This chocolate angel food cake is a delicious vintage recipe that uses a few simple ingredients to create a decadent, light, and fluffy angel food cake. Chocolate, strawberries, and whipped cream all come together to make a sinfully sweet mouth-watering dessert that is sure to please everyone.
Airy And Fluffy Cake
Perfect for birthdays, potlucks, and celebrations of all kinds, angel food cake lovers will be in awe of this chocolate-flavored version of a classic dessert. If you like easy recipes with simple ingredients then add this to your list of desserts to try!
- DELICIOUS - This recipe is easily one of my favorite desserts as everyone in my house loves chocolate.
- SIMPLE - The directions are super easy so anyone can make this with amazing results.
- CHOCOLATY - Chocolate lovers will be gathered at the table waiting for this incredible dessert.
Recipe Ingredients
You will need to either have a traditional one-piece tube pan on hand or create your own by using a spring-form pan, which has a removable bottom, with an empty wine bottle placed immediately invert pan in the center.
Any glass bottle will work. You just gently spoon the cake batter into the pan and around the bottle.
Once you have the pan sorted, all you need to do is find these ingredients.
COCOA POWDER - Good quality unsweetened cocoa powder is important to hit that chocolate flavor we all love. I prefer organic cocoa powder from Costco for my recipes, but I also really like Hershey's dark cocoa. You will find cocoa powder in the baking section of your grocery store.
CAKE AND PASTRY FLOUR - It might just be called “cake flour” depending on where you live. It's important to use this style of cake flour to get the fluffiest results.
SUGAR - You will need granulated white sugar for this baked cake recipe. Cane sugar will also work, but brown sugar will make the cake dense and less airy.
EGG WHITES - This recipe uses 11 egg whites from fresh eggs. I don't recommend using carton egg whites, you just won't get the air bubbles that fresh eggs will.
LEMON JUICE - You can use freshly squeezed lemon or a container of lemon juice.
BAKING POWDER - Don't skip this step! It's an important ingredient in the baking process for this recipe.
Flavor Additions
If you want to add a little signature ingredient to enhance the chocolate flavor you can consider using one of my recommendations below.
- NUTS - Crushed walnuts folded in with the mixture will add a soft nutty crunch with each bite.
- CITRUS - Zest an orange, lemon, or lime and mix in with the beaten egg whites, for a citrus flavor.
- CHOCOLATE CHIPS - Add some chocolate chips to the mixture before baking for a double chocolate angel food cake.
- ESPRESSO POWDER - Coffee lovers will raise their hand for this additional flavor of espresso powder will add. Combine a tbsp or two with the beaten egg whites and white mixture.
How To Make Chocolate Angel Food Cake
Angel food cake is a little fussier than traditional cakes and requires a few extra steps and longer prep time. It's important to follow instructions thoroughly to get the best results.
- PREP - Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a tube pan or bundt pan with a non-stick cooking spray. Divide the sugar in half and Mix the flour, ½ cup sugar, and cocoa powder.
- COMBINE - In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, half the sugar, and cocoa powder together.
- BEAT - In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer on medium speed to beat egg whites until foamy. Next, add the lemon juice, baking powder, vanilla, and salt to the eggs and continue mixing until soft peaks form.
- ADD - Add the remaining sugar, 2 tbsps at a time, until the mixture becomes really foamy and strong peaks form.
- FOLD - Gently fold half the dry ingredients into the egg mixture, and then fold in the rest. Pour the mixture into your greased tube pan.
- BAKE - Place in the oven and bake for 40 minutes. You will know it's done when the cake springs back when lightly pressed. Remove from the oven and let it cool.
- COOL - Run a knife along the edge of the pan and transfer to a wire rack and let the cake cool completely.
- SERVE - Transfer a slice to a serving plate and top with homemade whipped cream and fresh berries.
Pro Tip: Make sure to use room-temperature egg whites. You can separate them from the egg yolks and let them sit for 45 minutes on the counter before mixing.
How To Store
You can bake this cake in advance of any event, celebration, or evening dessert and easily store it for later.
- REFRIGERATE - Keep leftovers in an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to a week.
- FREEZE - Slice the cake and package it separately in plastic wrap, then in a large freezer bag. This will store in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Cake Recipe Tips
- This recipe uses 11 egg whites... it's a lot. It is important that these egg whites are from fresh eggs, and not from an egg white carton. I tested this recipe using an egg white carton and the results weren't even close! My cake was short and dense. You just can't get the same foaminess from carton egg whites as you can from fresh eggs.
- Make sure to use room temperature egg whites. You can separate them from the egg yolks and let them sit for 45 minutes on the counter before mixing. Or add eggs to a bowl of warm water (not hot) for 15 minutes.
- Angel food cake is meant to be a little more rustic looking. The edges might be uneven - this is the beauty of the cake.
