The BEST gluten-free vanilla cake you’ll ever make! This cake is fluffy and has a pillowy-soft crumb. Topped with a creamy vanilla buttercream, it’s worthy of any celebration.
I tested this recipe dozens of times to get it just right! The secret to delicious gluten-free cake is skipping the butter and using a combination of sour cream and oil instead. Whipping the batter also makes a light and fluffy cake!
This post has all the details and tricks you need to make a delicious gluten-free vanilla cake every time.
I’ve had this gluten-free vanilla cake recipe in the works for a few years now and I’m excited to finally be sharing it!
Like this gluten-free chocolate cake, I tested dozens of variations to get this recipe just right. It truly has the most amazing crumb of any gluten-free cake I’ve ever made!
Why this Gluten-Free Cake Recipe is the BEST!
- Soft and pillowy crumb
- Made with easy-to-find gluten-free ingredients
- Bakes up in under an hour
- Makes a stable and reliable cake
- Can be made as a layer cake or a 9×13 sheet cake
Ingredients You’ll Need
The biggest trick to making a delicious gluten-free vanilla cake is to use a combination of sour cream and oil for richness instead of butter.
I also use this trick in these gluten-free blueberry muffins. Butterfat causes gluten-free flour to clump up and make a denser crumb. Sour cream is also the key ingredient in this gluten-free coffee cake!
Here are a few more notes on the key ingredients. If you have any additional questions feel free to leave me a comment below!
- Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour: This gluten-free cake turns out best when you use a high-quality 1:1 gluten-free baking flour. Look for a blend that contains xanthan gum so the cake has the structure it needs. This is my favorite brand for this recipe.
- Sour Cream/Oil: Adds richness and tenderness to the cake without weighing down the crumb.
- Lemon Juice: Lemon juice helps to tenderize the the crumb. It’s the secret ingredient in my gluten-free pumpkin bread as well.
- Baking Powder: I use a good amount in this recipe for the perfect rise.
How to Make Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, baking powder and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the eggs and sugar. Whip on medium-high speed for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- With the mixer running on low, slowly drizzle in the oil. (You want to do this slowly so you don’t loose the air that you’ve mixed in.)
- Mix in the vanilla and lemon juice.
- With the mixer on low, add ⅓ of the dry ingredients. Mix until incorporated.
- Add the sour cream and mix to combine. Add another ⅓ of the dry ingredients and continue to mix.
- Add ½ of the milk followed by the last ⅓ of the dry ingredients.
- Add the remaining milk and stir until totally combined.
Note: Adding the dry ingredients alternately with liquid ingredients ensures the flour absorbs into the batter. This prevents dry, grainy gluten-free cake.
Recommended Cake Pans
Once your batter is ready, pour it into your pan of choice and bake. I recommend making two 8-inch round cakes or one 9×13-inch cake with this recipe.
These are my favorite 8-inch round cake pans. They are great quality for the price! For a 9×13-inch cake I recommend this glass pan.
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
I’ve included my favorite recipe for vanilla buttercream frosting in the recipe card. The combination of this soft, tender gluten-free vanilla cake and whipped vanilla buttercream frosting is simply dreamy!
The main tricks to amazing vanilla buttercream are to whip the frosting throughly and add a pinch of salt to even out the sweetness. I add a pinch of salt to any frosting I make now!
Gluten-Free Cake FAQ
The trick to making moist gluten-free cake is to use a combination of sour cream and oil for richness. Sour cream and oil work better than butter as butterfat causes gluten-free flour to clump up and make a denser crumb.
Gluten-free cake turns out best when you use a high-quality 1:1 gluten-free baking flour. Look for a blend that contains xanthan gum so the cake has the structure it needs.
This gluten-free vanilla cake will stay moist and soft for up to 2 days. To store simply cover the cake tightly with plastic wrap and keep at room temperature. This cake keeps much longer than other gluten-free cakes, which is another reason I love this recipe!
