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 family LOVES this cake – I’ve made it so many times for birthday parties and no one ever realizes it’s gluten free… Have you made this as cupcakes before? If so, how long would you cook them for?
We’re so happy to hear this has become such a go-to recipe! Thank you for your kind feedback. For cupcakes, we recommend this gluten-free vanilla cupcake recipe! To make this cake recipe into cupcakes, they’d probably need about 18-20 minutes in the oven. Happy baking!
Love this! I’ve made it three times now and every time it’s a hit (even with the non-gf eaters. I’m planning on making a three layer cake for my daughter’s birthday… would I need to double the recipe? Or can it be one and a halved? Thanks!
Hi Lauren, thank you for the positive feedback! We’re so pleased the cake has been a hit on multiple occasions. While technically 1.5x the recipe would be enough for a three layer cake, the difficult part is increasing the eggs by that much and staying accurate with the measurement so that it doesn’t mess with the texture. Doubling it will make it easier though it will give you extra batter. We hope your daughter has a great birthday!
My daughter and I made this for her 16th birthday and it turned out fantastic! Super moist, just the right amount of sweetness, and easy to make.
Yay! We’re so happy to hear you all enjoyed the cake so much! Thank you for this kind feedback. We hope your daughter had a great 16th birthday!
Just fabulous. I used a 9×13 and, of course, it took longer to cook. I only used half the amount of sugar in the frosting.
Followed directions to a tee! Didn’t take long for things to get to room temp here in sunny San Diego!
We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Ann! Thank you for your positive feedback. Happy baking!
Can we substitute the sugar for allulose?
Hi Jana, we don’t typically bake with sugar substitutes unfortunately. The sugar plays into both the texture and taste so it may impact the final results. If you decide to give it a try, we’d love to hear how it goes!
I made this with Mom’s Place GF Flour blend and substituted 1/2 avocado oil & half applesauce as well as unsweetened almond milk and it turned out perfect! Excited to try more recipes. Thank you.
Hi Becky, we’re so glad to hear you enjoyed the cake and that those substitutions worked well for you. Thank you for sharing your positive feedback with us!
Does the frosting need to be refrigerated?
Hi Michelle, if just storing the frosting by itself, yes we’d recommend the fridge so that it’s as fresh as possible when added to the cake. Frosted cake can sit out at room temperature for up to 2 days. Any longer than that, then you’d want to store the whole cake in the fridge. We hope this helps!
I’ve been GF for 16 years and cakes and pie crusts have been the 2 things I haven’t been able to perfect. Thankfully after trying this recipe I’m just down to pie crusts! This cake is absolutely delicious!! It’s so fluffy and yet moist at the same time. I followed it exactly as recommended and it definitely did not disappoint! I even shared the recipe with 2 friends with GF children.
Aww, we’re so happy to hear you enjoyed this cake so much! Thank you for the kind feedback, Laura. You may enjoy this gluten-free pie crust next!
This cake was the best gf cake I’ve made I would like to know if I could cut down the sugar, oil and sour cream a bit. It was just a little too wet. I have celiac disease but my kids loved it.
Hi Jo Ann, we’re pleased to hear you enjoyed the cake so much! The sugar, oil, and sour cream play into the texture/structure and flavor so we wouldn’t recommend changing the measurements. If you still want to adjust them, start out with very small adjustments. Before making those changes though, it may be beneficial to bake it as-is and add a few extra minutes to the baking time, in case it was just a little underbaked. Happy baking!
Absolutely delicious!
Thank you for this positive feedback, Janet! We’re so pleased you enjoyed the cake!
Hi! Would this recipe work well in a Bundt pan? Any changes I would need to make?
Hi Cathey, we haven’t tried it, but that should work. You’ll need to adjust the baking time and definitely grease the Bundt pan well. We hope you enjoy the cake!
Hi, looking to make this cake this weekend. Can I substitute vanilla bean instead of vanilla extract?
Hi Kandace, we haven’t tried vanilla bean, but that should work! The general guideline is 1 vanilla bean equals 1 tablespoon of extract. We’d love to hear how it goes!
This looks great and I plan on making it for my sons’s birthday. However, I only have 9” cake pans. Any suggestions on how to make it work?
Hi Marti, 9″ pans hold about 25% more batter. You can make the recipe as-is and bake for less time since they will be thinner layers. Or you could try to scale up the recipe to make more batter, but that can get tricky, especially with things like eggs. We hope this helps and your son has a great birthday!
