Gluten-Free Cake From Scratch With Low Sugar Strawberry Frosting
You won't believe this is a gluten-free cake! Bob's Red Mill 1:1 baking flour is my favorite for making gluten-free cake that tastes just like the real thing. I really like this particular flour because it doesn't have an odd aftertaste or strange texture. This cake is so light and fluffy, no one even realizes it's gluten-free! I like to pair this cake with my stabilized whipped cream recipe mixed with some strawberry puree light and low carb cake.
If you wanted to make this cake even lower in sugar, replace the sugar in the cake recipe with Swerve baking sugar which can usually be found in the grocery store baking aisle.
This gluten-free cake recipe is great for a birthday celebration for that special someone! Everyone deserves to have cake on their birthday right? My dad can't have gluten and he loves this gluten-free vanilla cake with my chocolate ganache.
Easy Gluten Free Cake Recipe
My Dad developed a gluten allergy about 10 years ago at the age of 62. He had such bad pain in his chest that he thought he was having a heart attack and went to the hospital. If you knew my old-school tough guy Dad, you'd know what a big deal that was!
All his doctors told him he was fine and healthy and gave him steroids for his chest pain. (Insert annoyed eye roll from me). After talking with my Dad about his pain, I remembered a friend of mind who also was allergic to wheat and her symptoms seemed very similar. I urged my Dad to try giving up wheat for a week and he laughed at me .
"I've been eating bread my whole life. I'm not allergic to bread"
After a few weeks my Dad's symptoms got so bad he couldn't eat anything. He couldn't lay down and he could barely walk he was in so much pain. After a few days of only drinking water, he felt better. The first thing he did when he felt better was to try and eat some bread.
His pain was so bad he said he almost passed out. That's when he really knew it was the wheat. He was devastated! How was he going to eat? He was sure he was going to starve to death lol.
Of course, he didn't and ten years later, he's healthier than I've ever seen him and 50 lbs lighter. A lot of his other health issues disappeared with the wheat consumption (like inflammation in his knees and migraines).
When I see comments online laughing about how people never used to be allergic to wheat and that they must be making it up, I wish I could introduce them to my dad. He is never one to complain or admit weakness.
He most definitely did not choose to be gluten-free but it has changed his whole life. I still make my Dad goodies whenever I go visit using bobs red mill 1:1 gluten-free baking flour because I don't have to change any of my recipes. I just replace the flour with the gluten-free flour and it turns out perfect every time.
The texture of this cake is seriously so wonderful! Light, fluffy and moist!
There might be other brands of 1:1 gluten-free flour in your area or you can order from Amazon but I can't guarantee the same results. Just make sure you look for something that says 1:1 replacement, not just gluten-free flour.
Tips For Making A Great Gluten Free Cake Recipe
Make sure you whip it good! As I said, this recipe uses the reverse mixing method which is the same way I make my famous vanilla cake recipe. Reverse mixing makes a nice tender crumb but you also have to remember that there isn't any gluten in this cake (aka structure) so it's SUPER important that you do that first bit of mixing for the full 2 minutes to develop your structure.
Make sure your eggs, butter and milk are room temperature. Everyone always forgets this step and it can cause the cake to get a wet gummy layer at the bottom or worse, collapse. No bueno.
Sugar Free Strawberry Frosting
I don't like super sweet frostings and wanted this cake to be as low carb/low sugar as possible. I decided to go with some stabilized whipped cream and add in some strawberry puree (made without added sugar) to make it taste sweet without actually adding any sugar. The taste is soooo good! If you don't want to make your own puree then you can get some sugar free strawberry jam and that works just as good!
The stabilized whipped cream is strong enough to frost the cake and hold its shape for days. Amazing what a little gelatin can do.
Gluten Free Cake Mix
Don't want to fuss with making your cake from scratch? Bob's Red Mill makes some really amazing cake mixes as well! Vanilla or chocolate. The best thing about them is that they don't have any weird aftertaste. I can't even tell the difference.
Most grocery stores carry Bob's Red Mill cake mixes, I get mine from Safeway in the gluten-free section.
