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.
Angie says
This is my favorite keto cake I’ve made so far. I used vanilla whey protein (all I had at home) and it worked great. Topped with light buttercream & whipped cream and fresh strawberries. Used lakanto and didn’t notice too much cooling. Ammmmmaazing.
Penny Frick says
Hi Carolyn
I assume you have a Kitchen Aid Mixer, but sadly I do not. Please tell me I can accomplish this recipe with using a hand mixer. I so want to try this very soon.
Carolyn says
You can certainly make it with a hand mixer. It simply takes longer to beat the whites properly.
MOHAMED says
I made this cake and turned out perfect, thank you for this recipe.
I went with more fruity approach. I used mango extract in the cake and used whipped cream stabilized with sugar free orange Jello powder for the frosting.
I’m sorry I didn’t have time to take pictures because the whole cake was consumed within hours ????
Carolyn says
Sounds delicious!
April says
I was worried this was going to turn out way too dense, but it was light and fluffy just like a regular angel food cake! Plus, it gave me a great reason to bust out my grandma’s old pan. Great recipe, thanks!
Carolyn says
So glad to hear that!
Stephanie says
Turned out perfectly! Soft, fluffy and absolutely perfect!
Katie says
OMG! My family loves angel food cake. I can’t wait to try this keto option!
Aimee Curtis says
I was just wondering if you have any other recipes that use the egg white protein powder. I bought some to try the Angel food cake but I now have a lot of it!
Thanks
Carolyn says
You can sub it in for most recipes where I use whey protein, like cakes and muffins.
Barbs says
Hello Carolyn,
Firstly, thank you for your delicious recipes! I’m struggling with my sugar and you are my ally in the battle.
I love baking, but got lots to learn. I wanted to make a light fluffy chocolate cake. Do you know if the Angel Food could work with added cocoa powder? Would it some change in other ingredients?
Carolyn says
Cocoa powder is very dry so yes, you’d need to change something. I think you still need the protein powder so I’d probably try switching out some of the almond flour.
Sara says
Not wonderful. I used reconstituted egg white powder.- which I triple referenced to calculate the exact amount of powder and water. Initially they whipped up just fine. I weighed my ingredients. Everything went well until the folding of the flour mixture. I know how to fold properly too. Over half the air left, and the cake did not rise or climb. That flour was just too heavy. It’s dense and chewy. It will go out to the trail cam for the raccoons as it is inedible to me. I did use defatted almond flour (with a really fine texture) that weighs out the same as regular almond flour. I’m glad this cake worked out for everyone else. I doubt I will try it again.
Carolyn says
Sorry, Sara, that it didn’t work out but the error is clear from your comment… Defatted almond flour. This is NOT the right flour for this recipe. It doesn’t matter how it measures out, it matters how it bakes. It doesn’t have the right fat content, it’s very fine and powdery, and it would not blend in well with the whipped egg whites. You need to use the ingredients specified in a recipe like this.
Deborah says
Hey
Cannot buy your egg white protein from my location. Shall i use another egg white protein or might an unflavored soy protein work? I also have a pea hemp vanilla protein but i fear thé vanilla taste will be overpowering?
Also can you taste the vanilla extract? Is it better with vanilla and almond extract combined? Have you tried with almond extract only?
Will thé cake be high ? usually almond flour desserts do not rise much
Thx
Carolyn says
The vanilla would be strong so I’d avoid that. Another egg white protein would be fine, and some readers have had success with whey… but not sure about soy.
Sharon says
I find Swerve has such a strong taste, and Lakanto is better but I still get the cooling aftertaste. Have you tried the Monkfruit/Allulose sweetener? I wonder if it would work in this cake?
Carolyn says
I don’t get any cooling from erythritol. You can try other sweeteners but I can’t guarantee the outcome.
Ines says
This looks amazing. I am not very familiar with the concept of Angel Cake (I live in Portugal) so I am wondering if it goes well with any frosting or even filling between two layers of cake? I was thinking maybe something with egg yolks or lemon. Although it does look amazing on its own – I am going to try this very soon!
Carolyn says
Sure you could do a filling.
Mariangela Perez says
Carolyn!! Hands down the BEST keto cake recipe I’ve ever tried! I just made it and my family and I loved it. You can’t even tell it’s a keto cake!! It’s SO FLUFFY wow, unbelievable! Thank you SO MUCH. I would like to share my photos with you. Also, are you on Instagram? I can’t find you under the name all day I dream about food. I’d like to tag you on the photos of my recipes 🙂
Carolyn says
I am under FOODDREAMER on Instagram. so glad you liked it!
Redhead says
I made this w/egg whites from a carton – just whipped up the whites very well.. It turned out well, and I used vanilla whey protein powder. Next time, I’ll beat the egg whites til almost ‘Stiff.’ I also had a bit of batter get ‘stuck’ at the bottom of the bowl. I just tossed that little bit, rather than have it sink the Angel Food cake. Thanks for the great recipe! 🙂
Alicia Bratton says
WOW!! I made this for my 48th birthday. I followed the recipe exactly, but baked in a springform pan, as I don’t have an Angel food cake pan. It turned out perfect. I can not believe the texture of this cake!! The flavor and texture are literally Angel Food cake! Thank you so much for putting the time and effort into perfecting your recipes!
Connie says
Can’t believe how light this was for a low carb cake. I probably baked mine a little too long thinking it wasn’t bouncing back, will definitely take it out earlier as recipe calls for next time because mine was a little dry. Taste was spot on and we served it with strawberries and whipped cream.
Carolyn says
Thanks, Connie.
Teresa says
I make this at least once a month. I also serve with berry compote, whipped cream and home made keto ice cream. So delicious and light.
Carolyn says
Thank you, Teresa!
L.Taylor says
LOVED This!!! The texture was spot on and the flavor was great! I ate some with berries and whipped cream but it was delicious on its own as well!
Carolyn says
Thank you so much!
Tiffanee says
LOVE this angel food! My hubs had an angel food cake with strawberry frosting every year for his birthday for decades. When we went LCHF/Keto over 5 years ago I wondered if I would ever find a good recipe. This one hit it out of the park! I use a basic cream cheese frosting recipe and add a couple pulverized strawberries and viola! Another hit from Carolyn’s recipe collection!
Carolyn says
I am so glad to hear that!
Wendy Shelledy says
I recently made this cake with the orange variatuon. I served it with a mixed berry compote and sf whipped cream. Even the pickiest kids loved itvand came back for seconds. It was the perfect summer dessert!