Are you wondering whether you can use a bundt pan for making a light and airy angel food cake? Chances are you’ve got a readily available bundt cake pan but not an angel food cake pan. But let me tell you, using a bundt pan for baking an angel food cake isn’t advisable.
BUT WHY?
In this blog post, I’ve listed the top 4 reasons why you should never use a bundt pan for your precious and delicate angel food cake.
So, keep reading, I hope, by the end of this article, you’ll be able to decide better.
What’s an Angel Food Cake and How is it Cooked? Must Know First
Angel food cake is a unique type of cake known for its light and airy texture. It’s made primarily from egg whites, sugar, flour, and flavorings without butter or oil. It also has no baking soda or baking powder at all. The absence of fat gives angel food cake its distinct texture, which also makes the cake’s removal from the pan difficult.
Angel food cake is traditionally baked in a tube pan. These pans have a hollow center straight tube that allows heat to circulate evenly, promoting even baking. The flat structure of the tube also allows your cake to leave the pan smoothly–it’s for easy cake removal.
After baking, the angel food cake is cooled upside down to maintain its height and lightness. This is done by placing the cake pan on its feet or using a bottleneck to elevate it, contrary to other cakes. Thus, the inverted cooling process helps the cake detach more easily from the pan.
4 Reasons For Not Using a Bundt Pan for Angel Food Cake
Now that you know about angel food cakes and why they’re challenging to remove from the pan, we can move further to know why you shouldn’t use a bundt pan for angel cakes.
1. Bundt pans lack a tall, flat tube in the middle to help even cooking.
One of the main reasons bundt pans are unsuitable for angel food cakes is their intricate design of the short tube–it’s more for decorative purposes. This intricate tube doesn’t hurt the dense texture of the bundt cakes.
Contrarily, angel food cakes are softer, fluffier, and more delicate. They attain their fluffy structure because of the tall hollow tube in the middle of their pan. This tube in the tube pan helps the batter receive more heat for cooking. Besides this, the tube also helps in the easy removal of such fragile cakes.
The angel cake can be cooked in a bundt pan with an intricate tube, yet it can easily break easily at the time of release. So, a bundt pan is a big “no,” especially one with a complicated design.
2. Non-stick coating in bundt pans can keep angel cake from rising.
Many bundt pans come with extremely non-stick coatings to make cake release easier. However, these coatings can be problematic for angel food cakes.
The batter needs to cling to the sides of the pan to rise properly, but such overly non-stick surfaces hinder this process. The non-stick coating prevents the batter from adhering to the sides. Resultantly, the cake doesn’t rise as high and lacks the signature light and airy texture.
Does it mean that angel food cake pans don’t have a non-stick coating? NO! They have, but the coating is of moderate nature. Also, you’re not allowed to grease your pan for baking an angel food cake, and bundt cakes are vice versa. Instead, you can use a unique pan with feet and a removable bottom to release your cake easily. It’s what, again, the bundt pan lacks.
3. Bundt pans’ intricate design can lead to uneven baking of angel food cakes.
Bundt pans are known for their intricate patterns and shapes. Such intricacy adds an aesthetic look to the cakes to attract diners. However, these designs can hinder the baking process for angel food cakes.
The indentations and crevices can cause the batter of angel food cakes (with entirely different recipes) to stick. Hence, removing your butter-free, breakable cake becomes hell. You never want to see it falling apart! Do you?
Furthermore, these decorative designs can obstruct the cake’s ability to rise evenly and create an even texture throughout.
4. Bundt pans lack support for inverted cooling, essential for angel food cakes.
After baking, angel food cakes need an inverted cooling process to maintain their height and structure. Traditional angel food cake pans come with “feet” or prongs that allow the cake to be flipped upside down for cooling.
Unfortunately, bundt pans lack these features. Therefore, it becomes challenging to cool an angel food cake properly.
This can result in a cake that deflates or loses its lightness, defeating the purpose of baking an angel food cake in the first place. Additionally, the intricate designs in bundt pans can prevent your cake from removing without it breaking apart.
What are Alternative Options to Angel Food Cake Pans?
To ensure the perfect angel food cake, it’s recommended to use a tube pan of the right size, specifically designed for this cake. These pans have a straight-sided tube in the center, allowing the batter to cling and rise properly.
They also typically come with “feet” to facilitate the inverted cooling process. If you don’t have a tube pan, you can use a regular round cake pan. But be sure to line the bottom with parchment paper and avoid greasing the sides to allow the cake to cling and rise.
Final Thoughts
While bundt pans are excellent for many cake recipes, they’re not ideal for baking angel food cake. The lack of a central tube, non-stick coating, intricate designs, and cooling difficulties make bundt pans ill-suited for achieving the light and airy texture angel food cakes are known for.
To ensure the best results, invest in a tube pan designed specifically for angel food cake, or use a regular round cake pan with proper precautions. By using the right equipment, you’ll be able to savor the ethereal delight of a perfectly baked angel food cake.
