Celebrate the gorgeous days of summer with a delightful angel food cake with citrus glaze! If you’ve never tried a sponge cake before, then you’re in for a very special treat. This light and tender dessert is made with fresh lemon juice and lemon zest. Its scrumptious glaze with lemon juice, vanilla and a bit of Grand Mariner delivers a bright burst of citrus flavor. Pull your cake stand off the shelf. This recipe’s a keeper!
Innocent Angel Food Cake Or a Devil in Disguise?
If you’ve exchanged baking stories with your friends, you may have heard that making an angel food cake from scratch can be a devil of a challenge. But all it really takes is the right recipe along with a great set of instructions and a few important baking tips. Today I teamed up with with my friend Ashley, a well-known Sacramento wedding cake specialist from Peace Love & Eat Cake. Together we bring you this no-fail recipe for an angel food cake with citrus glaze that yields nothing but heavenly bliss! Can you hear the harps playing in the background?
Angel Food Cake Ingredients
These are the simple ingredients needed to create this fabulous angel food cake recipe: granulated sugar, cake flour, salt, cream of tartar, egg whites, pure vanilla extract (I use Mexican vanilla), and the zest of 2 lemons.
Citrus Glaze Ingredients
Full-fat cream cheese, unsalted butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, Grand Mariner or orange juice, fresh lemon juice, and salt.
How to Make Angel Food Cake from Scratch
If you follow these instructions carefully, you’ll soon be enjoying a beautiful sponge cake with a light and fluffy texture. Here’s how to make an angel food cake from scratch: Begin by preparing the special angel food cake pan with cooking spray and a dusting of flour. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Recipe for Light and Fluffy Angel Food Cake
In a stand mixer using the whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar until medium-stiff peaks form. In a separate bowl, add all the cake flour and 1/2 cup of the sugar and sift 4 times. Once your egg white mixture has reached the proper peaks, add in the 1 1/2 cups of sifted sugar until glossy and thick.
Continued Instructions for Making Angel Food Cake Recipe
Add the vanilla and lemon zest until just combined. Transfer the egg white mixture to a large mixing bowl and add the flour mixture in three parts, carefully folding in after each addition. Pour all of your batter into your prepared angel food cake pan. Bake the cake for approximately 30 minutes or until it springs back when lightly pressed. Place the angel food cake pan upside down on a cooling rack, and allow it to cool completely while still inside the pan. Once cooled, frost with the delicious citrus glaze. If desired, garnish with fruit pinwheels that have been lightly coated with granulated sugar.
Important Baking Tips for a Perfect Sponge Cake
BAKING TIP #1: For a smoother end result, always use room temperature egg whites.
BAKING TIP #2: Select a very large bowl for the process of folding in the ingredients. This will prevent a messy countertop!
Citrus Glaze Recipe
In a stand mixer, mix the cream cheese and butter together until it reaches a smooth consistency. Add in the confectioners sugar, vanilla, Grand Mariner, lemon juice and salt. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds. Increase the speed for about another two minutes, or until the ingredients are well combined. This will produce a lovely citrus glaze. However, if you prefer a thicker consistency, slowly mix in more powdered sugar until you reach the desired result.
Kitchen Tools for Angel Food Cake Recipe
Below are recommended kitchen tools for making a beautiful angel food cake from scratch. If a KitchenAid stand mixer is within your budget, I say go for it. In the kitchen my stand mixers and extra mixing bowls are my best friends. I use them several times a week. For this sponge cake recipe, you definitely use just a standard egg separator, but isn’t this chicken one adorable? I absolutely love infusing a bit of fun and whimsy in my kitchen!
Angel Food Cake with Citrus Glaze
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 1 cake
This beautiful angel food cake with citrus glaze is just as delicious as it looks! This authentic bakery recipe produces a light and fluffy cake with a heavenly texture. The scrumptious citrus glaze has a fabulous burst of citrus flavor. In addition to lemon juice in the yummy glaze, we use a bit of Grand Mariner (orange liqueur) to elevate the taste, but you're welcome to substitute orange juice instead!
Ingredients
ANGEL FOOD CAKE INGREDIENTS
- 1 + 1/4 cup cake flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
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- 1 + 1/2 cups egg whites, room temperature
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 + 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
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- 1 + 1/2 cups granulated sugar, sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Zest of 2 lemons
CITRUS GLAZE INGREDIENTS
- 1 8-ounce block cream cheese (full fat), room temperature
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 + 1/4 cups powdered sugar (confectioners sugar), plus a little extra if needed
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon Grand Mariner (orange liqueur) or orange juice
- 1 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice
- 1-2 pinches of salt
- Optional garnishes: naval oranges, limes, and lemons sprinkled and rubbed with granulated sugar.
Instructions
ANGEL FOOD CAKE INSTRUCTIONS
- Prepare your angel food cake pan: spray it with cooking spray, and then dust it with flour. Shake out all excess flour over the kitchen sink.
- Adjust your oven rack to the center position. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- In a medium/large mixing bowl, sift the cake flour and 1/2 cup of granulated sugar 4 times. Set the bowl aside for much later.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar until medium-stiff peaks form. Once your egg white mixture has reached the proper peaks, add in the 1 1/2 cups of sifted granulated sugar (NOT the flour/sugar mixture from Step 3) until glossy and thick. Add the vanilla and lemon zest, and whisk again until just combined.
- Transfer the egg white mixture to an extra-large mixing bowl. Add the flour/sugar mixture in three parts, carefully folding it in after each addition.
- Pour all of the batter into the prepared angel food cake pan.
- Bake the angel food cake for 30 minutes, or until it springs back when you touch it.
- Once its done baking, place the angel food cake pan upside down on a cooling rack. Let the cake cool completely while the pan is inverted. Once your cake is fully cooled it's ready to be glazed!
CITRUS GLAZE INSTRUCTIONS
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer), beat the cream cheese and butter until the consistency is smooth and creamy.
- Add in the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, Grand Mariner, lemon juice and salt. Mix on low speed for a half minute. Increase the speed and beat the citrus glaze for another two minutes. If you'd prefer a thicker consistency (like a frosting), add in a bit more powdered sugar.
Notes
HELPFUL BAKING TIPS
- Use egg whites that are at room temperature. You’ll get a smoother product and they’ll whip up much quicker!
- During the folding process, use an extra-large mixing bowl so you have enough space to work with. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a big mess on your countertop!
- To create beautiful citrus pinwheels, slice off the peels of 1/4-inch-thick fruit slices. Sprinkle each fruit slice with granulated sugar, and using your fingertips gently rub the sugar in. This will give your citrus pinwheels a light sparkle and also help prevent the citrus slices from being too juicy when placed on top of the angel food cake.
Courses Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert, Party
Cuisine American
SPONGE CAKE RECIPE > PIN IT TO PINTEREST
MORE SUMMER RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
These easy, beautiful, CREAM CHEESE DANISH PASTRIES are simple to make and taste like heaven!
Celebrate the days of summer with delicious MARGARITA FRUIT DIP. It’s a yummy cocktail you can actually eat!
Delicious LEMON CURD is easy to make and very versatile! Use it in your favorite summer recipes.
LEMON WHIP FRUIT DIP is a delightful appetizer you and your guests will really enjoy! It’s light, fluffy and super scrumptious.
ANGEL FOOD CAKE WITH CITRUS GLAZE > JOIN THE CONVERSATION!
Have you ever made a sponge cake before? What do you think about this angel food cake with citrus glaze? Who would you love to share a slice with? Join the conversation in the comments below. I’d love to hear your thoughts!
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