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
- 1/2 cup (91 g) Swerve Granular
- 1/2 cup (91 g) powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1 3/4 cups (175 g) almond flour, (about 175g)
- 1/2 cup (40 g) egg white protein powder, (about 40g)
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) salt
- 10 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) cream of tartar
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 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.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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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?
Less grittiness but the granular is better for whipping air bubbles into egg whites.
I recently purchased Bochasweet granular & powdered versions. Can they be substituted for Swerve in this recipe?
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!
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 🙂
Glad to hear it!
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?
I think you want an erythritol based sweetener and although I don’t know the brands there, I know they do exist.
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.
I made it that way and turned out great!
When I took it out of the oven to cool it fell to half the size. What did I do wrong ?
Hard to say exactly unless you tell me everything you used (ingredients). But it honestly sounds under-baked.
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 ..
I didn’t have egg white powder .nit did have
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.
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.
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!
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.
So glad to hear it!
Can I use pea or hemp protein powder instead of the egg powder?
As long as it’s not green! 🙂 Some of those plant based ones are.
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!
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!!
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.
Do you think that the Keto Protein protein powder would work? TIA!
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.
Can you suggest a keto friendly peanut butter frosting to go with this Angel food cake? It is my mother’s favorite that her mother made before she past 3 years ago. I would love to surprise her for mother’s day.
Try the frosting from this cake: https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/low-carb-peanut-butter-texas-sheet-cake-1/
I made the cake today and used whey protein isolate (Iso pure), worked great. Oh, I also used room temperature carton egg whites. They whipped up very well. These subs were used cause that’s what I had on hand. The other thing had to sub was the swerve, I had Lakanto monk fruit sugar; gave the cake a cooling effect – won’t do that again. Overall, I wld def bake this again! Kudos to Miss Carolyn!
The Lakanto gave a cooling effect? Usually that is why I use Lakanto over Swerve, because Swerve has strong cooling effect.
Could Bochasweet be substituted for half of the swerve or would it change the texture too much?
You know, I am not sure. I find it makes meringues way too soft (think… you can’t even get them off the pan, they are like gooey marshmallow). Not entirely sure what affect it would have on a cake like this.
Wow! I finally made this today! All I can say is WOW! Delicious! I will definitely put this into my regular rotation! Thank you! I haven’t had angel food cake in 10 years!
Any chance you can create cream puffs?
I am so happy to hear it!