Gluten Free Angel Food Cake

"That angel food cake is amazing! I can't believe it's gluten-free." When I began baking by weights I wasn't sure how the experiment would turn out. Not gonna lie, after receiving that text from a roommate, I've come to love baking with weight ratios. Not only does it make measuring ingredients move faster, but it simplifies the science behind gluten free baking.

This recipe is inspired by Ruhlman's ratio for angel food cake, served with fresh local strawberries. I recommend baking the cakes in small spring form pans. Not only does it reduce the baking time, but it also helps the gluten free cake keep its form once it comes out of the oven.

Yields: 4 4.5 inch cakes

Prep time: 15 minutes

Bake Time: 30 minutes for 4.5 inch pans, 45-50 for traditional 9 inch pans

Ingredients:

340g egg whites (approximately 11 eggs)

340g white sugar

28g millet flour

28g almond flour

14g tapioca starch

42g white rice flour

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp vanilla

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. In a food processor, pulse half of the sugar and the flours together.

3. In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites with an egg beater (on medium speed if you have a multi-speed beater) for one minute.

4. Add the juice, cream of tartar, and vanilla to the egg whites. Beat on high for about 2 minutes, or until the eggs are very foamy. Add the remaining sugar to the whites while beating them on high speed. Beat the whites until they form soft peaks when the beaters are removed.

5. From this point on, be gentle with the cake batter, in order to maintain as many bubbles (and therefore as much light fluffiness) as possible. Sprinkle the flour mix into the whites, and gently fold until the batter is combined. Distribute into ungreased pans and place in the oven for 30 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

6. Once the cakes are done, invert onto a cooling rack and let cool completely. This helps the cakes maintain their form. Once cook, use a knife to gently remove it from the pan.