This simple cake is light and airy, exactly how an angel food cake should be, but without the flour! Topped with whipped cream and berries, this dessert is simple but elegant. It is a great cake to make in the summertime when berries are the most delicious. Or in the winter, you can top it with my easy Instant Pot Strawberry Compote, made with frozen berries.

TIPS FOR A PERFECT MERINGUE

I love meringue. Meringue cookies, lemon meringue pie, pavlova, baked alaska… I love them all. Angel food cake is basically a French Meringue mixed with flour (or in this case, arrowroot flour). I have experimented with sugar-free meringues quite a bit (did you know there are 3 different kinds of meringues?) and have picked up some tricks to ensure you get fluffy but stable meringue every time.

Meringue Trick #1: Use Room Temperature Eggs

Ensure your egg whites are at room temperature. It might take a while for them to come to room temperature, especially for this recipe with 6 large egg whites, but it results in more volume than cold egg whites so it is worth the wait.

Meringue Trick #2: Use a Grease-Free Bowl

You need to have a perfectly clean bowl. Wash it twice if you have to. Or wipe the bowl out with half a lemon and then rinse and dry it. Any grease at all in your bowl will prevent the egg whites from whipping properly.

Meringue Trick #3: Whip Egg Whites Alone First

Whip your egg whites to soft peaks before adding anything else to them, even the cream of tartar. And add your sugar (or other dry ingredients) in very small additions, allowing it to dissolve into the meringue a little at a time.

SUGAR-FREE SWEETENERS

If you are avoiding sugar, you can sweeten this flourless angel food cake with any of your favourite natural sweeteners: erythritol, xylitol or monk fruit all work great. I always powder my sweeteners in the blender before baking with them to ensure you don’t get any grittiness.

I use Lakanto Powdered Monk Fruit Sweetener in this recipe, which has a delicious sweetness and doesn’t upset my stomach at all. If you use powdered erythritol (Swerve), which is also delicious, you might find that you need to add a little bit more to this recipe as it is slightly less sweet than Monk Fruit Sweetener. 

When you make baked goods with natural sweeteners it’s best to let them cool for a couple of hours before eating them to make sure everything sets up.

SECRET INGREDIENT: ARROWROOT FLOUR

Arrowroot flour is well-known for its use in those oval-shaped digestive cookies that every toddler loves. In addition to being easy to digest, arrowroot flour is gluten-free and contains fiber, potassium, vitamin B and iron. And it can be used for so many things than just digestive cookies!

I like to use it as a cornstarch alternative (at a 1:1 ratio). I dredge my sweet potato fries in arrowroot flour before baking them to make them extra crispy. It can be used to make a slurry to use as a thickener (instead of cornstarch) in puddings, custards, sauces, stews and gravy.

If you don’t have any arrowroot flour, you can substitute collagen powder or protein powder. I haven’t tried almond flour yet, but that would probably work too.

Also try my Flourless Double Chocolate Gourmet Cookies, made with arrowroot flour. The arrowroot flour helps give these cookies a soft, gooey interior  and a chewy texture like a gourmet cookie from a fancy bakery!

Flourless Double Chocolate Gourmet Cookies

This Recipe Pairs Well With

Instant Pot Strawberry Compote

PLEASE COMMENT BELOW

What is your favourite spring/summer dessert recipe? Have you ever tried using arrowroot flour as a gluten free flour substitute? Please comment below, I love hearing from you!

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Flourless Angel Food Cake

This simple cake is light and airy, exactly how an angel food cake should be, but without the flour! Topped with whipped cream and berries, this dessert is simple but elegant. 

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword angel food cake, paleo

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 8

Author Erin

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup egg whites 6 large egg whites at room temperature
• 1/2 cup powdered sweetener (e.g. Lakanto Powdered Monk Fruit Sweetener)
• 1/2 cup arrowroot flour or protein powder
• 2 tbsp psyllium husk
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Instructions

1. Whip egg whites with beaters until you have soft peaks.
2. Add cream of tartar and continue beating until egg whites reach stiff peaks.
3. In another bowl, mix remaining dry ingredients.
4. Add dry ingredients very slowly (1 tbsp at a time) to egg whites and beat for a few seconds after each addition.
5. Pour batter into a 9" or 10" tube pan or springform pan (ungreased).
6. Bake at 325 for 25-30 minutes.