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 made this but soon after folding in my flour mixture into my egg whites they deflated completely. I thought I was gentle enough. Maybe it was because I substituted almond flour for coconut flour? I also only had granulated monk fruit/allulose sweetener. Not sure what went wrong.
I am sorry, but if you used coconut flour, you made a huge error in the recipe. These flours are not even remotely the same and behave very differently. Please read the articles in my FAQ section: https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/faq/
Wowzers. Carolyn, you knocked it out of the park on this recipe! This is SO delicious! Two small tweaks from me: I doubled the cream of tartar based on some other traditional recipes I looked at. And I used Equip Vanilla protein powder. I was worried it might overwhelm on sweetness and vanilla but it didn’t. There is never a day we all don’t need an angel in our lives!
I only have a ceramic bundt pan. I can’t afford to buy another, angel food one, as I already have purchased springform pans, small 4 inch cake pans, etc for other recipes of yours and I’m on a small limited income. The bundt pan doesn’t have heavy indentations, it’s ALMOST smooth sided. Could I use it to bake this in? I may try it if you don’t answer anyway. I plan to use carton egg whites as I can’t afford to use real eggs and have leftover yolks that I would not use up before they went bad.
I did add some lemon zest and took 1 cup almond flour and 3/4 cup hazelnut flour…the result is absolute super!!!! So fluffy, airy and soft. And the lemon gave it a finishing touch, I really love lemon cakes, desserts etc..
I made this again yesterday. It is so light and airy just like the full carb version. I had carton egg whites to use up. I was worried it might not work as well but there were no issues and it sure made it easier!
I am glad it worked! I think carton egg whites are better than they used to be.
An amazing cake! Made keto fruit dip, added fresh raspberries, hollowed out the cake and made a keto raspberry tunnel cake! I’ve made it twice, and it turns out perfect every time! It’s a little work, but so satisfying
My daughter is a student chef and I am constantly looking for ways to to use up her leftover egg whites so this is a great recipe for that. I didn’t have egg white protein powder so I used vanilla whey powder and left out the vanilla essence. The result is DELICIOUS! My only problem was that I didn’t know when it was done as it stayed wobbly til over 50 minutes so I may have over done it and I have a very crusty crust but it is still unbelievably soft inside and so delicious! The sweetener I used (monk fruit / erythritol mix) was too sweet and I’m wondering if it will affect the consistency if next time I use 3/4 the amount? Thanks for this recipe, really a winner!
Perfect classic Angel Food flavor. Substituted Allulose for the granular sweetener.
I really wanted this recipe to work. Followed it to the T except used egg whites from a carton. We were not able to eat it. Was very dense and gummy , had to throw it out. Any idea what might have gone wrong?
Yup… the issue is that you used carton egg whites.
I used carton egg whites twice, and it turned out perfect!
I have made many angel food cakes from scratch in my lifetime, and I love them. I made this for the 4th of July as a keto dessert to help us celebrate. It was Wonderful! everyone loved it.
I did something special with it though. I baked it in a jelly roll pan and rolled it up with a blueberry gelatin filling (sweetened with allulose) and topped with an unsweetened whipped cream.
Thank you so much for the wonderful recipe and for helping make our holiday special.
I am so glad it worked out. What a great idea!
it was awesome with your great instructions. Lovely easter by all
But I did cheat and did a 7 min frosting on it!
awesome cake..taste and texture just like the full sugar version. no one would guess it’s keto.
have always had good luck with Carolyn’s recipes. thank you for all your hard work perfecting them.