After much experimenting, I have finally perfected Keto Angel Food Cake! It’s light and airy, with the perfect angel food texture. It’s completely grain-free and dairy-free.
This keto angel food cake represents an absolute triumph for keto baking. Perfectly light and airy, sweet and delicious, just as real angel food cake should be.
I have to be very honest and say I was on the fence about publishing this recipe right now, given the current state of the world. But so many of you have written, asking me to keep doing what I do best, baking and sharing recipes. We need these little bright spots, perhaps now more than ever.
I am committed to bringing you other great keto recipes that help you make healthy and easy keto meals during this time of uncertainty as well. It won’t be all cakes and cookies and butterflies over here, I promise. Be sure to check out this collection of easy keto dinners if you need a little inspiration.
The perfect keto angel food cake
It took me a long time to get this right, my friends. A lot of attempts, a lot of failures, and a lot of research. And a lot of sunken, overly dense keto angel food cake.
It all tasted good, so rest assured that it was not wasted. We found good homes for the failed cakes. Most notably, in our bellies!
I have to admit, I was very close to giving up. But I then I had a major breakthrough when I made the Chiffon Cake in The Ultimate Guide to Keto Baking. After a few attempts on that cake, I got the proportions of flour and protein powder JUST right.
And I knew I had to give keto angel food cake one more try.
This cake truly is keto-friendly!
When I was doing research on how to make angel food cake, I came across a number of cakes that called themselves keto.
I have to admit, was aghast that they all took either arrowroot starch or tapioca starch. And not just a little, either. One recipe took a full cup of starch.
I knew it had to be possible to make it without any starch whatsoever. And turns out I was right!
How to make keto angel food cake
Even conventional angel food cake takes some effort to make properly. This is a good baking project when you have some time on your hands and are up for a challenge! A few important do’s and dont’s:
Don’t grease the pan
Angel food cake needs to “climb” the sides of the pan and greasing the sides interferes with this.
Do line the bottom with parchment
This is critical for the easy release of the cake once it has cooled. I have clear instructions about how to line a tube pan with parchment in the recipe notes.
Do consider weighing your dry ingredients
Accuracy is crucial for angel food cake recipes, which is why I provided the exact weights for my almond flour and protein powder.
Do use protein powder
Protein powder is part of what allows keto angel food cake to rise and have the proper structure. You will need it for this recipe and I recommend egg white protein. Whey protein should also work but I haven’t tested that out properly.
Do sift your flour mixture properly
Sifting the flour thoroughly helps the cake be lighter and fluffier. If you don’t have a good sieve for sifting, then spend some time fluffing up the flour mixture with a fork.
Don’t invert the cake pan right away
Traditional angel food cake has you inverting the pan the minute it comes out of the oven, to avoid heaviness at the bottom of the cake. But I found it was important to let the cake cool for 20 minutes before inverting it.
How to store keto angel food cake
One of the great parts about this cake is that it can be made ahead and frozen! Just be sure to wrap it up tightly. I have half of my last cake in there as I write this.
If you aren’t planning on freezing it, it’s fine on the counter for 4 days, covered. Place plastic wrap over any cut ends to keep them from drying out.
What to do with leftover egg yolks
I have many answers for that! Check out these 35 great keto recipes for leftover egg yolks.
You can also simply add a few extra yolks to an omelet or to my Easy Taco Pie. The yolks will keep in your fridge for 3 days or so. I store mine in glass jars.
Bon appetit! I hope you enjoy this recipe.
Keto Angel Food Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup Swerve Granular
- ½ cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1 ¾ cups almond flour (about 175g)
- ½ cup egg white protein powder (about 40g)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 10 large egg whites room temperature
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place an oven rack in the second lowest position and preheat the oven to 325F. Line the bottom with parchment paper (see recipe notes). Do not grease the pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the granular and powdered sweeteners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, protein powder, half the sweetener mixture, and the salt. Use a sieve or strainer to sift the flour mixture into another large bowl. Do this back and forth between the bowls 3 times.
- If you do not have a sieve, simply use a fork to fluff up the mixture for several minutes, to break up clumps and make it lighter and airier.
- In another large bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until frothy. With the beaters running, slowly add the remaining sweetener until the whites hold medium peaks (the tips should flop over slightly when the beaters are lifted).
- Add the extracts and continue to beat until the whites hold stiff peaks (tips should stand up straight when beaters are lifted).
- In four separate additions, carefully fold the flour mixture into the egg whites until well combined (a large silicone spatula works best for this). Be sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl well to mix in any ingredients that may have settled there.
- Spread the batter in the prepared pan and smooth the top. Wipe off any drops of batter from the sides, and lightly tap the pan on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles.
- Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking, until the top is uniformly golden and springs back when lightly pressed.
- Remove and let cool in the pan 20 minutes, then turn the pan upside down and let cool completely.
- Run a sharp knife around the inside of the pan, and around the tube in the center, to loosen the cake. If the pan has a removable bottom, you can simply push up to release the cake. Otherwise, invert the pan over a cake plate and tap the bottom to release the cake.
Andrea says
what can I substitute for egg white powder?
Carolyn says
Whey protein powder works.
Laurie says
Just made this cake today. It’s delicious ! I followed the recipe exactly and it came out looking beautiful!
Karen Barnhart says
Can you use this instead of the one you list? It doesn’t have lecitin in it.
