Chocolate Angel Food Cake
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This Chocolate angel food cake is a delicious vintage recipe from grandma’s cookbook. Flour, sugar and cocoa powder are mixed with 11 eggs and other baking ingredients.
This is served with homemade whipping cream and fresh strawberries for the perfect dessert combination.

Airy and Fluffy Cake
- This is probably my favorite cake I’ve ever made for the blog to date!
- The perfect recipe to serve at potlucks, birthdays or other celebrations.
- I am IN LOVE with how airy and fluffy it is, with the perfect chocolatey goodness. Another favorite vintage recipe is our chocolate devil’s food cake.
- Serving the cake with homemade whipping cream really takes it up a level of deliciousness.
- I prefer to serve mine with a side of fresh sliced strawberries as well. It’s just SO GOOD!
- If you like this recipe and love chocolate, then you might also love my double chocolate cheesecake recipe!
After making this cake a few times, I made a few mistakes that I’m sharing here with you so you don’t do the same. Angel food cake is a bit more finicky. But if you follow the directions and use the same ingredients, it will turn out great!

Recipe Ingredients
CAKE AND PASTRY FLOUR: It might just be called “cake flour” depending on where you live. It’s important to use this style of flour to get the fluffiest results.
SUGAR: You will need granulated white sugar for this recipe. I’ve also used cane sugar and both have worked well. It must be a granulated white sugar. Brown sugar will not work the same.
COCOA POWDER: A good quality cocoa powder is important. I prefer organic cocoa powder from Costco for my recipes, but I also really like Hershey’s dark cocoa. This is different than hot chocolate powder. You will find cocoa powder in the baking section of your grocery store.
EGG WHITES: This recipe uses 11 egg whites from fresh eggs (not an egg white carton).
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.
WHIPPING CREAM: Real, homemade whipping cream takes this cake to the next level! You’ll need a carton of whipping cream, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract.
OPTIONAL FRUIT: Fresh strawberries, raspberries, blackberries or blueberries are wonderful toppings!
If you want to make this recipe dairy-free, you can make whipped coconut cream instead. It’s made with canned coconut milk!

How To Make Chocolate Angel Food Cake
- Mix the flour, sugar and cocoa powder.
- Beat eggs with a hand mixer until foamy. Add lemon juice, baking powder, vanilla and salt. Beat until soft peaks form.
- Add rest of sugar slowly until really foamy with strong peaks according to the full recipe instructions below.
- Gently fold in half of the flour cocoa mixutre. Repeat with the other half.
- Bake until cake springs back when lightly pressed. Let cool.
- Run a knife around edge of the pan and transfer cake to a cooling rack.
- Serve with homemade whipping cream and fresh berries.

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.
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 which 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. A tube pan is important because the center tube conducts heat and helps larger cakes cook faster.

More Chocolate Recipes
- Double Chocolate Chip Cookies are buttery soft with a bit of crunch. Incredibly delicious.
- Chocolate Cookie Cherry Bars uses a cookie base, cherry pie filling and chocolate chips.
- Sprinkle Marshmallow Cake Bars uses a boxed cake to create the perfect pretty party dessert!
- Double Chocolate Cheesecake is so rich and creamy. It’s a chocolate lover’s dream!
- Chocolate Baked Donuts are a healthier take with incredible flavor.
Did you love this angel food cake? Be sure to leave a rating below!

Chocolate Angel Food Cake
Ingredients
- ¾ cup cake and pastry 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. 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 eggs until they're foamy, about 1 minute.
- Add in the lemon juice, baking powder, vanilla and salt. Beat for 2 minutes, or until soft peaks start to form.
- Next, add the last ½ cup of granulated sugar, 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 completely combined.
- Pour the 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 sides of the pan and inside tube. Gently invert the pan to flip the cake onto a rack to cool completely.
Make Whipped Cream (Optional):
- Add the whipping cream (heavy cream), sugar and vanilla extract to a medium bowl. Use a hand mixer 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 cake can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge or on the counter up to 3-4 days.
Nutrition

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