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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Very tasty. I will defiantly make this again. You are my go to for keto desserts
Can you use Bocha Sweet in place of Swerve granular?
To be honest, I am not sure. BochaSweet makes things a lot softer and I can’t be sure of the results without trying it myself. It’s usually okay in cakes but again, no guarantees. You may just have to experiment.
I’m so excited to have this recipe! I am so grateful that you take the time, met the challenges, to figure these things out for us! We used to make Angel Food at Easter as our strawberries were starting to be “perfect” about that time! I remember my favorite thing to do is to get a piece, squash it down flat, put some cut up strawberries in the middle with some whipped cream and roll it up! It was a “kid” thing! Thank you for all you do for the Ketoers!
First of all, I love your recipes! You are my go to for keto. However, I had to chuckle when I read the first instruction. The way it is written makes it sound like you line the bottom of the oven with parchment paper. I had read your notes so I knew what you meant. Unfortunately, some people don’t read the entire post and I can see someone doing exactly that and then wondering why their oven is on fire.
Your recipes are comprehensive, relatively easy and well thought out. Thank you for all of your effort to provide great recipes. My husband is excited for me to bake this!
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.
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.
You can certainly make it with a hand mixer. It simply takes longer to beat the whites properly.
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 ????
Sounds delicious!
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!
So glad to hear that!
Turned out perfectly! Soft, fluffy and absolutely perfect!
OMG! My family loves angel food cake. I can’t wait to try this keto option!
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
You can sub it in for most recipes where I use whey protein, like cakes and muffins.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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?
I don’t get any cooling from erythritol. You can try other sweeteners but I can’t guarantee the outcome.
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!
Sure you could do a filling.