This gluten free vanilla cake is as stunning as it is scrumptious! Whether you are looking for a beautiful gluten free cake for your next birthday party, celebration, or wedding cake base, this will be just what you need. No matter what, this gluten free cake is going to impress!
Light and moist, this white layered cake is covered in sweet cream cheese frosting and is baked to perfection. Every bite has the most incredible ratio of cake to frosting. If you love cake as much as we do, you will want to check out all of my gluten free cake recipes on the blog :-).
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My daughter is very artistic and loves to freehand these gorgeous mandala designs. This cake was inspired by her desire to decorate it with a mandala. I have to brag a little bit because she did an impeccable job! You can see more of her fabulous art on her Instagram account. She has donated a couple of pieces for charity fundraisers.
If you are like me and have kids that have allergies, it can be nervewracking to allow them to be out of your sight. As they get older, they are more likely to go on school trips without you. I made this guide to help ease some of that stress. Have a look at Ways To Keep Your Allergic Safe On A Overnight School Trip.
If you love this easy gluten free white cake, take a look at some of our favorite gluten free cake recipes:
- Gluten Free Chocolate Cake
- Mouthwatering Gluten Free French Apple Cake
- Gluten Free Devil’s Food Chocolate Cake
- Super Easy Gluten Free Lemon Cake
What gluten free flour is best for cakes?
While there are many different gluten free flour options for sale, I have a few that I regularly use with great success like Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Blend, Pamela’s Gluten Free Blend, Authentic Foods Multiblend is very cool because they mill their gluten free extra fine so there isn’t any grit. This will allow a much smoother texture. I also like King Arthur's Gluten Free Blend.
Just make sure the gluten free flour blend has Xanthan gum added. If not, you will want to add 1 teaspoon.
As I mentioned before, this cake is perfect for a party, a wedding (though you will need to triple the recipe or more depending on the number of guests!), or any occasion. I used these cute little-layered baking pans so that all of my layers were the same size!
Don't you want to grab the fork and have a bite? A lot of people ask if it is hard to assemble a layer cake. I can promise it looks much harder than it is!
This easy gluten free vanilla birthday cake recipe is so versatile because you can do so many things with it like:
- Make cupcakes with this recipe. Perfect for holidays and other gatherings.
- You can make a sheet cake for a birthday party or any other event.
- Whip this recipe into cake pops for a fun spin.
- Make it as a layered cake to add extra elegance to the cake.
Are you ready to see how easy this gluten free vanilla cake recipe is to make? (And don't worry, I will include the cream cheese frosting recipe too!
Instructions:
The first step is to add the dry ingredients to a bowl and whisk to blend. (Also preheat your oven to 350 degrees!)
In a smaller bowl, add the wet ingredients and whisk to blend. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well.
Your gluten free cake batter will be creamy like in this photo. Sometimes different gluten free flour blends behave differently depending on how much starch is in the mix. You may need to add a little extra liquid if your batter is too thick.
Add the cake batter to your layer cake pans (or cupcakes or sheet cake!) and bake. For these little layer cake pans, I baked the cakes for 20 minutes. If you are using larger cake pans, you will need to bake the cake longer.
How do you know when the cake is done baking?
There are several ways to tell if a cake is done baking. You can try all the methods or just use the ones that work for you.
- The toothpick test is the most common. Just stick a toothpick in the center of the cake and pull it back out. If it comes out clean and free of liquid, then your cake is done.
- Another way to check is if the sides are pulling away from the pan then it is a good indicator the cake is done.
- You can also use your finger to check the texture of the cake. If you press down on the cake and it doesn’t bounce right back up, then it probably needs to cool a little longer.
To make the frosting, add softened cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and a bit of water to a bowl and mix well until thick and creamy.
How do you assemble a layer cake?
To assemble a layer cake, you must first add the base layer to your plate or cake stand. Next, add a layer of frosting on top of the base layer and spread it around.
