The Delicate Art Of Cutting An Angel Food Cake Without Smashing It

Angel food cake is an ideal dessert to serve in the heat of the summer when you crave something sweet, yet light and airy. Compared to other cakes that rely on baking soda or baking powder as leavening agents, the beloved American classic sponge cake achieves its rise and fluffy, cloud-like nature by whipping egg whites (typically up to a dozen in a standard cake recipe). 

In homemade angel food cake, egg whites are beaten with sugar, along with just a few other ingredients, including salt, lemon juice, or cream of tartar to help stabilize the foam, and any other desired extracts or citrus zests, into aerated creamy peaks to form a soft meringue. Sifted cake flour (or other flour alternatives) are folded gently into the meringue. Then, the delicate cake is baked in an ungreased tube cake pan and cooled upside-down on a wire rack to allow it to properly expand.

Bakers who've performed these precise methods to achieve a soft and airy angel food cake know the dessert can be quite a rewarding treat if handled with care (and eaten fresh). Specifically, when serving a delicate angel food cake, it's important to use the right tools to cut it to avoid smashing the cake. While some traditional angel food cake recipes call for specialized angel food cake cutters or cake tools, you can skillfully cut an angel food cake with a kitchen tool you likely already have on hand: a bread knife.

Unfortunately, a regular chef's knife with its smooth, sharp blade won't cut it when it comes to slicing an angel food cake. Because these knives require a lot of downward pressure and force, a chef's knife will squish and compact the airy angel food cake you just worked so hard on and meticulously whipped egg whites to achieve.

Luckily, a bread knife will do the trick. Its serrated sharp edge allows you to cut with a sawing action that's both gentler than a chef's knife and does not involve adding extra compression to the spongy cake. To cut an angel food cake with a bread knife, simply allow the cake to cool completely, remove it from the pan, and place it on a cutting board or serving plate. Place one hand gently on the side of the cake to provide stability, then use the other hand to cut while holding the knife horizontally. Use the bread knife to saw with a back and forth motion until you've cut through to the bottom of the cake. 

Cleaning the knife between cuts, repeat this motion to cut the cake into pristine slices that preserve its fluffy texture.

Once you have the right tool to cut angel food cake, a variety of inventive serving and assembly methods are possible. Slices of angel food cake are best enjoyed topped with freshly-made whipped cream and a drizzle of fruit syrup or fresh mixed berries. To add a decadent accompaniment to your cake, serve it in bowls with a generous scoop of ice cream or sorbet. 

To make an angel food layer cake, cut the cake with a bread knife in half horizontally, then fill it with desired toppings and fillings, sandwiching them between cake layers. To preserve the delicate nature of the cake, it's best to avoid filling angel food cake with heavy buttercream frostings or thick chocolate ganache. Instead, opt for lighter glazes and chocolate syrups. 

If slices aren't your jam, you can also cut angel food cake into cubes to make a delightfully light and flavorful cake trifle, layered with custard, cream, and fruit. For a lighter take compared traditional vanilla cake, sub in soft cubes of angel food cake to elevate your cranberry custard trifle to the clouds. And using a bread knife to slice and cube angel food cake will result in a clean-cut appearance while keeping the light, airy texture — all without the headache of a smashed and gooey cake.