Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake
Published
The lightest, fluffiest gluten-free angel food cake. I make it with a few simple ingredients and an easy technique that creates a delicious gluten-free sponge cake. It’s perfect for any occasion, whether topped with fresh berries, a dollop of whipped cream or enjoyed on its own.
Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake
This is one of my favorite cake recipes. The egg white meringue creates a soft, spongy texture, making each bite light and luxurious, which can be hard to find in a gluten-free cake. This cake’s delicate texture depends on the meringue’s stability, achieved by whipping egg whites to soft peaks and carefully incorporating the remaining ingredients. While this recipe offers a fun and rewarding challenge for experienced bakers, fear not, my beginner friends—my step-by-step instructions will guide you to effortlessly create the perfect gluten-free angel food cake!
You all know my family is mostly dairy and gluten-free, and this is one of those recipes that is naturally free of dairy. I love having this for holiday parties. My friends and family are always surprised to hear it’s gluten-free. I usually serve it with my strawberry reduction sauce and homemade whipped cream for my dairy-eating friends.
Gluten-Free Baking Tips
- Make sure your eggs are cold when separating the whites and yolks. This will make it easier for them to separate. Do not allow any yolk to get into the egg whites. This will affect the structure of the meringue.
- Allow egg whites to come to room temperature before whipping for maximum volume and stability.
- Beat egg whites to soft peaks, not stiff peaks, to avoid deflating them. Gradually add sugar to stabilize the meringue.
- It’s best to measure the gluten-free flour with the “spoon & level” method. This keeps you from getting too much flour in the recipe.
- Only add 1/4 cup of the gluten-free flour mixture to the egg white mixture at a time as to not weigh down the meringue and collapse it.
- After baking, invert the cake immediately and cool it upside-down. This step is critical; otherwise, the cake will collapse under its own weight.
Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake
Ingredients
- 12 large egg whites, cold,
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour with xanthan gum, I like Pillsbury gluten-free. Not all gluten-free flours are created equal. You may experience different baking results depending on the gluten-free flour blend you choose.
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
Instructions
- Move the oven rack to the lowest position. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Mix the cornstarch and gluten-free flour together in a small bowl and set aside.
- In a large bowl using a stand-up mixer or hand mixer, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar together on medium speed until foamy. Beat in the granulated sugar and powdered sugar on high speed, adding the pure vanilla and almond extract and salt. Continue beating until soft peaks form and the meringue looks glossy.
- Sprinkle the cornstarch and gluten-free flour mixture, 1/4 cup at a time, over the meringue and beat on medium speed until all the flour mixture is fully combined.
- Pour the cake batter into an ungreased 10-inch x 4-inch angel food cake pan (tube pan). Use a spatula to smooth the top of the batter. Cut gently through the cake batter in a circular motion with a butter knife (see recipe video).
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and top springs back when touched lightly. Immediately turn pan upside down onto a heatproof funnel or bottle. If you have a tube pan with legs turn the pan upside down on a heatproof cutting board. Let the cake cool for 2 hours upside down. Angel food cake MUST be cooled upside down or the cake will collapse on itself.
- Once the cake has cooled, turn the cake right-side-up and run a knife inside the rim of the cake pan. Invert cake onto a serving platter to remove the cake from the pan. Cut the cake into slices using a serrated knife to avoid smashing it (like cutting fresh bread).
Notes
- Use a 10-inch angel food tube pan with a removable center and three attached feet for easy cooling. The smooth sides help the cake rise properly, and the feet elevate the pan when inverted. (I recommend the Wilton Angel Food Tube Cake Pan.)
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How to Make Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake Step by Step
Gather all your ingredients.
Prepare the oven: By moving the rack to the lowest position and preheating it to 350°F. Grab a small bowl and mix together ¾ cup gluten-free flour and ¼ cup cornstarch. Set the flour mixture aside for later.
Beat egg whites: Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks of 12 cold large eggs. Using your stand mixer or hand mixer, beat together 12 egg whites and 1 ½ tsp cream of tartar on medium speed until foamy.
Add in sugars: Gradually add in ¾ cup granulated sugar and ¾ cup powdered sugar powdered sugar beating on high speed. Add in 1 ½ tsp pure vanilla, ½ tsp almond extract, and ¼ tsp salt. Continue to beat until soft peaks form and the meringue looks glossy.
Sprinkle in ¼ cup of the flour mixture at a time to the egg white mixture.
Continue to beat on medium speed, just until the flour is fully combined.
