Funfetti Angel Food Cake

Last updated on September 15th, 2023.

Tall, airy and tender Funfetti Angel Food Cake sprinkled with rainbow sprinkles and frosted with fluffy marshmallow frosting. THIS is a dessert from heaven.

This cake is the second recipe I made from Joanne Chang’s latest book “Pastry Love”, which I can not recommend highly enough.

What is An Angel Food Cake?

Well, an Angel food cake is a tall and tender cake that is made by whipping egg whites with sugar and folding in a small amount of flour. Add to that the fact that there is no fat in the cake and you get a light, airy and fluffy cake that is fitted to be eaten by angels. Hence, Angel Food Cake. (In comparison to its cousin, the short, dense and sinfully delicious: Devils Food Cake).

What are the key ingredients in this Cake:

• Egg Whites, and loads of them. Whipping the egg whites with sugar is what gives the cake it’s light and airy texture. The recipe calls for room-temperature egg whites, which will help the process go faster. However, it’s OK if your egg whites are a bit cold. It only means that the egg will take longer to start frothing. It is crucial not to whip over the medium peak stage; for more information, check my post about How To Make Meringue.
• Cake Flour has a lower percentage of protein than regular all-purpose flour. That means that there will be less gluten development and less chewiness in every bite, which is perfect because we want a light and tender texture.
• Cream of Tartar just a pinch of it will take us a long way to a fluffy and stabilized meringue.
• Sprinkles, I used a good old fashion Wilton sprinkles. It is important to use a brand you trust otherwise the sprinkles might “bleed” into the batter.

Removing the cake from the pan:

Since the cake is light and airy, we want to avoid adding any pressure by removing the cake with our hands. The tube pan has two parts, the tube part where the cake sits and the sides part. Firstly run a sharp knife to the sides of the pan. Secondly, separate the tube part and sides part. Run a sharp knife around the center (tube part) of the pan. Place your serving dish upside down on top of the center of the pan and turn the cake upside down, then gently remove the pan.

Cooling the Cake

Tube pans have extra wires sticking out from the top of the pan. These are used to cool the cake upside down so the cake will not lose any of its hight while cooling down. If your pan does not have the extra wires, simply insert a thin bottle such as soy sauce to the center of the pan and turn in upside down. Do that immediately when taking the cake out of the oven and let cool completely this way.

Storing the cake:

If you chose not to frost the cake, then the cake can be stored at room temperature covered for up to 3 days.

However, if you frost the cake with the marshmallow frosting, please frost the cake right before serving. The frosted cake can not be refrigerated and should be eaten about 6 hours after frosting.

Now let’s Talk Some More About This Funfetti Angel Food Cake:

• Super important to sift the flour 4-5 times! Why? well, this way not only you incorporate more air into the flour BUT you also make sure there are no lumps in the flour that might “weigh down” the batter.
• DO NOT GREASE THE PAN!!! True, greasing the pan will ensure the cake will not stick to the pan. BUT it will also grease the sides of the pan and will not allow the cake to “climb” up so tall. So please do not grease the pan, we are using a tube pan which means we can run a knife and remove the cake in its entirety.
• Please do not use store-bough egg whites. They will not froth or create a stiff meringue. Separate the eggs cold from the refrigerator, making sure there is not a drop of egg yolks. Even the smallest amount will ruin the meringue.
• You can go ahead and skip the marshmallow frosting and just dust the cake with powdered sugar.
• When slicing the cake, please use a sharp serrated knife and do not press it down. That might “smotch” the cake, so want to slice the cake using back and forth knife movements.

HAPPY BAKING!!!

Here are some more fun recipes you might enjoy:

• Caramel Popcorn Cookies
• Chocolate Celebration Cake

One more thing…

Also, don’t forget to tag @OneSarcasticBaker on Instagram if you bake this recipe. Would love to see your creations!

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Funfetti Angel Food Cake

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword angel food cake recipe, funfetti cake

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Servings 1 9″ tube pan

Author Adapted from Pastry love by Joanne Chang

Ingredients

Funfetti Angel Food Cake

• 12 Large Egg whites, room temperature (360 g / 13 oz)
• 1 1/2 Cup Sugar, divided (300 g / 11 oz)
• 3/4 Cup + 1 TBS Cake Flour (100 g / 3.5 oz)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch Cream of tartar
• 1/8 tsp Salt
• 1/3 Cup Funfetti Sprinkles (60 g / 2 oz)

Fluffy Marshmallow Frosting

• 1 1/4 Cup Sugar (250 g / 9 oz)
• 6 Large Egg whites (180 g / 6 oz)
• 3/4 tsp Vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp Kosher salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F and set aside an UNGREASED 9" tube pan.

2. Sift the flour 4-5 times into a medium bowl then add 3/4 cup of sugar and the sprinkles. Use a fork to incorporate.

3. Place the egg whites in a bowl of a standing mixer add the cream of tartar and vanilla extract and beat on medium until frothy. About 2 minutes.

4. Measure 3/4 cup of sugar (150 g ) and sprinkle 1 TBS of sugar at a time (counting to 10 before adding the next) into the mixer while mixing.

5. Keep mixing until a shiny stiff meringue has formed.

6. Stop the mixer and fold in a 1/3 of the flour once you notice the flour is partly incorporated into the meringue repeat with the remaining of the flour mix.

7. Spoon the batter into the pan evenly and gently bang it once over the counter.

8. Baker for 45-50 minutes or until a wooden skewer comes out clean from the center of the cake.

9. Remove the cake from the oven and turn it upside down (see above notes), allow it to cool completely before removing from the pan.

Make the marshmallow frosting

1. Shortly before serving (about 30-60 minutes) place the egg whites and sugar in a bowl of a standing mixer. Use a hand whisk to whisk together.

2. Place the bowl on top of a pot of simmering water (make sure the water does not touch the bowl) and let cook while constantly whisking.

3. Keep cooking and whisking until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is too hot for the touch of your finger.

4. Remove from the stove and let mix using the whisk attachment on medium-high until the mixture has cooled and it is light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and salt whip to mix in.

5. Frost the sides, tops and inside of the cake and use a kitchen torch to torch the frosting. (or in the oven, broiler setting. Check the cake every 2 minutes)