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Lemon Angel Food Cake

Last Updated On: July 11, 2024 | Published: July 11, 2024 by Melissa Diamond | 4 Comments
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If you love angel food cake recipes, this light and airy Lemon Angel Food Cake recipe is for you! Keep it in mind for your spring and summer entertaining.

Lemon Angel Food Cake.

Why we Love It

There are many reasons to love this cake- here are just a few!

  • Light and airy
  • We love lemony desserts, and are happy to have another to add to our list!
  • Makes a great birthday cake recipe, shower cake recipe, potluck recipe, and more!
  • Perfect with berries and whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

How to Make Lemon Angel Food Cake

You can find the full, printable cake recipe at the bottom of this post. Here is a quick look at our steps!

  • Use an (ungreased, non-stick) straight-sided tube pan or angel food cake pan. Lower the oven rack to a low position-we used the next to last position. Do not preheat the oven.
  • One at a time, carefully separate each egg over a small bowl, allowing the white to fall into it (no yolks in this recipe). Transfer each egg white one at a time to the mixing bowl as you work. Even a trace of egg yolk may prevent the egg whites from whipping properly. We prefer to use an egg separator for this step.
Separating an Egg
  • Then, in the bowl of your mixer, combine the egg whites, cream of tartar, and lemon extract. Mix on medium speed using a whisk attachment (if using a stand mixer) until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
Bowl of egg whites.
  • In a separate bowl, add the flour, sugar, lemon zest, and salt. Whisk this for at least one minute.
  • Using a spatula, fold in the flour mixture into the whipped egg whites ¼ cup at a time. Lift and fold from the bottom of the mixing bowl to be sure that all is blended.
Whipped Egg Whites in a bowl.
  • Spoon the batter into an ungreased tube pan, moving the batter around to eliminate air pockets. Once in the pan, lightly smooth over the top of the batter with the back of a spoon.
Lemon Angel Food Cake batter in pan.
  • Lower the oven rack to a low position if you haven't already. Put the pan into the cold oven.
  • Turn the temperature to 325℉. Bake until the cake becomes golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. This will take approximately 45 minutes to one hour. If the top becomes too brown before it is done, loosely cover with aluminum foil.
Lemon Angel Food Cake, freshly baked in pan.
  • Once done, remove the cake from the oven and turn the angel food cake pan upside down on the countertop for about 1-1½ hours. When completely cooled, use a thin knife around the sides of the cake to loosen in the pan. If using a two-part Angel Food Cake pan as we did (which has feet and a removable bottom/core), you will then, lift off the pan. You will also need to run a knife around and lift off the bottom/core of the pan as well.
  • We topped it with lemon whipped cream!
Sliced Lemon Angel Food Cake on a cake pedestal.

Recipe FAQs

Just a small amount of fat can prevent egg whites from whipping properly to stiff peak stage. Since egg yolks contain fat, you want to avoid the yolk coming into contact with your bowl of egg whites.

We find it easiest to use an egg separator tool when separating the eggs. Also, do not separate eggs over the mixing bowl of egg whites for this reason. Separate them over a small bowl instead and then transfer to the large bowl one egg white at a time as you work.

Angel Food Cake and Chiffon Cake (like our lemon chiffon cake) are both fabulously light, airy cakes thanks in part to the whipped egg whites folded into the batter. However, chiffon cakes contain more fat from the egg yolks and oil in the cake batter.

Angel food cakes generally do not contain butter, oil, or egg yolks.

You should use fresh egg whites rather than liquid egg whites from a carton. This is because liquid egg whites are pasteurized and therefore do not whip up in the same way.

You can use a basic nonstick tube pan (not a bundt pan) as we used for our lemon chiffon cake, or an angel food cake pan (as we used in our photos). You'll notice that our angel food cake pan has "feet" and also comes in two parts.

The pan should be non-stick.

Unlike other cake recipes, this angel food cake should be cooled upside down. This allows the pan to give the cake extra support as it cools and gravity helps it to maintain its height.

If you were to cool the cake right-side up, it's delicate structure would be in danger of collapsing. Once the cake has cooled, it is nice and sturdy.

Some tube pans are designed with legs, with the upside-down cooling process in mind. This is especially helpful if your chiffon cake bakes up taller than the pan.

