Strawberry Shortcake Angel Food Cake

Strawberry Shortcake Angel Food Cake is the dessert recipe you need in your baking queue right now. Pillowy soft, light-as-air sponge cake meets sweet coconut dulce de leche buttercream and a smattering of fresh fruits in this fun take on the springtime classic. One bite and I promise you’ll be smitten!

Jump to:

• About This Recipe
• Ingredients & Substitutions
• Equipment
• How To Make Strawberry Shortcake Angel Food Cake
• Make Angel Food Cake
• Optional Variations
• Expert Tips
• Frequently Asked Questions
• More Frosted Cake Recipes
• Strawberry Shortcake Angel Food Cake

About This Recipe

Strawberry shortcake is a perennial springtime favorite, and with good reason! The simple combination of strawberries and cream is sublime, especially when you throw a little cake goodness in the mix.

Despite biscuits being the norm for strawberry shortcakes, angel food cake has long been an excellent contender as a substitute. Its pillowy soft sponge and delicate vanilla flavor make it a perfect warm-weather dessert, especially when paired with juicy, fresh fruits and a generous dollop of my sweet coconut dulce de leche buttercream.

This Strawberry Shortcake Angel Food Cake is a far cry from the individual-sized cakes they start selling in the produce section this time of year. It is light and delicate without even a hint of oil, making it the ideal backdrop for richer-than-chantilly buttercream frosting. 

Adding mandarin segments and raspberries not only improves the visual interest of the cake, but also gives a lovely bright pop of acidity to help cut through the unctuous caramel buttercream. In short, this is the dessert you should be bringing to your next cookout!

Ingredients & Substitutions

You don’t need much to make this delicately alluring Strawberry Shortcake Angel Food Cake. Here’s some of what you’ll need to gather:

• All-Purpose Flour - Since there is so little flour used here, you should be able to use a cup-for-cup gluten-free AP flour replacement with no problem.
• Cornstarch - Angel food cake is high in both moisture and protein, and this pure starch does a magnificent job of soaking it all up.
• Egg Whites - While the pasteurized egg whites that come in a carton are popular for their convenience, I’m sorry to say they won’t do the job here. You’ll need fresh egg whites without even a speck of yolk to get the firm meringue you need to give angel food cake its structure.
• Cream Of Tartar - Found in the spice aisle, this acidic byproduct of wine-making is acts triple-time as an amazing stabilizer for egg whites, leavener for the cake, and helps prevent sugar from crystalizing! 
• Unsalted Butter - Since this dulce de leche buttercream is made with just 2 ingredients, make sure you’re getting the best. Organic, grass-fed and/or cultured are all good qualifiers to look for.
• Coconut Dulce de Leche - Made with just a can of coconut milk, some brown sugar, and a pinch of salt, this dairy-free caramel recipe takes just 30 minutes to make. Feel free to swap in store-bought dulce de leche or cajeta to save time!

• Strawberries, Mandarin Oranges, & Raspberries - I love the color scheme and flavor of this fruit mix, but feel free to experiment!
• Demerara Sugar - With large, crunchy grains and a pleasant toffee undertone, demerara sugar is a delightful finishing sugar. Feel free to use turbinado (like Sugar in the Raw), light or dark brown sugar, or sanding sugar in its place.

Equipment

There are a few pieces of equipment that you’ll need for this strawberry shortcake angel food cake:

• Small Tube Pan - This recipe will fit a 7"x4.5" bundt cake pan. It shouldn’t have any non-stick coating, or the batter won’t be able to climb the walls and achieve its full, lofty potential!
• Electric Hand or Stand Mixer with Whisk Attachment - Getting eggs to stiff peaks is no joke. Do your arms a favor and get a little electrical assistance. 
• Metal or Glass Mixing Bowl - Glass or metal mixing bowls are much easier to keep clean, as plastic is porous and can hang onto oils. Oils are the death of meringue, so it’s best to stick to metal or glass here.
• Heavy-Bottomed Saucepan - Dulce de leche is a type of caramel, which has a tendency to scorch under less than ideal conditions. Heavy-bottomed pans help to distribute heat more evenly, which in turn helps to prevent scorching.
• Thermometer - My strawberry shortcake angel food cake gets the star treatment with a silky, dulce de leche-flavored swiss meringue buttercream, which calls for cooked egg whites. A thermometer is key to getting this just right!

How To Make Strawberry Shortcake Angel Food Cake

When you look at it, this strawberry angel food cake looks daunting, but it’s not as difficult as it seems. You can also feel free to break this into more manageable chunks if you’re short on time! 

Make Coconut Dulce de Leche

Step 1: Dissolve sugar. Place all ingredients into a saucepan, whisking to combine and heat on medium until the brown sugar has completely dissolved. 

Step 2: Reduce, then cool. Once the mixture has been reduced to ¾ cup, you know that the dulce de leche is complete - this should take 25-30 minutes at medium-high heat.  Pour into a small container and allow to cool before using in the recipe, then store leftovers in the fridge. 

Make-Ahead Tip: Coconut dulce de leche will keep in the fridge for up to 10 days.

