Mini angel food cake made in a loaf pan for fewer servings! Small angel food cake for two!
You're looking at two slices of my all-time favorite and death-bed dessert: angel food cake. But not just any angel food cake: a mini angel food cake made in a loaf pan, doused with freshly (barely-sweetened) whipped cream and fresh raspberries.
I've always loved angel food cake, even the store-bought variety. The boxed mix isn't too bad either because you can't deny the convenience of not having to separate one dozen eggs. You might also like my angel food cupcakes.
In this case, I made several batches of my small cheesecake recipe made in a loaf pan for a recent book signing I did in Dallas, and so I had leftover egg whites. I also made many batches of my small-batch sugar cookies, too!
Whenever I acquire the magical number of seven leftover egg whites, then I make this small batch angel food cake.
Side note: If you're interested in living la vida small batch desserts, I have separate every single recipe on this site into recipes that use egg whites and recipes that use only egg yolks. You can always find these categories on my recipe index page, just in case you need to bookmark that.
This mini angel food cake is made in a standard 9" bread loaf pan, and it has a few non-negotiable steps.
Rules for this mini angel food cake:
- You must use a regular pan, not a non-stick pan. The cake needs to stick and climb up the sides of the pan in order to reach its full height potential. Do not, I repeat DO NOT grease the pan. If your loaf pan is non-stick, it won't work! Use a metal, plain loaf pan. I promise the cake will come un-stuck later when you're ready to serve with a simple knife run around the edges.
- You must beat the egg whites to soft, floppy peaks, and not any further.
- The cream of tartar is optional; leave it out if you don't have it. When I use it, my mini angel food cake rises higher but then it also cracks (which is totally fine, too).
- You must cool this cake upside down, as shown below. If not, the cake might sink or deflate.
Things to serve with this small batch angel food cake:
- Serve slices with whipped cream, my microwave lemon curd and fresh berries.
- Spread two slices with jam and stick it in a kid's lunch box for a fun dessert.
- Dip leftover pieces in custard and cook like French toast for breakfast!
If you own my cookbook Sweet & Simple: Desserts for Two, you'll recognize this as the angel food cake with jam. In the cookbook, I sliced this cake horiztonally into 3 sections (it's best to use an electric carving knife for this), spread it with jam, and then stacked it back together, tightly wrapped it with plastic wrap and left in the fridge for 6 hours.
Mini Angel Food Cake in a Loaf Pan
Small batch mini angel food cake for one or two people. Made in a loaf pan!
Ingredients
- ¾ cup granulated sugar, divided use
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 7 large egg whites
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon cream of tartar*
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- whipped cream, for garnish
- fresh raspberries, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325, and have a 9" bread loaf pan ready. Ensure it is not non-stick. Do not line or grease the pan in any way. Trust me!
- In a small bowl, whisk together ¼ cup of the sugar, flour, and cornstarch. Set aside.
- To the bowl of a mini stand mixer, add the egg whites, vanilla, cream of tartar (if using) and salt. Beat on medium speed until foamy, about 30 seconds. Slowly stream in the remaining ½ cup of granulated sugar, one tablespoon at a time while the mixer runs. Continue to beat on HIGH speed until soft, floppy peaks form, about 4 minutes.
- Next, add ⅓ of the dry ingredients and fold them into the egg whites using a rubber spatula gently. Proper folding technique is down the middle and around the sides. Your goal is to incorporate the flour mixture without deflating the air you just whipped into the egg whites.
- Repeat with the remaining flour mixture in two increments. Take your time; it will at least 5 minutes to fold everything together gently. Be sure no lumps of flour remain (or they will rise to the surface of your cake while baking!)
- Pour the batter into the loaf pan. Place the loaf pan on a baking sheet, and bake for 38-42 minutes. The cake is done when the top is no longer sticky to the touch, and if it cracks (mine didn't this time), the cracks won't be sticky either.
- Once the cake comes out of the oven, immediately turn it upside down and invert it over two cans (see photos). The cake needs to cool upside down so it doesn't deflate. Let it cool for at least 60 minutes.
- Once the cake is cool, run a knife around the edges of the pan and gently let the cake fall onto a cutting board on its side.
- Use a serrated knife to slice the cake into even slices. I used a serrated knife to get the cut started, and then finished the cuts using a sawing motion with a regular very sharp knife. Go slow, don't smush the cake while slicing.
- Serve with whipped cream and raspberries.
Notes
*If you don't have cream of tartar, leave it out. The cake won't rise as high, but it will still taste great!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 126Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 115mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 0gSugar: 19gProtein: 4g
Kyla says
Hi! I’m confused by the recipe! It’s says 3/4 sugar divided use. Then it says use 1/4 sugar for the cake. What about the other 1/2 cup of sugar? I re read a few times but maybe I missed it. Thanks!
Christina Lane says
In step 3, it says to slowly beat while adding the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar.
Monique says
I only have a glass/Pyrex loaf tin. Will that still work?
Lynne says
Oh, Yum!
We used to be able to get Angel Food loaf cakes at the local market, but they stopped carrying them a long time ago.
Our favorite way to eat slices of this is to put them in the toaster, then lightly butter. A special treat as a breakfast.
Kelly says
I took a couple of chances on this one, as I don't have a NON-nonstick loaf pan and used powdered egg whites reconstituted with water. I just wrapped my loaf pan with foil and baked it that way, and it turned out great! The foil made for easy cleanup, too.
Paula says
Thank you so much for this mini version! I did a tiramisu and I needed something to do with all the egg whites and this was just perfect, and so easy to make!
D says
I made this low carb by using 1/2 cup almond flour and truvia in place of sugar. Cornstarch is 7 carbs per tablespoon, and the almond flour is 8 carbs per 1/2 cup. So total loaf sized cake is 15 carbs total. Waiting for it to cook now to see if it comes out ok! I am so desperate for sweets that even if its a brick, i will savor every morsel. LOL
Marti Phillips says
Oh-oh. I forgot the salt. It's already baking. We shall see... batter was lovely looking tho. Baked nice...looks good. Tasted terrific. Even without the salt! Will be making this again! Thanks.