (20cm) angel food cakes.

Did you make the full recipe?? What size pans are you using?? Did you grease your pans?? (this is a no no for angel food cake)

Hope some of this is starting to make sense now /img/vbsmilies/smilies/wink.gif


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## sarahconstw (Dec 27, 2015)

Ahhhh okay thank you so much! Sorry I guess I don't quite understand the science behind baking very much (esp in the area of egg whites). May I know why your recipe says beat to stiff peaks and wayne gisslen's says beat to soft peaks though? I don't understand why there is this difference esp when both recipes are so similar in every other way. Is it because the baking temperatures are different?


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## fablesable (Oct 11, 2014)

> May I know why your recipe says beat to stiff peaks and wayne gisslen's says beat to soft peaks though? I don't understand why there is this difference esp when both recipes are so similar in every other way. Is it because the baking temperatures are different?


Great Questions!! The difference is more in a newbie intro Angel Food Cake recipe than that of a professional one as per Wayne Gisslen's recipe. If I give a home cook who is learning to bake this recipe, most times they can do it no problem as they have all the ingredients and the method allows for over-whipping the egg whites and still produce a good cake in the end. However, the ultimate outcome you want in an Angel Food Cake is one made with soft peaks as over whipping the cake will set too quickly on the edges but will not have enough moisture to evaporate and leaven the center of the cake. This is the characteristic "fallen Angel" food cake. Wayne Gisele's recipe also calls for you to warm egg whites to 110F before whipping them. They hold more air at a warmer temperature and create better structure for the finished cake. This intimidates most home cooks. Method is most important to final outcome.

Hopefully that answers your questions somewhat. I have to admit I am extremely tired from a very long day so my brain is not on board......lol


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## sarahconstw (Dec 27, 2015)

Yes, definitely! Thanks so much  so uhmmm is wayne gisslen's recipe similar to making an italian meringue????


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## fablesable (Oct 11, 2014)

No it is JUST the egg whites that you are warming up (I would suggest just leaving the egg whites out overnight at room temp should do the trick). The Italian meringue method is bringing the sugar and water mixture to 240*F then adding that slowly to your mixture of egg whites and sugar. Completely different strategy. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/wink.gif


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## sarahconstw (Dec 27, 2015)

Ahhhhhh whoops haha. I live in a hot environment though, so I doubt warming the egg whites willl even be necessary!


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