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
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I made this angel food cake today and I couldn’t be more pleased! It’s light and moist with a great texture and taste. I did break some of the rules, though. I don’t have an angel food cake pan so I used a 9″ springform pan, lined the bottom with baking parchment and put an empty, narrow jar in the center to mimic the tube. Also, I used Allulose granulated instead of Erythritol because that was what I had in the pantry.
I know that Allulose can brown faster, but thought I’d try because 325° F isn’t a terribly high temperature. The cake was done, springy to the touch, in 40 minutes with a nice golden brown top. It worked out wonderfully! One thing that I did notice when I took it out of the oven was that after a minute or so it started to deflate a bit, so I treated it more like a typical angel food cake and inverted it right away.
Because I didn’t use an angel food cake pan I had to get creative and found that the 9″ pan’s rim fit perfectly on my stainless steel fine mesh strainer. It hung onto the pan perfectly and was able to breathe while it cooled. I could hardly wait until it was finished cooling and out of the pan so I could take a small slice to see (and taste!) what the texture was like. Marvelous from top to bottom! It all worked out perfectly! This will be the foundation of tonight’s desert – Keto Strawberry Shortcake! I’ll be making this again and I’m thinking maybe lemon extract next time, just to mix things up! Thank you for all your delicious recipes.
Does this hold up well in the heat? I were to make it for a summer event and it was out for an hour or two, would it be alright?
It should!
Can you use liquid egg white instead of regular egg whites
Some folks do, but they don’t whip as well and the cake tends to be heavier.
Hi there,
Can I use reg protein powder instead of the egg white protein powder? TIA!
You mean like whey protein? I believe some readers have and it’s worked.
Could the protein powder be skipped altogether?
No, it can’t. It’s a vital part of making this rise properly.
For got to ask…Could Monkfruit granular sweetener be substituted for Swerve product?
If it’s just erythritol and monk fruit, then yes.
Thanks so much!!
Does this freeze well? I would like to make it and freeze it to serve on the 4th of July! Thank you.
It does! Just make sure to wrap it up tightly to avoid freezer burn.
Do you think coconut flour would work? I can eat almond flour but I am allergic to it so I never really enjoy the finished product as much as I should.
No, I am afraid no. Coconut flour is a completely different beast than almond flour and works VERY differently. It would be a disaster in this recipe.
This sounds delicious! Can I use liquid egg whites instead of the 10 egg whites listed?
Thank you for all your great recipes,
Jeanne
They often don’t whip nearly as well.
Can I cook it in a loaf pan instead of a angel food cake pan if so, how should I adjust the time in the oven
This will be far too much batter for a loaf pan, I would cut it back by 1/3. I can’t guide you as to time since I didn’t make mine that way so keep your eye on it.
I have this in the oven now… last few minutes of baking and it’s looking good. My kitchen smells WONDERFUL!!!
Hope you enjoyed the results!
Hi Carolyn. I definitely will make this great recipe. Does the granular sweetener for this recipe have to be erithytol based or could I use the King Arthur sweetener which contains allulose?
Thank you!.
Well, the trouble with many sweeteners that contain allulose is that they brown very quickly on the outside. The KAF sweetener is some erythritol too, though… I think you might chance it.
Ok thank you. I’ll give that one a try! Can’t wait to make it. Thank you for all of these wonderful recipes, you’ve really been a lifesaver!
Can I substitute the egg white protein powder with more egg whites or something else like psyllium husk?
No, it really needs a dry protein. Psyllium will make it gummy. More egg whites will throw off the balance of the other ingredients.
Oh my goodness Carolyn! This is a 10 star recipe! I’ve made it 15 or more times and each time it turns out perfect! Thank you for sharing your extraordinary talent with us time and time again!
Absolutely love your recipes and am looking forward to making this to have with some fresh strawberries!!
My question is – What do you do with all those yolks?? No, seriously, that IS the question! LOL
Holly
I got ya! https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/35-low-carb-recipes-egg-yolks/ (next time, just type “egg yolks” into my search box!).
Thank you for all your hard work creating this recipe! I can’t wait to try it. I really need to get a new tube pan. Mine is so old it doesn’t have the feet on it. I have to turn it onto a bottle neck. I can’t tell you how many times I have screwed that up lol
Can you use a silicone angel food cake pan. If so can you skip the parchment paper?
As far as I know, angel food won’t rise properly in anything other than metal.
Hi (: would a metal bunt pan work instead?
Also I have a son who insists I use regular sugar in my recipes or he won’t eat it and the rest of my family doesn’t care so it broke my heart and was so hard to make myself do it but what I do now is take keto recipes and use regular sugars and a lot of the recipes do work that way for them. They have been ok with the nut flours and other keto ingredients. I am the only one keto in my family and I use Swerve, sukrin gold and stevia drops for liquids. I’m so thankful for your work and recipes.
You can’t line a bundt pan with parchment. You’d be better off with a springform pan or a round cake pan.
I have to say this recipe is amazing. I hoped it would be good enough to take to a family dinner. It far exceeded my expectations and everyone was surprised when I told them it was Keto. Thanks for making me and our keto choice look good. 5 stars and a new “go to” keto dessert option.
I am SO glad!
Can I substitute Allulose for the granular Swerve? I have the powdered Swerve. I want to make this and put some whipped cream and strawberries on it.
I would not do so in a cake that bakes this long. Allulose makes things brown very quickly and it will look and taste almost burnt. I’d do all powdered Swerve.
Can’t wait to try this. I love good Angel food cake. I have a beautiful new NordicWare tube pan, perfect for baking this cake.
I just love your recipes. I also really enjoy your writing. You’re my favorite keto blogger.
Have a wonderful day.
Enjoy!