Next, you add another layer of cake, then another layer of frosting. You keep adding layers until you have used all of them. After all your layers are together, then you can continue to frost and decorate the cake.
How do you lift a layer cake onto a cake stand?
The easiest way to lift a layer cake onto a cake stand is by using a giant spatula. Simply place the spatula under the cake and raise it. You will want to make sure to hold the cake with your other hand to ensure you don’t lose balance.
Decorate the cake any way you like! If you want to know what brands of sprinkles are gluten free and Celiac safe, check out my guide to gluten free sprinkles.
Looking for more dessert ideas? You should see these recipes:
- Gluten Free Carrot Cake Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Frosting
- Easy Gluten Free Vanilla Cupcakes With Chocolate Frosting
- Gluten Free Lemon Sour Cream Cakes
- Gluten Free Chocolate Raspberry Cake Recipe
Reader adaptations:
Jennifer M. used lemon juice instead of vanilla and a few drops of yellow food coloring to make this a lemon flavored cake.
Trinity M made this into a large sheet cake to feed a crowd!
Julie S. used butter instead of oil and sour milk (buttermilk) And 3/4 teaspoon baking soda and said it turned out great.
Tools:
- Cake Stand to make decorating so much easier!
- Sprinkles that are gluten free.
If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave me a rating and a comment. I LOVE hearing from you!! You can also FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest to see even more delicious recipes!
📋 Recipe
Gluten Free Vanilla Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- For Cake:
- 2 cups gluten free flour blend
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 cup light oil (*I used avocado oil)
- 3/4 cup milk (depending on your gluten free flour blend, you may need more liquid. See photo of the cake batter above.)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- For Frosting:
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1/4 cup butter softened
- 2 1/4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, add the dry cake ingredients and use a whisk to blend.
- In a smaller bowl, add the wet ingredients and whisk to mix.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well. Note photo above of the batter consistency.
- Spoon batter into greased cake pans, or cupcake pan.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes (for the small layer cake pans) You will want to bake longer for larger pans. Use the toothpick method described in the post to know when your cakes are done.)
- Remove the cake layers from the oven and allow to cool on a cooling rack. If you are making a layer cake, inspect each layer for bumps (if one area of the cake rose more)
- Use a knife to level any bumps to make your cake layers flat.
- Place the bottom layer of cake on a cake stand. Add frosting to the top of the layer. Place the next cake layer on top of the frosting, and frost that layer. Repeat until all layers are frosted.
- Use a cake spatula to frost the top and sides of the cake. Decorate how you like.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Jenny
Hello! If I’m using 9 inch cake pans, will I be able to get one or two pans out of the recipe? Thank you!
Sandi Gaertner
You may have enough, though it depends on how deep the pans are. I used 6-inch very shallow pans.
Toree
Hello!
Thank you for sharing this recipe! I am wondering if it is ok to use Almond milk?
Sandi Gaertner
almond milk is fine Toree 🙂
Atena
Do you use vanilla extract or vanilla flavoring? Also, did you find the egg yolks make this cake look more like yellow cake instead of white?
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Atena, I use vanilla extract. Vanilla flavoring isn't made with real vanilla. I didn't notice egg yolks coloring the cake more yellow, but the yolks were not dark yellow.
Charity
I’m curious if anyone has tried this using pop or champagne in place of the milk. I found the cake to be a bit dense. Is that just the nature of gf flour? I’m making a gf wedding cake for my brother and I haven’t done a lot of gf baking.
Don’t get me wrong this cake is wonderful and A favorite for gf just wondering if anyone has tried using something a bit more airy.
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Charity, I think it will completely depend on the gluten free flour blend you use. The starchier blends tend to absorb more liquid, which could cause the cake to be dense.
Toree
Hello!
Thank you for sharing this recipe! I am wondering if it is ok to use Almond milk?
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Toree, almond milk is fine 🙂
Kathy
Can you make this with regular (not GF) flour?
Any adjustments to the amount?
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Kathy, I haven't baked with regular flour in over 10 years so I really do not know how to answer your question.