What do you do with leftover egg whites? Aline, an Instagram creator with 122,000 followers, has the answer: a light, airy cake packed with almond, hazelnut, and chocolate chips that turns a common kitchen dilemma into a genuinely satisfying bake. Anti-waste cooking has never tasted this good.
After making mayonnaise, crème brûlée, or a batch of homemade pasta, you're often left staring at a bowl of egg whites with no clear plan. Throwing them away feels wrong. Making meringues for the fourth time feels uninspired. This recipe, shared by Aline on her Instagram account @la_cuisine_d_aline and featured in Femme Actuelle by journalist Sarah Boissard, offers a genuinely different path.
The result is a cake that's more substantial than a financier, more interesting than a plain meringue, and sturdy enough to last several days on the counter — making it a legitimate alternative to store-bought snacks at teatime.
An anti-waste recipe that starts with 6 egg whites
The entire logic of this cake rests on one number: 6 egg whites. No yolks, no whole eggs. Just the part of the egg that tends to pile up in the fridge after richer recipes. Aline calls it her "recette pépite," and the label fits — it's a recipe that solves a problem while delivering something genuinely delicious.
The ingredient list is short and pantry-friendly:
- 150 g brown sugar
- 150 g almond and hazelnut powder (combined)
- 120 g melted butter, cooled
- 80 g flour
- 2 handfuls chocolate chips or chunks
- 1 sachet baking powder
- 1 sachet vanilla sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 pinch salt
The combination of almond and hazelnut powder is what gives the cake its distinctive texture — dense enough to feel satisfying, light enough to justify calling it airy. Brown sugar adds a faint caramel note that white sugar simply can't replicate here. And the two handfuls of chocolate chips? Non-negotiable.
Egg whites can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, or frozen for several months. This recipe is a perfect way to use a batch you’ve been saving.
The technique that makes the cake genuinely airy
Whipping the whites — not too much, not too little
The key step in this egg white cake recipe is how you handle the whites themselves. You don't want stiff peaks here. Using an electric hand mixer, beat the 6 egg whites with a pinch of salt until just frothy and slightly thickened. Add the 150 g brown sugar and the vanilla sugar sachet, then continue beating until the mixture turns pale, moussey, and holds a soft, billowy consistency. This is the structure that will carry the whole cake.
Folding — the step most people rush
In a separate bowl, combine the almond-hazelnut powder, flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Then comes the part that separates a good egg white cake from a flat one: folding. Using a spatula and slow, sweeping movements from the bottom of the bowl upward, incorporate the whipped whites into the dry ingredients. No stirring, no rushing. The goal is to keep as much air in the batter as possible.
Once the batter is just combined, fold in the chocolate chips gently. Then add the cooled melted butter — 120 g, fully melted but brought back to room temperature before it goes in — and fold again with the same patient motion. This is similar in spirit to the technique used in airy Japanese-style bakes, where the treatment of eggs is everything.
Baking at 170°C for a perfect result
Preheat the oven to 170°C. Pour the finished batter into a 20 cm diameter cake tin, buttered if it's not non-stick. The lower temperature is deliberate — it lets the cake set slowly and evenly without browning too fast on the outside while the center stays raw.
Bake for 50 minutes. To check doneness, insert a knife blade into the center of the cake. It should come out clean and dry. If there's any wet batter clinging to it, give the cake another 5 minutes and check again.
baking time at 170°C for a perfectly set, golden cake
Once out of the oven, let the cake cool in the tin for at least 10 to 15 minutes before attempting to unmold it. Egg white-based cakes are more fragile when hot. Once turned out onto a rack, a dusting of icing sugar over the top is the finishing touch — simple, classic, and effective.
The total time from first ingredient to finished cake sits at around 1 hour, making it a realistic weekday bake rather than a weekend project.
A better snack option that keeps for days
What makes this recipe genuinely practical beyond the anti-waste angle is its keeping quality. Unlike a soufflé or a mousse, this cake holds up well at room temperature for several days, wrapped loosely or stored in a tin. The almond and hazelnut powder help retain moisture, so the crumb stays tender rather than drying out after the first day.
For anyone looking to move away from packaged biscuits at snack time, this is a real alternative. It's more filling than a meringue cookie, more complex in flavor than a plain financier, and the chocolate chips make it immediately appealing to anyone who walks past the kitchen. If you're already a fan of chocolate chip bakes that hold up over multiple days, this cake will fit right into the rotation.
This cake uses 6 egg whites, bakes in 50 minutes at 170°C in a 20 cm tin, and keeps well for several days — making it one of the most practical anti-waste bakes you can add to your repertoire.
Aline's recipe, originally shared on Instagram and published by Femme Actuelle on February 26, 2026, is a reminder that leftover egg whites don't have to become a default batch of meringues. With 122,000 followers paying attention to her kitchen, Aline clearly knows what she's doing — and this particular cake earns every bit of the attention.
