Angel Food Cake with Three-Berry Compote

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Light and fluffy angel food cake becomes more decadent as it soaks up the sweet juices from a farm-stand berry compote.

By Hugo Matheson

Updated on March 28, 2023

Angel Food Cake with Berry Compote — Photo:
Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Kelsey Moylan / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle

Active Time:

30 mins

Total Time:

1 hr

Servings:

10

A simple compote of strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries tossed with lemon juice and sugar is what turns this simple angel food cake into a springtime dessert worth savoring. Use the freshest berries you can find — preferably from a farmers market when they are in season — so you get the sweetest flavors. Serve the berries warm or at room temperature so the flavors shine. You can top this cake with a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream as well if you like.

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Ingredients

Cake

10 large egg whites (1 1/2 cups at room temperature)
1 ½ teaspoons cream of tartar
¾ cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup cake flour
¾ cup confectioners' sugar
¼ teaspoon salt

Compote

2 pints strawberries, sliced
2 pints raspberries
1 pint blackberries
½ cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat egg whites at medium-high speed in bowl of a standing electric mixer until frothy. Add cream of tartar and beat until firm peaks form. Add granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating each addition for 10 seconds before adding more. Beat in vanilla. Once all of the sugar has been added, beat whites at high speed until stiff, about 4 minutes.
Whisk cake flour with confectioners' sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Sift dry ingredients over beaten whites in 3 batches, folding gently with a large spatula until incorporated. Spoon batter into an ungreased 10-inch angel food cake pan (do not use nonstick). Bake 40 minutes, until cake is risen and golden. Invert cake in pan onto the neck of a bottle and let cool.
Combine berries, sugar, and lemon juice in a large saucepan and simmer until juices are released, about 10 minutes. Let cool slightly.
Using a knife, loosen cake from pan and remove sides of pan. Loosen cake from the pan bottom and tube. Transfer cake to a plate. Slice cake and serve with berry compote.