But even while holding the secrets to a voluminous angel food cake, you’re likely to run into this sifting conundrum: Add 1 cup sifted flour, (not 1 cup flour, sifted). If you come across this in your angel food cake recipe, bear in mind that “sifted flour” requires you to sift first before you measure, while “flour, sifted” requires you to measure before sifting. It’s pretty easy to remember if you follow the placement of “sifted” in each scenario, performing the action first or last according to its position.
This differentiation in grammar is crucial, since, as mentioned before, sifting flour alters its weight. Sifting provides a more accurate measurement because the flour is free from impurities and lumps, so it’s most likely that the recipe accounts for this difference within its chosen use of grammar. Mixing up these two methods leads to either including more flour than necessary in your recipe, or less than intended.
It’s common to find one or the other method included in a recipe for angel food cake. The bottom line is to follow the recipe and sift twice in either scenario. That said, our recipe for a light and fluffy angel food cake offers excellent guidance. It provides step-by-step instructions, including how to do the second sift directly over the bowl of whipped egg whites — a tip you can now add to our numerous ways to make the best angel food cake.
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