This gluten-free angel food cake recipe was developed to celebrate this little blog's first anniversary. The cake is light, fluffy, and just sweet enough - a great base for a whipped topping and lots of fresh berries!
The blog has turned out to be a great creative outlet and a way to share my delicious gluten-free recipes with you. I know that many people, as I was, are searching for gluten-free recipes that are simple to make, taste great, and are nutritious. Often, by the time we realize we need to eat gluten-free, we have developed conditions that require us to rebuild our health.
While it may be tempting to indulge in excessively sweet treats to compensate for the gluten-containing foods we can't eat, I wouldn't recommend that practice. By learning to use good-quality ingredients in the right way, we can prepare great-tasting foods that are likely even better than the ones you used to eat before going gluten-free!
Enjoy this high-protein, lower-carb, gluten-free cake with fresh berries and the whipped topping of your choice.
A rustic cake that holds its shape well, this angel food cake makes a great gluten-free dessert!
Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake Recipe
Now, let's get back to this lovely angel food cake recipe. Predominantly egg whites, angel food cake is generally high in protein. However, it is also usually very high in sugar!
Gluten-Free Cake
I chose angel food as the cake to make for this first anniversary because it's a cake that doesn't rely heavily on a flour base. Changing the usual wheat flour to a blend of three gluten-free flours has little effect on texture or taste. I used an equal amount of each flour for quick and easy measuring.
Of course, flourless desserts like Flourless Chocolate Cake or Molten Chocolate Lava Cake are also a good place to start. Since these gluten-free chocolate desserts don't rely on flour as an ingredient, they can be made to be just like the ones people are used to.
Ingredients for Angel Food Cake
- Sorghum flour - Use gluten-free oat flour if you can't find sorghum.
- White rice flour - usually found in grocery stores that carry gluten-free flours
- Arrowroot flour - could be replaced by tapioca flour
- Organic raw sugar - Cutting back the sugar content by 50% and replacing the usual powdered sugar with unrefined, organic raw sugar received unanimous consent from my testers.
- Cream of tartar - helps your cake retain air for volume
- Vanilla - I used pure vanilla extract.
- Whipped cream - or whipped coconut cream for dairy-free
- Fresh berries - Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries are all great here.
Easy Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake
Easy Angel Food Cake Recipe Development
Whenever I develop a new recipe, I like to start with the simplest possible technique. From there, I add preparation steps only as necessary. For the first trial baking of this angel food cake recipe, I completely omitted the usual sifting of flours and then tried adding that flour mixture to the egg whites all at once. While the resulting product tasted good, it had a very coarse texture.
For the more refined cake shown here, I used my food processor to combine the flours, sugar, and salt to remove any lumps. I found that this dry mixture blended better into the beaten egg whites if I first gently stirred about one-third of the beaten egg whites into the flour mixture until everything was totally incorporated. Then, it was easier to gently fold that combination into the remaining egg whites without beating them down too much.
If you don't have a food processor, you could sift your flours and salt through a sieve. Then stir in your half-cup of sugar completely with a wire whisk.
How to Keep Volume in an Angel Food Cake
Slowly adding about one-third of your sugar into the egg whites while you beat them works well and reduces the amount that needs to be stirred in with the dry ingredients.
Pan for Angel Food Cake
I used a simple tube pan for my angel food cake. If you have one with a removable bottom, that would be great. Don't grease your pan. The batter needs to cling to the sides to climb up tall. It can, however, be very difficult to clean cooked eggs out of a pan. I recommend lining just the bottom with parchment paper. Not only is that part of the pan easier to clean, but your cake will also come out easier.
How to Beat Egg Whites
Stiffly Beaten Egg Whites
Read the recipe through to the end before proceeding. You will need to let your egg whites sit for half an hour to come up to room temperature for greater volume when beating. Separate them while they're cold and save the yolks for another purpose.
It's very important that you not get any yolk into your egg whites. Be sure to follow those instructions closely.
Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake
By following these simple steps, you should obtain a cake that is a little rustic in nature. It's not as pure white and refined as a more processed cake. Still, this gluten-free angel food cake recipe produces a golden dessert that is light, fluffy, and just sweet enough - a great base for a whipped topping and lots of fresh berries!
