Gluten Free Angel Food Cake
photo courtesy of King Arthur Flour

This post is a guest blog from my Aunt Grace, who kindly shared her recipe.  Thanks Aunt Grace!

I invited my sister, her husband and my niece to come to my place for dinner. My brother-in-law is diabetic and my niece must be on a gluten free / dairy free diet. Preparing the main course is not a problem but making a dessert that they can all eat can be challenging. And I wanted to make something different from the home made blueberry sorbet that I usually serve them.
I decided on angel food cake but knew I would need to make it from scratch because none of the local stores have gluten free angel food cake mix. I searched the internet for recipes and chose the one on King Arthur Flour’s website because it seemed to have good reviews. I used King Arthur’s Gluten-Free Multi-Purpose Flour but they do mention which other flours work well if you decide to mix your own. At my sister’s recommendation I reduced the sugar from 1 and ½ cups to 2/3 cups as she felt that would be best for her husband’s dietary needs.
The cake turned out OK. We enjoyed it with sliced strawberries and a dairy free whipped topping called “Soyatoo Rice Whip”. The whipped topping comes in a container similar to the one used for Redi Whip. It tastes good but we were laughing because it seemed more challenging than we had anticipated to actually get the “cream” to come out of the can when we pushed the button. Turns out you have to shake it upside down really hard several times to get the part of it that goes to the bottom mixed with what is on the top just so before it will operate correctly.
I have copied the King Arthur Flour Gluten Free Angel Food cake recipe .  It is recommended that you look at their website to see the tips they give about the flour, sugar and correct stiffness of the egg whites for this recipe.

Gluten Free Angel Food Cake Recipe

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup King Arthur Gluten-Free Multi-Purpose Flour or ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons brown rice flour blend*
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 3/4 cup Baker’s Special Sugar** or superfine sugar
• 1 1/2 cups egg whites (10 to 11 large eggs, separated, yolks discarded or reserved for another use)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons cream of tartar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract or Fiori di Sicilia, optional
• 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons Baker’s Special Sugar** or superfine sugar
• **Can you substitute regular granulated sugar? Yes; it’ll take much longer for the egg whites to attain their require volume, and the cake’s texture won’t be as fine. Click King Arthur Flour’s link for more information.

Directions

1) Preheat the oven to 350°F and place the oven rack in its lowest position.
2) Whisk together and then sift the flour, cornstarch, and 3/4 cup sugar. Set aside.
3) In a large, clean (grease-free) mixing bowl, beat together the egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar until foamy.
4) Add the flavorings. Gradually increase the speed of the mixer and continue beating until the egg whites have increased in volume, and thickened.
5) Gradually beat in the 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar, a bit at a time, until the meringue holds soft peaks.
6) Gently fold in the sifted flour/sugar blend ¼ cup at a time, just until incorporated.
7) Spoon the batter into an ungreased 10″ round angel food pan. Gently tap the pan on the counter to settle the batter and remove any large air bubbles.
8) Bake the cake until it’s a deep golden brown, and the top springs back when pressed lightly, about 45 minutes.
9) Remove the cake from the oven and invert the pan onto the neck of a heatproof bottle or funnel, to suspend the cake upside down as it sets and cools, about 2 hours.
10) Remove the cake from the pan by running a thin spatula or knife around the edges of the pan, and turning the cake out onto a plate.
11) Cut the cake with a serrated knife or angel food cake comb. If it’s difficult to cut, wet the knife and wipe it clean between slices.
12) Serve with whipped cream and fruit. Wrap any leftovers airtight, and store at room temperature.
Yield: one 10″ cake, about 12 to 16 servings.