- Angel food cake is a more fussy style of cake and requires a few extra steps and longer prep time. It's important to follow instructions thoroughly to get best results.
- Set a timer while using the hand mixer. This will ensure you're mixing for long enough to get the fluffiest cake results.
- To help the cake release from the pan, run a knife along the edges or use a spatula.
Ways To Serve
Chocolate angel food cake is a perfect pairing for just about anything in the dessert category. Here are a few of my favorite ways to serve chocolate angel food cake.
WHIPPING CREAM - You'll need a carton of whipping cream, granulated sugar, and pure vanilla extract. If you want to make this recipe dairy-free, you can make whipped coconut cream instead. It's made with canned coconut milk!
STRAWBERRIES - Fresh, sliced strawberries are always a winner but you can also try this strawberry sauce recipe.
ICE CREAM - Cake and ice cream go together so well. If you want to try making your own ice cream have a look at these six different flavors of banana nice cream!
FRESH FRUIT - Fresh apples, peaches, and kiwi can be sliced and served alongside the angel food cake. Baked pears also make an excellent addition.
FROSTING - Chocolate frosting can be purchased pre-made at the grocery store or you can make your own chocolate glaze! Both would make a great topping for baked cake or all angel food cakes.
CHOCOLATE SHAVINGS - Not only are they delicious, but chocolate shavings are great for presentation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Whipped egg whites create the most luscious aerated cake texture. This is what sets this style of cake apart from any other.
Angel food cake needs to be cooked in a tube pan that has a hole in the center. This can be an angel food cake pan or it can be a bundt cake pan which will create a more decorative design for the cake plate. A tube pan is important because the center tube conducts heat and helps larger cakes cook faster.
If your cake came out dense the most likely cause was not using fresh egg whites. The other cause could be that brown sugar was used instead of white sugar.
Chocolate angel food cake is one of those desserts that most shy away from because it sounds too complicated. But with this recipe, you can easily master this on your first try. Next time you're feeling a serious chocolate cake craving coming on, give this one a try.
More Chocolate Recipes
If you enjoyed making and tasting this delicious cake, I have included a few other baking recipes below that you might also enjoy.
- Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Cookie Cherry Bars
- Sprinkle Marshmallow Cake Bars
- Double Chocolate Cheesecake
- Chocolate Baked Donuts
Chocolate Angel Food Cake
Ingredients
- ¾ cup cake and pastry flour - or cake flour
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar - divided - see instructions
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- 11 egg whites - room temperature
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Whipped Cream Topping:
- 2 cups whipping cream - heavy cream
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Cake Assembly:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 10" tube pan with nonstick cooking spray or a light coating of unsalted butter. Set aside.
- Sift the flour, ¾ cup of granulated sugar, and cocoa powder into a bowl using a fine mesh strainer.
- Whisk it together and set it aside.
- Add 11 egg whites to a large bowl.
- Beat the egg white until it's foamy, about 1 minute with an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer with whisk attachment.
- Add in the lemon juice, baking powder, vanilla, and salt. Beat for 2 minutes, or until soft peaks begin to form.
- Next, add the last ½ cup of granulated sugar, to the egg white mixture but only add 2 Tbsp at a time, mixing before adding more. Stiff peaks will start to form once all sugar is mixed in.
- Add half of the dry flour mixture to the egg whites. Gently fold them in with a spatula.
- Once mixed, add the last half of the flour mixture.
- Gently mix until it's completely combined.
- Pour the angel food cake batter into the tube pan. Run the spatula through the batter to help eliminate any air pockets. Give the pan three taps on the counter to remove some more. Smooth the top if needed.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when poked through the center. The cake should spring back when lightly pressed. Let cool for 10 minutes.
- Run a butter knife along the sides of the pan and inside the tube. Gently invert the pan to flip the cake onto a rack to cool completely. Sprinkle the top with powdered sugar (optional).
Make Whipped Cream (Optional):
- Add the whipping cream (heavy cream), sugar, and vanilla extract to a medium bowl. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment to beat until soft peaks start to form. This will take 5-10 minutes (mine took 9 minutes).
To Serve:
- Serve a slice of cake with a big dollop of whipped cream and fresh berries. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes:
- Make sure to use room-temperature egg whites. You can separate them from the egg yolks and let them sit for 45 minutes on the counter before mixing. Or add eggs to a bowl of warm water (not hot) for 15 minutes.
- Do not use egg carton egg whites for this recipe. I've tried it and the results aren't nearly as good! Using 11 fresh eggs is definitely worth it.
- Set a timer on your phone while using a hand mixer. This will ensure you're mixing for long enough to get the best cake results.
- To help the cake release from the pan, run a knife along the edges or use a spatula.
- Leftover chocolate angel food cake can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge or on the counter up to 3-4 days.
Nutrition Info
The nutritional information provided is an estimate and is per serving.