Make Coconut Dulce de Leche Buttercream

Step 1: Heat egg whites. Add your sugar and egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer and place over a saucepan of boiling water. The temperature of your egg whites and sugar should reach 170°F

Pro Tip: Make sure that your bowl is not touching the hot water! Your goal is to simply whisk the egg whites and sugar together over a gentle heat until the sugar has completely dissolved, then attach your bowl back to the standing mixer. 

Step 2: Beat egg whites. Whisk the mixture starting at a low speed and gradually increase until soft peaks form and the mixture has cooled.

Step 3: Add butter. Switch to using your paddle attachment, then start adding your butter bit by bit.

Step 4: Add coconut dulce de leche. When you’ve reached the point where the buttercream is glossy and smooth, turn the mixer speed back to low. Add coconut dulce de leche, and mix on low until combined to complete. 

Make-Ahead Tip: This swiss meringue buttercream will keep for 2 days at room temp, 5 days in the fridge, or up to 2 months in the freezer.

Make Angel Food Cake

Step 1: Prep. Preheat the oven to 325 and sift together ¼ cup granulated sugar, flour, and cornstarch. 

Step 2: Make meringue. Add the egg whites, vanilla, cream of tartar, and salt into the bowl of your stand mixer. Attach the whisk attachment and whisk on medium speed until foamy, about 30 seconds. Very slowly, pour in the ½ cup of granulated sugar while the whisk is running. Continue whisking on high speed until you’ve reached soft, delicate glossy peaks. 

Step 3: Fold in dries. Gently fold in ½ of the dry ingredients, attempting not to deflate the egg white mixture too much, while also taking time to properly mix the dry ingredients into the wets. Add the remaining half of the ingredients and continue folding until you do not see any more flour bits - make sure to check the base of your bowl! 

Step 4: Bake. Add your angel food cake batter into your pan. Bake for 40 minutes or until the top of your angel food cake is no longer sticky.

Pro Tip: Remember, do not grease, do not pass go! Greasing the tin makes it so the cake batter can’t grip onto the sides of the pan, which is imperative to it becoming a lofty tower of pillowy sweet goodness. 

Step 5: Flip to cool. As soon as you’ve removed the cake from the oven, immediately turn it upside down and invert it. If your cake pan does not have a lip that it can sit on, you can use cans to support the edges of the pan once it is inverted. Allow the cake to cool for about an hour before continuing! 

Make-Ahead Tip: Angel food cake will keep, tightly covered in the refrigerator, for up to 5 days. 

Assemble & Enjoy

Run a knife gently around the edge of the pan and gently remove the cake.  

Use a serrated knife, gently slice the cake in half, and pipe coconut buttercream onto the bottom half. Add fruit and top with the second half of angel food cake. Pipe on another layer of buttercream, garnish with fruit and a bit of demerara sugar before enjoying! 

Optional Variations

My strawberry shortcake-style angel food cake is a warm-weather dessert masterpiece just the way it is, but there’s always room for customization. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Switch up the fruit. Strawberry shortcake gets all the press every year, but just about any berry or summer fruit would be delectable here! I used a mixture of strawberries, mandarin orange segments, and raspberries. Feel free to experiment with blueberries, blackberries, pineapple, or any other fruit that strikes your fancy.
• Use regular dulce de leche. While I love the slight tropical undertones of my coconut dulce de leche, the regular kind will work just as well. Feel free to grab a jar at the store, or make your own with a can of sweetened condensed milk and a pot of water.
• Swap in another flavor of buttercream. Mascarpone buttercream would be closest to traditional whipped cream, brown butter or almond buttercream would bring some salty-sweet-nutty vibes, or raspberry, mixed berry, or lemon white chocolate buttercream would all bring a touch of fruity freshness. YUM!
• Flavor your shortcake with almond or lemon extract instead of vanilla. 

Expert Tips

• Use egg whites from real eggs (not a carton). Unfortunately, the way carton egg whites are processed makes it impossible to whip into meringues.
• Separate the eggs while they’re still cold (the yolks are less likely to break), but let them come to room temperature before whipping. Warmer egg whites have a thinner viscosity, which allows them to whip much faster!
• Use a 3-bowl system to separate your eggs. One is for catching the white, one is for your leftover yolks, and one is for dumping the untainted whites into. If you get even the smallest bit of yolk in your egg whites, they’ll have too much fat to whip into the firm peaks we need. Accidents are bound to happen, but don’t ruin your entire batch! Dump each successfully separated egg white into your mixing bowl after you separate it. Then, if a yolk breaks, you can just set that egg to the side without having to start from scratch!
• Use very clean kitchen equipment to whip the whites. I go the extra mile and wipe my whisk and bowl down with a bit of lemon juice if I’m unsure about the possibility of any leftover oil lingering about.
• Use a thermometer to make the frosting. Make sure the egg whites for your Swiss meringue buttercream hit 170F. Invert your angel food cake for a full hour to yield the lightest, dreamiest texture possible. 

Frequently Asked Questions

More Frosted Cake Recipes

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• The Ultimate Carrot Cake
• Layered Lemon Cake with Lemony White Chocolate Frosting

As always, I love seeing your creations and hearing from you! If you try making this Strawberry Angel Food Shortcake with Dulce de Leche Swiss Buttercream, please leave a review or share your creation with me on social media! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Youtube and Pinterest - for more delicious recipes sent straight to your inbox, sign up for my newsletter!