Angel Food Cake with Strawberries made with a from-scratch light & airy cake recipe & topped with sweetened berries & fresh cream. Perfect strawberry dessert!
Angel cake strawberry shortcake is an incredible treat, the pillowy cake texture with the sweet strawberries on top is a perfect combination. This angel food cake dessert is sure to be a hit with family and friends, serve it up today with fresh made whipped cream and watch how quickly it disappears!
Strawberry Angel Food Cake
There are recipes out there for strawberry shortcake with a biscuit-type shortcake, and to be honest I do not care for them. When I think of biscuits, I think of gravy, not strawberries. My all time favorite strawberry-cake dessert is this Angel Food Cake recipe. It is light, fluffy and with a lovely sweet flavor it is absolutely delicious. You can buy an angel food cake in the store, but it is super easy to make too. Give it a try today and see just how amazing and tasty it is!
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS ANGEL CAKE RECIPE
- Simple ingredients. You do not need much to make this recipe. In fact, the ingredients that you do need are simple pantry and kitchen staples. Meaning that you may already have everything you need on hand already.
- It tastes amazing. While this cake is a very simple white cake, it is packed with amazing flavors. The soft fluffy texture with the light sweetness, it pairs perfectly with fresh strawberries and whipped cream.
- Easy homemade treat. To make this amazing cake, you need some ingredients and a little patience. You can create a tasty treat so easily and everyone will think it came from a bakery or store!
Angel Food Cake Ingredients
Powder sugar: You will need 1 ½ cups of powdered sugar to make this cake nice and sweet.
Flour: For a great texture and structure, use 1 cup of cake flour for this recipe.
Egg whites: Adding in 1 ½ cups of egg whites (about 12) will create the most amazing light and fluffy cake you have ever eaten.
Cream of tartar: Use 1 ½ teaspoons of cream of tartar to help the cake rise as it bakes.
Sugar: For more amazing sweet flavor, use 1 cup of granulated sugar.
Vanilla extract: To enhance all the wonderful flavors in this cake, add in 1 ½ teaspoons of vanilla extract.
Almond extract: For even more great flavor, use ½ teaspoon of almond extract.
Salt: Adding in ¼ teaspoon of salt will help balance all the flavors in this recipe well.
Strawberries: Using 2 cups of fresh strawberries, diced, to top the cake is highly recommended, you can use frozen strawberries if you have those on hand as well.
Whipped Cream: Adding a dollop of fresh cream tastes amazing! You can find our basic recipe for making whipped cream here. We also have a Dairy-Free whipped cream and a Brown Sugar whipped Cream recipe.
How to make easy Angel Food Cake with Strawberries
Prep
Start by moving the oven rack to lowest possible position and preheat the oven to 375ºF.
Cake batter
In a large bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and flour and set it aside. If you have a sifter, sift it once or twice to produce a fluffier cake.
Next, in a separate bowl, with an electric mixer (or Kitchen Aid mixer), beat together the egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until foamy.
Then add and mix in the granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, on high speed, add in the vanilla extract, almond extract and salt with the last addition of sugar. Continue beating until a stiff and glossy meringue forms, do not under beat, it took mine about 20 minutes on 6/8 speed with my Kitchen Aid mixer.
Proceed to sprinkle the powder sugar/flour mixture, ¼ cup at a time, over the meringue mixture, folding in just until sugar-flour mixture disappears.
Then pour the batter into and ungreased angel food cake pan (tube pan), 10×4 inches and cut gently through batter with a metal spatula or knife to remove any air bubbles.
Bake
Place the cake pan in the preheated oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until cracks feel dry and top springs back when touched lightly (my mini loaves baked for 24 minutes). Once the cake is done baking, immediately turn the pan upside down onto a cooling rack. Let it hang for about 2 hours or until the cake is completely cool. Loosen the side of the cake with a knife or long, metal spatula, remove from pan.
If your cakes want to stick like mine do, gently run a knife along each side, then stick a small metal spatula in one end and loosen the bottom. The cake is spongy, so it springs back if you smash it slightly getting it out. Make sense?
Assemble
After the cake is cooled, start dicing the strawberries into quarter sized pieces. Transfer them to a small bowl, sprinkle about 1-2 teaspoons of sugar over them and stir to combine. Let the strawberries sit for 5-10 minutes, once the sugar completely dissolves a wonderful glaze/syrup forms.
Spoon the strawberries on top of each slice of cake, top with a dollop of cool whip and enjoy!
Angel Food Cake with Strawberries
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup cake flour
- 1 ½ cups egg whites about 12
- 1 ½ teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups Strawberries sliced
- fresh whipped cream optional
Instructions
- Prep: Start by moving the oven rack to lowest possible position and preheat the oven to 375ºF.
