Lemon Coconut Angel Food Cake Donuts

Light and airy angel food cake donuts are flavored with lemon, and topped with toasted coconut. They are the perfect way to celebrate spring, and make adorable Easter 'donut nests'.

Don't hate me, but I'm just not a chocolate cake kinda girl. Bring me the vanilla, the lemon, and most definitely, the angel food cake! Inspired by these lemon angel food cupcakes with raspberry frosting, these coconut angel food cake donuts are a fun and creative dessert for spring.

If you've never had angel food cake before, boy are you in for a treat! It's all about the texture: slightly chewy on the outside and light-as-air on the inside.

How is this texture achieved? By a very similar process as making meringues: egg whites are whipped into a frenzy, with our sugar, flour and lemon zest carefully added.

We gave the classic angel food cake multiple remixes: adding some lemon zest to add a light citrussy flavor, baking them in a donut pan for individual portions, and dunking in a coconut glaze + toasted coconut coating.  This is a remix not to be missed!

How to make angel food cake batter

The process of making angel food cake is very similar to how we make meringue cookies. Just like meringue cookies, it's important to follow the directions carefully so you don't deflate the egg whites.

1. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form

Using a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, room temperature eggs, and a clean, dry bowl, whisk the egg whites on high speed until soft peaks appear. This means that when you lift the whisk, the peaks will slowly sink back into the bowl (taking around a minute to sink fully back in).

2. Add cream of tartar + salt

The cream of tartar and salt really help stabilize the egg whites in this recipe. After adding the cream of tartar and salt, continue whisking the eggs on high speed for another minute.

3. Add the sugar 1 spoonful at a time

At this point, we are ready to start adding the sugar to the angel food cake batter. Use granulated sugar for this recipe, and don't swap for alternative or natural sweeteners. The sugar is absolutely crucial in maintaining the structure of the egg whites, so it's important to not mess with this ingredient.

Add the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, allowing it to mix in fully before adding more. Scrape down the sides as needed, and continue beating until you can't feel the sugar granules when you run the mixture between your fingers.

Peaks should be stiff by now, meaning that when you lift the whisk from the stand mixer, the peaks do not sink back into the bowl.

4. Fold in the dry ingredients in batches

Once we have stiff peaks in our batter, we can *carefully* fold in a mixture of flour, some of the reserved sugar, and lemon zest. Working in batches, use a spatula to carefully fold it in until completely incorporated.

Making angel food cake donuts

This is where our process diverges from a classic angel food cake. Rather than baking in a tube pan, we are carefully spooning into a donut pan. If you are in the market for a donut pan, this is the one I own. Make sure to grease the donut tins well first, and fill right to the top of the cavity with the batter.

Bake for 11-13 minutes, until tops are lightly golden. I do a 'press test' to tell if they are done: gently press your finger into the donut. If it springs back, they are ready!

Cool the baked donuts for 5 minutes, then gently work a knife around the donut cavity and smack the pan to release the donuts onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe tips

• start with a clean, dry bowl- moisture in the bowl, soap residue and fat residue in your bowl can all hinder the formation of peaks when beating the egg whites
• use room temperature eggs- cold eggs may have a harder time forming soft and stiff peaks. To quickly bring eggs to room temperature, submerge each egg in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes
• add sugar slowly- adding it too quickly could deflate the meringue
• these donuts are more delicate than other cake donuts; proceed with patience and caution when releasing them from the donut pan, and when dunking in the glaze
• with the glaze, these are definitely sweet. If you want something less sweet and more classic in flavor, serve with whipped cream and fresh berries
• these donuts can be prepped ahead but only if you do not glaze them. Store in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.

Variations

• swap the lemon zest for key lime zest
• skip the lemon zest and swap the toasted coconut in favor of cinnamon sugar for a 'churro' version
• fold in some sprinkles and swap the toasted coconut for a few more sprinkles for a 'funfetti' version
• go classic by topping the donuts with whipped cream and fresh berries

More delicious desserts

• Lemon Meringue Pie Bites
• Healthy Strawberry Shortcakes
• Healthy Lemon Blueberry Bread
• Fudgy Black Bean Brownies
• Healthy Zucchini Bread

Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!

