Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake! The best-tasting angel food cake you’ll ever eat. Light, fluffy and perfect for your favorite desserts. Nobody will ever guess it’s gluten-free!
UPDATED April 2018: This is still my go-to recipe for angel food cake! People are always amazed this is gluten-free. I like using it in desserts like trifle or serving it on it’s own with berries and whipped cream. I’ve updated the recipe the way I’ve been making it lately with easier-to-find ingredients. Enjoy!
To me, angel food cake is more than just a vehicle for strawberries and cream.
Angel food cake is what my Mom and I would make for birthdays every year. She would mix sprinkles into the batter and top it with my Grandma’s 7-minute frosting.
If you’ve never had 7-minute frosting, imagine a cross between a fresh marshmallow and whipped cream. It is pure heaven on fluffy angel food cake!
Angel food cake is also what gets broken up to make my very favorite Gluten-Free Strawberry Trifle. That trifle is probably my favorite summer dessert of all time.
Every year my husband’s Grandma would make cherry and whipped cream fruit filled angel food cake for my mother-in-law’s birthday. I dearly love that cake too!
And though it be humble, I do love the classic angel food cake with strawberries and whipped cream.
Since angel food cake is the key to so many favorite desserts, I need to have perfect gluten-free angel food cake in my life! This recipe is the one.
Since angel food cake gets it’s structure from egg whites, it is really easy to make gluten-free. It is moist and light with great height and flavor. I actually love this cake because it tastes a little more special than the regular box cake everyone is used to eating.
You can tell this cake is made from scratch, making it extra delicious. But nobody will ever guess it’s gluten-free.
Since there are a few steps I’ve made a visual tutorial for you all. I hope it is helpful!
1. In the bowl of a food processor, process the flours and powdered sugar together until smooth, about 30 seconds.
2. Sift the flour/powdered sugar mixture into a bowl and set aside.
3. 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.
4. Place the egg whites (that should have sat at room temperature for at least 30 minutes) in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the salt and cream of tartar and beat until starting to foam.
5. Add the vanilla and almond extract and continue whipping on high speed.
6. Add the granulated sugar slowly, about 2 tablespoon at a time to the egg whites while they are whipping.
7. Continue whipping until stiff peaks form.
8. Slowly fold in the dry ingredients ¼ a cup 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!
9. Scoop in a ungreased, 10-inch round pan.
10. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes until lightly golden. Immediately invert pan onto a cooling rack when you remove it from the oven. Cool completely then run a knife along the edges of the pan and carefully plate the cake. Enjoy!
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Perfect Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups egg whites, from 10-11 large eggs
- ¾ cup gluten-free all purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- Separate the egg whites and allow them to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
- 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 ⅓ 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 a ungreased 10-inch round pan.
- Bake at 350 for about 35-40 minutes until lightly golden. Immediately invert pan onto a cooling rack when you remove it from the oven. Cool completely then run a knife along the edges of the pan and carefully plate the cake. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Recipe Source: Inspired by King Arthur Flour
Erica Elliott says
Back when I could use boxed cake mix I would mix in a can of crushed pineapple and coconut flakes. How could that be incorporated into this recipe?
Alina says
Can this be made with monk fruit sugar mixed with erythritol? Like the Lakanto brand?
Erin Collins says
Unfortunately that won’t work! The sugar is important for the structure of this cake.
Jennifer says
Do you think Cup for Cup GF flour would work? And do you have the recipe for that 7 minute icing?!?!?
Erin Collins says
Yes Cup for Cup will work great! I need to share the 7 minute frosting recipe!
Josh says
Do I want a flour blend with or without xantham gum? I have both just making sure!
Thank you, i’m going to try this next weekend.
Erin Collins says
I use a flour blend with xanthan gum. I hope you enjoy it!
Kathleen C Larsh says
How long will the angel food cake last? I need to make one for a Saturday baptism but will be gone all day on Friday. Can I make it two days before and seal it in tupperware cake holder?
Erin Collins says
I think that will work great actually! This cake keeps better than other cakes. I hope you like it!