Angel Food Birthday Cake Drizzled with Chocolate Ganache
Sneak Preview: This Angel Food Birthday Cake is a homemade angel food cake with a rich chocolate tunnel, topped with whipped cream and drizzled with Chocolate Ganache. It’s a decadent treat that will remind you of a chocolate-dipped cone from DQ!
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Looking for a special cake for a birthday or celebration? Stop here! When I last served this decadent angel food cake, a friend called it “the best cake she had ever eaten.”
Except for a few attempts to win a blue ribbon in 4-H, I’ve always made angel food cakes from a cake mix. While it seems good enough most of the time, homemade angel food cake tastes better (especially the batter).
Plus, I’m tired of throwing away egg whites after using the egg yolks in another recipe. So I set out to bake a light and fluffy cake that rises so high it peeks over the side of the pan. Let’s make it together.
Recipe Inspiration
This angel food cake recipe is based on Betty Crocker’s classic, combined with a fun twist from Confections of a Foodie Bride (a fellow Texan and Mexican food lover). Like she did, I folded powdered cocoa into part of the batter and layered it over the vanilla batter for a beautifully irregular pattern.
Here’s where it gets good:
Frost the cake with whipped cream icing, then drizzle it with chocolate ganache. While drizzling might feel risky at first, the beauty is in the imperfection—it adds charm. So relax and enjoy the process!
Try this for Valentine’s or Easter or any time you want a grand finale to a meal. Here are a few more cakes you might consider: Extraordinary Glazed Chocolate Cake made with a Food Processor, Coffee Angel Food Cake, and this Quick Coconut Cake Made with a White Cake Mix.
Happy Bakers Speak Up
“I would love to make this cake (it was especially delicious when we had it at your house).” BETH P.
Three Ways To Make This Cake Easier
- Yes, you can bake an angel food cake from scratch—it’s not as hard as it seems, but a bit of practice helps. If you’re making this for a birthday or special occasion, I recommend a trial run to get the hang of it.
- Angel food cakes can be tricky, but watching a video like Sam’s on Sugar Spun Run made all the difference for me.
- For an easier option, use an angel food cake mix and skip the chocolate layer. Or try my Chocolate Almond Torte with Chocolate Ganache—it’s simpler but still gives you that rich, dramatic look with fewer eggs.
If, at first, your cake doesn’t turn out perfect, check out this recipe for salvaging a low-rise angel food cake.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- CAKE FLOUR:
- Less protein than all-purpose flour
- Substitute with 1 cup all-purpose flour minus two tablespoons
- POWDERED SUGAR OR CONFECTIONERS SUGAR:
- Dissolves easily when folded into whipped egg whites
- Preferred over superfine sugar
- SUGAR:
- Use granulated white sugar for whipping egg whites;
- Superfine sugar is acceptable, but not brown sugar or sugar substitutes
- EGG WHITES:
- Whites whip higher at room temperature
- Avoid egg yolk contamination by removing it with part of the shell.
- Use leftover egg yolks to make Microwave Banana Pudding, Mini Fruit Tarts with Vanilla Pastry Cream, Microwave Chocolate Pie, Microwave Lemon Curd, or Grandma’s Skinny Egg Noodles.
- CREAM OF TARTER:
- Cream of tartar(paid link) stabilizes egg whites
- Don’t skip it
- SALT:
- Use table salt or sea salt
- Add a pinch more if using Kosher salt
- ALMOND EXTRACT:
- A classic flavor for angel food cake
- POWDERED COCOA:
- Use dark chocolate, dutch-processed cocoa, or black powdered cocoa(paid link) for maximum chocolate color and flavor.
- Regular cocoa powder can be substituted, but the color contrast with the white batter will be less.
- Leave the chocolate out altogether for a simpler cake.
- BAKING CHOCOLATE:
- Ghirardelli semi-sweet baking chocolate is my first choice
How To Make an Angel Food Birthday Cake Worthy of a Celebration
Layering the Cake Batter
How To Make the Chocolate Ganache
Add the chocolate to the cream, but do not stir. Let sit until all the chocolate is melted.
How To Make Whipped Cream Icing
How To Drizzle the Chocolate Ganache
If this is your first time making this cake, I suggest you do a practice run on an upside-down soup bowl. Turn a soup bowl upside down and practice. It’s also a good way to check the consistency of the chocolate ganache to ensure it is not too runny or thick.
📌Kitchen Secret for Perfect Ganache📌
- If it rolls too fast, it will drip to the bottom too quickly.
- If it’s too thick, it won’t drip easily, and you’ll need a knife to spread it.
- The ideal ganache drips slowly down the sides and smooths itself on top as you drizzle it over the cake.
Don’t worry if you don’t get it perfect the first time. It will still taste fantastic.
📌Kitchen Secret📌–Chill the cake for several hours to get the cleanest cut on the slices. Also, wipe the serrated knife clean between each slice.
Parting thoughts: This cake is now the most requested birthday cake in my family. Even the kids ask for it. Here are a couple more favorites: Simple Coffee Angel Food Cake and Kid-Friendly Coffee Cake with Bisquick. If you need something more sophisticated, my mom’s favorite was this Carrot Cake without Pineapple.
