Erin’s Recipe Rundown
Texture: Soft and fluffy with a pillowy crumb (not at all dense or gummy like other gluten-free cakes!)
Taste: Just the right amount of sweetness and vanilla
Ease: Very easy to make!
Top Tips: Skip the butter and use a combination of oil/sour cream! Oil has a lower melting point than butter and is a liquid at room temperature, so it more evenly coats the dry ingredients. This give the cake that wedding cake consistency! The sour cream gives the cake richness and flavor.
Recommended GF Flour: I have tested this recipe MANY times with different flour blends and it always turns out best using Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour. For best results use this flour.
Would I make these again? Definitely! This is my go-to gluten-free cake recipe.It’s a great base recipe to use with many frostings/toppings. (Try turning it into strawberry shortcake with whipped cream and strawberries!)
Since publishing this gluten-free vanilla cake back in 2021, it’s received rave reviews. Some of you have even used it for wedding cakes which is such an honor!
June 2024: I’ve updated the method for mixing together the cake batter. I’ve found it turns out more reliably delicious using this new method! Also be sure your eggs and milk are at room temperature.
I also highly recommend using Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour, 2% milk and vegetable oil for best results.
Featured Comment
From Elizabeth: “I have been gluten free for years, and have made many many delicious gluten free baked goods. I made this cake for my birthday and I honestly just kept saying, I think this is the best cake I’ve ever made. Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe!!”
Table of Contents
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are a few notes on the key ingredients to make this gluten-free vanilla cake. You can find the full measurements in the recipe card below.
- Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour: I use and recommend Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour for this cake. I use King Arthur Flour for many of my recipes, but I really like the consistency I get from the Bob’s flour for this cake! You can also use it in these gluten-free vanilla cupcakes.
- Sour Cream: Skip the butter and use a combination of oil/sour cream! Oil has a lower melting point than butter and is a liquid at room temperature, so it more evenly coats the dry ingredients. This lends to the perfect crumb! The sour cream gives the cake richness and flavor. I also use this trick with my gluten-free blueberry muffins.
- Oil: I have tried making this cake with several neutral oils like grapeseed oil and avocdao oil, but think it turns out best made with vegetable oil. I recommend vegetable oil for best results!
- Milk: I recommend making this cake with 2% milk.
- Vanilla Extract: Use pure vanilla extract for the best results and that real vanilla flavor.
You also might like this full collection of gluten-free cake recipes.
How to Make Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake
Here’s an overview of how to make this cake. You can jump to the recipe for the full instructions!
- Dry ingredients: Whisk them all together.
- Beat the sugar/eggs/oil/vanilla: You can mix these ingredients together using a hand or stand mixer. Then mix in the sour cream. Note that you’ll add the milk later with the dry ingredients!
- Add dry ingredients: You’ll do this alternately with the milk, mixing inbetween to give the gluten-free flour time to hydrate. I usually like to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl to ensure I’ve gotten everything mixed in.
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 gluten-free recipe.
These are my favorite 8-inch round cake pans. They are great quality for the price! For a 9×13-inch gluten-free cake I recommend this glass pan. Bake and then turn out onto a cooling rack.
Gluten-Free Cake + Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Once the gluten-free cake layers are cooled on a wire rack, you can make the frosting. I’ve included my favorite recipe for vanilla buttercream frosting in the recipe card.
The combination of the soft, tender crumb of the gluten-free vanilla cake and the 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 of the powdered sugar. I add a pinch of salt to any frosting I make now!
You might also like serving this cake with 7-minute frosting.
Storing/Freezing Instructions
- To Store: 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!
- To Freeze: To freeze two cake rounds, wrap each round tightly in plastic wrap, followed by a layer of aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn. Place the wrapped rounds in a resealable freezer bag, label with the date, and store them flat in the freezer for up to three months.
How do you make a gluten-free cake more moist?
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.
Can I make this gluten-free cake dairy-free?
You can make this cake dairy-free by using dairy-free sour cream and dairy-free milk. Opt for a dairy-free milk that has fewer ingredients like Elmhurst Cashew Milk for best results. Added gums and stabilizers in dairy-free milks will effect the texture of the cake.
Which gluten-free flour is best for cakes?
