Fluffy & Light Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Vanilla Cake

This is the only gluten-free and dairy-free vanilla cake recipe you will ever need, trust me! It is rich in flavor, moist, fluffy, and so delicious. Perfect for birthdays and special celebrations, this versatile vanilla cake comes together in under an hour. Gluten-free baking tips included!

For a fun treat with vanilla cake, try these gluten-free cake pops or my gluten-free vanilla mug cake. For more gluten-free cakes, be sure to check out my gluten-free coconut cake recipe and gluten-free lemon cake recipe.

Gluten-Free Flour Blends

Flour can be a confusing subject if you’re new to a gluten-free diet. I answer several questions about flour here including “Is flour gluten-free?”

If you prefer a store bought blend, I like King Arthur Flour Measure for Measure Flour. It works well in many of my recipes and is widely available in grocery stores. Be sure to check out my collection of King Arthur Gluten-Free Flour recipes.

Gluten-free flours for baking are quite expensive compared to wheat flour. But King Arthur is the most affordable of the of all the ones I’ve tested. Pamela’s All Purpose Artisan blend is similar and works well in this recipe too. Cup4Cup is a another option but contains milk powder so I have not tested it in this recipe. All of these are certified gluten-free and contain binders like xanthan gum, guar gum and inulin. So no need to add extra if your flour blend contains it.

DIY Gluten-Free Flour

My custom gluten-free, rice-free flour blend of sorghum and millet is an amazing option. I prefer it for the taste and texture it creates in cakes and muffins. See the notes in the recipe for a super simple DIY gluten-free flour blend or my blog post which has several tips for baking with gluten-free flour.

How to Make a Gluten-Free Cake Light and Fluffy

Gluten-free cakes need a little help in the light and fluffy department. Creating that is a little different from cakes made with wheat flour. It’s not really about how you mix the batter, but more about the ingredients. Without gluten, gf cakes need the right balance of ingredients to create a structure that will hold the tiny air pockets.

You’ll find that gluten-free cakes have a little more baking powder than wheat filled cakes. Baking powder makes cakes rise by creating little pockets of air. To hold the air pockets, the gluten-free cake recipe might have an extra egg. The protein in the egg creates that structure that is needed to assure that the air pockets don’t get pushed out.

And finally a binder is needed. Gluten is what makes cakes hold together without crumbling. So gluten-free flour blends contain binders like xanthan gum and guar gum that takes over the job of keeping the cake fluffy, moist and light.

Ingredients

The ingredients in this cake are pretty simple. You should have most of them on hand.

Vanilla-Vanilla extract is pretty much the standard for getting vanilla flavor into baked goods. When I was looking for a way to get vanilla into frosting without tinting it a pale shade of beige, I discovered vanilla powder. It’s pale, it’s sweet and it has no alcohol. I highly recommend Cooks Vanilla Powder for this cake too.

Dairy-Free-Any unsweetened non-dairy milk substitute will work in this recipe. I have used hemp, coconut (beverage, not canned coconut milk), almond, macadamia, rice and soy “milks” all with great results.

Oil is my preferred way to make a cake moist. It does a much better job than butter znd hold up better after a day or two. Use avocado, sunflower, canola or any neutral tasting vegetable oil.

The remaining ingredients are just the basics – eggs, baking powder and salt.

Cake Variations

This recipe is so versatile. With some simple additions, it can be turned into a different cake flavor. Vanilla is a great flavor enhancer so it stays in the recipe regardless of the cake.

• Add 3 tablespoons of freshly grated ginger for a cake with wonderful zing!
• For a Gluten-Free Spice Cake, add 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 2 pinches each of nutmeg, ginger and ground clove.

More Layer Cake Recipes

For more layer cakes that are perfect for birthdays or special occasions try my gluten-free-spice cake and butternut squash cake. They are moist, fluffy and easily made dairy free.

How to Stack a 2 Layer Cake

For a bakery style, flat topped cake that has 2 perfect looking layers, here is how to assemble the cake.

• Use a long blade, serrated knife.
• Hold it parallel to the counter top and shave off the domed part of the cake top. Do this for both layers.
• Place one of the layers on a cake plate, cake board or cake turntable, bottom side down.
• Coat just the top of this layer with frosting, using firm pressure.
• Place the other layer on top of it, bottom side up. This will give you a nice flat, sharp edged top layer.
• Now frost the outside of the cake

This gluten-free cake pops recipe is a perfect way to use the trimmings when using this method. You’ll need a little extra frosting and some cake pop sticks, but that’s it!

Cake Frosting Recipes

The recipe card below includes my recipe for vanilla buttercream frosting. This cake is also perfect frosted with my pipeable cream cheese frosting, vegan chocolate frosting, chocolate buttercream frosting, or creamy sweet potato frosting without powdered sugar (no cane sugar at all).