Food & Cooking Recipes Dessert & Treats Recipes Cake Recipes Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake 5.0 (3) Light and fluffy, this gluten-free cake is delicious served with berries and whipped cream. Prep Time: 35 mins Total Time: 2 hrs 50 mins Servings: 10 Jump to recipe Our Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake is just as light and fluffy as the original version. To make it, you’ll sift gluten-free flour, cornstarch, and some of the sugar a few times to ensure it’s extra light and airy (which will make all the difference in the finished cake). Next, you’ll use an electric mixer to whip a whopping 14 egg whites to stiff peaks, then gradually add the remaining sugar a spoonful at a time to make a meringue. After adding in the sifted ingredients, you’ll transfer the mixture to a pan and bake it until golden brown and springy. Serve this dreamy cake with whipped cream and fresh berries for a dessert that will please everyone at the table. 27 Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes Everyone Will Love Tips for Making Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake Use Room Temperature Egg Whites Egg whites that have been allowed to come to room temperature whip up stiffer than cold ones and create the best meringue (it is, of course, all about the airiness with a cake like this). If you're in a hurry, set the whites in a small bowl inside of a larger bowl of warm water for about 10 minutes while they warm up. Skip the Grease Unlike most baking recipes, you won't want to grease the pan before adding the batter. This is because you'll want the cake to climb up the sides of the pan—and not slide down—as it bakes. Sift and Sift Again (and Again, and Again) The instructions for our angel food cakes call for sifting the flour mixture four whole times before adding it to the egg whites. The reason for this? You want the lightest, airiest texture possible to allow the cake to rise in the oven rather than weigh the whipped whites down. Equipment Needed for Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake Electric mixer: Sure, you can whip the 14 egg whites to stiff peaks by hand using a balloon whisk, but not only will it take you a while, it will be quite the arm workout in the meantime. We highly recommend using a stand- or hand-mixer to make quick work of this task.Angel food cake pan: An angel food cake pan has a hole in the center (similar to a tube pan) with small feet on the bottom that allow for the cake to cool while the pan is inverted (which helps it from shrinking down as it sits). If you don't have an angel food cake pan, you can use a regular tube pan and invert it over the neck of a wine bottle as it cools.Flour sifter or fine sieve: It's important to sift the flour mixture several times to break up any clumps and aerate the ingredients as much as possible. If you don't have a sifter, use a fine sieve for this step instead. When separating the egg whites, crack each one individually into a small bowl, then transfer it to your mixing bowl before proceeding with the next one. This way, if you happen to break a yolk (it happens!), it won't ruin the whites you've already separated. Directions Preheat oven; sift flour, cornstarch, and some of the sugar: Preheat oven to 350°F. With a fine sieve, sift together flour, cornstarch and 3/4 cup sugar four times into a small bowl. Set aside. Whisk egg whites and water: In the bowl of a standing mixer, whisk together egg whites and warm water on medium speed until foamy. Add salt, cream of tartar, and vanilla: Add salt, cream of tartar, and vanilla; beat until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes. You can swap in another extract such as almond or lemon for the vanilla. Gradually add remaining sugar; beat: Increase speed to medium-high and sprinkle in remaining 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Beat until stiff but not dry. Fold in dry ingredients; transfer to pan: In six additions, sift dry ingredients over meringue, folding in quickly but gently. Pour batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan with removable bottom. Run a knife through the batter to release air bubbles. Smooth top with an offset spatula. Bake cake: Bake until golden brown and springy to the touch, 40 to 45 minutes. Invert and let cool: Invert pan on its legs and let cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove from pan; slice and serve: Carefully run a long offset spatula or knife around the inner and outer perimeter of the pan to loosen. Arrange cake on a plate bottom-side up. Use a serrated knife to slice cake. Serve with berries and whipped cream. Storage Store cake at room temperature up to 2 days in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic. Using Up Leftover Egg Yolks After separating out the whites, you'll be left with 14 egg yolks. Put them to use in the following ways: Make an emulsified sauce such as mayonnaise, Hollandaise, or this saffron aioli Whip up an elegant crème brulée Make a custard pie, like this coconut number Try your hand at an egg pasta dough Use them as an egg wash on baked goods More Gluten-Free Recipes to Try: Chocolate-Peanut-Butter-Caramel Cereal Bars Gluten-Free Crepes Gluten-Free Buttermilk Pancakes Our Best Gluten-Free Pie Dough Baked Polenta Fries Gluten-Free Fudgy Pecan Brownies Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread Crunchy Shrimp Fritters Almond-Coconut Chewy Chocolate Cookies Brown-Sugar Peach Pavlova Gluten-Free Peanut Butter-Banana Waffles Frequently Asked Questions Can I make this cake without an angel food cake pan or tube pan? No, we don't recommend making this cake in another type of pan, such as a Bundt pan, as the cake may not rise properly and may not release well from the crevices. Can I make this recipe with pasteurized egg whites? No, we don't recommend using a pasteurized egg white product for angel food cake as the whites may not whip up properly. For best results, use fresh egg whites. Why did my angel food cake not rise properly? If your angel food cake did not rise properly, it could be that the egg whites deflated during the mixing process, liquid got into the egg white mixture, or the oven was opened too many times during the baking process. Updated by Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds is an experienced recipe developer, recipe tester, food editor, and writer with over a decade of experience in the food and media industries.