If you’re looking for a delicious, gluten-free 4th of July dessert or patriotic red, white and blue dessert look no further! This gluten-free angel food cake roll is filled with a luscious cream cheese and berry filling.
This red, white and blue dessert is one of my all-time favorite gluten-free desserts! It’s perfect for Memorial Day, the 4th of July, Canada Day or any day.
I often make it with just strawberries and raspberries for everyday occasions. However you make it, it’s a crowd-pleaser that won’t last long!
This gluten-free cake roll is based on my long-time favorite Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake recipe. Instead of baking the cake in a traditional tube pan, you bake it in a cake roll pan.
The baked cake is rolled up in a thin dish towel as it cools and then unrolled and filled with a delicious whipped cream cheese and berry filling.
You also might like this 4th of july fruit salad!
Tip: You’ll need a cake roll pan instead of the traditional tube pan to make the angel food cake for this dessert.
How to Make Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake
For the full instructions and video on how to the cake – check out this Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake blog post.
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Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on high until starting to foam then add the salt and cream of tartar. Add the vanilla and almond extract and continue whipping on high speed.
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Add the granulated sugar slowly, about 1 tablespoon at a time to the egg whites while they are whipping.
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Continue whipping until stiff peaks form.
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Slowly fold in the dry ingredients 1/3 at a time with a spatula. Do this carefully and slowly so you don’t deflate the egg whites. (This is the key to good angel food cake.) Scoop into the prepared pan and smooth evenly.
Tip: Room temperature egg whites work best for this recipe. After separating, allow them to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
The creamy filling is a match made in heaven for the light and airy angel food cake. You can add any kind of berries you like to the filling. I also recommend saving some berries for topping the decorated cake. For more summer desserts, try this gluten-free banana pudding recipe or this gluten-free peach crisp recipe.
More Summer Desserts:
Gluten-Free Trifle – also made with gluten-free angel food cake and berries!
Gluten-Free Chocolate Mousse Cake – my family’s all-time favorite!
Gluten-Free No-Bake Cheesecake – perfect for hot summer days.
I hope you enjoy this gluten-free 4th of July recipe as much as we do! If you try this recipe please leave me a comment and star-rating below. I’d love to hear from you!
Gluten-Free 4th of July Dessert
Ingredients
For the Angel Food Cake:
- 1 1/2 cups egg whites from 10-11 large eggs
- 3/4 cup gluten-free 1:1 baking flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar for dusting the cloth to roll up the cake
For the Filling:
- 1 8 oz package cream cheese
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups raspberries
- 1 1/2 cups blueberries
- 1 1/2 cups strawberries diced
Instructions
For the Angel Food Cake:
- Separate the egg whites and allow them to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Line the bottom of a 10x15x1 cake roll pan with parchment paper. Do not grease.
- Preheat the oven to 350. In the bowl of a food processor, process the flour, cornstarch and powdered sugar together until smooth, about 30 seconds. Set aside.
- Process the granulated sugar slightly, about 5-7 pulses. You don't want to turn it into powdered sugar, just a little finer than it is normally. Set aside.
- Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on high until starting to foam then add the salt and cream of tartar. Add the vanilla and almond extract and continue whipping on high speed.
- Add the granulated sugar slowly, about 1 tablespoon at a time to the egg whites while they are whipping.Continue whipping until stiff peaks form.
- Slowly fold in the dry ingredients 1/3 at a time with a spatula. Do this carefully and slowly so you don't deflate the egg whites. (This is the key to good angel food cake.) Scoop into the prepared pan and smooth evenly.
- Bake at 350 for 30 until lightly golden. Meanwhile lay out a clean thin dishcloth or floursack towel. Generously sprinkle the powdered sugar over the dishcloth in the shape of the cake roll.
- After pulling the cake out of the oven use a knife or spatula to pull it away from the edges. Immediately roll up starting at the short end, WITH the towel inside. Let cool completely at room temperature for 1-2 hours.
For the Filling:
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla beat on low until combined. While beating on low, slowly pour in the whipped cream. Once the cream has been added beat for 3-4 minutes until it forms stiff peaks.
- Carefully unroll the cooled cake. Leave it on the towel while you spread with half of the filling and top with half of the berries. Carefully roll back up (without the towel!) and place on a serving plate. Spread top and sides with remaining filling and top with remaining berries.
- Serve and enjoy! This cake is best eaten within 24 hours of making it.
Do you have an alternative to the gluten free flour 1:1. It contains xanthum gum and I can’t digest it. It looks delicious and would love to make it.
Since this cake relies on egg whites for it’s structure – you can use a gluten-free all purpose flour blend that doesn’t contain xanthan gum. This isn’t the case for all my recipes but it will work here. I hope this helps!
Do you think it would work to make the cake the night before and leaved it rolled in the tea towel overnight and then fill the next day before serving?
Unfortunately I don’t think that will work (I think the cake would get stuck)! I think you’d have better results making the whole cake roll as directed a day in advance. The berries might not be as fresh but it will still be delicious! You could also add the berries on the top/outside just before serving.
Wow! This is an amazing dessert. I’m always on the lookout for gluten free desserts to try with friends and this one did not disappoint! We enjoyed it so much we will definitely make it again.
Ahhh!! So I gave this a “test-run” before the 4th of July to make sure I could do it and it not only was easy (thanks to your instruction) but it was DELISH! I can’t wait to make it again this weekend. Thank you!
Hi! I can’t wait to make this! Can I refrigerate it overnight? Thanks!
It is best the day it’s made but will keep for 1 day! I hope you enjoy it 🙂
I plan to make this recipe, but I am confused. It lists powdered sugar twice. The first is to blend with flour. Then regular granulated sugar. Then it shows another 1 cup powdered sugar at the bottom of cake ingredients. At first I thought it was foe the whip cream filling, but there is powdered sugar listed again.
Please clarify
Great question! The 1 cup is actually to dust the towel that you roll up the cake roll in. I’ve added a note to the recipe so that isn’t confusing 🙂
This roll is seriously amazing!! Fresh fruit, fluffy cream, and a perfect cake. Nobody will even know it’s gluten free.
Oh my goodness not only does this dessert serve as a WOW factor at any Fourth of July gathering but it’s also so light, fluffy and delicious! Everyone loves it too so nobody even knows it’s gluten-free, thank you so much!