Angel Food Cake for High Altitudes
A super-light and delicious sponge cake, which is a cinch to make. Enjoy as is or decorate with whipped cream or your favourite icing.
Ingredients
Makes: 1 23cm tube cake
- 175g sifted plain flour
- 2 tablespoons cornflour
- 225g caster sugar
- 350ml egg whites
- 1 1/4 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
Method
Prep:15min ›
Cook:28min ›
Ready in:43min
- Preheat oven to 170 C / Gas 3.
- In a large glass or metal bowl, beat egg whites with cream of tartar and salt until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar while continuing to beat to medium peaks. Since this is a high-altitude recipe, beat them only until they form a peak that falls over. Stir in the vanilla and lemon extracts. Use a rubber spatula to fold in flour a quarter at a time. Spoon into a clean and dry 23cm cake tin.
- Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, then increase the temperature to 190 C / Gas 5. Continue baking for another 3 minutes or until the cake begins to shrink down a bit. Invert pan over a wire rack to cool. When cool, run a thin spatula or knife around the outer edge and tap out firmly.
This recipe works great at 1,600m (5,280 feet). If you live higher than that, consider using less sugar, more flour and a higher baking temperature will strengthen the cell structure of the cake.
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Reviews & ratings
Average global rating:
(23)
Reviews in English (20)
I also live in a high altitude area, one hour north of Denver. Baking desserts is sometimes precarious. Thanks for this exceptional recipe for Angel Food Cake. The directions were easy to follow. I was surprised how quicky the batter came together. The only little change I made was using 1/2 teaspoon almond extract rather than the lemon. Lo and behold this cake was moist, flavorful, and much more substantial than boxed or store bought Angel Food. I cooked up a cup of frozen raspberries, 1/2 cup sugar, and a tablespoon of cornstarch making a sauce to pour over the cake. My family loved it. This should do well in lower altitudes if the egg whites are whipped longer, and 1/4 cup less flour is used. This was my first attempt at home made Angel Food, and it turned out great! - 14 Jun 2006 (Review from Allrecipes US | Canada)
I forgot to mention that it is VERY helpful to line the bottom of your pan with parchment paper or waxed paper. I usually fold the paper in half, then in half again... and then cut it to look like a slice of pizza (using the radius of the pan to measure.) Once I have the right size, I'll cut the bottom for the center hole. This helps avoid leaving 1/2 of the cake in the pan. It tastes good either way, but it is prettier when it stays in one piece. - 18 Feb 2006 (Review from Allrecipes US | Canada)
Absolutely delightful! This is my first stab at angel food cake baking. I researched and tried a recipe two nights ago from Allrecipes.com and it was a huge dud. Coarse texture, almost tough and not good taste. I then made this recipe the next night and oh the difference. I live in Thornton, Colorado, a north suburb of Denver, so the high altitude is always a challenge for cake baking. This recipe, however, has been adapted for our altitude and was amazing. Rose well, light texture, amazing taste. I took it for my friend's birthday cake and the 5 of ate and ate. I also used a recipe from Allrecipes for buttercream icing that was incredible. It is now our new favorite cake recipe, bumping dark chocolate cake out of first place! - 19 Mar 2009 (Review from Allrecipes US | Canada)