Gluten Free Angel Food Cake Recipe

slice of gluten free angel food cake with berries and cream on small white plate

5 from 65 votes

This light, fluffy gluten free angel food cake is made with plenty of egg whites for the perfect texture. Includes expert tips and ideas for using up the yolks.

Prep Time20

Cook Time35

Resting time1

Course: Cake, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cornstarch, gluten free angel food cake, gluten free flour

Servings: slices angel food cake

Author: Nicole Hunn

Equipment

10-inch cast aluminum nonstick tube pan
Fine mesh sieve for sifting
Stand mixer with whisk attachment or handheld mixer

Ingredients

¾ cup all purpose gluten free flour blend (See Recipe Notes)
¼ cup cornstarch
¼ teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your flour blend already contains it; otherwise, use a heaping 1/4 teaspoon
1½ cups confectioner’s sugar (divided into two equal parts)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 ¾ cups egg whites (whites of about 12 eggs), at room temperature
⅓ cup warm water
1½ teaspoons cream of tartar
¼ teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
Berries and whipped cream for serving (optional)

Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat and prepare the panf

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Set a 10-inch nonstick tube pan aside — preferably a two-piece pan with a removable bottom and center column. Do not grease or line the pan.

Sift the dry ingredients

Sifting is essential to ensure a light, airy cake. You will sift the flour blend, xanthan gum, and cornstarch twice, then add half the confectioners’ sugar and sift twice more — a total of four siftings.
Place the flour, xanthan gum, and cornstarch in a fine mesh sieve. Sift onto a piece of parchment paper.
Shake the sifted mixture off the parchment back into the sieve, then sift onto a second piece of parchment.
Add half the confectioners’ sugar (¾ cup) to the sieve and sift the mixture onto parchment again.
Transfer the mixture from the parchment back into the sieve and sift one last time into a bowl.
Whisk in the salt to combine. Sift the flour blend, xanthan gum, and cornstarch twice.

Make the egg white meringue

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or a large bowl if using a handheld mixer), beat the egg whites, warm water, cream of tartar, and vanilla or almond extract until foamy (about 30 seconds).
With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the remaining half of the confectioners’ sugar (¾ cup) in 3–4 batches. Once all the sugar is added, increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the mixture becomes fluffy and foamy (about 3 minutes).
Increase the mixer speed to high and beat until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 3 more minutes. Avoid overbeating, which can dry out the meringue. If that happens, add a drop more egg white to restore smoothness.
The beaters should leave clear trails in the meringue, which now holds its shape firmly.

Assemble the cake batter

Add the sifted flour mixture to the meringue in 4 batches, gently folding with a silicone spatula after each addition. Be careful not to deflate the meringue — the batter should remain light and fluffy but stable.
Transfer the batter carefully to the ungreased tube pan. Run a butter knife or offset spatula through the batter in a figure-8 motion to release any trapped air pockets. Lightly smooth the surface with a spatula. The pan will be nearly full.

Bake the cake

Place the pan in the center of the preheated oven. Bake until a cake tester inserted near the center comes out clean, the top is lightly browned, and the cake springs back when gently pressed, about 35 minutes. Avoid overbaking.

Cool the cake

Invert the pan over a long-neck bottle or the pan’s legs (if it has them) and let it cool for at least 1 hour or until completely cool to the touch. This prevents the cake from collapsing.
Once cooled, run a plastic butter knife or offset spatula around the edges to loosen the cake. If your pan has removable sides, gently lift the cake out by pressing up on the bottom piece. Use a non-metal straight edge to separate the cake from the bottom if needed.
Place a wire rack on top of the cake and invert both rack and cake together. Remove the pan bottom, and allow the cake to cool to room temperature.
Slice the cake with a large serrated knife using a single-direction motion (don’t saw back and forth). Serve with berries and whipped cream if desired.

Video

Notes

Flour blends

My favorite gluten free flour blends for this recipe are Better Batter’s Original Blend and Nicole’s Best Multipurpose Blend. Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour also works well but requires adding an extra ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum to prevent crumbliness.

Cup4Cup recently changed its formula and doesn’t perform as well for this cake, so I don’t recommend it. For homemade blends, see my all-purpose gluten free flour blends page

Nutrition information.

Approximate nutrition information is for the cake only, per slice, without toppings, assuming the whole cake is sliced into 8 equal pieces.

Nutrition