Name: Gluten Free Vanilla Cake
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup butter (melted then cooled slightly, I used dairy free); 1/3 cup oil (any plain oil will work, I used refined avocado oil); 1 1/2 cups + 2 tbsp granulated sugar; 4 large eggs; 4 tsp vanilla extract; 1 1/4 cups milk (I used almond, at room temperature); 3 cups gluten free all purpose flour (spoon and level to measure); 1 tbsp baking powder; 1/2 tsp salt; 1 cup unsalted butter (I used dairy free, at room temperature); 4 cups powdered sugar; 2-4 tbsp milk as needed (I used almond); 1 tsp vanilla extract; pinch of salt

This gluten free vanilla cake taste just like the classic! It has a moist and tender crumb, rich buttery vanilla flavor and finished off with a creamy dairy free buttercream.

three layer vanilla cake with pink buttercream frosting and sprinkles

This gluten free vanilla cake has been a loooong time in the making. But vanilla cakes are one of my favorite desserts (plus lemon cake of course), so I had to get it exactly perfectly right.

And I did! This cake is moist, tender, soft with a sweet buttery vanilla flavor and undetectably gluten free. I promise, you can fool absolutely anyone with this recipe. And did I mention it’s also dairy free?! Even the buttercream. But again, you’d never know!

This recipe isn’t vegan since it uses eggs, but don’t worry, I already have you covered with my gluten free AND vegan vanilla funfetti cake. You can definitely leave out the sprinkles if you just want vanilla, but they’re always fun to add!

slice of gluten free cake on a white plate

How to make this cake

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Spray and line two 9 inch round cake pans with parchment paper. You can also use two 8 inch but see notes about bake time etc.

In a large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, beat together all wet ingredients. For best results, keep your eggs and milk at room temperature and melt your butter, then let it cool slightly.

Beat in the dry ingredients until a smooth batter forms, making sure to spoon and level the flour.

Add the batter to the prepared pans, trying to keep them as even as possible.

Bake for 28-32 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. 30 minutes is usually perfect in my oven, but all ovens are different.

Remove from the oven and let cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then carefully flip onto a cooling rack to finish cooling.

If you want to frost it quickly, add the cakes to the fridge for an hour, otherwise just let cool at room temperature.

Why did my cake sink in the middle?

This is generally due to one of three main reasons. The first is that the cake was over-beaten. This forces too much air into the batter which causes it to rise and then fall when it cools because the structure isn’t supported, it’s just airy.

The second is because of too much moisture. While no one wants a dry cake, a cake that is too moist is also problematic, especially when no gluten is involved. This can happen because of an overly moist batter, but also if you live in a humid climate and moisture collects naturally in ingredients like flour.

The final reason a cake can sink is because of too much leavening agent. This cake only uses baking powder, no baking soda, so we use a generous amount, but not so much that the cake structure won’t be able to support itself.

three layer gluten free cake with pink frosting

Vanilla Buttercream

To make the buttercream, cream the softened butter with an electric mixer, then beat in the sugar 1 cup at a time. Finally, beat in the milk, vanilla and salt. I replaced some powdered sugar with cocoa powdered to make a light chocolate, but regular vanilla is also a favorite!

When the cakes are cool, frost the cake, I like about 1 cup of frosting between each layer, and then 2 cups to cover the outside. The cakes will be slightly rounded in the middle, so I used a cake leveler to make them flat, but you definitely don’t have to, they will still look great even with slightly domed tops!

cake on a plate with three slices cut out

The Best Flour

There are SO many gluten free flours on the market these days. Maybe too many! But, you probably know by now that when it comes to gluten free all purpose flour, I am very loyal to the Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour.

You are welcome to use whatever flour you like, but keep in mind there may be some variation in the final result since all blends are different. Whichever you decide to use, make sure it has xanthan gum in the mix to help bind everything together.

Storage Tips

Once made and frosted, this gluten free vanilla cake will keep for about 3 days at room temperature or 1 week in the fridge. Store in an air tight container for best results. You can also prep the cakes 24 hours ahead of time, let cool, wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge before frosting.

slice of gluten free vanilla cake with a fork on the side

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