An easy gluten-free vanilla cake recipe that is tender and better than any bakery style gluten-free cake. You guys have been asking for the best gluten-free vanilla cake recipe and here it is!
You are going to love this gluten-free vanilla cake.
This gluten free dairy free vanilla cake is a spin off my gluten-free vanilla cupcakes.
If you are more of a gluten free chocolate person you are going to want to check out my easy gluten-free chocolate cake.
Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake
In case you were wondering, this gluten-free vanilla cake has the best texture. It’s light, tender, and it isn’t dry like many gluten-free vanilla cake recipes.
Everyone agrees that this is the best gluten free vanilla cake. No need to ever buy a gluten-free vanilla cake mix at the store.
Several of my readers have been asking for a easy gluten-free vanilla cake recipe. I’ve had my gluten-free vanilla cupcakes up for a while now and they get raving reviews.
Please read through this entire post. It’s chalked full of tips for making the best gluten-free vanilla cake.
This gluten free dairy free vanilla cake recipe isn’t vegan. It uses eggs. If you need a vegan cake you can check out Minimalist Bakers 1 Bowl Vegan Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake.
The other option is to use the equivalent of a flaxegg, but your cake texture will vary.
Is Vanilla Extract Gluten-Free
Yes, pure vanilla extra is gluten free. You’ll want to always check labels, especially on imitation vanilla extracts as additional ingredients may be added.
How to make gluten-free vanilla cake
There are a couple of tips and tricks to getting the right texture with this gluten-free vanilla cake recipe. First, you have to follow the recipe.
So many people comment on recipe posts saying that they made a ton of substitutions and the recipe didn’t turn out. If you make a substitution, you are doing so on your own.
Other than the dairy substitute, I haven’t tried other substitutes in this recipe.
Second, you want to mix at the right time and not over-mix. When you are beating the oil, sugar, and eggs you’ll want to beat it for the time listed.
This adds air which in turn helps the cake rise. Beating any longer will cause the batter to stiffen.
Steps to make a Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Cake
- Make sure to preheat your oven before you begin.
- In a medium mixing bowl combine oil and sugar.
- Add eggs and beat with an electric mixer at medium speed for one minute. Add flour, salt, baking powder, dairy-free milk, and vanilla; beat at medium speed for one minute.
- Spoon batter evenly into cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the centers springs back when touched and cakes are lightly browned.
- Let cool in the pan on rack for five minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans onto rack and cool completely before frosting.
- Let cakes cool completely before frosting.
For the detailed instructions and ingredients for this gluten-free vanilla cake recipe please see the complete recipe below.
Can I use dairy in this cake?
Yes, you can use regular dairy butter and dairy milk in this recipe. Just note that if you use butter instead of oil in the recipe, the cake will be a little heavier.
This isn’t a bad thing, it’s just a smidge more dense.
What causes a gluten-free cake to crack on top?
You might see cracks if your temperature is too high, or your cake is placed in the oven too high. The heat of baking activates the baking powder and causes it to release carbon dioxide, which forms bubbles and raises the cake.
If your oven is too hot, that process is sped up. Make sure to place your cake in the center, and regularly check your oven’s temperature.
Another reason is if you are at a high altitude. If you are baking this gluten-free vanilla cake at a high altitude consider cutting the baking powder in half.
Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake Mixes
We’ve tried several gluten-free vanilla cake mixes. Here are a few that we enjoyed if you are wanting to keep one on hand.
You can also mix the dry ingredients for this gluten-free vanilla cake and store them in a jar, essentially making your own mix.
Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake Mix
Cup4Cup Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake Mix
King Arthur Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake Mix
Pamela’s Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake Mix
Some of my favorite gluten-free cake recipes:
Gluten-Free Chocolate Bundt Cake
Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Ganache Cake
My Gluten Free Angel Food Cake is also perfect. If you are looking for cupcake recipes, just search cupcakes in the search bar on the right.
Why did my gluten-free vanilla cake sink?
There are several reason why gluten-free cakes sink, one is from over beating the batter and adding too much air.
Also, cakes often will sink when there is too much moisture. This is more common in humid climates where added moisture can collect naturally in ingredients such as flour.
When this occurs, the center of the gluten-free vanilla cake rises rapidly and then falls during baking.
In higher elevations, the leavening agent works twice as hard and may cause the batter to rise rapidly and sink before it’s had a chance to set up.
All these tips are relevant to most cake recipes, not just this gluten-free vanilla cake recipe.
If you need a sugar free or low carb version you’ll want to check out this Keto Vanilla Cake. The recipe can also be made into cupcakes.
If you made this gluten-free vanilla cake recipe I want to hear from you! Please leave a star rating and a comment below letting me know what you thought.
An easy gluten-free vanilla cake recipe that is tender and better than any bakery style gluten-free cake. You are going to love this gluten-free vanilla cake.Easy Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
For the frosting:
Instructions
Notes
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16
Serving Size:
1 slice
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 562Total Fat: 29gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 81mgSodium: 292mgCarbohydrates: 72gFiber: 1gSugar: 49gProtein: 6g
Wendy
Hi Chrystal, I’ve made this cake as a granadilla (passion fruit) cake by substituting some of the milk for passion fruit pulp and adding lemon zest. I used butter and eggs for that one and it was wonderful. I then made chocolate cupcakes by adding 1/3 cup of cocoa and for that recipe I used rice milk and substituted the eggs with the liquid from chick peas (garbanzo beans) and it came out wonderfully. My kids are still talking about “The Delicious Cupcakes”. Thank you very much!!
chrystal
Awe, I am so glad. Thanks for sharing.
Best,
Chrystal
Rikki
Great Recipie!
Thank you!
Em
Beautiful cake! Thank you.
Linda
This cake is a winner! I used the self raising flour from Aldi supermarket. No bp in and it rose beautifully! I used the Sunflower oil!
alessandra
how long would you recommend baking if I wanted to make smaller cakes in 6’’ cake pans?
chrystal
I’d start with 18-20 minutes and watch it from there.
Best,
Chrystal
Kimberly
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Seriously one of the best gluten free cakes I’ve ever made! The only change I made was using fruit preserves between my cake layers. I wish I could post a pic to show you how well it came out.
Kirstin
Hello, I love your site and have tried many of the recipes! I baked this vanilla cake over the holidays and unfortunately it didn’t turn out – can you please help me understand where I went wrong so I can try again? The only change I made to your recipe was half the sugar and baking all the batter in one tin instead of 2 – the cake looked great when in oven but when took it out it was dense and gummy! Help!
chrystal
Hi Kirstin,
It could have been that you cut the sugar in half or it could have been the pan that you used if you baked it all in the same pan. For example, if you used a small pan it would make the batter thicker than it should be. Also, what flour blend did you use? Not all flour blends work in this recipe.
Best,
Chrystal
Meg
The recipe sounds great. I plan to try it for my birthday this coming week. One question: Could I substitute applesauce for half of the vegetable oil? Thank you.
chrystal
Hello,
Yes, you can use applesauce in place of half the oil. Just note that the texture will be slightly different.
Best,
Chrystal