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!
Hundreds of reviewers agree this is the most delicious gluten-free angel food cake recipe around! This tried-and-true recipe was originally published in 2013 and is one my #1 recipes today.
UPDATED June 2022: 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 fresh berries and whipped cream. 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 fresh fruit 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 also might like this gluten-free pound cake. Check out this full collection of gluten-free cake recipes!
For more tried-and-true recipes try this gluten-free pizza crust and gluten-free banana bread.
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 with step by step photos. I hope it is helpful!
How to Make Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake
1. In the bowl of a food processor, process the gluten-free flour 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 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. Using the whisk attachment, beat on medium speed until starting to foam and soft peaks form. You can also use a hand mixer.
Tip: You can separate the egg whites from the egg yolks or simply buy carton egg whites for this recipe.
5. Add the pure vanilla extract 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 1/4 a cup at a time with a rubber spatula. Do this carefully and slowly so you don’t deflate the egg whites. This is the key to good traditional angel food cake!
9. Spread the angel food cake batter in a ungreased, 10-inch round angel food cake pan.
Tip: An ungreased 10-inch tube pan is key for this recipe. You need a special round angel food pan for best results so the cake can have enough room to expand. Unfortunately a bundt pan won’t work the same.
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 serrated knife along the edges of the pan and carefully transfer the cake to a serving plate. Enjoy!
Original photo from 2013! I thought the blue plate was so cool – ha!
You could also top this angel food cake with gluten-free raspberry coulis.
More Gluten-Free Recipes
I hope you like this gluten-free angel food cake recipe as much as we do! If you try it be sure to leave me a comment/rating below. I’d love to hear from you!
Perfect Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake
Video
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups egg whites from 10-11 large eggs
- 3/4 cup gluten-free all purpose 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
- 1/4 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°F. In the bowl of a food processor or blender, process the gluten-free flour, cornstarch and powdered sugar together until smooth, about 30 seconds. Pour into a bowl and set aside.
- Add the granulated sugar to the food processor or blender and pulse 5-7 times. You don’t want to turn it into powdered sugar, just a little finer than it is normally. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or using a hand mixer, beat the egg whites on high speed until starting to foam, then add the salt and cream of tartar.
- Add the vanilla extract and almond extract and continue whipping on high speed.
- With the mixer running on high, slowly add the granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until all the sugar is added and the mixture is glossy with soft peaks.
- Using a rubber spatula, slowly fold in the flour mixture, ⅓ at a time. Do this carefully and slowly so you don’t deflate the egg whites. (This is the key to a good angel food cake.) Scoop into an ungreased 10-inch round pan.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, until lightly golden.
- Remove the cake from the oven and immediately flip the cake upside down onto a wire rack. Cool the cake completely.
- Once cooled, run a thin knife around the edge of the cake and gently tap the pan on the counter until the cake releases. Slice with a sharp serrated knife and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe Source: Inspired by King Arthur Flour
My big question is….what if I don’t have an angel food pan? If I put a tube in the center of a cheesecake pan would that work? How far up the side should I pour the batter?
Hi Randy! Unfortunately this angel food cake really needs the 10-inch tube pan to both bake and release from the pan correctly. Thank you for your question!
You note that carton egg whites can be used, but I have read that they will beat to stiff peaks? can you confirm you have used them with success? Thanks.
Hi Barbara! We’ve had good success with Eggland’s Best and the Target Good & Gather brand. We hope you enjoy the cake!
The GF Angel food cake was so good, I included the recipe and an angel food pan in my wedding gift to one of my former Girl Scouts! Also made it for my sister in law who has Celiacs disease. She loved it and now uses your recipe as well! Thank you!
Ruth
Thank you for such kind feedback, Ruth! And for sharing the recipe with others. We’re so happy to hear how much you love this cake. Happy baking!
Can you use liquid egg whites instead?
Hi Kat! Yes, you can use liquid egg whites. Happy baking!
I was really uneasy about making this, but decided to try it. I’m so glad I did. Not as hard as I was afraid it would be. I hated to waste all those egg yolks, but then I discovered you can make quiche with all yolks, so that’s what I will be doing. This cake is amazing. I only tried it to make the Strawberry Cream Cheese Trifle. Of course I had to try the cake by itself. It is amazing and I will definitely make it again, even without the trifle to follow. I followed the recipe to the letter with one exception. I didn’t pulse the granulated sugar in my food processor. I used 170g of bakers sugar (aka superfine, bar sugar). Now I’m wondering what to do with the other half of the cake. Can it be frozen?
Aww, we’re so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe this much, Denny! Thank you for coming back and sharing your positive baking experience with us. This cake will freeze well for up to 3 months. Just wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then foil. Happy baking!
What can be substituted for the almond extract. I’m allergic to tree nuts & celiac?
Hi Erin! You can either omit the almond extract or replace it with more vanilla. We hope you love the cake!
So perfect! Been wanting to make a gf angel food cake for awhile as never see them at gf bakeries & wanted to use up extra eggs. Made this for 6 people (plenty leftover) – 2 gf and 4 regular. Delish! Easy to make, although questioned myself when came time to mix in flour as was trying really hard not to deflate the eggs so wasn’t sure what the right amount of mixing was. Other challenge was after taking it out of the oven, flipping over and letting cool. I kind of tapped it after awhile and the entire cake came out, leaving the brown outside portion still in the pan. No problem – still tasted amazing! Whipped up some heavy cream & cooked up some strawberry sauce to go with it. My non-gf hubs really loved it! Will definitely make again.
Thank you for coming back and sharing your baking experience with us! We’re so pleased to hear the cake was a hit, even with the small hiccups along the way. We appreciate your feedback! Happy baking!