It’s Just! – Egg White Protein Powder, Dried Egg Whites Protein, Meringue Ingredient, Non-GMO, USA Farms, Unflavored (8oz) https://a.co/d/5MSYHew
Carolyn says
That’s fine, I’ve used that one a lot.
Karen Barnhart says
Thank you!
Diane says
Growing up, my sisters and I chose what we wanted for dinner and cake for our birthdays.My angel food cake just came out of the oven! Third time to use this recipe, thanks so much for making it keto! My 67th birthday is tomorrow!!
Carolyn says
Happy Birthday!
Valerie says
I use to make Angel Food Cake from scratch with my Grandmother; her recipe used one dozen egg whites. Oh it was so good! I can’t wait to try this recipe.
We use to make noodles with the egg yolks. I haven’t seen one on your web site; I was wondering if you could give us another wonderful recipe, one making noodles.
Thanks so much Carolyn.
Deb G. says
Hi Carolyn, I made this cake today and I followed the instructions very closely, the only change I made was I used Purecane sweeteners because Swerve sweeteners don’t agree with me. My problem is that the finished product was not a batter at all, but a very dry and crumbly dough. And sure enough, it came out dry and crumbly. Any ideas what I did wrong? I used Blue Diamond almond flour and the other ingredients were pretty standard.
Help? I’m out of ideas here! :\
Carolyn says
Is this the one you used? -> https://purecane.com/products/purecane-baking-sweetener-new
One thing that stands out to me in the ingredient list is the “soluble fiber”. The added fiber may be causing the batter to become a dough. Of course that’s not how it’s supposed to be as you can see from my video! I can’t be certain that’s the issue… what size were your eggs?
Karen Warren says
The prep took just a bit to get all the eggs separated, but I will definitely make this cake again. It’s delicious! It’s so nice to know I have a sugar-free dessert waiting for me at the end of the day!
Tina says
what is the difference between the 2 allulose as in Australia we use erythritol. what can I substitute for the 2.
Carolyn says
This recipe doesn’t use allulose.
NKindall says
Just baked this cake and, as expected, the result is fabulous! Wonderful height, perfect angel food texture and tastes so good!
Carolyn says
So glad to hear it!
Gail Bobrowitz says
I was wondering if the cream cheese filled carrot cake can be made in a square pan?
Rebecca argall says
I love this recipe and it’s the second time I have made it and I feel as though it’s a bit dry to you have a remedy for that?
Carolyn says
Angel food cake is light and a little dry… and then you are meant to serve it with cream and berries. 🙂
Jen H M says
This was absolutely delicious. Made a few changes which didn’t affect the recipe negatively at all, in my opinion. I used whey protein because that’s what I had, and it worked fine. Substituted xylitol for the sweetener, also worked great. Lastly, I use liquid egg white from a carton (1.25 cups). I would say this took about an extra 10 minutes to bake than listed, but turned out great.
Carolyn says
Thanks for the info!
Konnie says
Heavy as a rock, flavor was good though.
Konnie says
Maybe I’ll try to make biscotti out of it
Carolyn says
So I need to know EVERY ingredient you used. Because if it was heavy as rock, something went very wrong on your end. I can help if you give me more specific information.
Konnie says
I’m a pastry chef so I followed instructions exactly. Maybe I am expecting too much!
Carolyn says
No… if you read the reviews, most people have success with this. Once again, I need to know exactly what ingredients (including brands) you used.
April says
Angel food cake is a family favorite, especially when fresh strawberries are available. I used Whey Protein Isolate (vanilla flavor) instead of the egg white protein ($$$) and it turned out just fine! Wonderful texture and fabulous taste. Thanks for all you do Carolyn. Keep on!
Carolyn says
Yes, egg white protein is awfully expensive these days! It used to be the less expensive option. 🙁
Rhonda says
glad.to know whey vanilla protein powder works fine that’s all i have .
Diana says
Hi, I signed up for your blog post
Alex says
Hi Carolyn,
This was my first attempt at making an angel food cake, and it turned out perfectly! I baked it last night and had a slice for breakfast just now and I can’t believe how soft, light, and delicious it is while being so low-cal, keto, and protein packed. I’ve tried many keto baking recipes from others but they always felt lacking compared to regularly baked goods, so I was a little apprehensive trying this but I’m so so glad I did. Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe; I’m sure I’m gonna make this multiple times in the future. BTW, this recipe convinced me to buy your cookbook!!
Allison Brigham says
Hi Alex,
I can tell you I haven’t baked a dessert from Carolyn (and followed her directions perfectly) that wasn’t delicious! I felt the same about my sweets until I found her Keto Chantilly Cake… It Is A DREAM!
Katie says
Delicious!! Your instructions were so easy to follow! This was a test run, as I want to use it as the cake in a trifle on Christmas Eve. Its light, it’s flavorful, and It’s perfect!! Thank you!!
San says
The egg white protein powder in cost prohibitive. Is there a more reasonably priced version you recommend?
Carolyn says
Try this one… that one is out of stock anyway and I use this “It’s Just” brand frequently. https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/stuffed-pepper-skillet-keto-recipe/
Pat M says
This sounds so good, but I have a major erythritol allergy and am new to low carb. Would other sweeteners work? Monk fruit, coconut sugar or? Thanks!
Carolyn says
Unless you are using true monkfruit extract, that’s usually blended with erythritol anyway. Coconut sugar is not in the least bit keto, and would also make this too brown. You could try BochaSweet.