This Pumpkin Angel Food Cake recipe just might become your new go-to dessert. It’s an easy cake mix recipe dressed up with warm fall flavors and drizzled with a citrus cinnamon glaze.
Delicious and simple pumpkin cake that’s perfect for potlucks or holiday parties.
Pumpkin Angel Food Cake is one of the easiest cakes you'll ever make.
This easy pumpkin angel food cake recipe starts with a simple box of angel food cake mix, made over with a few simple ingredients to transform it into a moist and flavorful cake you'll want to bring to every party and holiday gathering you're invited to.
I do -- usually because it's requested. Other times because it's so easy to make and turns out perfectly every time.
This airy angel food cake has just enough pumpkin to add moisture and warm earthy flavor, while still keeping the cake light and fluffy.
Pumpkin spice and orange juice amp up the flavor even more and the cinnamon drizzle is the perfect finishing touch.
Check out more of my easy angel food cake mix recipes
- 2-Ingredient Orange Angel Food Cake
- Strawberry Angel Food Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze
- Chocolate Angel Food Cake
- Pumpkin Angel Food Cake Roll with Lemon Cream Filling
You’re going to love this.
Easy fall dessert. Easy Thanksgiving dessert you can mix up in just a few minutes with simple pantry ingredients.
Cake mix makeover. A handy cake mix turns a classic angel food cake into a rich and flavorful pumpkin angel food cake.
Super flavorful. This cake is light and fluffy with all the warm and cozy flavors you crave during pumpkin season.
Ingredients
Angel food cake mix. A handy cake mix means there's no need to separate a dozen eggs.
Pumpkin pie spice. If you don't have this spice mix in your cabinet, you can make your own with 1 ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ginger, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, and ⅛ teaspoon cloves. You can mix up a full jar of your own pumpkin pie spice with my recipe here.
Pumpkin puree. Canned pumpkin adds moisture and rich flavor. Make sure you don't grab a can of pumpkin pie filling by accident -- it has sweeteners and spices already added.
Orange juice. Orange juice adds a sweet, tart flavor to the cake mix and the icing.
Powdered sugar. A simple powdered sugar icing is really all this cake needs.
Cinnamon. Ground cinnamon warms up the flavor of the powdered sugar icing. If you prefer, you can use pumpkin pie spice instead.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1
Move your oven rack to the lowest position. Heat oven to 350.
Step 2
In a large bowl combine angel food mix, flour, pumpkin pie spice, pumpkin puree, and orange juice.
Tip: Always use an extra-large glass or metal bowl when making angel food cakes. Plastic bowls can hold onto traces of fat that will keep egg whites from getting fluffy.
Mix on low speed for one minute then on medium speed for one minute.
Step 3
Pour batter into an ungreased tube pan. Run a thin knife through the cake batter to deflate any bubbles.
Step 4
Place the angel food cake pan on the lowest oven rack.
Bake for 35-45 minutes or until the top of cake is golden brown and the cracks are dry.
Step 5
Immediately invert pan onto a wire rack or a glass bottle and let it cool completely, about 2 hours.
Step 6
Remove the cake from the pan and place it on a rack over a baking sheet to catch any extra icing.
Make the cinnamon drizzle. Mix the powdered sugar, cinnamon, and the orange juice — one tablespoon at a time — until the glaze reaches a drizzling consistency. Spoon the glaze over the cake.
Carefully cut cake with a long serrated knife, using a sawing motion so you don't flatten the cake.
Serve just the way it is or with whipped cream or a dollop of Cool Whip.
How to Store Angel Food Cake
Store angel food cake in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic at room temperature for up to 4 days.
You can also freeze angel food cake. Gently wrap a whole angel food cake in plastic wrap and again in aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Freeze individual slices in freezer bags.
How to Tell When Angel Food Cake is Done
There are a few ways to tell when angel food cake is done.
- The top is deeply golden brown
- Cracks on the top of the cake are dry with no wet batter
- The top springs back when you gently press on it.
- The internal temperature is 205
How to Use an Angel Food Cake Pan with Removable Bottom
Making an angel food cake in a pan with a removable bottom makes it super easy to remove the cake. Here's how:
- Make sure the cake has cooled completely.
- Run a thin knife between the cake and the sides of the pan.
- Hold onto the center tube and pull the bottom of the pan (with the cake still attached) out of the outer pan.
- Run the knife around the bottom of the cake and around the center hole -- the cake should be completely loosened now.
- Lift the cake out and place it on a serving plate.
Why do you have to turn an angel food cake pan upside down?
It seems a little weird to turn a cake upside down to cool, and yet, that's exactly what an angel food cake needs to get that light as air texture we love so much.
While it's still warm, the fluffy structure hasn't set, so if you let it cool right-side up, it would eventually give into gravity and fall.
Letting angel food cake cool upside down sets the structure to ensure that all that loft will still be there when you flip it back over.
Expert Tips
- Mix angel food cake batter in a glass or metal bowl. Plastic bowls can have traces of fat from previous uses that can deflate the whipped egg whites.
- Before placing the angel food cake pan in the oven, run a knife through the batter to remove any air bubbles.
- Let the cake cool upside down until it's completely cool, about 2 hours.
- A serrated knife works best for cutting angel food cake without smashing it.
Recipe FAQs
No, do not spray an angel food cake pan. The cake needs to be able to "grab" onto something and climb up the sides of the pan. If it's greased, it can't rise to its full potential.
No. You can make an angel food cake pan in a 9 x 13 pan, two loaf pans, or make mini angel food cakes in a muffin tin. A Bundt pan isn't recommended because it won't hold the same volume as a tube pan and it will be hard to remove the cake from the intricate nooks and crannies that Bundt pans usually have.
Yes, you can freeze a whole angel food cake or individual slices. Carefully wrap them in plastic then foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Be sure to set it in a spot in your freezer where it won't get squished (she said from experience).
Recipe Essentials
This is my favorite angel food cake pan from Nordic Ware with handy dandy feet for cooling.
Since I'm always taking this cake places, I love this angel food cake carrier.
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Pumpkin Angel Food Cake with Cinnamon Drizzle
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 box angel food cake mix
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 cup orange juice
Cinnamon Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2-3 tablespoons orange juice
Instructions
- Move your oven rack to the lowest position. Heat the oven to 350.
- In a large glass or metal bowl, combine angel food cake mix, flour, pumpkin pie spice, pumpkin puree, and orange juice.
- Mix on low for 30 seconds then on medium for one minute.
- Pour mixture into angel food cake pan. Run a thin knife through the batter to break up any air bubbles. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until the top is brown and the cracks are dry.
- Immediately turn the pan upside down on a rack or a glass bottle and let it cool completely, about 2 hours. Remove the cake from the pan and invert the cake onto a rack over a baking sheet to catch any drips from the cinnamon drizzle.
- Make the cinnamon drizzle. Mix the powdered sugar, cinnamon, and the orange juice — one tablespoon at a time — until the glaze reaches a drizzling consistency. Spoon the glaze over the cake.
- Carefully cut cake with a long serrated knife, using a sawing motion so you don't flatten the cake. Serve just the way it is or with whipped cream.
- Store your pumpkin angel food cake tightly covered at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Inspired by Betty Crocker.
Can this be made in a 9x13 pan?
Hi, Laura, Great question! I've never tried it, but I've read you can bake an angel food cake in a 9x13 pan and that when you fill it, make sure to fill it no more than 2/3 full. Let me know if you try it and how it turns out!
This is my favorite angel food cake, it is so moist and has such good flavor.