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Easy Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake

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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.

This gluten free dairy free vanilla cake is a spin off my gluten-free vanilla cupcakes. You guys have been asking for the best gluten-free vanilla cake recipe and here it is! If you are more of a gluten free chocolate person you are going to want to check out my easy gluten-free chocolate cake.

For more sweet treats check out my Gluten-Free Desserts.

A slice of gluten-free vanilla cake topped with chocolate frosting on a white plate with a fork and colored sprinkles

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.

Top down view of a gluten-free vanilla cake with chocolate frosting and colored sprinkles.

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

  1. Make sure to preheat your oven before you begin.
  2. In a medium mixing bowl combine oil and sugar.
  3. 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.
  4. Spoon batter evenly into cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the centers springs back when touched and cakes are lightly browned.
  5. Let cool in the pan on rack for five minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans onto rack and cool completely before frosting.
  6. 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.

A slice of gluten-free vanilla cake with chocolate frosting being served from a cake plate.

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:

If you are looking for cupcake recipes, just search cupcakes in the search bar on the right.

A slice of gluten-free vanilla cake with chocolate frosting on a white plate with a fork, with the words easy gluten free vanilla cake in text at the top

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.

Yield: 1 two-layer gluten-free vanilla cake

Easy Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake

A slice of gluten-free vanilla cake topped with chocolate frosting on a white plate with a fork and colored sprinkles

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.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

For the cake:

For the frosting:

Instructions

  1. For the cakes: Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Position rack in center of oven. Grease two 8" or 9" pans with oil; set aside.
  2. In a medium mixing bowl combine oil and sugar.
  3. 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.
  4. Spoon batter evenly into cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the centers springs back when touched and cakes are lightly browned.
  5. Let cool in the pan on rack for five minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans onto rack and cool completely before frosting.
  6. For the frosting: In a medium mixing bowl, beat butter and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Add cocoa powder and beat until combined. Gradually add powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Slowly beat in milk. Beat in additional milk if needed, to obtain desired consistency.
  7. Let cakes cool completely before frosting.
  8. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days, or in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Notes

  1. This recipe works best with Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour. It DOES NOT work with the Bob's Red Mill all purose gluten free flour.
  2. Room temperature eggs work best. To bring cold eggs to room temperature, run them under warm water for a couple of minutes.
  3. When working with or measuring gluten-free flour, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level. Do not scoop your measuring cup into the gluten-free flour. The best method really is to weight it but I don't have the ingredient weights for all my recipes yet.
  4. Dairy - you can use regular dairy milk and dairy butter in this gluten-free vanilla cake recipe.
  5. Let cakes cool completely before frosting.

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
© Chrystal
Cuisine: American / Category: Desserts
A slice of gluten-free vanilla cake with chocolate frosting being served from a cake plate, with the words best gluten free vanilla cake written at the top

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Hi Chrystal, thanks for the recipe and I like your website 🙂 I tried baking this today, but it didn’t turn out well. It didn’t cook through nor the cake taste like cake, more like soft bread…Is it because i used GF flour mix (brown rice, white rice, tapioca and potato startch) instead of the the 1-1 flour? I am new to baking and I wonder why there’s so much flour in this recipe compared to other recipes online? Thank you!!

    Reply

    • Hi Phoebe,
      No problem, we will figure out what happened. First, yes the brown rice flour could have contributed to it not turning out. It could also be that the flours weren’t the correct amount. A few things:

      – The first five ingredients in any product are the main ingredients, and usually the first ingredient is the prominent ingredient. If brown rice flour is the first ingredient in your blend, your blend uses brown rice flour as the base, or uses it the most.
      – To measure flours with measuring cups you want to spoon the flour into the measure cup and then level it.
      – Overmixing will cause baked goods to be gummy in the middle. Always mix just until the ingredients are combined unless the recipe says to mix for a certian time.

      I hope that helps!
      Chrystal

      Reply

  3. Chrystal,
    This was the first time I made a GF cake. My step-daughter and husband have gluten sensitivity. She requested a vanilla cake with vanilla frosting. It turned out fantastic! It was moist and tasted as good as any successfully made cake I have tried.
    Can this cake be frozen?

    Reply

  4. Hi Chrystal, it’s just me & my husband eating GF & I find a whole cake goes dry before we finish. So I usually make the small tins or cupcakes then freeze them until we eat it. Do you think this recipe will work that way to? Desperately looking for a good recipe for vanilla cake! Store bought is pretty much terrible. Thanks much, Helen :0)

    Reply

    • Hi, I have to bake a 10 in and 12 in gluten free vanilla cake and was wondering if I can double the recipe to make the 12 inch cake. If so, what about the 10 in? Would this current recipe bake a 10 inch cake? Any helpful suggestion would be appreciated. Thank you.

      Reply

      • This recipe makes a 8 or 9 inch double-layer cake. To get a thicker single layer 10 inch and a single layer 12 inch cake you can double the recipe. I haven’t personally done this, but a few readers who have made a wedding cake with this recipe have. You can also double the recipe and make a double layer 10 and 12 inch, but with the layers being thinner.

        Best,
        Chrystal

        Reply

  5. Hello!! I wanted to try this!! Has anyone tried it with King Arthur’s All purpose gluten free flour? Thanks!!!

    Reply

    • I made this today for the 4th and oh my gosh it is out of this world good. I’ve been strictly GF for 4 years and I’ve always stayed away from baking because it seemed so much more difficult compared to regular gluten filled baking. This recipe could not have been easier or more delicious. Thank you!

      Reply

  7. I have never been so confident following recipes since visiting your site for the first time last year. I can’t believe how deliciously simple every recipe has been. I wanted to make two sheet cakes to cut up and turn into a number “4” layer cake for my grandson’s birthday this week. My sheet pans are 8” x 13”. I will make Your chocolate cake and this vanilla cake. How much time to baking should I add for a sheet pan?

    Reply

    • Hi Donna,
      I am so glad you like my recipes. Thank you for letting me know. As for your question, I would start with 28 minutes and watch for donness from there.

      Best,
      Chrystal

      Reply

  8. Cakes with gf flour are my nemesis but this was delicious! I was looking for a gf df white cake and this was perfect, thanks so much.

    Reply

  9. Hi there!

    I am going to try this cake in hopes to add it to my gluten free cake choices in the future. When you converted the recipe from US to metric – I have one question. When you typed out “oz” for metric, did you mean fluid ounces or weight ounces?

    Thanks so much!

    Reply

    • Hi Linzi,
      I did grams for the dry ingredients and fluid ounces for the milk. Where are you from? Is that how you use metric measurements when you cook and bake? I’d love to know as I am going to be updating ALL of my recipes to include metric measurements.

      Thank you,
      Chrystal

      Reply

  10. This cake was delicious! My kids wanted a “firework” cake for July 4. I colored some of the batter red and blue and baked it in a Bundt pan. So good! Do you think adding strawberries to the batter would work with this cake?

    Reply

  11. I have a reaction to vanilla, is there anything else I could use with this cake to get a nice flavor and consistency?

    Reply

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