Gluten Free Angel Food Cake
Hi Bakers!
This podcast marks the first of my podcast/videos that I will be releasing. I’m super excited but a bit new at all of this so please be patient if things are a bit different for the next few episodes. Also, the video will be out soon but is not quite ready today. On to our bake…
If you made a cloud into a cake this would be it. Uniquely snow white, light textured, sweet, and fat-free with a caramel-tasting browned edge. This gluten-free Angel Food Cake uses egg whites and the air beaten into them to create a delicate texture. It is not a difficult cake to make but it requires some special attention to detail. You need to know how to separate eggs and fold in the flour. I walk you through all of this and more on my podcast and a video coming soon! I sure hope you try baking this stellar cake which is a family favorite and usually is devoured in a day. Enjoy -Carolyn
PS If you have listened to me before you might be surprised that I’m sifting my flour and sugar! This is the one bake you really need to sift :)
Equipment needed: 10” tube pan, hand mixer, rubber spatula.
Special ingredients: Cream of Tartar
Gluten-free Angel Food Cake
Adapted from The Joy of Cooking’s recipe for Angel Cake
makes one 10” tube pan
1 1/4 cups of egg whites (~ from 8 large eggs is what I needed), room temp
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt, fine grain
1 cup Cup4Cup multi-purpose gluten-free flour
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar, small grain works best
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350F and make sure your oven rack is in the middle position but low enough to fit the tube pan on the rack.
Sift flour and sift sugar before measuring. Sift flour a second time and sift in 1/4 cup of the sugar. Set aside.
Do not use a plastic bowl for making this cake! Any residual oil on it will prevent the egg whites from beating. As an extra measure of precaution, I always wash the beaters and bowls in hot soapy water (even if I think they are clean) to make sure they are entirely free of oil.
Add egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt into the large mixing bowl. Beat with a hand mixer on medium until the whites are foamy. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until soft peaks form. If you lift the beater out of the whites and a peak forms on the surface but it falls over a bit, this is the soft peaks stage. Time to add the sugar. Add the granulated sugar by sprinkling it into the batter a 1/4 cup at a time. Beat to just combine after each addition. Continue doing this until all the sugar is used. The egg whites and sugar will get thick and marshmallow-textured. Beat until stiff peaks form. A stiff peak is when the whites form a peak that doesn’t fall over when you lift the beaters out of the whites. Grab a spatula ( i know this is rubber/plastic but it’s ok to use at this stage of mixing) and start adding the flour. Sprinkle 1/4 of the flour/sugar mix over the beaten egg whites and fold it in. Continue doing this until all the flour is used. Be careful to fold until the flour is just mixed in. Spoon the batter into an ungreased tube pan. Smooth it out to the edges, into the curves, and flat on top. Next, using a skewer or a knife, run it through the batter to get rid of any air pockets. Do this gently so as not to deflate the batter. You can make a pretty design on top with your knife, I usually do swirls.
Bake in the oven for about 35-40 minutes** or until the cake springs back in the middle when touched with your finger. To cool the cake without deflating, center a large plate over the tube pan and turn it upside down. Let cool for at least two hours. This helps the cake stay tall. Loosen the cake from the pan by running a serrated knife around the edges and base. Turn the cake over onto a plate. Slice using a serrated knife and small sawing motions. Garnish with fresh fruit and a sprinkle of powdered sugar.
**If the cake is browning too quickly but not done, cover loosely with a sheet of foil.
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