This gluten-free angel food cake is the ideal dessert for a festive occasion. Light and fluffy, it’s sure to be a crowd-pleaser!
14-year-old Brandon enjoys making this grain-free version of the ever-popular angel food cake.
Brandon Fabry
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Grain-free, Sugar-free Angel Food Cake
This recipe takes some patience but is well worth the effort!
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Ingredients
- 12 egg whites (room temperature)
- 1 tsp. cream of tartar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup blanched almond meal
- 1/4 cup arrowroot powder
- 1/8 tsp. sea salt
- Sweetener to taste (We use several tablespoons of a combination of xylitol, stevia powder and Coco Monkey. See 5 Sweetener Alternatives .)
Instructions
- Line round cake pan or round casserole dish with parchment paper. (Cake pans or angel food cake pan can be used without greasing them.)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine dry ingredients and set aside. (You can sift these together for improved texture. We have success without sifting.)
- Beat egg whites on medium till frothy.
- Add cream of tartar and beat on high speed till stiff peaks form.
- Continue to beat at low speed and add vanilla extract and sweetener.
- Beat on high once again.
- Remove from mixer and fold in dry ingredients one bit at a time.
- Spoon into cake pan(s).
- Bake for approximately 35 minutes till done.
- Remove from oven and allow the cake to cool.
- Remove from pan(s) or peel from parchment paper.
- Serve with melted berries, whipped cream or frosting of your choice.
This recipe adapted from Primal Palate’s Paleo Birthday Cake.
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This looks really good. Can you clarify the amount of arrowroot powder for me? It says 1/4 but does not say what- cup, teaspoon, etc. Thank you!
1/4 cup. Thanks Kate. I’ll fix right away.
Is there a sub for arrowroot? Maybe xanthum?
Perhaps tapioca flour or corn starch? I’m not sure about xanthum. Sounds like it could be worth a try, though. We have experimented with different flours like tiger nut flour, flax meal and mesquite powder. The cake is a bit heavier but still has tasted just fine. It’s the 12 eggs and proper folding I think that create the spongey texture. I wouldn’t hesitate to try the xanthum.
Xthanum makes things gummy and stretch so you only use 1/2 tsp in 2 cups of alternate flours like almond and tapioca. Xthanum helps replace the stretch part when baking gluten free. Iris
How will we know it is done? With it being berry season, I’m excited to try this!
With a clean knife or fork. Thanks for the question. I will add it to the post! Send me a photo with the berries. I’d love to see!!
You mention that you use sweetener to taste. Can you tell me how much you use of your different sweeteners?
We are sugar free and it would help to know what you use.
Thanks
Hi Patricia,
It really varies depending on what we have in the house. Maybe 1 tablespoon xylitol or even less stevia. I would taste the batter before you bake it and see what tastes good to you.
I haven’t been able to have angel food cake for years due to gluten and other grain intolerance. Since cream of tartar has corn starch in it, do you have a recommendation? I’d love to try your recipe with an alternative to that ingredient!!
Thanks, Susan
Cream of tartar does not have corn starch as I understand it. Baking powder often has a corn-based starch to keep the cream of tartar and baking soda from clumping. I stay away from corn and am comfortable with a pure cream of tartar. Here is what Frontier says about the way cream of tartar is derived:
Cream of tartar powder is widely distributed by nature in many fruits, but is usually obtained as a natural, pure ingredient left behind after grape juice has fermented to wine. During the fermentation of the grapes, tartar crystallizes in the wine casks. The crystals are collected and purified to produce the white, odorless, acidic powder used for culinary and other household purposes.
I’m also highly allergic to corn and have thought cream of tartar was made of corn products. Am so happy to revisit it, By the way, most of your recipes are free of my allergens, so thankful to have found your website, am anxious to try them, especially the angel food cake, haven’t had it for years!
I hope this works for you, Susan. Thanks for the encouragement!
Can you use almond flour instead of almond meal?
It’s more dense and not as light, but you can try!
Would a gluten free baking blend replace cup for cup? I can’t do almond flour but I have a baking blend that’s a combination of mainly coconut, golden flax and oat fiber that I use…think that would sub ok?
I really think it will work, Sharlotte. I’ve tried different flours and the texture varies a bit but because of the egg whites it’s still quite fluffy. I’d love to hear if it works for you with this combination.