Recipe
Gluten Free Angel Food Cake
Ingredients
- 12 egg whites
- ⅓ cup sorghum flour
- ⅓ cup white rice flour
- ⅓ cup arrowroot flour
- ¾ cup organic raw sugar divided
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- whipped cream whipped coconut cream for dairy free
- fresh berries of choice
Instructions
- Separate the eggs. It's very important that you do not get any yolk into your egg whites. Separate them one at a time putting the whites into a small dish individually and reserving the yolks for another use. As each white comes out without any yolk, add it to a large mixing bowl. If you get any yolk in with the egg white, don't use that one for this recipe. Use another egg and a clean small dish. Let egg whites sit half an hour to come to room temperature.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350℉. Line the bottom only of a 9-inch tube pan with parchment paper.
- Whisk together the flours, ½ cup sugar, and salt.
- Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form, adding cream of tartar and vanilla during the process. Also, slowly add ¼-cup raw sugar as the egg whites come close to being stiffly beaten.
- Gently stir about ⅓ of the beaten egg-white mixture into the flour mixture until the dry ingredients are all incorporated.
- Then, very gently fold this new wet/dry mixture into the stiff egg whites. The goal is to have the two well-combined without beating the air pockets out of the egg whites.
- Add the batter to an ungreased tube pan. Gently smooth it out just a little without pressing it down.
- Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes. Invert to cool in such a way as to allow air flow all around it. Simply leaving the pan upside down on a cooling rack works well if the cake has not risen above the top of the pan. If it has, you might try to balance the centre tube on an unopened can. Allow the cake to cool completely before sliding a knife around the edges and removing it from the pan.
- Serve with whipped cream (coconut or dairy) and fresh berries.
Megan Stevens says
Aw so nice to have a gf version of this recipe!! Thank you! Pinning! 🙂
Cathy says
Thanks, Megan! I appreciate your sharing the recipe!
ChihYu says
I love angel food cake. I will be trying this gluten free version for sure!
Cathy says
I'm so happy! I hope you enjoy this one.
Jean says
Happy blogiversary!! So exciting. This cake looks perfect!
Cathy says
Thank you so much, Jean!
Raia Todd says
Looks delicious! Angel food cake is a family birthday tradition for us. 🙂
Cathy says
Thanks, Raia! Angel food cake makes a great birthday cake!
Kiran Dodeja Smith says
I love how airy and fluffy this looks, and also love how you lightened up the sugar. Happy Blogiversary to you:).
Cathy says
Thank you, Kiran. I like to develop the recipes that I want to eat and hope others enjoy them, too.
Hope says
Wow this looks so light and fluffy and I just love those berries on top! Well done on making it to your first 1 year blog anniversary! You have shared so many great recipes and I'm sure there are many wonderful ones to come 🙂
Cathy says
Thank you, Hope. I'm surprised by how much fun I'm having developing new gluten free recipes!
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri says
Wow, wow, wow!!! I haven't had Angel Food cake in probably over 15 years, maybe more. I had no idea you could make a gluten free version and I'm so excited about this! I used to love Angel Food cake growing up, it was such a fun treat with berries. I think it's great you were able to greatly reduce the sugar content too.
Cathy says
I hope you enjoy this one as much as the ones you remember!
Renee D Kohley says
This is such a special treat and presentation! I love that the sugar is cut down and all real ingredients! Thank you for sharing!
Cathy says
I'm so glad you like it, Renee! Thanks for stopping by.
Lindsey Dietz says
I seriously did not know gluten-free angel food cake was even possible! And I LOVE that you use so much less sugar!
Cathy says
Well, I reasoned that since egg whites make up such a large part of angel food cake, it would be worth a try. I'm glad I did.
Mary Voogt says
Mmm. I love angel food cake. So nice to have a gluten free version!
Cathy says
I'm so glad that you enjoy it!
Lizzy says
I am so excited about this recipe! Angel food cake was my absolute favourite cake growing up so I must try this! Also, happy one year!!
Cathy says
How wonderful! I hope you enjoy this one.
Corinna | Friendly Pantry says
Mmm this sounds so good. And a perfect celebration cake!
Corinna | Friendly Pantry
Cathy says
I think so, too! Thank you, Corinna
Lisa Day says
Happy Blogivesary, Cathy! And what an awesome dessert to celebrate with! This looks soooo good.
Cathy says
Thank you, Lisa! The year has gone by very quickly!
Elaine says
Happy Blogiversary Cathy! This would make a great base for a trifle-style dessert! Excited to try it.
Cathy says
Thank you, Elaine! Good idea about the trifle-style dessert!
Colleen says
Happy 1 year Cathy! Angel food is my favourite cake, and I must try this gluten free recipe to keep everyone happy. It looks just perfect!
Cathy says
Thank you, Colleen! I hope you enjoy the cake.