More Gluten-Free Cake Recipes
I hope I’ve set you up for success to make the best gluten-free vanilla cake you’ve ever tried! If you try this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment/rating below. It helps me and others so much! Happy Baking!
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Gluten Free Vanilla Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- 2 ¼ cups gluten-free 1:1 baking flour, 350 grams (I like the brand Bob's Red Mill for this cake but King Arthur Flour will also work)
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Other Ingredients:
- 1 ¾ cups sugar, 380 grams
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup vegetable oil, 100 grams
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ cups light sour cream, 120 grams
- 1 cup milk, 250 grams (I use 2%)
For the Vanilla Buttercream Frosting:
- 1 cup butter, (2 sticks), softened to room temperature
- 4-5 cups confectioner's sugar
- ¼ cup heavy cream or milk, more as needed to adjust frosting consistency
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- pinch salt
Instructions
Make the Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease two 8-inch round pans or one 9×13 pan. I also like to line the bottom of the 8-inch round pans with a circle of parchment paper then grease again.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, baking powder and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the eggs and sugar. Whip on medium-high speed for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. With the mixer running on low, slowly drizzle in the oil. (You want to do this slowly so you don't loose the air that you've mixed in.) Mix in the vanilla and lemon juice.
- With the mixer on low, add ⅓ of the dry ingredients. Mix until incorporated. Add the sour cream and mix to combine. Add another ⅓ of the dry ingredients and continue to mix. Add ½ of the milk followed by the last ⅓ of the dry ingredients. Add the remaining milk and stir until totally combined. (You want to add the dry ingredients alternately with liquid ingredients so the flour absorbs into the batter.)
- Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean.
- If using 8-inch round pans, let the cakes cool in the pans for 15 minutes. Then turn out the cakes onto a wire rack to continue cooling. Cool completely before frosting.
Make the Frosting:
- In a stand mixer (or large bowl to use with a hand mixer), beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add 4 and ½ cups confectioners’ sugar, the heavy cream, and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to medium-high speed and beat for 2 full minutes. Taste. Add a pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet. (I recommend adding ⅛ teaspoon.)
- If the frosting looks too thick add a little more cream/milk. If the frosting looks too thin add more powdered sugar to get a spreadable consistency.
- Frost the cake as desired. Enjoy!
Nicole and Maya says
My 6yr old daughter is now gluten free and every birthday prior I would make her a rainbow cake where I use a basic vanilla cake recipe ( with gluten) and just divide the batter into smaller portions and color, then carefully add each color to the pan and bake…she loves it and has requested the cake for the past 2 yrs. Needless to say her birthday is approaching and I need to find a gf vanilla cake recipe to make her favorite cake…we have made several of your recipes and LOVED them all. Will this recipe work for her “new gf” birthday rainbow cake?
Erin Collins says
I think this will work great with the addition of food coloring! Just watch the bake time (decrease it) if you’re making it in smaller pans. I hope it works for you! 🙂
Ana says
Finally an easy fool proof GF vanilla cake recipe! The cake was moist and had the perfect amount of sweetness to it. Simply a delicious cake that I can’t wait to make again. Thank you for the recipe!
Erin Collins says
I’m so happy you liked the cake recipe! Thanks for the comment!
Nyree says
Hi, just curious if this recipe would work in a 3D bear shaped cake pan? Silly question, but I am clueless and it’s for a special occasion.
Thanks in advance.
Ps I love your recipes and blog
Erin Collins says
Ha! I love this question. I think that would work great as long as you grease the pan really well. Let me know how it turns out!
Sanjay says
Oh my goodness you are not kidding when you say this is the best gluten-free vanilla cake! The crumb is perfect and it stays moist for days!
Peter says
Can you substitute something non-dairy for the sour cream?
Erin Collins says
I think non-dairy sour cream like from the brand Kite Hill will work!