Angel Food Cake - Gluten Free

 

Angel Food Cake in a box for gifting.

This cake is soft, light and pure white on the inside. It can be served with a warm drizzle of strawberry jam and clotted cream, plain or - my husband's favourite, plain with a slice of cheese on top. 
I have made this recipe in ordinary flour and gluten-free, and the gluten-free version is actually nicer.


Note:

There are two sets of ingredients-
One set is pre-mixed separately to the eggs for folding into the egg white mix. Mix A
The other set is the egg white mix. Mix B
Oven temperature is 160 degrees C fan oven - baking time approx 45 mins to 1 hour. 

(do not open the oven for the first 45mins)


Mix A:

  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup gluten-free flour (Rice flour) (I used Freee) affiliate
  • 1/4 cup cornflour - fine ground


Mix B:

  • 1 & 1/2 cups room temp egg whites (10-11eggs)
  • 3/4 cup caster sugar
  • 1 & 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar (gluten-free)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt


Mix A
You can see why it's better to use standard measures - my teacups are rather small.

Mix A in food processor
Use a food processor to process the granulated sugar and then mix the cornflour and rice flour in.



Mix B

Egg whites and Cream of tartar in the stand mixer.

It's easier to add the cream of tartar to the egg whites before you start mixing. The other ingredients can be added during mixing. Add the salt before soft peaks form.

Soft-peak stage just beginning - add the salt now, then add the caster sugar one spoon at a time.

Stiff-peak stage - start folding in the flour mixture now. Take care to add it carefully and evenly so you don't deflate the mixture.

Use a 10-inch Angel Food Cake tin - don't grease it or flour it, the mixture needs to stick to the sides.

My Angel Food Cake tin has a few character marks, having travelled home from Portugal in my luggage. It had a huge dent after the trip, which I have mostly straightened out.

Add the mixture to the tin and tap it on a teatowel on the counter to remove extra air-bubbles. Spread the mixture evenly around the tin.

Angel Food Cake - Ready for the oven


Put the cake in the centre of the oven when the oven is at 160 degrees, or the cake might not rise enough before the surface starts to set. This cake has no raising agent and relies on the air trapped in the egg whites to rise and set. It is possible to reduce the sugar used in the cake. If you reduce the amount, remove the sugar from the flour mixture. The first batch of sugar is needed to set the cake - just like a meringue. You can't increase the sugar or the excess drips to the base during baking and weighs the cake down and makes it droop in the tin as it cools. Make sure you have the full one and a half cups of egg white - crack another egg open and separate the egg white out if you need to make up the difference. Don't get any yolk in the mix or it won't set properly.




Don't open the oven to check the cake until at least 45 mins. If a knife comes out wet - let it bake for at least another 5 minutes.

As soon as the cake is removed from the oven - place the tin upside down onto 3 cups - to avoid it falling over. Don't even stand it upright for a moment - it will shrink before your eyes. Leave it to cool until the tin is at room temperature. Don't wrap or cover it - the excess moisture needs to escape, or it will split when you try to remove it.

Once the cake is ready to remove from the tin, run a spatula all the way around the outer and inner ring. Use the spatula to slightly ease the cake away from the bottom gently from the inner ring and outer ring. Once the sides appear loose, using a kitchen towel held over the tin, turn the whole thing so the tin is upside-down on your splayed hand and feel whether the cake is free of the tin. If it's not free, turn it over again and use a spatula to free the part that is stuck. Once you've freed it, turn the cake gently into a cake box for taking to visit friends. It makes a good partner for after-dinner coffee.


Upside-down cake cooling to room temperature

Serve it plain, with whipped cream, clotted cream, custard, fruit or any way you wish. My husband's favourite is with a small hot coffee and a slice of mild cheddar.

Angel Food Cake - Ready for gifting