- Cake batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and flour and set it aside. If you have a sifter, sift it once or twice to produce a fluffier cake. Set aside.
- Next, in a separate bowl, with an electric mixer (or Kitchen Aid mixer), beat together the egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until foamy.
- Then mix in the granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, on high speed.
- Add in the vanilla extract, almond extract and salt. Continue beating until a stiff and glossy meringue forms, do not under beat, it took mine about 20 minutes on 6/8 speed with my Kitchenaid mixer.
- Sprinkle the powder sugar/flour mixture, 1/4 cup at a time, over the meringue mixture, folding in just until it disappears. Then pour the batter into and ungreased angel food cake pan (tube pan), 10×4 inches and cut gently through batter with a metal spatula or knife to remove any air bubbles.
- Bake: Place the cake pan in the preheated oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until cracks feel dry and top springs back when touched lightly.
- Once the cake is done baking, immediately turn the pan upside down onto a cooling rack. Let it hang upside down for about 2 hours or until the cake is completely cool.
- Loosen the side of the cake with a knife or long, metal spatula, remove from pan. If your cakes want to stick like mine do, gently run a knife along each side, then stick a small metal spatula in one end and loosen the bottom. The cake is spongy, so it springs back if you smash it slightly getting it out. Make sense?
- Assemble: After the cake is cooled, start slicing the strawberries into quarter sized pieces. Transfer them to a small bowl, sprinkle about 1-2 teaspoons of sugar over them and stir to combine. Let the strawberries sit for 5-10 minutes, once the sugar completely dissolves a wonderful glaze/syrup forms. Spoon the strawberries on top of each slice of cake, top with a dollop of whipped cream and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
CAN I USE FROZEN STRAWBERRIES FOR THIS RECIPE?
Frozen strawberries will also work great in this recipe, but I definitely suggest using fresh strawberries if you can. Using fresh strawberries creates a great texture contrast with the super soft cake. Frozen strawberries when thawed, have a softer texture that will match that of the delicate cake. It will taste great either way though!
What Type of Vanilla Extract Should I Use?
A few years ago I tested 10 different vanilla extracts and found new favorites! I love using TOTONAC’s Mexican Vanilla for everyday use. It’s pure vanilla and contains no alcohol, which I like because I don’t like the taste of extracts made with alcohol. Each time I try another, I go back to Totonac’s quickly afterward; it’s so good! I also love using Nielsen Massey Vanilla Bean Paste. Again, this one has the best flavor by far!
CAN I USE OTHER FRUIT INSTEAD OF STRAWBERRIES?
You sure can! This cake would also taste wonderful with other fresh fruit, depending on what is in season feel free to switch it up. I think raspberries, blackberries, or blueberries would taste amazing on top of this soft and delicious cake.
WHAT DO YOU SERVE WITH STRAWBERRY ANGEL FOOD CAKE?
Traditionally this is served with fresh strawberries and topped with fresh whipped cream. Or you can also add a scoop of vanilla ice cream with it, maybe even a light drizzle of chocolate syrup would be amazing too.
WHAT CAN I DO WITH THE LEFT OVER EGG YOLKS?
Instead of wasting the egg yolks from this recipe, save them and put them to use. You will want to store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator immediately. Cover them with a little cold water to keep them from drying out, drain water before using.
One great use of egg yolks is whipping up some fresh lemon curd. Or, make a couple batches of these delicious Lemon Icebox Cookies. This is another great recipe that will help to use up those egg yolks, Cake Mix Strawberry Brownies. Hope these help find a way to use up those left over egg yolks!
Love strawberries? Try more incredible recipes here!
- Easy Strawberry Trifle recipe
- Strawberry Jello Pretzel Salad recipe
- Easy Strawberry Crisp recipe
- Easy No-Pectin Strawberry Jam
- Mini Glazed Strawberry Cupcakes
- Strawberry Ice Cream Pie
- Glazed Strawberry Fruit Pizza
- Frosted Strawberry Cookies
- Strawberry Cheesecake Bites
- Easy Strawberry Butter
- Quick Strawberry Ice Cream recipe
- Strawberry Crumb Bars
- Strawberry Mousse
- Strawberry Chocolate Bundt Cake
- No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake
Angle Food Cake with Strawberries a light and delightful treat that is so easy to make! This recipe for angel food cake with strawberries is completely homemade and the fresh strawberries on top make it a perfect dessert for any night of the week.
Christy G says
I’ve always loved eating strawberries onto of angel food cake. I’ll have to make this dessert soon.