This lovely light angel food cake recipe is the perfect combination with those bright juicy strawberries. Eating gluten free? You don’t have to miss out. The fluffy airy cake is a finishing touch for your summer table, celebration, or gathering. With it’s festive color contrast, you can use any number of fruit toppings to suit your taste: the classic strawberry, blueberry, mixed berry, tropical fruit mix, or pineapple. For me though, the strawberry will always be the quintessential partner.
Angel Food Cake tips
Using a sifter to add the flours onto the beaten egg white is a great way to delicately add the dry ingredients to preserve the airiness of the egg whites. Then fold in the dry ingredients instead of mixing.
Using an angel food cake pan is helpful but you can use a loaf pan or a regular sponge cake pan with a removable center. An angel food cake pan has little legs along the top lip to set the whole pan upside down to cool. If you don’t have one, just prop your pan corners upside down on the edge of a couple of upside down bowls or cups to allow air flow under the pan while it cools.
Toppings are best added at the last minute so the cake doesn’t get soggy. You can pour berries over the whole cake and top with spray whipped cream or set out a toppings bar for others to choose. It’s not limited to strawberries though. There are a huge array of options.
Ever wonder what the cream of tartar is for? It is often added to whipped meringue style desserts, whipped cream, and snickerdoodles. According to Masterclass, it helps to stabilize the whipped up air bubbles as well as preventing sugar from crystallizing.
- Don’t throw away those egg yolks! You can save them for pound cake next. I freeze mine in a freezer container.
Light and Airy Gluten Free Angel Food Cake
Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Medium12
servings15
minutes40
minutesAn iconic summer dessert ready for celebration. The beautiful light gluten free angel free cake is perfect for that next gathering.
Ingredients
1 1/2 C. Egg whites (10-12 depending on size. Save the yolks for later use)
1 1/2 tsp. Cream of Tartar
1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract
1/2 C. Brown rice flour
1/2 C. Tapioca starch
1/2 tsp. Xantham gum
1 1/2 C. Sugar
1/4 tsp. Salt
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Whip the egg whites, cream of tartar, salt, and vanilla until peaks form. Slowly sprinkle in the sugar as the mixer is whipping the egg whites. Be careful not to dump the sugar in too quickly and smush the air bubbles forming.
- Add the xantham gum while the mixer is running.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer. Sift the flours together and slowly sprinkle over the egg whites, stopping to fold the flour into the egg white mixture several times. Be careful not to over work the whipped mixture, we want to preserve the fluff.
- Lightly spread the mixture into your pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes until light golden on top.
- Immediately invert onto the pan legs or props and let cool completely upside down.
- Once cool, slide a knife around the edges to release the pan insert. After you remove the pan insert, slide knife along the bottom edge and then invert the cake onto a plate.
- Top with choice of toppings and whipped cream or slice the cake and let others choose their own topping.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator– if there are any.
Notes
- Can be served with lightly sweetened mashed strawberries, blueberries, mixed berries, cherries, pineapple sauce, lemon curd… top with milk and/ or whipped cream.
