My gluten-free angel food cake is a delicious and popular recipe. Seriously. Anyone who likes angle food cake will love this cake. Don’t even tell them it’s gluten free unless they need it to be. But maybe you don’t have an angel food cake pan or you just like cupcakes. These gluten-free angel food cupcakes are just as good as the full sized cake, and you don’t have to turn the pan upside down. 🙂
Angel food cake is not typically frosted but is served with fruit and whipped cream. However, cupcakes beg for something frosting like on top, so I used a meringue frosting (use sugar and water instead of honey for a whiter meringue). Meringue is easy to make, but it needs to be served right away. I have successfully made it, stored it for a few hours or even overnight, and then beat it again. The result was fine for something like topping these cupcakes just before serving.
If you can eat dairy, whipped cream would be a great option. Whipped coconut cream would work as well. And for the 4th of July, a white topping (either whipped cream or meringue) along with red and blue berries would be the perfect patriotic dessert!
Angel Food Cupcakes

Ingredients
- 6 large egg whites (3/4 cup), room temperature
- 1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup potato starch
- 2 Tablespoons tapioca flour or starch
- 2 Tablespoons millet flour (fine rice flour should work)
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum or psyllium husk
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Separate the eggs and let the whites sit in your mixing bowl (glass or metal, not plastic) for about 30 minutes so they come to room temperature. Be sure your bowl is very clean and there is absolutely no yolk in the whites. It is best to separate each egg into a small bowl, then add it to the rest of the whites. That way if a bit of yolk gets in with the white, you can save the egg for another purpose and not ruin the whole batch.
- Preheat oven to 350°
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, potato starch, tapioca starch, millet flour, xanthan gum, and salt.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the egg whites, cream of tartar, and vanilla extract until foamy. I used my KitchenAid whisk attachment.
- Slowly add the granulated sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Do not over beat.
- Fold in the flour mixture about one fourth at a time, making sure you scrape the bottom of the bowl when you fold. Do not mix, just gently fold until all the flour mixture is moistened.
- Spoon the mixture into paper lined muffin cups, filled about 3/4 full.
- Bake for 15 - 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out dry. The top of the cupcakes should be golden brown and the cracks should be dry.
- Cool completely and top with whipped cream or meringue frosting if desired. Serve with fruit.
Linda! Did someone get a small redesign? I’m loving the sidebar and newer header- It looks fantastic!
I tried an angel food cake the other day and I really enjoyed it- Light and really airy (I could have eaten the whole thing….) Definitely want to give this ago and be incredibly cautious around the Xantham gum!
Thanks, Arman. Yes, I did get a small redesign. 🙂 I updated the theme so it would be mobile responsive. I’m loving the recipe index since before I didn’t have images to go with it.
Linda, I’ve been longing for Angel Food Cake! This is my answer, I think. (Though a mix-in-a-box would be even easier!) I used to make Angel Food Cakes from scratch a long time ago, and they were wonderful. But that was before my entry into the gluten free world. Thanks so much for posting this!
Oh, what a lovely way to enjoy angel food, Linda! These are so pretty! 🙂 I know they’re divine because I’ve had your amazing angel food cake!
Shirley
This was a fun way to eat this delicious cake. I forgot to mention in the post that it’s also easier because it’s half the regular recipe and only uses 6 eggs. And I was so glad that psyllium husk worked. Now I have to work on a grain free version.