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Easy Lemon Angel Food Cake Recipe That Feels Effortless

Easy Lemon Angel Food Cake

This tall, airy lemon angel food cake has a soft, cloud-like crumb, fresh lemon zest, and an optional tangy lemon glaze. It makes 10–12 servings and is baked in an ungreased 10-inch angel food or tube pan.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 2 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Cake
  • 12 large egg whites, about 1 1/2 cups Large egg whites, at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups Granulated sugar, divided
  • 1 cup Cake flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Cream of tartar
  • 1/4 teaspoon Salt
  • 1 tablespoon Finely grated lemon zest
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon, optional Lemon extract
Optional Lemon Glaze
  • 1 cup Confectioners’ sugar
  • 2 tablespoons, plus more if needed Fresh lemon juice

Method
 

Step-by-Step
  1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Leave the 10-inch angel food or tube pan completely ungreased.
  2. Sift the cake flour, 3/4 cup of the granulated sugar, and salt together two or three times.
  3. Beat the room-temperature egg whites until foamy, add the cream of tartar, and continue beating to soft peaks.
  4. Gradually add the remaining 3/4 cup sugar while beating. Continue until the whites are glossy and hold medium-firm peaks, then beat in the lemon zest, vanilla, and optional lemon extract.
  5. Fold the sifted flour mixture into the whites in three or four additions. Use a gentle motion and stop as soon as no dry streaks remain.
  6. Spoon the batter into the ungreased pan and smooth the top. Run a knife through the batter once or twice to remove large air pockets.
  7. Bake for 35–45 minutes, until the top is golden and springs back lightly when pressed.
  8. Immediately invert the pan onto its feet or onto a bottle and cool completely for about 1 hour. Loosen the edges with a thin knife before removing the cake.
  9. For the glaze, whisk the confectioners’ sugar with the lemon juice until smooth, adding a little more lemon juice if needed. Drizzle over the completely cooled cake before slicing.

Notes

Keep the bowl, beaters, and egg whites completely free of grease and yolk. Do not grease the pan, and always cool the cake upside down so the delicate structure stays tall.