Angel food cake is a light and airy cake native to the US. It's often thought to be healthier than traditional cakes because it's lower-calorie.
But what's actually in angel food cake and is it nutritious? Does it have any ingredients proven to be unhealthy? And what's the healthiest way to prepare it?
In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in angel food cake to give our take on whether or not it's healthy.
We'll also feature a video showing the healthiest way to prepare it.
Key takeaways:
- No ingredients are rich in nutrition
- Several "processed" ingredients
- We do not consider angel food cake to be healthy
Ingredient Analysis
Angel food cake can be made with differing ingredients, but one of the most popular recipes, from Allrecipes, is shown below:
Cake flour is the base, and this ingredient is lower in protein than traditional flour (to give the cake that "airy" texture).
How this ingredient is sourced will determine whether or not it's healthy.
An organic, sprouted cake flour (like Granite Mill Farms) will be significantly more nutritious and have a lower glycemic index than a conventional cake flour (like Swans Down).
White sugar is unhealthy.
It's a refined sweetener, and as we documented in our is Chobani yogurt healthy article, this type of sweetener is clinically shown to increase inflammation in the body when consumed in excess (and 1.5 cups is definitely "excess" in our view).
Egg whites are rich in protein according to the USDA, but we prefer recipes that include the nutritious yolk.
Vanilla extract is a healthy flavoring ingredient.
It was shown in a medical review published in the Advances in Traditional Medicine journal to have cardioprotective and antioxidant effects.
Cream of tartar is a leavening agent that likely has negligible health effects, but we prefer whole foods.
Salt is less healthy than sea salt, because the latter ingredient has better effects on blood pressure.
Overall, we do not consider angel food cake to be healthy. None of its ingredients are whole food, nutritious ingredients, and several are highly "processed."
Healthier Angel Food Cake
The video below from the "Keto Twins" has over 230,000 views and features an angel food cake recipe that's much healthier in our view than the one shared in the previous section:
Healthier Baked Options
Here are a few baked goods that are a lot healthier than angel food cake:
1) Blue Cornbread
Rich in anthocyanins, which were described in a 2020 medical review as helping with "prevention of diseases associated with oxidative stress, such as cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases."
2) Ezekiel Cinnamon Raisin Cereal
Rich in fiber due to its high sprouted grain content (which reduces anti-nutrients), Ezekial Cinnamon Raisin Cereal is made entirely of organic whole food ingredients, as we documented in our healthy cereal brands review article.
3) Chocolate-Covered Fruits
The simplicity of this recipe is what makes it healthy.
We know that fruits are tasty and nutritious, but dark chocolate is also clinically shown to help support a healthy cardiovascular system.