More Lemon Cakes

We have so many more Lemon Cakes to share with you! If you are looking for a bundt cake that is a bit more rich, you must try our Lemon Pound Cake recipe! It is always a favorite. You will also love our Lemon Velvet Cake, Lemon Buttermilk Cake, and Lemon Coconut Cake recipes!

Have you made this? We would LOVE for you to leave a ⭐️ rating as well as a comment and photo below! We really appreciate your feedback!

Sliced Lemon Angel Food Cake on a cake pedestal.

Angel Food Cake

BY Melissa and Bebe
Light and flavorful Angel Food Cake makes the perfect elegant dessert for all sorts of occasions!
Course: Dessert
Servings: 15
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Ingredients

  • 1½ cups egg whites from 10 or 11 large eggs (Don't use liquid egg whites in carton)
  • 1 teaspoon cream of tartar (3g)
  • 2½ teaspoons lemon extract (10g)
  • zest of two lemons
  • 1¼ cups cake flour (143g)
  • 1½ cups white sugar (300g)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

For the Sweetened Whipped Cream

  • 1 ½ cups heavy cream (360g)
  • ¼ cup powdered sugar (29g)
  • 1 teaspoon lemon extract (4g)

Instructions

  • Use an (ungreased, non-stick) straight-sided tube pan or angel food cake pan. Lower the oven rack to a low position-we used the next to last position. Do not preheat the oven.
  • One at a time, carefully separate each egg over a small bowl, allowing the white to fall into it (no yolks in this recipe). Transfer each egg white one at a time to the mixing bowl as you work. Even a trace of egg yolk may prevent the egg whites from whipping properly. We prefer to use an egg separator for this step.
  • Then, in the bowl of your mixer, combine the egg whites, cream of tartar, and lemon extract. Mix on medium speed using a whisk attachment (if using a stand mixer) until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
  • In a separate bowl, add the flour, sugar, lemon zest, and salt. Whisk this for at least one minute.
  • Using a spatula, fold in the flour mixture into the whipped egg whites ¼ cup at a time. Lift and fold from the bottom of the mixing bowl to be sure that all is blended.
  • Spoon the batter into an ungreased tube pan, moving the batter around to eliminate air pockets. Once in the pan, lightly smooth over the top of the batter with the back of a spoon.
  • Lower the oven rack to a low position if you haven't already. Put the pan into the cold oven.
  • Turn the temperature to 325℉. Bake until the cake becomes golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. This will take approximately 45 minutes to one hour. If the top becomes too brown before it is done, loosely cover with aluminum foil.
  • Once done, remove the cake from the oven and turn the angel food cake pan upside down on the countertop for about 1-1½ hours. When completely cooled, use a thin knife around the sides of the cake to loosen in the pan.
    If using a two-part Angel Food Cake pan as we did (which has feet and a removable bottom/core), you will then, lift off the pan. You will also need to run a knife around and lift off the bottom/core of the pan as well.

For the Lemon Whipped Cream

  • Chill the mixing bowl and beaters/ whisk attachment in the freezer for 10 minutes.
  • Pour the whipping cream, powdered sugar and lemon extract into the chilled mixing bowl, begin beating on low speed gradually increasing to medium high speed.
  • Mix until stiff peaks form. (This will take about 1 ½-2 minutes).
  • We applied our whipped cream using a large french tip 869, and topped with lemon wedges.
  • If you add whipped cream as we did, the cake should be refrigerated in an airtight container (preferably) or under a cake dome or sealed bakery box until within an hour or two of serving.

Notes

When separating the egg white from the yolk, crack the egg and let the white fall into a small bowl. (We prefer to use an egg separator for this although you can do it by hand.)
Then, pour the egg white from the small  bowl into the mixing bowl each time. Discard the egg yolk(s) or save for another use.  Do not try to separate the eggs over the mixing bowl as you run the risk of ruining the egg whites if an egg should break and any bit of yolk falls into the bowl. If even a trace of egg yolk is in the mixing bowl, the whites will not whip up properly and you have to start over.

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4 Comments

  2. I have a very old tube pan and I always line it with parchment paper. Should I line the pan with parchment paper for this angel food cake?

    Reply