The softer wheat and the lack of fat cause angel food cake to have a very light texture and taste.

Recently, many chefs (Alton Brown in particular) have popularized the idea of adding aromatic spices such as mace and cloves to the cake.

[5] Stewart's detailed recipe called for eleven egg whites, sugar, flour, vanilla extract and cream of tartar.

[6] Among African Americans, the cake is often served at funeral receptions, with the idea that the deceased person is now living in Heaven among the angels.

First the egg whites, and possibly salt, vanilla extract, and cream of tartar, are mixed at a medium speed until a soft peak forms.

[8] Different equipment is used when preparing an angel food cake at home or in a small bakery as opposed to a large scale production.

The last method is called the continuous process and is usually used in commercial bakeries because it creates a consistent product in large volumes.

The final batter may then go through a static mixer (a pipe with a spiral blade inside) to be deposited in a tube pan, depositor, or hopper.

If the angel food cake does not bake long enough, the foam and gel structures will not reach their full potential.

[11] Angel food cakes have a shelf-life of a few days at room temperature or up to a week in a refrigerator because of the tendency for moisture to migrate and evaporate.

Egg whites are composed of many proteins; however, only ovalbumin, conalbumin, lysozyme, and globulins[10] have properties which aid in creating a voluminous angel food cake.

Cell wall formation occurs when the denatured proteins aggregate, forming an extremely thin network or film.

This lack of interaction causes the air molecules to have excess energy, resulting in surface tension.

The presence of egg white proteins at the interface acts as a surfactant which lowers the surface tension and promotes foam development.

Cream of tartar also decolorizes the flavone pigments in flour, giving a final cake that is a bright white color.

[7] The temperature will continue to rise, causing the cake to expand at different rates and egg white proteins will gradually denature.

[8] The flour plays an important role in the texture, structure, and elasticity of an angel food cake.

Minimal folding of the flour allows cell walls to form when it comes in contact with the egg protein foam and sugar mixture.

If the batter is over-mixed, the egg white proteins may coagulate causing the bubbles to break during baking, or the cell walls may become too rigid, lacking elasticity.

[7] A gluten matrix is formed when the proteins glutenin and gliadin, found in wheat flour, are mixed in the presence of water.

The formation of the starch gel may interfere with expanding bubbles, causing them to burst and air to leave the cake.

The sugar can also assist in the denaturing and aggregation of egg white proteins,[10] which increases overrun, giving a lighter texture.

[8] Sugar binds water through hydrogen bonds, which allows for a moist final cake and why all of the moisture does not leave during baking.

If the cake bakes for too long, more moisture will be removed and the texture will turn out dry, rough, and potentially burnt.

[7] Commercial bakeries have a need to reduce cost and increase the shelf life for mass-produced products.

The wheat flour is bleached to remove any brown pigments and produce a bright white color.

Instead it lowers the batter pH to facilitate the starch gelatinization and maintain the egg white protein foam volume in the baking cake.

[15] A whipping aid such as modified soy protein can help to account for the decreased foaming ability of dehydrated or frozen egg whites.

[15] Oxidized wheat starch is a tenderizing agent that may be added to give the angel food cake a lighter texture.

[15] Unlike a homemade angel food cake, water may be used when mixing the dry ingredients, as well as to reconstitute dehydrated egg whites.