Last Updated on December 21, 2021
Not a fan of crumbly shortcake? Fear not, because we have developed an easy strawberry shortcake recipe with angel food cake instead.
This recipe uses soft and fluffy strawberry angel food cake to create an incredibly rich and light dessert. We also chose to use some freshly macerated strawberries and whipped cream to keep with the traditional flavors. But, you can certainly play around a lot with flavored creams, glazes, and even add additional fruits!
What Is Shortcake?
The definition of shortcake depends on where you are from. In the United States, shortcake refers to a crumbly leavened bread made from flour, sugar, butter, milk (or cream), eggs, and baking powder or baking soda.
In the UK, however, the term shortcake is used interchangeably with shortbread. Shortbread is another type of dense and crumbly biscuit, but which doesn’t contain a leavening agent like baking powder.
Strawberry shortcake specifically is a very popular dessert made using layers of shortcake. The bottom layer is covered with strawberry juice and topped with some vanilla-flavored sweetened whipped cream. The top half of the biscuit is then added, followed by more juice, whipped cream, and finally, strawberries.
What Is This Strawberry Shortcake Recipe With Angelfood Cake?
So, when looking at exactly what strawberry shortcake is, today’s recipe uses angel food cake instead of shortcake biscuits.
Angel food cake is very different from shortcake. Even though it does contain a lot of similar ingredients, it is made in a very different way which naturally affects the final texture and flavor of the cake. Angel food cake is more a type of sponge cake than it is a biscuit.
Angel food cake is made from flour, sugar, and egg whites. The egg whites are whipped which gives the cake a very light color and an extremely fluffy (light and airy) texture – not crumbly at all!
Believe it or not, but it is actually quite common for people to use other types of cake instead of a biscuit. Japan makes its own Christmas version of strawberry shortcake using sponge cake instead.
What You Will Need To Make This Strawberry Angel Food Cake Recipe
Ingredients for the angel food cake
- 1 cup + 3 tablespoons granulated white sugar, divided into quarters
- 3/4 cup cake flour, sifted three times
- 1 1/2 tablespoon corn starch
- 11 large egg whites
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
Ingredients for the filling and topping
- 5-7 cups fresh strawberries, some sliced and some quartered
- 1/3 cup fine sugar
- 2 cups heavy cream, whipped
- Fresh mint leaves, optional
Equipment
- Roasting tray
- Plastic or saran wrap
- Non-stick cooking spray
- Baking pans of your choice
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Medium mixing bowl
- Large mixing bowl
- Electric mixer
- Spatula
- Serrated knife
Step by Step Instructions For Easy Strawberry Shortcake Angel Cake
Step 1: Preheat the oven and prepare the baking tins
Preheat your oven to 325°F and place the baking rack in the middle of the oven. Line the baking tin or cupcake pan of your choice (see tips and tricks) with non-stick cooking spray or melted butter and flour.
Step 2: Macerate the strawberries
We highly recommend starting with the strawberries to allow them enough time to macerate. To make them, simply combine the sliced and quartered fresh strawberries and fine sugar. Place them in a roasting tray and cover the tray with plastic wrap.
Place the tray in a relatively warm area, but not in direct sunlight. Above the oven or on top of the fridge works best.
Step 3: Combine the sugar, flour, and corn starch
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine one-quarter of the granulated sugar, flour, and corn starch. Make sure they are well mixed and set them aside.
Step 4: Whisk the egg whites
Place the egg whites inside a large (preferably glass) mixing bowl. Add the vanilla extract, cream of tartar, and fine salt. Beat the egg whites at a medium speed until they start to become frothy.
Then, continue beating the egg whites while adding the remaining sugar, one tablespoon at a time. Once all of the sugar has been added, increase the speed and beat the egg whites on high until they reach soft peaks.
Step 5: Combine the dry ingredients with the egg whites
Next, gently fold in a third of the dry ingredients into the egg whites until they are just combined. This will allow you to more gently fold in the remaining egg whites without losing too much air (which creates fluffiness).
Only add one-third of dry ingredients at a time to ensure you keep the batter as aerated as possible.
Step 6: Bake the cakes
Gently pour the batter into the lined cake mold of your choice. For cupcakes or mini cakes, bake them for roughly 20 minutes. For medium-sized cakes (6 to 8 inches) you can work on at least 30 minutes. And, for larger cakes or bundt cakes, you will most likely bake them for around 45 minutes to an hour.
Once the cake has fully caked, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool completely!
Step 7: Assemble your strawberry shortcake angel cake
Once the cake has cooled for at least an hour, remove it from the baking pan and cut it into two or three even layers (depending on the thickness of the layer itself).
To assemble the strawberry angel food cake recipe, place a layer of angel food cake at the bottom. Top with some juice from the macerated strawberries, followed by sliced macerated strawberries and whipped cream.
Finish off the final layer with some quartered strawberries, whipped cream, and fresh mint leaves.
Tips And Tricks For Strawberry Angel Food Cake
- You can make this recipe in virtually any size you’d like. We prefer using small cake molds or cupcake molds to make small desserts (like traditional strawberry shortcakes). However, you can also make a large beautifully decorated cake. For this recipe, we used a small 3-inch cake mold which baked for approximately 20 – 25 minutes.
- If you do choose to use cupcakes or muffin pans, do not line them with paper. Only use non-stick cooking spray or melted butter and flour. This will give you a beautifully smooth small cake.
- To perfectly beat your egg whites, you can follow this very informative article that covers bowl type of size, different techniques you can use, and much more!
- Do not rush the folding in process. You want to work slowly and very gently. The goal is to keep as much air as you can, so by rushing, your batter will deflate.
- To determine the exact baking time, follow our general times given above. However, always test the cake before removing it from the oven. Also, never open the oven until at least 80% of the baking time has elapsed, or you run the risk of the cake falling flat.
- You can also use this strawberry glaze to intensify the flavor and add some texture to your strawberry angel food cake.
Servings And Preparation Time For This Easy Strawberry Shortcake recipe With Angel Food Cake
| Preparation Time | Baking Time | Servings |
| 20 minutes | 25 minutes | 8-12 |
Conclusion
While angel food cake generally does take a little longer to make and requires a gentler touch, trust us, it is well worth the patience! Let us know what you think about this mouth-watering strawberry shortcake angel cake!
Lindy Van Schalkwyk is a culinary specialist with a background in Advanced Cooking, Advanced Pâtisserie, Media Communications and Nutrition. She has gained invaluable experience in the culinary industry having worked in some of the top restaurants in Africa in 2016 and 2017. Her expertise in nutrition has enabled her to develop recipes for special dietary needs. In 2018, Lindy began working in the Food Media industry, focusing on recipe development, recipe writing, food writing and food styling.