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.
My boy requested a vanilla cake for his birthday party yesterday, and this one fit the bill! I noticed when it was cake eating time, everyone got quiet – because they were all gobbling up their cake. They said it was delicious! I used King Arthur 1:1 flour and my beloved cream cheese icing recipe. I checked it at 35 minutes and it was definitely still wet inside so I did 5 more minutes and took it out without checking it – it was still slightly underbaked in the middle but I don’t think anyone minded! Thanks for the awesome recipe.
We’re so pleased to hear that the recipe was such a hit at the party! Thank you for taking the time to share your positive baking experience with us, Tara!
This cake is sooo good❤️Just wondering if I can do it as a chocolate cake? Should I replace some of the flour with chocolate and how much? What would You prefer?Thanks☺️
Hi Ulrika, we haven’t attempted to turn this one into a chocolate cake. The dry and/or liquid ingredients would need to be adjusted, but without testing it out it’s hard to say the exact measurements. We have this gluten-free chocolate cake recipe that might interest you. It’s easy and delicious! Happy baking!
Can I switch the sourcream for butter instead?
Hi Arlen, thank you for your question! Unfortunately, butter won’t produce the same texture as the sour cream in this one.
Made two 9 inch cakes with this cake and frosting recipe, I also added lemon curd mixed in with the buttercream in the middle. It was so good and the entire party was asking me to share this recipe!!! 10s across the board!
Wow! Thank you for such amazing feedback, Ali Marie! We’re so happy to hear that it was such a hit!
I added a bit of coconut extract in place of the vanilla and put some toasted coconut in the batter, turned out great both ways! Thank you!
Sounds delicious, Geetu! We’re so glad you enjoyed the cake! Thank you for sharing your positive feedback with us!
I’ve been gluten-free for 5 years and I’ve experimented with many recipes. This is hands-down the best cake recipe I’ve come across. Thank you so much for your hard work.
Wow, thank you for such amazing feedback, Christine! We’re so excited to hear how much you loved this recipe! Happy baking!
Hi! I am wondering how tall each layer is please, or how many cups of batter this makes. I would need 2” tall for each layer
Thank you!!
Can you make this with oat milk or almond milk?
Hi Alena, yes you can use either kind of DF milk in this recipe. We just recommend opting for ones with fewer ingredients as added gums and stabilizers can effect the texture of the cake. We hope you enjoy the recipe!
How long should they cook if I am using this recipe for cupcakes?
Hi Lisa, as cupcakes they’d probably need around 18-20 minutes. We also have this gluten-free vanilla cupcake recipe you may enjoy! Happy baking!
So good. I use coconut oil and add a teeny bit of almond extract and I even will eat it straight with no frosting. I love the texture and it’s just sweet enough
Thank you for sharing your positive experience with us, Annie! We’re so pleased to hear how much you enjoyed the cake, even without frosting!
Any suggestions to make this into a chocolate cake?
Hi Donnette, to make this a chocolate cake, you’d add cocoa powder, but since that would add another dry ingredient to the batter, you would typically have to adjust the flour and/or liquids to make it work. We have this gluten-free chocolate cake recipe that might interest you. It’s easy and delicious! Happy baking!
Hi Erin, can I use coconut yoghurt in place of sour cream and oat milk for dairy-free version? Wondering how to make it eggless / vegan too? Thank you!
Hi Amy, for dairy-free we recommend dairy-free sour cream and dairy-free milk of any kind (one with no added gums/stabilizers). As for egg-free, we don’t typically bake with egg replacers and haven’t tested any with this recipe. 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!
Can I bake this in a 9X13 pan?
Definitely, Sue! 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!
My daughter and I made this cake. We used olive oil instead of vegetable oil. Unfortunately it came out very dense and tasted raw. The tooth pick came out clean. We used 8 inch pans. Any idea what could have happened.
Hi Cynthia, we’re sorry you had this experience! What kind of flour did you use? We highly recommend Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour with this cake. Others may produce a dense/gummy texture. Overmixing or the dry/wet measurements being off can also contribute. We hope these ideas help and your next bake goes much better!
Can you use buttermilk in stead of oil
Hi Judy, we highly recommend the oil/sour cream combo for the perfect crumb. Buttermilk doesn’t offer the same fat content as the oil and won’t work with the other ingredients in the same way unfortunately. Thank you for your question! We hope this helps!
Is it possible to convert this to a strawberry cake using some reduced strawberry purée?
Hi Sharon, we haven’t tried a strawberry cake with this recipe before. Adding the strawberry puree to the batter itself would most likely require adjustments to the dry ingredients too so that the texture/rise turns out right. If you decide to give it a try, we’d love to hear how it goes! Another option would be to add strawberry filling between the cake layers or add the strawberry puree to the frosting. We hope these ideas help!
I like to add dehydrated strawberries (blitzed in a food processor) to the buttercream– it gives a great strawberry taste and doesn’t change the texture!
Sounds delicious, Miranda! Thanks for sharing!
I have not made this yet but am wondering if you could swap out the vanilla extract for almond extract? Thanks
Hi Missy, yes you can use almond extract instead, we’d just recommend using a smaller amount since almond extract is so strong. We hope you enjoy the recipe!
Can you use olive oil instead of vegetable oil
Hi Andrea, yes you can swap out the vegetable oil for olive oil. We hope you enjoy the cake recipe!