An extremely successful bake in the 9″ pans for anyone who needs to adjust. I kept the recipe the same, and the cakes were beautiful and not at all thin; I can’t imagine how big they would have been in the 8″ pans. The cake was DELICIOUS!!!! Everyone, especially my birthday boy, absolutely loved it. Thank you for a great recipe and a fast reply to my original comment.
Thank you for sharing your positive baking experience with us, Marti! We’re so glad the 9″ pans worked so well and that everyone, including the birthday boy, enjoyed the cake!
Used this recipe today , first time doing gf , used to make cupcakes for a friends daughters party really pleased with how they turned out quantities made 24 cupcakes now in freezer till Friday
We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe and that it worked well for cupcakes! Thank you for your positive feedback, Louise. We hope the party goes well!
I’ve used so many boxed cake mixes and recipes to make gluten free cakes and desserts for my aunt. Although none of them were bad, they just weren’t “it.” This recipe is IT!!! This cake bakes up so fluffy and moist. It sliced beautifully and kept its moisture for days after baking. I used it for a chentilly cake, and ever bcame soggy with the fresh fruit. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Yay! We’re so happy to hear you enjoyed the cake so much! Thank you for sharing your positive experience with us, Macy. Happy baking!
I made this once for a birthday party and it was delicious!! I’m wanting to make it again but I want to make it sugar free. Could I substitute the sugar and powdered sugar for monk fruit sweetener with erythritol?
Hi Jana, we’re so pleased the recipe was a hit! We don’t bake with sugar substitutes unfortunately. The sugar plays into both the taste and texture so such changes may greatly impact the results. If you decide to give it a try, we’d love to hear how it goes!
I had a few issues with this recipe. I’m in Australia so had to double check the conversions over to metric. I used two 20x 6cm pans (8×2.5 inch) and the pans were only 1/3 full- so I produced very flat cakes. Did I do something wrong with my proportions? In your video you used the portions as written to produce two cakes so I must have stuffed up there! Also, the icing was extremely runny and curdled- but I think this is a temperature error on my end. Should the heavy cream be pre-whipped or just out of the fridge, despite the butter being at room temp? I probably left the cream out too long! The relative ease of this recipe is amazing- so I’ve rated it 5 stars as the issues I encountered are guaranteed to be due to my inexperience with GF baking! I made your chocolate cake recipe and doubled the quantity (using the same pans) and it came out amazing- although I had to double the baking time. Any feedback on the errors I made would be much appreciated. Or maybe the pans are just completely difference sizes- therefore I would need to clarify baking times in a 180 degree Celsius oven! Thanks so much 🙂
Hi Nicki, we’re sorry you experienced these issues, but we’re so glad you still enjoyed the recipe. We don’t have a ton of experience with conversions to the metric system, but that pan size seems similar. Most 8-inch rounds are 2 inches deep so the depth may be slightly different but the diameter should be correct. Did you use the Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour? Using different gf flour blends can contribute to the lack of rise. The heavy cream can be used straight from the fridge. Sometimes overmixing can add contribute to curdling too. We hope these ideas help!
Hi Christie,
Thanks for your reply! Unfortunately we don’t have that brand of flour readily available in Australian supermarkets- but I used something with a similar ingredient profile/ blend. I might troubleshoot this further using different pans with a similar diameter. Thanks so much for your advice!
Hi Niki, you can buy Bobs Red Mill gluten free flour online from a few suppliers in Aus.
Love this recipe! How would you change it if I wanted to use it as a base cake and add fresh peaches, blueberries or raspberries to the batter? Wanting to add one of the fruits to it but unsure if it would work!
Hi Hayley, we’re so pleased you loved the vanilla cake! we haven’t tried turning this vanilla cake into a fruit one before. It may be possible, but you’d want to make sure you don’t overload the batter with too much fruit or liquid as it will mess with the texture. The baking time may also be impacted. It may be easier to make the vanilla cake and add a fruit filling layer in between the layers of cake. If you decide to give it a try, we’d love to hear how it goes!
How long do you bake this cake in a 9×13 inch pan? Thanks.
Hi Sandra, 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!
Thanks Erin for a wonderful easy recipe! I did substitute fat-free greek yogurt for the sour cream and I did not put icing on them yet. They are light and fluffy! Our family will love them for our celebration tonight! Then I plan on freezing the rest to enjoy soon.
Tried this recipe for the first time today, worked a treat! Just curious if you can you flavour this recipe to make chocolate cake or lemon cake?
Hi Elodie, we’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe! We’d recommend our gluten-free lemon cake recipe or one of our chocolate cake recipes, gluten-free chocolate Bundt cake or easy gluten-free chocolate cake, instead of adapting this recipe. Happy baking!