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. My personal favorite flour blend for gluten-free cakes is Bob’s Red Mill.
More Gluten-Free Cake Recipes
Gluten Free Vanilla Cake Recipe
Video
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2½ cups (375g) gluten-free measure-for-measure flour (I recommend Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Other
- 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- ½ cup (120ml) vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120g) sour cream at room temperature
- 1¼ cups (300ml) 2% milk at room temperature
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup (226g) salted butter at room temperature
- 4-5 cups (480-600g) powdered sugar
- ¼ cup (60ml) heavy cream or milk of choice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
- June 2024: I've updated the method for mixing together the cake batter. I've found it turns out more reliably delicious using this new method! Also be sure your eggs and milk are at room temperature.I also highly recommend using Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour, 2% milk and vegetable oil for best results.
For the Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray two 8-inch round pans with cooking spray, line with parchment paper rounds, then spray the parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, baking powder and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, or using a hand mixer, beat together the sugar, eggs, vegetable oil and vanilla extract until fully combined, scraping down the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the sour cream and beat until well-combined.
- With the mixer running on low, add ½ of the dry ingredients, followed by ½ of the milk. Mix to combine. Add the remaining ½ dry ingredients and ½ milk, then mix until just combined.
- 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.
- Remove the cakes from the oven and let cool in their pans for 15 minutes. Remove each cake from its pan and transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the Frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, or using a hand mixer, beat the butter on medium-high speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add 4 cups powdered sugar along with the cream/milk, vanilla and salt. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to medium-high speed and whip for a full 2 minutes.
- If the frosting is too thick, add a little more cream/milk. If the frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar to get a spreadable consistency. Frost the cake as desired.
Notes
- To Store: 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!
- To Freeze: To freeze two cake rounds, wrap each round tightly in plastic wrap, followed by a layer of aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn. Place the wrapped rounds in a resealable freezer bag, label with the date, and store them flat in the freezer for up to three months.
I followed the recipe but it did not turn out. Very dense almost gummy even though a tooth pick came out clean. The batter was very thick. My experience with other gluten free cake recipes is they are much looser. What did I possibly do wrong? I had such high hopes especially because people usually can’t tell when I make something GF or they like it better than regular.
Hi Lisa, we’re sorry you had this experience! Did you use the recommended Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour, 2% milk, and vegetable oil? These 3 ingredients are the key to the best results. Beyond that, several things can cause it to turn out dense, such as overmixing, too cold dairy/eggs (they need to be room temperature), inaccuracies with the oven temperature, etc. We hope these ideas help!
I am looking for for recipes that I can use almond flour in. Can I use almond flour in place of the gluten free flour
Hi Kathy, almond flour has different properties than gf measure-for-measure flour blends so it typically doesn’t work well as a 1:1 swap and would need extra ingredients/adjustments. To use only almond flour, it’s best to use recipes that were designed specifically for that type of flour. We hope this helps!
This really was the BEST gluten free cake i’ve ever made!! It was so so fluffy and rose beautifully, anyone that tried it said they couldn’t even tell it wasn’t a ‘normal’ cake. I’m not sure if this was due to the sour cream but whatever it was, worked so well. I also added a 1/4 teaspoon of xantham gum.
I will definetley be making this cake again and again and it is my go to cake ! x
Yay! We’re so pleased to hear how much you loved this recipe, Isabelle! Thank you for sharing your positive experience with us!
Hi, I also also dairy free. I’m thinking I’ll use Lactaid sour cream but can I use coconut milk rather than 2%? Thanks much!
Hi Kate, this cake can definitely be made dairy-free! Any dairy-free sour cream will work (or the Lactaid sour cream if just needing lactose-free). Coconut milk should work in place of the milk. With any dairy-free milk, we just recommend using ones with fewer ingredients since the addition of gums and stabilizers can impact the texture. We hope you enjoy the cake!
If I use King Arthur measurement for measure is the weight the same and will it turn out just as good?
Hi Angela, you would use the same weight with the KA measure-for-measure flour, but the results won’t be quite the same. We’ve tested this recipe out with multiple gf flour blends and Bob’s Red Mill GF 1:1 Baking Flour is the key to getting the ideal results. We hope this helps! Happy baking!
