Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake Recipe
Professional gluten-free baker Diane Kittle teamed up with Gluten Free & More Magazine to provide our readers with this truly stellar gluten- AND dairy-free vanilla cake. This is a cake that people of all diet restrictions can enjoy. Easily substitute eggs and milk, or vary the taste of this classic recipe by replacing vanilla with a different gluten-free flavor extract, such as almond, orange or maple. Frost with dairy-free “Buttercream” Frosting (instructions below).
What You’ll Need:
– a stand mixer
– an ice cream scooper
– 2 round 8-inch pans
– 2 round 8-inch cake boards
– a finely meshed sifter
– a lazy susan (optional)
Make the Cake:
Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, margarine or Spectrum Organic Shortening
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs , room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3½ cups gluten-free all-purpose flour blend + extra for dusting
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups cow’s milk or rice milk , hot
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 8- or 9-inch round cake pans and dust with gluten-free flour.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat margarine and sugar at high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes. Lower speed to medium and add eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and beat until fluffy again, scraping down bowl.
- In a separate bowl or on a piece of waxed paper, sift together flour blend, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, and salt.
- Add half the dry mixture to the sugar mixture and beat at low speed until combined. Add half the milk and blend. Then add remaining dry ingredients and milk. Mix on medium-low speed until smooth, approximately 2 minutes.
- Divide batter equally between the two prepared pans, using an ice cream scoop. Bake in preheated oven for approximately 35 minutes or until done.
- Cool the cake for 20 minutes in pans. Then turn cake onto wire racks and cool completely before frosting.
Nutrition
Mix the batter in a stand mixer.
Divide batter evenly between 2 pans.
Cool the cakes before frosting.
Need a gluten-free all-purpose flour for this recipe?
Make the Frosting:
Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Buttercream Cake Frosting
Ingredients
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup boiling hot water
- 2½ cups Spectrum Organic Shortening
- ¾ cup butter or margarine, slightly softened, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine powdered sugar and salt.
- Using a whisk attachment, add boiling water and whip at low speed until smooth and cool, approximately 5 minutes.
- Add shortening and margarine to the sugar mixture and whip at medium speed until smooth, approximately 3 minutes. Add vanilla. Increase speed to medium high and whip until light, fluffy and increased in volume, approximately 10 minutes. Frosting will fill most of a 5-quart mixing bowl.
Notes
Nutrition
Frosting the Cakes:
Pop your baked layers out of the pans. Slice the slightly domed cake tops with a long knife. This ensures your cake will stack nicely and be flat. Plus, you can use the tasty cake tops for other baking projects (think gluten-free tiramisu and bread pudding)!
Place one cake layer onto a lazy Susan. This handy kitchen tool is not absolutely necessary, but it sure simplifies icing! Spoon a generous scoop of buttercream frosting on the top of your first layer. Spread the icing evenly.
Place the second cake layer top-down onto the frosted first layer.
Spread a light coat of frosting around the sides of the cake. This is what is called the crumb coat – it glues down any loose crumbs and ensures the top coat of frosting looks nice and neat! Spread an even crumb coat over the entire cake.
Using a butter knife this time, add your top coat of dairy-free frosting. The butter knife creates a thick, spackled texture. Do the sides of your cake first, then the top.
Now your cake is finished. Enjoy this gluten-free delight as soon as it’s done!
Variations
To Make Egg-Free: Replace 4 large eggs with 6 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce mixed with 2 teaspoons baking powder + 4 tablespoons warm water mixed with 1 tablespoon gluten-free egg replacer.
Coconut Cake: Substitute 1 tablespoon pure coconut extract for the vanilla; substitute coconut milk for milk of choice; then add ¾ cup coconut flakes (optional) to the cake batter, stirring until combined.
Lemon Cake: Substitute 2 teaspoons pure lemon extract for vanilla; reduce milk by 1/3 cup and add 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice; add 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest to the batter when adding the eggs.
Gluten-Free Lemon Cake Filling Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1½ cups water
- 4 egg yolks , beaten with a fork
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest , optional
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, stir cornstarch, salt and sugar. Add water and stir again. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens, approximately 5 minutes. When mixture begins to boil, lower heat and continue to stir for 1 minute. Remove pan from the heat.
- In a small bowl, place egg yolks and about 1/3 cup hot cornstarch mixture and stir together.
- Whisk this mixture back into contents of the saucepan and return pan to medium heat. Stir constantly until mixture is very thick, about 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice and lemon zest.
- Pour filling into a bowl or container and let cool for 30 minutes. Refrigerate for about an hour to firm. Remove from fridge and spread on cake layers.
Nutrition
Special thanks to Diane and Heather at Dee’s One Smart Cookie for courteously providing this step-by step recipe! Dee’s One Smart Cookie is a dedicated allergy-friendly bakery in Glastonbury, CT. All of the goods made contain no gluten, dairy, soy, or nuts. Egg-free and rice-free products are available as well.
Photography and videography by Kerstin Meyne-McCall.
This recipe was originally published in 2009. Originally published in Gluten Free & More.
Have you tried this recipe? Give it a star rating and let us know your thoughts in the Ratings & Reviews section below.
I just made this cake for my sister’s birthday. I separated the batter into 4 smaller bowls and added a different gel food coloring to each bowl. Then I spooned the batter into the cake pans, alternating the colors. It was a gorgeous tie-dye look when cut! I made a vegan orange curd filling for the middle but I didn’t use your frosting recipe. I found one made with vegan butter sticks and it was delicious with this cake. There’s a vegan bakery in our town that sells chewy, dense, over – sweet cakes starting at $25. This cake was nothing like that! This cake rose beautifully like a “regular” cake. It caramelized nicely on the top, giving it a great flavor. I couldn’t tell it from a “regular” cake! This will be my go-to from now on when I need a cake for someone with dietary preferences or restrictions. Thank you for the recipe!
That sounds beautiful! So glad you like it!
Hi, can this recipe be doubled for a 9*13 pan
Yes, that should work just fine! The cooking time might vary slightly, so just be sure to keep an eye on it.