Lemon and Coconut Angel Food Cake Donuts

5 from 3 votes

Prep Time: 35 minutes mins

Cook Time: 15 minutes mins

Total Time: 50 minutes mins

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Light and airy angel food cake donuts are flavored with lemon, and topped with toasted coconut. They are the perfect way to celebrate spring, and make adorable Easter 'donut nests'.

15 donuts

Ingredients

Lemon Angel Food Donuts

• ▢ 5 egg whites (from medium eggs; at room temperature)
• ▢ 1 pinch salt (generous)
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon cream of tartar
• ▢ ⅓ cup granulated sugar (67 g)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ ½ cup cake flour (50 g, *fluffed, spooned & levelled*)
• ▢ ½ cup granulated sugar (100 g)
• ▢ 1 lemon (zested; roughly 1 tablespoon)

Glaze

• ▢ 2 cups powdered sugar (250 g)
• ▢ 4-6 tablespoons milk
• ▢ 2 tsp vanilla extract

To Serve

• ▢ 1 cup toasted coconut

Instructions 

Donuts

• Pre heat oven to 350 F. Spray donut pan with spray oil, and rub to distribute oil thoroughly.
• In a small bowl, combine flour, ½ cup sugar and lemon zest. Set aside.
• In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk, beat egg whites on medium high for around 2 minutes, until they are frothy and have loose peaks (will stand for a second and then sink back into the eggs).
• Add a pinch of salt and cream of tartar, continue to beat on medium-high for 3-5 more minutes until stiff peaks form (won't sink back into eggs).
• At this point, continue beating on medium speed and gradually add the ⅓ cup portion of granulated sugar *by the tablespoon* over a period of 3-5 more minutes. Stop and scrape the sugar/eggs down from the bowl every few minutes.
• Once sugar has dissolved completely (check by running meringue between your fingers, if no grains remain, you are done), fold in the vanilla extract followed by the flour/sugar/lemon zest mixture (best to do this in several batches, and *be gentle*)
• Spoon mixture into donut pans, filling right to the top.
• Bake at 350°F for 11-13 minutes, until tops become lightly golden brown.
• Allow to cool for 5 minutes, before gently loosening edges with a knife. Invert pan over a wire rack and give the donut pan a firm smack to get the donuts out.

Glaze

• Add the powdered sugar to a medium-sized bowl. Add the milk and vanilla, and beat until smooth. Add more milk as needed to thin out the glaze.
• Handling gently, dip the donuts in the glaze, shaking off excess.
• Immediately dip the glazed donut into the toasted coconut, moving it around gently to coat.

Serving

• Best served the same day they are baked.

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Tips:

Be sure to handle the baked donuts extremely carefully, they are so soft and delicate!

With the glaze and coconut, these donuts are on the sweet side. If you want something less sweet, I recommend serving with homemade whipped cream.

Recipe tips

• start with a clean, dry bowl- moisture in the bowl, soap residue and fat residue in your bowl can all hinder the formation of peaks when beating the egg whites
• use room temperature eggs- cold eggs may have a harder time forming soft and stiff peaks. To quickly bring eggs to room temperature, submerge each egg in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes
• add sugar slowly- adding it too quickly could deflate the meringue
• these donuts can be prepped ahead but only if you do not glaze them. Store in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.

Variations

• swap the lemon zest for key lime zest
• skip the lemon zest and swap the toasted coconut in favor of cinnamon sugar for a ‘churro’ version
• fold in some sprinkles and swap the toasted coconut for a few more sprinkles for a ‘funfetti’ version
• go classic by topping the donuts with whipped cream and fresh berries

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1donut, Calories: 150kcal, Carbohydrates: 31g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 2g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 1mg, Sodium: 23mg, Potassium: 69mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 27g, Vitamin A: 6IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 6mg, Iron: 1mg

Author: Denise Bustard

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

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