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.
Can you use whole milk instead of 2%?
Hi Donna, yes you can! It will probably taste a bit richer with whole milk!
Hi! Im using a tin that is the shape of the number “2” which is roughly 12 inch by 7 inch and 2 inches deep. I don’t really want to do a double layer cake so would I be able to just pour all the mixture in the pan and cook as one big cake? Or would it not cook in the middle?
Thanks so much!
Hi Rachel, what a cute idea! Yes, this should fit into your tin as one layer. You may need to adjust the baking time slightly since the layer will be thicker. I would try baking at 350°F for 45-60 minutes. Start checking it around 35 minutes just to be safe!
Hey! This is my first year being gluten free after a recent celiac diagnosis. I usually have a cherry chip cake every year for my birthday, and I was hoping to use this recipe and tweak it to make it cherry chip. Would you recommend adding cherry extract to this, or replacing the vanilla for cherry extract? Any advice would be so helpful! Your website has given me so much hope for a happy gluten free life ❤️
Hi Monica, we’re so happy to hear the website has been helpful! Thank you! We haven’t tested a cherry chip version ourselves. We would try reducing the vanilla and just replacing that part with cherry extract. If using chopped maraschino cherries, pat them dry and toss them lightly in a little gf flour to prevent sinking. We’d start small with the measurement to avoid weighing the batter down too much. If you decide to test it out, we’d love to hear how it goes!
Hi! I made this cake and followed all the instructions, but it turned out a little gummy. What could I do to solve this problem?
Hi Anna, we’re sorry you had this experience! What brand of gf 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!
I am about to make this cake for my daughters birthday. I am however concerned about the amount of sugar that is required! Can this be reduced or can something else be used in place?
Thank you
Hi Deborah, we don’t typically bake with sugar substitutes. As far as reducing the sugar, we would be cautious to reduce it by much. The sugar plays into the texture/structure in addition to the flavor. If you decide to give it a try, we’d love to hear how it goes!
I’m hoping to use this to make a wedding cake soon and I wondered if you had any thoughts on how sturdy this cake is? Will it stand up to handling and having other layers placed on top of it? I usually go for a fairly dense cake for weddings so that I know they will stand up to the handling required to make a lot of tiers/layers. How much does this cake tend to rise? The layers I’ve seen in your image seem pretty flat so I’m guessing not very much rising?
Also, do you know the volume of batter from this cake? (it’ll help with the scaling up to make the larger layers)
Hi Victoria, this recipe creates a soft, pillowy crumb. It’s designed to make a two-layer cake with 8″ rounds. We haven’t tested it with higher tiers or larger round pans, but other readers have shared their successes using this recipe for wedding cakes. The recipe makes about 6 cups of batter. We hope this information helps!
This is my go-to cake when baking GF – everyone loves it! I am baking 2 of them tomorrow – 2 questions: 1) I don’t have quite enough sour cream on hand, will supplementing it with yogurt work or do I need to go to the store? 2) (just curious) why 2% as opposed to whole milk? Oh and I guess 3) thoughts on using buttermilk?
Hi Abbie, we’re so glad this recipe has become such a go-to! Thank you for the kind feedback. Yogurt may work as a sour cream sub, but we haven’t tested it ourselves. The 2% milk is recommended over whole milk as that level of fat content produces the best texture/structure. Due to its acidity, buttermilk would typically require further adjustments to the recipe to get the right texture and balance. We hope this helps!
I want to try this recipe but it needs to be dairy-free as well. Has anyone tried to make this with vegan sour cream and almond oil another non- dairy milk?
Hi Gladys, this cake can be made dairy-free using dairy-free sour cream and milk. We recommend using a df milk with fewer ingredients as added gums and stabilizers will effect the texture. We hope you enjoy the recipe!
Can I make this cake in a 9″ x 13″ cake pan and is the cook time still the same thank you
Bonnie
Hi Bonnie, yes it can be made in a 9×13! 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!
I’m wondering how long and what temperature to make this into regular and mini cupcakes? Thank you
Hi Katie! 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. For mini cupcakes, probably 10-13 minutes. Happy baking!
I made this cake and followed the instructions to the T. Used the Bobs Milk GF flour and the cake flavor was tasty and it looked good however was dense and had a powdery taste? Not sure if all gluten free cakes taste like that?:( this is my first time making a GF cake as my sister in law is GF. Are you able to provide me with some guidance on what I did wrong or I might just be comparing it to regular cake too much? Lol thank you for any tips you can give!!! -Ariel Turner
Hi Ariel, we’re sorry you had this experience! If it’s your first gluten-free cake it might seem a little different, but it does sound like the batter might have been undermixed or the dry/wet ratio was a little off. Also, using room temperature sour cream, milk, and eggs is key as cold ingredients will mess with how the batter blends. You can also try letting the batter rest for 15 minutes before baking. We hope these ideas help!
By far the best vanilla cake I’ve ever had, gluten free or otherwise. I live in Europe so I made this using Shär’s gluten free flour with a pinch of salt xanthan gum, it turned out perfect!
We’re so pleased you loved the vanilla cake recipe, Malone! It’s good to know that flour blend worked well too. Thank you for sharing your positive experience with us!
This is by far the best GF cake recipe I have tried. It tastes like the real deal, and my family couldn’t tell the difference. Big hit and I didn’t have to make two different cakes to accommodate. Everyone enjoyed this recipe. Thank you!
I’m obsessed with this recipe! Its so moist and fluffy and nothing like any other gluten free vanilla cake I’ve tried. Its so addictive and delicious!
We’re so happy to hear you enjoyed this cake so much, Haley! We appreciate you taking the time to share your positive experience with us!
I am planning to make this cake for a party, but want to do it in jelly roll pan which is 15x10x1 size. You said it is hard to get a 1.5 increase on the cake batter correct, so maybe I double the recipe and use leftover batter for cupcakes? Just wondering if you (or anyone) has tried it in a jelly roll baking sheet and what worked best for it. Or if you have any suggestions?
Hi Eden, we haven’t tried it in a jelly roll pan ourselves. Doubling the recipe and using the excess for cupcakes would definitely be easier than making 1.5x the recipe in order to get the egg measurement just right. If you decide to give the jelly roll pan a try, we’d love to hear how it goes!
This was the 3rd recipe I tried, and wow!! am I glad I found this. This recipe was so much like a regular cake and not at all like biscuits with corn meal. This even had the cake rising in the oven. I didn’t know gluten free could be so good. Thank you-Thank you!!! I will be checking out your other gluten free recipes.
Aww, we’re so pleased you enjoyed the cake so much, Lori! Thank you for such positive feedback. Happy baking!