Angel food cake. Any way you slice it, you’re in for a trip down memory lane. Although the light, airy cake isn’t just the fluffy stuff of sweet memories. It’s still in fashion—and still fashionably simple to whip up. And when you add coconut? Truly heaven sent.–David Leite
Why is my angel food cake rubbery?
It all comes down to the beating of air into the egg whites. If you beat until they’re too stiff, incorporating the dry ingredients will require extra folding and the batter will lose its lofty volume. Also, the overextended air cells are more likely to collapse in the oven which means the cake will be tough and chewy rather than melt-in-your-mouth tender. Conversely, if you don’t beat those egg whites enough, you’re not going to get enough structure and the whole thing is just going to deflate. You want to beat the eggs until they’re fluffy and sky-high but not until they get dry.
Coconut Angel Food Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cream of tarter
- 11 large egg whites, (yes, 11)
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Angel White Icing
- 2 to 3 cups sweetened flaked coconut, (Catherine uses Baker’s Angel Flake) or sweetened shredded coconut
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C).
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and cream of tartar. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry, about 11/2 minutes. Use a spatula to slowly and gently fold the sugar into the egg whites. Do not beat. Add the vanilla and mix just until combined. Then add the flour mixture to the egg whites, a little at a time, stirring gently. Scrape the batter evenly into an unbuttered standard angel food cake pan.
- Bake the cake for about 50 minutes, until the surface springs back when you touch it with your fingertips. Gently invert the pan on a wire rack or on top of a bottle, situating the center hole of the inverted tube pan on the neck of the bottle. Let the cake cool completely.
- Slice the cooled cake horizontally into three layers. Place one cake layer, upside down, on a serving platter and spread icing over the top and sides, being especially generous as you spread the icing over the top as this will end up as filling. Sprinkle the icing on top with some of the coconut. Place the middle cake layer upside down on top of the bottom cake layer and spread icing over the top and sides, again being generous with the top layer. Sprinkle coconut over it. Place the third cake layer right side up on top of the other two stacked layers and frost the top and sides. Sprinkle the remaining coconut over the entire cake, covering it evenly. Slice and serve as soon as possible. Originally published March 30, 2012.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
This coconut angel food cake was amazing with almond extract, but I am looking forward to making it with vanilla and without coconut. It was a huge hit with my family, and I will add it to my file of awesome recipes!
Lovingly made by my Grandma with fresh farm eggs from her hen house, angel food cakes appeared for every family birthday celebration during my childhood. I hadn’t baked an angel food cake for many years until this recipe tempted me down the path of whipping egg whites into a fluffy frenzy and creating a cake that has to cool upside down.
I followed the directions as written, remembering to fold the flour mixture very gently into the egg whites. My cake was golden brown and the surface was springy at 50 minutes of baking time. I cooled the cake upside down (without the bottle because my pan has feet to support it off the counter) for one hour. Then I released it from the pan using a thin metal spatula. If you’re having difficulty releasing your cake, run a thin bladed knife or metal spatula all the way around the edge of the cake and pull from the pan. Then gently cut the cake off the insert bottom, turn the cake upside down and pull it off the tube. The center should release. If not, gently cut around the center tube.
The angel white icing frosted cake dusted with coconut was a beautiful sight perfect for any celebration, birthday, or potluck contribution. It’s sure to get rave reviews. After we sliced off our dessert pieces, I covered the remaining cake with a very large Tupperware bowl and left it on the counter. The next day it was still perfect, however, it won’t last long before being devoured!
There is no recipe for the frosting, just coconut and a mink stole??? Is it 7-minute or?
Julie, if you click on the bold orange title “Angel White Icing” it will take you to the recipe…the coconut is a garnish for atop the icing and the mink stole a playful reference to the note written by the author at the top of the recipe…
What was that mink tail biting thingy called???? It’s been driving me crazy for yrs…I know there is a name for it…my mother had one too…
Anyone?
My mom called it a mink stole. Is there another name for it?
Stole. I think that’s it, Jean, thank you! Melinda, sound right?
no not stole….theres a special name
Okay, everyone, let’s try this again…!
Probably a tippet, or maybe even a boa. But I think tippet is the word Melinda is looking for.
Amazing what pops out of your memory sometimes. 😉
Indeed. One never knows what will prompt a long-lost memory to come tumbling out of the cobwebs. Many thanks, ruthie.
I’ve always marveled at how many of my own childhood memories revolve around food. Or have some food associated with them. Those memories are precious to me so I try to create the same for my grandchildren. Bravo to Catherine for honoring the memory of your Ma-Ma’s coconut angel food cake!