Light, airy, and totally gluten free! This gluten free angel food cake is easy to make and tastes divine. Free from gluten, dairy, nuts, and more.
Made with only 8 ingredients, this gluten free angel food cake is divine! The texture is light and delicate, flavored from rich vanilla and sweetened with two types of sugar.
This cake works well gluten free since the structure of the cake comes from whipping egg whites and gradually folding in sugar. It’s almost like a meringue in that regard! But the addition of flour and vanilla gives it that delicate sponge texture.
Angel food cake is my go-to recipe for summer baking. It’s perfect to top with whip cream and fresh fruit!
Free from: wheat, gluten, dairy, casein, fish, shellfish, soy, sesame, peanuts, tree nuts, coconut, corn, celery, and more
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Ingredients
There are only a few ingredients to make a really good angel food cake! Here is what you’ll need:
- Gluten free flour
- Powdered sugar
- Cornstarch
- Egg whites
- Salt
- Cream of tarter
- Vanilla extract
- Caster sugar or granulated sugar
Best Gluten Free Flour to Use
This recipe works best with a lighter flour that uses more rice than beans. Some of my personal favorite flours to use for this recipe are:
- King Arthur Measure for Measure
- Bob’s Red Mill Baking Mix
- My Homemade Gluten Free Flour Mix
A heavier flour like almond or coconut will also not work in this recipe. The fat to protein ratio is too different, not to mention it is simply a heavier flour that won’t allow for the cake to rise.
Best Pan to Use
Angel food cake bakes up best in an angel food cake pan. These are make in two parts, the bottom and the sides. This allows the cake to be more easily removed after baking. The tall sides of the pan allow for the batter to climb up and hold onto the pan, giving angel food cake it’s tall structure.
If you don’t have an angel food cake pan, I don’t recommend that you bake this in a bundt pan. The shape is similar, however, it will be very difficult to remove the cake after baking.
An alternative to a special pan would be to divide the dough into two equal portions and bake in either a springform pan (like you use for cheesecakes) or 9-inch round cake pans.
Allergy Variations
To make this recipe corn free - Replace the cornstarch for an equal amount of tapioca starch. Make sure that your powdered sugar is corn free. My favorite brand is Wholesome Powdered Sugar.
As of right now, I don’t recommend making this recipe egg free. While I’ve experimented with aquafaba and other egg replacers, the nature of the cake itself is entirely dependent on eggs. For an egg free cake, make sure you check out my ultimate chocolate cake that is vegan and top 14 free!
How to Store
Keep this cake on the countertop or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
This cake can be frozen! Wrap the cake in an airtight container, either whole or in slices, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow to come to room temperature before serving.
Recipe
Equipment
- 10" Angel food cake pan
- mixing bowls
- mixing spoons
- hand mixer / stand mixer
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- Spatula
Ingredients
- ¾ cup gluten free flour
- ¾ cup powdered sugar see note for corn free
- ¼ cup corn starch or tapioca starch
- 1 ½ cups egg whites about 10-11 eggs
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¾ c + 2 T sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F with the rack in the lower third of the oven.
- Whisk together the gluten free flour, cornstarch (or tapioca), and powdered sugar. Sift together to completely remove lumps and aerate the flours. Set aside.
- In a large bowl with a hand mixer, or a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat together the egg whites, salt, and cream a tartar until foamy.
- Add the vanilla extract and whip on increasing speed until the egg whites are increasing in volume and are turning white.
- One spoonful at a time, begin to add in the castor sugar until the eggs have whipped into a soft peak meringue.
- Remove the bowl from the stand mixer, if using, and using a large spatula, gently fold in the flour mixture ¼ of a cup at a time until the batter is just incorporated.
- Spoon the batter into an ungreased 10” round angel food cake pan. Gently smooth the top of the cake and tap the pan to remove any large air bubbles.
- Bake the cake until it is a medium golden brown, about 45 minutes.
- Remove the cake from the oven and immediately invert the pan so the cake is upside down. You can rest it on the feet of the angel food cake pan, the neck of a heat proof bottle, or an upside down bowl.
- Remove the cake from the pan by gently running a thin knife around the edges of the pan and turning it out onto a plate or cake stand.
- Cut with a serrated knife. Serve with whip cream and fruit. Enjoy!
Notes
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe?
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