Hi! Your recipes are amazing, thank you. How long would I need to bake the cake if I used a 9×13 glass pan?
Hi Aman, thank you for the kind feedback! The cake will typically need 5-15 extra minutes in the 9×13. We’d recommend baking at the same temperature though and then monitoring doneness with a toothpick. We hope you enjoy the cake!
Can i use flax eggs as iam vegan
Hi Geetha, we don’t typically bake with egg replacers and haven’t tested any with this recipe, but we would lean towards a substitute like Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer. If you decide to give it a try, we’d love to hear how it goes!
I absolutely love this recipe, I’ve made it so many times, but do you have any recommendations on how to convert it to a 3 layer 10 inch cake? I assume just multiply to get the right amount of batter, but I just baked 3 10 inch layers today and they came out terrible, like they didn’t rise and were dense. Idk what happened. I checked my baking powder and it was fine.
Hi Kelly, we’re so glad to hear how much you love this recipe! You’d need to make 2.5x to 3x the recipe to make a 3-layer cake with 10″ round pans. With this kind of math the eggs can be hard to get right. If the increased recipe calls for a half of an egg, it’s best to actually beat an egg and measure out half so that you get the right cake structure. Scaling up can also mess with the leavening agent, so you may need to play around with adding a little more baking powder. Beyond that, you’ll need to monitor how fast the larger cakes are baking and adjust the baking time accordingly (using a toothpick in the center helps with this step). We hope these ideas help!
Trying to recreate a memory of our wedding cake, before my GF life. I’d like to make this cake and I’m interested in using Almond flavoring instead. Would you have any recommendations on amount and brand? Thank you!
Hi Julie, almond extract is more potent than vanilla so we’d recommend trying just ½ teaspoon of almond extract at first (and no more than 1 teaspoon total) to replace the 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract. We’d love to hear how it goes!
Can I sub the granulated sugar for coconut sugar?
Hi Jules, we don’t typically bake with sugar substitutes so we can’t say how well this recipe will do with coconut sugar. If you decide to give it a try, we’d love to hear how it goes!
I used melted coconut oil instead and added a teeny splash of almond and it’s soooooo good. No frosting even needed. The whole tablespoon of baking powder scared me, I almost thought it was a typo lol but I think it made the difference. So good!!
Hi Annie, we’re so glad you loved the recipe! Thank you for sharing your experience with us. Happy baking!
Can I make cupcakes with this recipe?
Hi Karen, yes you can make cupcakes using this recipe. We also have this gluten-free vanilla cupcake recipe you may enjoy!
Why did my cake crack during cooking. They came out of the pan beautifully however. I was hoping to use a strawberry jam or that gel stuff in a bag between the layers and frost with Cool Whip. Would this work?
Hi Judith, we’re so glad the cakes came out of the pan well despite the cooking! Usually cakes crack if the oven temperature is too high (home ovens can easily become inaccurate). Next time, you could try lowering the oven temp by 25°F. The jam/Cool Whip toppings should go well with this cake!
Can I add lemon juice and lemon zest to make this a lemon cake?
Hi Elizabeth, thank you for your question! We have a delicious lemon layer cake you may enjoy without having to make multiple adjustments to this recipe. Happy baking!
Thanks for this recipe! Could I bake it in a bundt pan? If so, any change on oven temp or time?
Hi Carol, we haven’t tried this cake in a Bundt pan ourselves, but we would recommend starting to check it for doneness around the 30-minute mark. Bundt pans usually take longer to bake, but closely monitoring the cake as it bakes and checking doneness with a toothpick will be the best way to judge the baking time. The oven temperature can stay the same. We’d love to hear how it goes!
This is the best cake ever!!! It even raises like a cake made with gluten. The best part is everyone loved it… even those who can eat gluten. Moist and delicious!!!
We’re so happy it was such a hit with everyone, Joan! Thank you for taking the time to share with us. Happy baking!
I recently made this cake for my daughter’s birthday. It was overwhelmingly perfect in every way. I am a much better cook than baker, and I am tired of buying gluten free cakes that are disappointing. The directions were easy to follow, and it was moist and delicious. There was no way that anyone even knew it was GF. I have made several of your wonderful recipes. You are definitely my “go to” for all GF. Thank you!