This Irish twist on classic Angel Food Cake produces a slightly chocolatey, flavorful cake that is perfect for any party or special dessert occasion, but will certainly impress at St. Patrick’s Day. I call it gluten free Irish Angel Food Cake, but really, it could be called chocolate Angel Food Cake or even Irish Cream Cake.
It’s a light, airy, spongy cake that you definitely don’t need to wait til March to make!
My gluten free Irish Angel Food Cake is made with Irish Cream Liqueur, but if you have any dairy issues (like I do), you’ll want to follow my recipe to make your own homemade Irish Cream Liqueur or seek out Bailey’s new Almond Milk version of their iconic Irish Cream.
A note on Irish Cream Liqueur: while it does contain whiskey derived from gluten-containing grains, the distillation process removes all gluten, and (lucky for us) renders the drink gluten free. If you need a dairy-free/vegan coconut version of Irish Cream, hop to my easy recipe.
You can make my Irish Angel Food Cake recipe as written, or feel free to substitute orange or lemon juice for the Irish Cream Liqueur and just lose the cocoa. Made with my gfJules Flour, you’ll love how light and airy this cake is, whether you choose the Irish Cream-Cocoa option, or citrus version.
If you’re looking for a more traditional Gluten Free Angel Food Cake, please try my yummy recipe for that, too!
It’s amazing how perfect angel food is when made with my gfJules Flour — you definitely won’t be missing the gluten!
Oh and if you’re in the mood for anything else of Irish theme, check out my recipes for gluten free Irish Brown Bread; gluten free Irish Soda Bread and even gluten free Irish Cream Cupcakes (+ homemade Irish Cream that’s Dairy-Free!).
Gluten Free Irish Angel Food Cake
Light, spongy, airy ... this gluten free Irish Angel Food Cake is the perfect treat for Saint Patrick's Day or anytime. It's a super easy recipe with super delicious results!
Ingredients
- 6 eggs, separated
- 1 cup granulated cane sugar
- ½ cup sifted confectioner’s sugar
- 1 ¼ cup gfJules™ Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
- 2 Tbs. unsweetened cocoa (if using Irish Cream)
- 3 Tbs. Irish Cream Liqueur (or orange juice or lemon juice)
- ¼ cup boiling water
(optional):
- 8 oz. cream cheese (dairy or vegan Cream Cheese)
- 1 cup sifted confectioner’s sugar
- ½ cup full fat canned coconut milk (14 grams or more fat) OR heavy cream
- 1/2 chocolate bar to make chocolate shavings (optional - not recommended if using juice instead of Irish Cream and cocoa)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 300°F convection or 325°F static.
Whisk the gfJules Flour, cocoa and confectioners sugar together in a small bowl and set aside.
Separate the eggs, beating the whites in a clean metal bowl until stiff peaks form, then set that bowl aside.
In another bowl, beat the yolks and the granulated sugar until light. Add the boiling water and Irish Cream next, beating until blended. Finally, stir in the flour-confectioner’s sugar mixture until incorporated.
Fold the beaten whites into the other mixture by gently stirring with a rubber spatula. Once integrated, pour into an ungreased 10-inch tube or spring form pan.
Bake for 30 minutes, then increase the heat to 325°F convection or 350°F static and bake for another 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and invert the pan on a wire rack, allowing the cake to cool somewhat before removing it gently by sliding a knife around the outside of the cake to release it from the sides of the pan.
Serve with glaze, whipped cream (So Delicious® CocoWhip) or fresh berries.
To make the glaze, whip the cream cheese and sugar until smooth, then slowly stir in the cream to make spread-able consistency. Drizzle over cake.
To make chocolate shavings, soften your favorite chocolate bar slightly in the microwave, then shave with a cheese grater or micro-planer over the top of the cake.
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Based on 15 Review(s)
Why do you use boiling water? Wouldn’t it mess up the eggs?
Hi Connie, it’s a small amount just added to the yolk-sugar mixture to help break down the granulated sugar before baking and because it’s added when mixing, doesn’t set the yolks. 😉
Enjoy the recipe!
~jules
The Irish Angel Food cake says it is gluten free and dairy free however it calls for 1/2 cup of heavy cream and that’s not dairy free. Please let me know what else I can use inplace of that. Thank you.
Pat
Hi Patricia,
Thanks for pointing out the missing words on the ingredient list! I’ve fixed it, thanks to you! It was supposed to say “full fat coconut milk”, which incidentally, is all I ever use to make this recipe, so I can confidently say that it works beautifully dairy free! All the recipes on my site are dairy-free, so I hope you enjoy not just this recipe, but the 460 others!
Happy Baking!
~jules
I don’t have a tube pan can I use a Bundt pan instead?
Hi Helen, yes you can do that! ENJOY!
~jules
So, this is what leprechauns eat! That glaze with cream cheese is a great way to top this cake.
LOL I guess that makes me something of a leprechaun, then! I love this cake!
~jules
Do you have sugar free recipes?
This looks delicious and I would like to make it without the liquior. Do you need to replace the Cocoa with more flour if you are using the juice substitute? If so, how much? Thank you.
Hi Barbara, just use juice as the substitute – you shouldn’t need to make any other changes. Happy baking!
~jules
Is it possible to use Egg Alternative (such as Vegan Egg) in this recipe or is is necessary to use real eggs?
Hi Mary Anne, while it’s possible to use an egg substitute for most recipes, I wouldn’t recommend it in an Angel Food Cake. If you really really want to try it though, I would suggest using aquafaba. Here’s more info on egg substitutes.
~jules
Did you see the NEW dairy free and gluten free Bailey’s Almande???? Says gfnand DF on the front of the bottle. I plan on using that in this cake.
P.S. It is the new dairy free alternative to the original Bailey’s Irish Cream
That’s awesome, Monika! I’ll look for it!
~jules