Description
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
Scale
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.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert, Party
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American