Chocolate Angel Food Cake Recipe

Prep: 30 mins

Cook: 42 mins

Standing/Cooling: 2 hrs 30 mins

Total: 3 hrs 42 mins

Servings: 12 servings

Yield: 1 cake

This classic light-as-air angel food cake gets chocolate flavor from unsweetened cocoa powder, which takes the place of some of the flour. The deeper color and subtle chocolate flavor make it a chocolate-lover’s dream. Whether you dust the cake with confectioners’ sugar or cocoa, frost it with the optional fluffy chocolate frosting, or leave it plain and serve it with berries or a drizzle of chocolate sauce, it will be a winning dessert.

The optional whipped frosting includes butter, making it soft, shiny, and celebration-worthy. Top it off with some shaved chocolate, and you’ll have a cake fit for a holiday, birthday, or special event.

«A small amount of cocoa powder gives this light angel food cake a deeper flavor and color. It’s a welcome change from the usual cake. I used store-bought egg whites from a carton, and they worked great. The chocolate frosting is buttery and light with a milk chocolate flavor that doesn’t overwhelm the cake.» – Danielle Centoni

A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

For Cake:

1 1/2 cups (370 milliliters) egg whites, about 10 to 12 large eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
1 cup (120 grams) cake flour
1/4 cup (25 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder, natural or Dutch-process
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For Optional Frosting:

2/3 cup (113 grams) semisweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup (113 grams) milk chocolate chips
2/3 (158 milliliters) cup heavy cream
Pinch fine salt
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (113 grams) room temperature unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 to 1/2 cup shaved semisweet chocolate, for garnish, optional

Steps to Make It

Make the Cake

Gather the cake ingredients.
Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Alternatively, use an electric hand mixer. Let stand for about 30 minutes to bring to room temperature.
Meanwhile, sift 1 cup of granulated sugar, cake flour, and cocoa into a medium bowl. Sift again and set aside (reserve the sifter, you will use it again). Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 350 F.
With the mixer on medium speed, beat the egg whites until frothy.
Add the cream of tartar and beat on high speed, gradually adding the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar. Continue beating for 3 to 5 minutes, until stiff peaks form. Beat in 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract.
Sift half of the flour-cocoa mixture over the beaten egg whites and gently fold it in with a spatula until blended but still streaky.
Sift the remaining flour-cocoa mixture over the egg whites and continue folding until well combined.
Spoon the batter into a two-piece 9.5-inch tube pan. Run a butter knife or spatula through the batter to release any air bubbles.
Bake the cake for about 38 to 42 minutes, or until a wooden skewer or cake tester inserted into the cake comes out clean.
Invert the pan and cool the cake completely.
Slide a knife or spatula around the pan and center tube to loosen the cake. Grasp the center tube to remove the cake from the outer pan; use a knife or spatula to release the cake from the bottom of the pan.
Place the cake on a cake plate or cake stand and dust with confectioners' sugar, or frost with the optional fluffy chocolate frosting. If desired, garnish with shaved chocolate.

Make the Optional Frosting

Gather the frosting ingredients.
Put the semisweet and milk chocolate chips in a heat-safe bowl; set aside.
Pour the cream into a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until steaming hot. Do not let the cream boil.
Pour the cream over the chocolate chips and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir until melted. If there are still lumps of chocolate, place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir until smooth. Alternatively, microwave on low in short bursts, stirring frequently, until the mixture is smooth.
Let the chocolate mixture stand, stirring every 15 minutes, until cooled to room temperature, about 70 F to 75 F. Cooling will take about 1 to 2 hours.
Add a pinch of salt, the vanilla, and 2 to 3 pieces of butter to the chocolate mixture. Beat with an electric mixer with whisk attachment on low speed, adding the butter a few pieces at a time until smooth and well combined. Alternatively, use a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
Increase the speed to high and beat for about 4 to 5 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed.
Frost the cake, garnish with the shaved chocolate, if desired, and served.

Tips

Take your time and fold the ingredients gently to avoid bursting the tiny bubbles beaten into the egg whites.
A tube cake pan with a removable bottom is ideal for an angel food cake. If you are using a one-piece tube pan, line the bottom with parchment paper.

How to Store

The frosted or unfrosted chocolate angel food cake may be stored, covered or wrapped, at room temperature for 2 to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
To freeze the cake, arrange slices on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Wrap the individual pieces and put them in a resealable freezer bag. Freeze for up to 6 months.

Is devil’s food cake chocolate angel food cake?

Devil's food cake is a light and airy chocolate cake made with added fat and leavening agents. A chocolate angel food cake is a light and delicate cake made with cocoa, no added fat, and it is leavened only with beaten egg whites.

Why does angel food cake have a hole in the middle?

Angel food cake is baked in a pan with a tube in the middle. The tube in the center helps the cake cook evenly and gives the delicate, airy batter more surface area to cling to as it rises in the oven.

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories	164
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g	0%
Saturated Fat 0g	0%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 139mg	6%
Total Carbohydrate 35g	13%
Dietary Fiber 1g	2%
Total Sugars 25g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 0mg	0%
Calcium 4mg	0%
Iron 1mg	8%
Potassium 125mg	3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.