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.
Jo Waugh says
My husband and I LOVE this cake. Before we switched to a Keto lifestyle, my husband did not like angel food cake. But he likes this one and requests chocolate whipped cream to go with it. I have made this 2-3 times and it came out beautifully every time. Thank you so much for all of the hard work you put in so we can have a healthier version of some old favorites. It was wonderful to be able to make this in memory of my mother on what would have been her birthday. Angel food cake was one of her favorite desserts.
Carolyn says
Love the chocolate whipped cream idea!
Pan says
I LOVED this angel food cake! It has the perfect texture—light and airy inside without being dry, slightly dried toward the edges the way good angel food cake should be. One thing is for sure: storebought angel food cake, the sugary kind, doesn’t hold a candle to this recipe. For people who love this recipe, I also highly recommend the Chiffon Cake in your baking cookbook, The Ultimate Guide to Keto Baking. It combines the airy texture of this cake with the rich taste of a buttery pound cake. Both recipes make wonderful French toast.
Pan says
I LOVED this angel food cake! It has the perfect texture—light and airy inside without being dry, slightly dried toward the edges the way good angel food cake should be. One thing is for sure: storebought angel food cake, the sugary kind, doesn’t hold a candle to this recipe. For people who love this recipe, I also high my recommend the Chiffon Cake in your baking cookbook, The Ultimate Guide to Keto Baking. It combines the airy texture of this cake with the rich taste of a buttery pound cake. Both recipes make wonderful French toast.
Carolyn says
Thanks so much!
Monica Derieux says
THIS is my new go to to take to parties and gets made at least monthly. My friends actually request me to make it for them too, including the non-Ketoers. Thank you Carolyn for this amazing recipe. I now can enjoy one of my favorite desserts from grandmother and relive those memories all while using her pan.
Carolyn says
Thank you, Monica!
Kim Pitts says
The best I have tried!!! Nobody would ever be able to tell that it wasn’t the old fashioned high carb, sugar laden version!! Awesome recipe!!
Patty Fleming says
I made this today and it’s perfect! Light and airy with a delicious flavor. I’ve been craving angel food cake since I first found this recipe. I finally got an angel food cake pan and was excited to make it.
Thanks for this (and all your) recipe(s)! Another hit.
Carolyn says
So glad you like it!
Amy Nelson says
Fabulous! Followed the recipe exactly. Had loads of frozen egg whites to use up to create space in my freezer. Loved the mild almond flavor and the airy texture.
Elena De Meyer says
I made this according to the instructions. However, the texture wasn’t quite right. Mine turned out into a dry, dense eggy tasking pound cake. Not airy and fluffy. I baked it for 40 minutes. I wonder if it was overcooked? Not sure what I did wrong.
Carolyn says
If it was dense and eggy then yes, something went wrong. it’s very light… I wish I could b sure what the issue is but over-baking wouldn’t do that. What kind of protein powder did you use?
Beth says
I can’t wait to make this. I will try whey protein powder because I have it. Could you explain why you selected a granulated and powdered sweetener?
Carolyn says
Less grittiness but the granular is better for whipping air bubbles into egg whites.
Eve Anderson says
I recently purchased Bochasweet granular & powdered versions. Can they be substituted for Swerve in this recipe?
Carolyn says
I can’t be sure, to be honest, since I haven’t tried it. I do know that BochaSweet will make it so meringues will never firm up. But in a cake like this, I think it should be okay. Fingers crossed!
Claire says
Just did this, came out perfect. I used Isopure whey protein isolate. The top is golden and crunchy, like a meringue and the centre is soft and airy. Love it 🙂
Carolyn says
Glad to hear it!
Clare says
Hi, firstly can I say how great your recipes are, they really help me to put the ‘normal’ into Keto with my family. so thank you. I am based in the UK and Swerve isn’t readily available (apart from extortionate importers) what sweetener could I use in its place? Xylitol, stevia?
Carolyn says
I think you want an erythritol based sweetener and although I don’t know the brands there, I know they do exist.
Tiffany says
Am thinking about subbing Lakanto powdered and granulated for swerve because it had less cooling effect, any reason you are aware of that I should not try it? Thank you for your work on this recipe and sharing it.
Mariangela Perez says
I made it that way and turned out great!
Lynn says
When I took it out of the oven to cool it fell to half the size. What did I do wrong ?
Carolyn says
Hard to say exactly unless you tell me everything you used (ingredients). But it honestly sounds under-baked.
Lynn says
I stayed to recipe but used vanilla collagen powder i stead of egg white powder. Did have egg white powder.
I also used a springform pan, mainly because I did t u derstand how to wrap the center in parchment. I cooked it 50 and it sprung back in the oven when touched. But after cooling 20 the center fell and it was good, but dense ..
Lynn says
I didn’t have egg white powder .nit did have
Carolyn says
Okay, there you have it. The vanilla collagen is the likely culprit. Because collagen protein makes baked goods gummy and hard to cook through. It doesn’t provide the structure that egg white protein or whey protein can provide.
Liz Burt says
You Rock! I only have a silicon pan, would that work? I have found it does sometimes stick baking other cakes even when greasing. Any houghts? Thanks from a fellow Canuck. BTW, I love using up any yolks to make custard using your Nanaimo Bar recipe.
Carolyn says
Oh boy, I am doubtful it would rise properly because angel food needs metal to climb the sides properly. That’s my understanding, anyway… I tried a number of things before I got this to work!
Nancy Sanderson says
When I saw your recipe I knew I had to make it!! I made it today and it turned out fantastic! I’ve really missed Angel Food cake since going Keto. The top of the cake comes out with a nice light golden brown color that has a slight crunchy texture, like meringue. The whole family loved it! Thank you so much for creating trustworthy recipes.
Carolyn says
So glad to hear it!
Jodi says
Can I use pea or hemp protein powder instead of the egg powder?
Carolyn says
As long as it’s not green! 🙂 Some of those plant based ones are.
Cheryl Neiswender says
This is delicious! It’s been so long since I’ve had angel food cake. Thanks for not giving up! I had already purchased the pint carton of egg whites when I read you don’t recommend it. Because it contained exactly 10 egg whites, I just had to try it. They worked beautifully for me! I’ll be making this again!
Candice Sauerbrunn says
I absolutely love your Swiss cake roll and honestly don’t make a dessert recipe unless it’s yours. I know they are tested and approved! My question is this: there’s a recipe on Pinterest that is an angel food cake roll up that you put a cream cheese and berry filling in. Do you think this recipe would roll up like the Swiss Cake roll? Thank you for being amazing always!!
Carolyn says
I honestly can’t say without trying it. I feel like this cake might be a bit stiff for rolling. But… paired as is with berries and cream, it’s pretty much the same flavors! You could even make a light cream cheese frosting for it, and spread it all over this cake.
Rusty says
Do you think that the Keto Protein protein powder would work? TIA!
Carolyn says
I don’t know what brand that is, so I honestly can’t say. If it’s whey or egg white protein, then yes probably. If it’s collagen protein, then no.