This gluten free red velvet cake is moist, fluffy with the perfect hints of chocolate and vanilla and made totally from scratch! With a simple cream cheese frosting, this is a cake you’ll keep coming back to!
I am SO excited for ya’ll to make this cake. Red velvet has always been one of my favorite kind of cakes. You have hints of both vanilla and chocolate, but it’s not a true rich chocolate cake since there is so little cocoa powder.
Just enough to make you taste the chocolate, but it is subtle and blends beautifully with the vanilla, tang from vinegar, and richness from the butter. The color comes from red food coloring, but you can also use beet juice or powder, though that won’t yield quite the same rich red color. You can also leave it out completely, the taste won’t be affected!
Plus, this gluten free red velvet cake is easy to make, moist, fluffy and you would truly never know it’s gluten free! It is not vegan, but I do have vegan red velvet cupcakes you can make instead!
How to make this cake
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease and then line two 8 or 9 inch round cake pans with parchment paper and set aside. I used 8 inch pans, if you use 9 inch, the layers will just be a bit thiner.
Sift together all dry ingredients into a large bowl and whisk together. Be sure to spoon and level the flour, do not pack it in or scoop from the bag. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the room temperature butter, oil and sugar until well combined. Beat in all remaining wet ingredients except for the food coloring.
Combine the dry ingredients with the wet and whisk together until smooth. Add in the food coloring and whisk until well combined.
Note: You don’t have to add food coloring to red velvet cake. It obviously won’t be red without it, but the flavor will still be the same! You can try beet extract for a natural color as well.
Transfer to the prepared pans and bake in the center of the oven for 25-32 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Remove from the oven, let cool for about 10 minutes, then flip onto a cooling rack and let cool completely.
Cream Cheese Buttercream
To make the buttercream, beat together the butter and cream cheese until well combined. Beat in the vanilla and powdered sugar about 2 cups at a time until smooth and creamy. Wait until the cake has cooled completely before frosting.
Frost the top of one layer, then add the second layer on top and frost the top and sides. Enjoy!
Tips to make this perfectly
Use room temperature ingredients. This is so important! The butter, milk and eggs all must be at room temperature before you begin baking. This is key for making sure the cake rises properly and the ingredients mix well together when making the batter.
Spoon and level the flour. I say this all the time and you’re probably sick of it but this is so important! If you scoop the flour from the bag or pack it into the measuring cup, you’ll end up with way more flour than you need which will result in a dry cake.
Watch the bake time. All ovens are different which is why I give a range for the bake time. It will also depend on whether you use 8 or 9 inch pans, 9 inch pans will cook a bit faster. Start on the low end of the time, check with a toothpick and add just 2 minutes at a time until the cake is done.
Storage tips
If you’re making the cake before decorating, you can allow the sponges to cool at room temperature, then wrap them in plastic wrap and stick in the fridge for 24 hours until ready to frost.
Once the cake has been frosted, keep it covered to prevent it from drying out. Once it has been frosted and sliced, keep it even more tightly covered to prevent the inside from drying out.
Try these other gluten free cakes next!
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Gluten Free Red Velvet Cake
Ingredients
Wet:
- ½ cup butter, softened (I used dairy free)
- ¼ cup oil
- 4 large eggs (room temperature)
- 1 ½ cups milk (I used almond)
- 1 ½ cups fine granulated white sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2-3 tbsp liquid red food coloring* (or 2-3 tsp gel)
Dry:
- 3 cups gluten free all purpose flour (I used Bob's Red Mill 1:1)
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
Buttercream:
- 8 ounces plain cream cheese at room temperature (I used dairy free)
- 4 ounces butter at room temperature (I used dairy free, 4 ounces=1 stick)
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- *please make sure your ingredients are at room temperature before baking!*
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease and then line two 8 or 9 inch round cake pans with parchment paper and set aside. I used 8 inch pans, if you use 9 inch, the layers will just be a bit thiner.
- Sift together all dry ingredients into a large bowl and whisk together. Be sure to spoon and level the flour, do not pack it in or scoop from the bag. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the room temperature butter, oil and sugar until well combined. Beat in all remaining wet ingredients except for the food coloring.
- Combine the dry ingredients with the wet and whisk together until smooth. Add in the food coloring and whisk until well combined. I used one of these containers.
- Transfer to the prepared pans and bake in the center of the oven for 25-32 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven, let cool for about 10 minutes, then flip onto a cooling rack and let cool completely.
- To make the buttercream, beat together the butter and cream cheese until well combined. Beat in the powdered sugar about 2 cups at a time until smooth and creamy. Beat in the salt and vanilla. Wait until the cake has cooled completely before frosting.
- Frost the top of one layer, then add the second layer on top and frost the top and sides. Enjoy!
Laura G
Can these cakes be frozen? I typically make cakes ahead of time and freeze them. Makes decorating a heck of a lot easier!
Claire Cary
I haven’t tried that but I think it would work fine! The texture might be slightly different upon defrosting, but I think it’ll work well!
Norah
Wow what a delicious and gorgeous cake!! Easy recipe to follow and such a showstopper! My frosting skills need some work but this cake was a hit for my party!!