Help at Your Fingertips: For questions or suggestions, email Paula at saladinajar.com. If you need help, I’m happy to troubleshoot via email (faster than leaving a comment). Attach pictures and as many details as possible for the best advice.
Angel Food Birthday Cake Drizzled with Chocolate Ganache
Video
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1½ cup (170 g) confectioners sugar
- 1 cup (120 g) cake flour
- 1½ cup (365 g) egg whites
- 1½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons powdered cocoa (dutch-process) (sifted)
Chocolate Ganache:
- ⅔ cup (151 g) heavy whipping cream
- 4 oz. (113 g) semi-sweet chocolate bar
Whipped Cream Icing:
- 1-1/2 cup (340 g) heavy whipping cream (chilled)
- ⅓ cup (76 g) confectioners sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325 °F (165˚C).
Cake:
- Whisk 1½ cup (170 g) confectioners sugar and 1 cup (120 g) cake flour in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Use a stand mixer with a large mixing bowl and the wire whip attachment for the following mixture. Add 1½ cup (365 g) egg whites, 1½ teaspoon cream of tartar, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon almond extract, and 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract to the bowl and mix on LOW for one minute.
- Turn the mixer up to HIGH speed and add 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar in 1 tablespoon increments from the side. Allow 15 seconds between each tablespoon. (I count it off.) Mix until the egg whites are thick and billowy and the peaks stand up without falling over.
- Remove the mixer bowl containing the whipped egg whites from the mixer and do this next step by hand. Use a large rubber spatula or spoon to delicately and carefully fold the flour and sugar mixture into the whipped egg whites. Add about ½ cup of the flour mixture at a time. Use the spatula to slice perpendicular to the whites down to the bottom of the bowl and turn the spatula slightly to pull up the batter from the bottom and lay it over the top.
- Turn the bowl 1/4 turn and repeat the slice-and-fold process until the flour and egg whites are just mixed. Do this with patience and a light hand. Practice helps. If you overdo the mixing, your cake won’t be as high as your hopes.
- Pour slightly more than half of the cake batter into a 10-inch ungreased tube pan with a removable bottom. Use a thin knife to gently “slice” through the batter to remove any large air bubbles. Use a spoon to draw a trough around the middle. (See the picture above.)
- Carefully fold 2 tablespoons powdered cocoa (dutch-process) into the remaining batter until completely mixed. (Do not skip the sifting, or you will have little chunks of cocoa in your batter.) Fill the trough with the chocolate batter and then smooth over the top.
- Bake for 50-55 minutes at 325 °F (165˚C). Remove from the oven and immediately turn the cake upside down to cool for two to three hours. (Don’t use the legs on your pan when you turn it over. Better to use a pop bottle or funnel.) Use a firm hand and a skinny knife to loosen the cake from the edges of the pan. Turn the cake upside down onto the cake plate or cooling rack.
Chocolate Ganache:
- Heat 2/3 cup (151 g) heavy whipping cream in a small glass bowl for 1 minute in a microwave oven. Add 4 oz. (113 g) semi-sweet chocolate bar broken into smaller pieces to the hot cream. Allow the chocolate to sit in the cream and melt for a few minutes.
- When the chocolate is completely melted, use a small wire whisk or spatula to stir. Start by making small circles at first, then larger, and finally, mix the melted chocolate and cream until smooth.
- Set the ganache aside to cool.
Whipped Cream Icing:
- Whip 1-1/2 cup (340 g) heavy whipping cream (chilled) in a medium-sized chilled bowl with a wire attachment or a portable mixer. When the cream thickens and has soft peaks, add 1/3 cup (76 g) confectioners sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Go too far, and the whipped cream will be dry-looking or turn into butter. Spread the whipped cream smoothly over the angel food cake.
Assembly:
- Pour the warm chocolate ganache into a small zippered bag. Snip one corner about 1/4 inch. If this is your first time, turn over a cereal bowl and practice running chocolate along the edge till you get the effect you want. If it’s too thick to make nice “runs”, add a few drops of warm cream. If too thin, let the chocolate cool a while longer.
- Slowly squirt ganache from the small hole in the corner of your zippered bag making “runs and drips” around the perimeter of the cake. Do the center of the cake the same way. Quickly squirt the remainder of the ganache over the top of the cake. Then, use a spoon, spatula, or offset flexible knife to spread the ganache evenly. You have a small window to smooth the ganache because the cold whip cream icing will harden the ganache on contact.
- Chill at least one hour before serving. Best eaten within 24 hours but still amazingly good for a couple of days.
Notes
Equipment
Nutrition
All images and text ©️ Paula Rhodes for Salad in a Jar.com
Paula Rhodes, owner
As a retired home economist, I created Saladinajar.com to share my belief that you don’t have to be a chef to find joy in creating homemade food worth sharing. Bread machines (used in an unconventional way), homemade yogurt, and quick microwave recipes are my specialty.