Fluffy Matcha Angel Food Cake

When it comes to summery desserts, angel food cake really does take the cake! (Sorry.) It’s pillowy soft and lighter than air, so it won’t leave you feeling weighed down. But what I really love about this cake is that it can be flavored or dressed up an infinite number of ways!

Angel food cake tends to be on the sweet side, so balancing it with earthy matcha makes perfect sense! If you are a lover of matcha lattes, you will love this cake!

Here’s what you need:

Start by making a matcha paste.

You will add this to the egg whites later on. Simply stir boiling water into the matcha powder until it makes a thick green paste. It will cool as you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Next make a superfine sugar.

The name says it all. Superfine sugar is a finely minced version of granulated sugar that dissolves quickly into the egg whites.

Make it simply by adding all of the granulated sugar into a food processor and mince on high for about 20 second.

Remove 3/4 cup of the superfine sugar and whisk it with the cake flour. Reserve this flour and sugar mixture for later in the recipe.

Whip the egg whites.

Angel food cake is essentially a meringue with cake flour folded in to give it a spongy texture. Unlike most standard cake recipes, it has no egg yolks, milks or fats such as butter or oil. Air gets whipped into the egg whites, creating a foam, as sugar is added to stabilize and tenderize the meringue.

This step is where I also add the cooled matcha paste I made earlier. The thickness of the paste does threaten to take some of the air from the foam because it is quite heavy, so it is very important to add the paste slowly. I add the paste only 1 tablespoon at a time, after I have added the cream of tartar and the bubbles begin to tighten. Wait about 30 seconds between each spoonful of matcha paste to give it some time to incorporate into the egg whites and get more of that air whipped in.

Slowly add the sugar.

Just like with the matcha paste, add the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time and with about 20 to 30 seconds in between additions.

Once the sugar is all in, just let the mixer keep going on high speed until the meringue is formed. It will take a bit longer than usual for a meringue due to the heavy weight of the matcha paste. It took me close to 12 minutes before it was ready, so just let it do its thing and keep whipping in that air and it will get there!

In the last minute of whipping, add the salt, lemon zest and vanilla.

You will know it is ready when it is still at the soft peaks stage, but approaching stiff peaks. When you invert the whisk attachment, the peak should be firm with just the tip softly falling back on itself.

Add the cake flour.

The flour matters! Cake flour is softer and has less gluten than other wheat flours as well as less protein, so it yields a much more tender cake. I tried using all purpose flour once just to see how big of a difference it made. I was left with a dense and chewy disaster. Not at all what you would want to have in an angel food cake. So just go get some cake flour.

Adding the flour to the meringue is kind of a delicate process. You don’t want to deflate the egg whites and lose all that hard work. So the trick is to fold them in gently with a rubber spatula. Don’t just dump the flour into the batter either. Add the flour a little bit at a time. I find that 3 separate additions is the magic number!

Use a mesh strainer and sift 1/3 of the flour and remaining superfine sugar mixture on top of the meringue. Grab your spatula and cut down through to the bottom of the bowl, then scoop back up and fold over the top of the batter. Rotate the bowl and repeat the process. As do this, you will notice that the flour is becoming incorporated into the meringue. But go slow and be very gentle so the whole thing stays light and fluffy.

Here’s a tip: For the first 2 additions of flour, don’t worry about getting the flour completely incorporated. Just give it a few folds then add more flour. You can worry about being thorough on that last addition. What this does I just allows fewer folds altogether which reduces the likelihood of deflation.

Spoon the batter into an ungreased tube pan and bake.

Use a rubber spatula to gently even out the top and flatten out any peaks, but again, be mindful of the air in the batter and try not to deflate it.

Place the pan in a preheated 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 45 minutes. Avoid opening the oven during the bake. However, if you can see that the top is getting too dark towards the end, pop it open very quickly and place an aluminum foil tent over the top. Only do this if absolutely necessary.

Cool completely before unmolding.

Straight out of the oven, place the pan on your countertop to cool for several minutes, then once it is cool enough to handle, flip the pan over and let it cool upside down the rest of the time. It will need about an hour and a half to cool completely to room temperature.

Slide a butter knife between the cake and the pan until the outer edge is completely free. Repeat the process in the center to free the inner circle from the tube. Push false bottom of the pan through the outer ring. Next, the knife along the bottom of the cake to free it completely from the pan. Invert the pan, then slide the cake off of the inner tube.

Sometimes I like to serve this cake right side up like the photo below. The cracks in the surface give it a dramatic look and the top has a nice crackly crust. It could also be served upside down like I did in the top photo for a softer and more even aesthetic.

This cake goes perfectly with freshly whipped unsweetened whipped cream and fresh berries! Or you could drizzle it with a sweet and fruity sauce like my Simple Strawberry Sauce!

Other recipes to try:

• Orange Meringue Pie
• Strawberry Crispy Rice Treats