A good angel food cake is delicate and airy, blending mellow sweetness with hints of vanilla. It’s the perfect example of a dish that’s simple, but not easy to make. The fickle batter, which counts on carefully combined egg whites and sugar for its airy consistency, is a meringue that really puts your whipping skills to the test. While cream of tartar can help make angel food cake prep easier, picking one up from the store instead of baking at home is the route most people take. Unfortunately, most store-bought angel food cakes are unable to keep that delicate balance and end up being too much like regular sponge cake. Plus, the boxed kind just can’t hold up to a freshly baked cake.
Thus, a store-bought angel cake is best used as a starting point, which you can embellish to turn into an even more delicious dessert or snack. One easy upgrade involves dividing the cake up into small pieces, tossing with butter, and air frying them. The result is a textured, dippable snack similar to a churro. These angel food cake churros are deliciously light, flaky, and moreish.
Simply cut into 1-inch cubes and air-fry at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 5 minutes for delectable bites that you can drizzle with frosting or season with cinnamon sugar. Alternatively, cut them into fingers and then air fry for dippable, flaky, and lightly chewy sticks more akin to actual churros, and serve with a chocolate dip. You can also air fry frozen waffles to make easy churros if you prefer a denser texture that’s closer to the traditional Spanish dish.
Use air-fried angel food cake to put a spin on traditional churros and other desserts
While you can make crispy churros without frying them in oil, angel cake churros are even lighter to snack on, making them great for experimenting with flavors by trying different combinations of seasonings and dipping sauces. Dust the churro bites with sweet cocoa and serve alongside a salted caramel dip. Or, you can make a boozy bourbon sauce to go along with a dusting of ground warming spices like clove and cinnamon. While you can season before air-frying, make sure it doesn’t burn and turn bitter, especially if you’re using sugar.
Just like store-bought angel food cake is a starting point for building a dessert, so are these air-fried churro bites, with the added benefit of a crunchy texture. By adjusting the size of the pieces and how long you air fry them, you can control how crispy they get. Larger pieces will retain the sponge cake’s softness on the inside, while smaller pieces will be closer to light, airy croutons.
Both are great for using as a base and layering with flavored whipped cream or chocolate ganache, before topping with nuts and fruit. Angel food cake churro bites are great to upgrade existing dishes as well. Try them on dessert and fruit salads, atop sundaes, or even on a charcuterie board alongside cookies.