Gluten-Free Cupcakes
This recipe makes some really great gluten-free cupcakes as well! Just use a small ice cream scoop or a spoon to portion out your batter into your cupcake pans with cupcake liners. Try not to overfill (like I did) so that you have a nice even top. Bake at 350℉ for 18-20 minutes until the center is just set. Let cool. Frost your cupcakes with your favorite buttercream! So yummy!
Ready to make the most delicious gluten-free cake ever? Watch my video tutorial on how to make my super moist and tender gluten-free vanilla cake recipe with fresh buttercream frosting.
Cake Batter and Frosting Calculator
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Cups of Batter Needed
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5 cups
Note: measurements are estimated based off the vanilla cake recipe using standard US cake pans and sizes. Measurements used are for 2" tall cake pans only. Your results may vary. Do not overfill cake pans above manufacturer's recommended guidelines.
Recipe
Ingredients
Gluten Free Cake Ingredients
- 14 oz Bobs Red Mill 1:1 cake flour
- 12 oz granulated sugar or sugar substitute. follow directions on package
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 10 oz whole milk
- 3 large eggs
- 1 oz vegetable oil
- 6 oz butter
Strawberry Whipped Cream Frosting
- 8 oz heavy cream
- 8 oz strawberry puree
- 1 teaspoon powdered gelatin
- 1 tablespoon cold water
- 1 teaspoon heavy cream
Instructions
Cake Directions
- Heat oven to 350º F and prepare two 8" round cake pans with pan release
- Measure out the liquid ingredients and place them into a bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Measure out dry ingredients and place them into the stand mixer bowl.
- Attach the paddle to the mixer, and turn on the slowest speed (setting 1 on Kitchen Aid mixers). Slowly add chunks of your softened butter until it is all added. Let mix until batter resembles coarse sand.
- Add ⅓ of your liquid ingredients while mixing on low until just moistened. This part is crucial. Don't add too much liquid.
- Increase mixing speed to medium (setting 5 on Kitchen Aid mixer). Let the mixture whip up until it has thickened and lightened in color. It should look like soft-serve ice cream. If you do not let the batter mix fully, you will end up with very short, crumbly cakes. I let mine mix for a full 2 minutes.
- Scrape the bowl. This is an important step. If you skip it, you will have hard lumps of flour and unmixed ingredients in your batter. If you do it later, they will not mix in fully.
- Slowly add in the rest of your liquid ingredients, stopping to scrape the bowl one more time halfway through. Your batter should be thick and not too runny. I have to spoon mine into pans with a rubber spatula.
- Fill pans ½ full. Give the pan a little tap on each side to level out the batter and get rid of any air bubbles. I always start by baking for 30 minutes for 8" and smaller cakes and 35 minutes for 9" and larger cakes and then checking for doneness. If the cakes are still really jiggly, I add another 10 minutes. I check every 5 minutes after that until I'm close and then it's every 2 minutes. Cakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs.
- After cakes have cooled for 10 minutes or the pans are cool enough to touch, flip the cakes over and remove from the pans onto the cooling racks to cool completely. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator.
- Once the cakes are chilled in the refrigerator (about an hour for this size, longer for larger cakes), tort, fill and crumb coat all at once. If you do not plan on crumb coating the same day, you can leave the wrapped cakes on the countertop. Chilling can dry out your cakes before they are iced, so avoid keeping them in the refrigerator longer than necessary. Cakes can be frozen in freezer bags for later use as well.
Strawberry Frosting
- Sprinkle gelatin over water and let set for 5 minutes. Heat in microwave for 5 seconds until granules are dissolved.Whip cream to soft peaks and then add in your vanilla. Add in 1 teaspoon cream to gelatin mixture then drizzle in your melted gelatin while mixing on low.Fold in ½ cup cold pureed strawberries or sugar free jam
Video
Notes
Nutrition
anneeyeong says
Hi, Liz.
I looking for gluten free and sugar free recipe, then I give a try with this recipe. Replace with stevia and add some Greek yogurt to balance the moisture. The cake comes out from oven excellent texture and soft! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yay that's so great! Thanks for the tip with the stevia
Lynn says
How much Stevia do you use in place of sugar?
The Sugar Geek Show says
I would go with equal amounts
Tammy Thompson says
This cake looks sooo good!!! Thank you for sharing! Both my grand daughter & SNL have celiac disease (allergic to gluten) an I'm always looking for recipes to make for them so they don't feel left out. My question is, do you think this can be changed to a lemon version by adding lemon zest & lemon extract in place of the vanilla? I know that the GF flour can be temperamental sometimes. Thanks again!