Pour the cake batter: Pour it into the ungreased 10” x 4” angel food cake pan. Smooth out the top using a spatula and cut through the cake batter with a butter knife in a circular motion to release any air bubbles. (see recipe video)
Bake: Place the cake pan on the lowest rack in the oven and bake for 30 -35 minutes. The top should be golden brown and spring back when you touch it lightly. Take the pan out of the oven and immediately turn it upside down onto a heat proof funnel or bottle. Some tube pans come with legs to rest the pan upside down on. Let the cake cool upside down for 2 hours. (Angel food cake MUST be cooled upside down or the cake will collapse on itself).
Once the cake has cooled, turn the pan right side up and run a butter knife along the edges to release the cake from the pan.
Invert the cake onto a cake platter to remove it from the pan.
When you’re ready to serve, cut the angel food cake with a serrated knife to avoid smashing it. Enjoy!
Storage Instructions
Wrap the leftover cake tightly in plastic wrap or place it in an airtight container to prevent it from drying out. Keep the cake at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerate it for up to a week.
To freeze: wrap the completely cooled cake in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil. Place the wrapped cake in a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to 4 months. The cake can be frozen whole or in individual slices. Thaw the cake at room temperature.
Serving Suggestions
My family loves this light and fluffy sponge cake topped with my homemade strawberry reduction sauce, raspberry coulis, or fresh strawberries and whipped cream. This light and fluffy cake is the perfect dessert for a weekend brunch, Mother’s Day, and Easter.
More Classic Desserts To Try
- These Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies are loaded with gooey chocolate chips and are perfectly chewy, but with a slightly crisp edge.
- Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie is the quintessential fall dessert. I’ve made it with crushed Chex cereal to create a crunchy crust and filled it with a creamy from-scratch pumpkin pie filling.
- This Pineapple Upside Down Cake features a soft butter cake with a brown sugar glaze that coats the pineapple and maraschino cherry topping.
I made this cake last night to celebrate my sister-in-law’s birthday. She and I are both Gluten Free, and she is also dairy free. It was super easy to make and the tip to separate the eggs when the eggs are cold was key for me – I always have issues with this and having them cold make a big difference. I worried I may have over mixed the batter when I incorporated the flour and I was concerned it would be too dense. But it was fantastic! I wasn’t sure how long to mix the flour in – just until it’s incorporated or longer? Either way, it turned out fantastic and everyone loved it. Can’t wait for another occasion to make it again – winner!
This was so delicious! I’ve made it so many times and my whole family loves it I was wondering if you had any tips on making a chocolate version? Thanks so much.
Hi Kelly, we haven’t tested this recipe with a chocolate version but that sounds delicious!
This angel food cake was delicious! Couldn’t tell it was gluten-free at all. It is the first gluten-free cake recipe that I have liked and I will definitely make it again. Most gluten-free cake recipes come out . . . heavy, dense, not like a cake mix cake, which is light. If I hadn’t made this myself using gluten-free flour, I would not have believed it was gluten-free. My daughter-in-law is gluten-free, and I made this today for our game night. Needless to say, it was a big hit.
I never made an angel food cake from scratch before let alone a gluten free one, so I was quite nervous! This cake turned out amazing and it was just like a regular angel food cake. Thanks so much for providing great recipes!
Good recipe, easy to follow. But this was my first time making a gf cake. It came out way too moist and sticky. What did I do wrong? Will try again
Thanks Larry! A sticky or gummy texture usually means there was too much moisture or the cake wasn’t baked long enough. It can happen if the egg whites were over-whipped, the air was humid, or the flour blend had too much starch. Next time, bake until the top is golden and springs back when touched, and let the cake cool completely upside down so the crumb sets properly.
Loved it!
I just made this for Father’s Day and it turned out so well!!! I used eggs (and now need to figure out what to do with all the yolks haha), Namaste cup for cup flour. I left out the xanthum gum since it already has it. I also left out the almond extract because i didn’t pay close enough attention when I was grocery shopping.
it turned out amazing. exactly like the regular stuff you buy at the store.
my daughter couldn’t remeber what angel food cake tasted like. now, with her being celiac, I had to find a gluten free recipe to make her one. this was a winner! she loved it. I smashed some strawberries, added a little bit of sugar to sweeten them up, and bought coolwhip. we made our own strawberry shortcake slice. oh, so good! thanks for sharing your recipe.
10/10! The texture, the flavor! Next time I will add a little more almond extract, but overall, the gluten eaters couldn’t tell a difference!!
Rather than using 12 egg whites, could you use the egg whites that come from the carton instead?
Hi Kat, We haven’t tried this recipe with the carton egg whites.
The answer to this is no LOL I had to dump and start fresh with egg whites I separated myself.