Hello there, I am trying to make a sugar free and gluten-free/ paleo(ish) cake for a friend’s birthday so I tried to make this after a few attempts to make a banana cake (too dense). So I was happy to come across your site and try your recipe! unfortunately because the person I’m making a birthday cake for can’t have any sugar or sugar substitute AT ALL (just fruit), I added a bit of stawberry and banana puree to this recipe. It looked great and puffy going into the oven but after it cooled it really sunk and look and tasted like a quiche. I guess adding the fruit puree was too heavy or maybe I added too much? Oh well, this is the hardest order I’ve ever had to make–and I regularly make cakes that are gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free etc that are super tasty (I’ve been baking gluten-free for several years so I’ve got lots of practice :). The no- sugar at all is nearly impossible for a cake, I guess. But I will try this again for another order as most people can at least have some sugar, maple syrup, xyolitol, etc I am sure it’ll work perfectly making it exactly as your recipe states.
Any chance you know if an angel food cake can be made without sugar? I am thinking banana cake with coconut whip will be my best option for this poor woman with a gazillion allergies.
Lovely site, thanks for sharing your recipe! I’ll be back and will try this recipe next time I need an Angel food cake!
Cheers 😀
I would look into Monk Fruit for her. Fantastic taste, little processing and it’s basically a fruit. See what you think, Dana.
ooh I haven’t used Monk Fruit before, that’s a great idea. Thank you! I ended up making a Hummingbird cake with banana, dates and pineapple for the sweetening and it worked great. Similar to a carrot cake. I would love to try Monk fruit though. Appreciate the feedback. Love your blog! 😀
I have tried twice to make this. The first time have of the cake was like hardened jello and the top half was fine but the second time it seemed to have done better. It was puffy when I took it out of the oven but collapsed as it cooled. Am I not beating the egg whites enough? I bought just liquid egg whites because I didn’t want to was the yolks. Could this be a cause of it not coming out? Please help!!
Hi Brandy. I think it could be the store-bought whites. We save the yolks for a couple of days and make scrambled eggs or even a face mask. It might be worth trying fresh eggs before giving up on this. If you do try it this way I’d love to hear back.
First, you have to use pure egg whites, some ‘egg white’ products contain preservatives and other additives. The pasteurization process affects the ability of egg whites (from a carton) to keep their shape when whipped. You can use them, if you use at least 4 actual egg whites. One of my sons his celiac, so he has to be gluten free, and this is one of his favorite desserts. I sometimes make two cakes per week, and we eat them with berries and real whipped cream.
I tried an angel food cake with store bought egg whites. It didn’t work. Then i looked at the carton and it said it would not work for angel food cake.
You should make sure to turn the angel food cake pan upside down when it comes out of the oven.
How many tablespoons of coconut sugar do you suggest? I do well with exact measurements!
I would try 3-4 and see how it tastes, April.
Do you think you could substitute honey for the sweetner?
If the honey is fairly “thin” it should work OK. You don’t want to weigh it down too much.
I’m glad I found this! I am on a food elimination diet and I can’t have egg whites…I know, this sounds like an oxymoron, right? It’s not. This just lets me steal the yolks without guilt, while it allows me to feed my family something yummy made with the whites! Win-Win!
Thanks for posting!
I made this today and used a Bundt pan. Sprayed it well with baking spray. Needless to say it stuck horribly. Has fantastic flavor and intend to make this again. Do you have any suggestions on how I should prevent it from sticking and falling for future reference?
I might try coating it with coconut oil or butter. I’m glad you like the flavor!
I decided I wanted a low carb Angel Food Cake. My search brought me to your lovely site. I don’t have arrow root. I thought to try to sub in xanthan gum as another reader had suggested. What do you think would be a good amount to try?
I honestly don’t know on that one. But if you find out and it works be sure to let me know!
Xanthan gum should NOT be substituted for the arrowroot flour. You’ll end up with a solidified mess. Tapioca starch, potato starch, and corn starch are close to the arrowroot flour in texture and use.
Do you know how many carbohydrates are in one serving?
I don’t, but it would be easy to figure out since it’s pretty much only coconut flour and a bit of almond flour. The carb count would be minimal. It’s a perfect cake for my son with type 1.
What is in this recipe that makes it rise. Mine came out pretty flat . What did I do wrong?
I think it’s the blanched almond flour as opposed to almond meal and the high number of egg whites. Not sure what might have happened for you, Nancy.
I’ve tried to make this 3 times now and it just collapses. Any ideas on what I’m doing wrong?
I’m sorry to hear this, Dianne, I will I knew but I don’t.
Looks tasty! But GAPS doesn’t allow sugar alternatives other than honey, no arrowroot powder, or cream of tartar. 😔 I
I’m gluten and grain free now. I was so hungry for an angel food cake and I found this. And made it. It was divine.
One thing was confusing to me. You said to mix the dry ingredients together, so I put in the cream of tarter with the dry ingredients. I should have read the recipe, absolutely, but my cream of tarter went in the wrong bowl!
I am going to make this again and again. I used a spring form pan, as I discovered that my angel food pan was warped from sitting under bundt pans, likely. The spring form pan worked fine.