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Chocolate Angel Food Cake
Published February 9, 2025
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Chocolate Angel Food Cake – a heavenly cake that’s light as air, kissed with cocoa, flecked with dark chocolate bits and finished with billowy chocolate whipped cream and optional red berries.
Traditional angel food cake just got a sublime upgrade with chocolate in every bite. Homemade angel food cake has been a go-to dessert at our house but I’ve created this luxurious chocolate version I think you’ll love even more!
I’ve always found most angel food cakes from the store are dry and stale, homemade angel food cake is anything but and the only way to go in my opinion.
It’s easier to make than you’d think and it’s the perfect finish to a spectacular dinner. It also makes a delectable celebratory cake for a birthday, or Valentines day of course.
Treat yourself this weekend, or make it for a friend or loved one. It’s completely irresistible!
And don’t toss those egg yolks, see all my recipes ideas below on various ways to use them.
Chocolate Angel Food Cake Recipe Ingredients
- Granulated sugar: You will need to blitz this in the food processor or use store-bought “super fine” (or “ultra fine”) bakers sugar.
- Cake flour: I recommend Softasilk or Swan’s Cake Flour in this recipe. Unbleached cake flour can be used but the cake won’t be as light and fluffy.
- Dutch process cocoa powder: Use Dutch cocoa instead of regular for a richer flavor and deeper chocolate coloring.
- Cream of tartar: This is an essential ingredient for stabilizing the egg whites so the cake doesn’t deflate.
- Salt: A staple ingredient that balances the sweetness of the cake and enhances the other flavors.
- Egg whites: Use room temperature egg whites so they whip up with more volume and produce a fluffier cake.
- Water: This helps keep the cake moist, you’ll only use a little which goes a long way in angel food cake.
- Vanilla extract: A staple baking ingredient that will highlight the chocolate flavor here.
- Dark chocolate: This will be grated on the large holes of a box grater, or you could very finely chop it as well.
- Heavy cream: The base ingredient for the chocolate whipped cream finish, it adds a decadent finish.
- Powdered sugar: Used to sweeten the topping.
- Raspberries or strawberries: These are optional for a pretty finish atop the cake.
How to Make Chocolate Angel Food Cake
For the cake: Move oven rack one level from center and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Set aside a non-stick 16-cup angel food cake pan with legs (do NOT grease pan).
Pour sugar into a food processor and blitz until very fine, about 2 minutes.
Transfer half of the sugar (3/4 cup) to a mixing bowl, along with the cake flour, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, and salt. Whisk mixture and set aside.
Add egg whites to a 6-quart stand mixer bowl fitted with a whisk attachment, or if you don’t have a stand mixer that large use an extra large mixing bowl and an electric hand mixer.
Pour water in with egg whites, along with cream of tartar. Mix on medium-low speed until frothy, then slowly add remaining half of the sugar (3/4 cup), about 1 Tbsp at a time into the egg whites while gradually increasing speed.
Beat egg white sugar mixture on high speed until soft peaks form, then mix in vanilla extract and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.
Sift 1/4 cup of the flour mixture over egg whites at a time then gently fold after each addition until just blended.
Fold in grated chocolate.
Gently pour or spoon batter into angel food cake pan and spread into an even layer.
Bake in preheated oven until a skewer comes out with a few moist crumbs but no batter, about 35 to 40 minutes.
Immediately remove from oven and turn angel food cake upside down to cool. Let cool 1 hour before running a thin narror knife around edges of cake pan to remove the cake.
For the Chocolate Whipped Cream
In a medium mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer whip heavy cream until slightly thickened. Add 1/4 cup cocoa powder, powdered sugar and vanilla and whip until stiff peaks form.
Pipe or spread whipped topping over entire cake, or dollop spoonfuls over individual slices. Garnish cake with raspberries or strawberries if desired.
Helpful Tips
- Use room temperature eggs and a fair amount of cream of tartar for a fluffier angel food cake.
- Be careful not to over-mix and deflate batter as you add the flour mixture to the egg white mixture, fold gently.
- Don’t grease an angel food cake pan when making angel food cake or it won’t cling to the sides and rise as high, and will also sink when cooling.
- Cool cake upside down or this also will cause some deflation and sinking down as it cools. I recommend an angel food cake with feet.
Storing the Cake
Unfrosted cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days. I recommend waiting to add topping until the day you want to serve it so it’s fluffier and doesn’t soak into the cake.
Store cake with whipped topping in the fridge.
What to Make with Extra Egg Yolks
Angel food cake traditionally requires using 12+ egg whites. Save the egg yolks in the fridge for up to 4 days to make other sweet and savory recipes:
Savory Recipes with Egg Yolks
- Avgolemono Soup
- Hollandaise Sauce (Eggs Benedict Sauce)
- Pasta Carbonara
- Turkey Meatballs or Swedish Meatballs
- Turkey Meatloaf
- Salmon Patties
- Or add in your favorite homemade pasta recipe
Sweet Recipes with Egg Yolks
- Creme Brulee
- Homemade Ice Cream
- Pumpkin Pie and Chocolate Cream Pie
- Thumbprint cookies
- Tiramisu
- Or make french toast with egg yolks only (8 yolks vs 4 eggs to a standard recipe)
More Delectable Chocolate Cakes to Try
Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream
Chocolate Bundt Cake
German Chocolate Cake
Easy Chocolate Cake
Chocolate Sheet Cake
