Gluten Free Recipes from Gluten-Free-Desserts.com
Gluten-Free & Wheat-Free
Lemon Angel Food Cake Recipe
GF Recipe Summary
Exclusive recipe from our Gluten-Free Gourmet Desserts Cookbook collection (pages 68-69)
Gluten-Free Lemon Angel Food Cake: Angel food cakes set the bar for light and spongy texture. this particular version includes a subtle hint of lemon.
Lemon Angel Food Cake — this gluten-free angel-food cake was declared by many to be "impossible" without using any added gums, but yet Laura created it. Like most angel food, it can be rather finicky to get perfect, but with practice it definitely works. When this recipe was created, we did not have access to modern gluten-replacements that would have likely made it much simpler (e.g., Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose — as used in Scharr® baking flours and products).
Gluten-Free Recipe Card and Pictures
12 Egg Whites 1 Teaspoon Cream of Tartar 1 Cup Sugar 1 Tablespoon Vanilla (clear if possible) 1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice Zest of One Lemon (grated) 1 Cup White Rice Flour ⅓ Cup Glutinous White Rice Flour
Angel food can be a bit tricky to create compared to many other cakes, as the technique for maintaining air volume during mixing can take practice to perfect.
If using a drizzle over cake, apply close to serving time (to avoid soaking cake).
- Using mixer, beat 12 egg whites until foamy (2 minutes on medium/high speed) using whisk attachment. Add cream of tartar and beat on high until peaks form (3 minutes). Turn mixer down to slow and gradually add sugar. Once sugar has been added, beat on high for 2 minutes.
- Add vanilla, lemon juice and zest; mix.
- Combine flours. Add the flours to the egg mixture, slowly folding (by hand) the flour into the egg mixture (make sure that flours do not settle on bottom of bowl). Do not over work the egg/flour mixture, as it is important to retain the airiness and volume achieved with the egg white mixture.
- Gently spoon the batter into an ungreased 10" angel food pan (removable bottom if possible). Gently level the batter mixture in the pan (as pictured next) and then run a knife through the batter to break up any large air bubbles.
- Bake at 325° for 55 minutes or until cake is golden brown (cake will spring back when touched) — cake will pull away from sides of pan.
- Invert cake immediately after removing from oven. Allow to cool completely in this inverted position, allowing cake to “hang” (if using a removable-bottom angel food pan, take care to secure bottom while inverting pan).
- Once completely cooled, remove from pan (gently loosen sides with knife if needed).
- Cake can be eaten alone or served with fresh berries or a simple drizzle or glaze over the cake — perhaps the Lemon Glaze on page 79.