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yes I really think this will work just fine for that!
Tammy Thompson says
OMG Liz, Thank you so much for this recipe!!! I made it in a lemon version, an all I can say is WOW! No one knew that it was gluten free. It was perfect, not grainy or dry like some I've tried. This is now my go to GF cake recipe! Thanks again & God Bless , Tammy
Nicole says
Hi Tammy! What amounts did you put for the lemon? Did you use lemon extract or fresh lemon?
Neil Dicker says
Well I tried again but it doesn’t seem to work with the gluten free flours available here, cakes were very crumbly and fell apart even though I let it mix for at least 2 minutes at step 6. So I tried half gf flour and half coconut flour with Trex vegetable shortening as the butter substitute and that made a really good cake! Could maybe use less coconut flour as the batter was quite thick but otherwise a result!
Neil Dicker says
Ok well I tried this today with almond milk and Vitalite instead of whole milk and butter, and the batter was very runny. I guess it could be because the vegetable oil spread is softer than butter. The sponges have turned out ok actually, but I might try again with less milk!
Neil Dicker says
I am going to try this recipe using Vitalite as a butter substitute as I have to make a gluten and dairy free Birthday cake, I have a go to gluten and dairy free sponge recipe but I obviously want to try yours! We don’t have Bob’s Red Mill in the UK but Doves Farm is usually very good.
The Sugar Geek Show says
Let me know how it works out for you <3
Christine B says
I can't emphasize how much I would love that. I'm still digging and trying to find what recipes taste great and I haven't found many that don't make me miss wheat. A lot of it looks so heavy and feels like hardened polenta. As for your recipe, even the look of it is appetizing. I was so excited to find this that I had to share! Your personal story told me that you understand this is not just a trend. <3 You're awesome.
The Sugar Geek Show says
I totally agree! <3
Holly says
I would love to give this a try. Can I use coffee inplace of some of the milk?
Christine B. says
I can't thank you enough for this recipe! I've developed a gluten allergy that causes blinding stomach cramps that can leave me immobilized on the floor for what seems like an eternity. Not a good thing when you teach middle school. I love to bake and I was wondering if I'd have to give up my second passion. Thanks to adventurous people like you, apparently not! I LOVE these tips. I'll be having birthday cakes after all!
The Sugar Geek Show says
Oh my gosh thank you! I'm honored you would choose my cake <3 I have more gluten free recipes that I've used but wasn't sure if I should post them here lol
Christine B says
I can't emphasize how much I would love that. I'm still digging and trying to find what recipes taste great and I haven't found many that don't make me miss wheat. A lot of it looks so heavy and feels like hardened polenta. As for your recipe, even the look of it is appetizing. I was so excited to find this that I had to share! Your personal story told me that you understand this is not just a trend. <3 You're awesome.
Nettie Baker says
Absolutely love this recipe! Awesome!
Brenda Jarmusz says
Love it!!!! Thank you lizzo
Bonnie says
I bake a lot of gluten free cakes, so I'm always looking for new recipes. This looks great! I wonder though if I can replace the butter with 'buttery' stickes and the milk with Almond milk or Coconut milk or Rice milk, etc to make it dairy free as well (I have one customer who always requests GF and DF). Do you think that would work (actually I'll probably try it tonight :-). Also, how about two 9" pans instead of 8". Should work with time adjustment, right? Thanks!
The Sugar Geek Show says
I actually have thought the same thing since a lot of people who can't do gluten also can't do dairy or eggs so I am working on that recipe as well! Let me know if your experiment works!
Sheryl McElwee says
Did the butter sub and almond milk work?
Idy says
Thank you so much Liz for this recipe . I can’t have dairy so will probably switch with almond . I also can’t have the yolk of the eggs . Do you think ? just the white part of the egg will work??
The Sugar Geek Show says
For every two egg yolks you can replace with one egg white 🙂
Jeanne Winslow says
Very Nice, Lizzo. Anyone can develop an allergy at any time in their lives.
This is a nice easy recipe so we can all still have cake! Thank you!
The Sugar Geek Show says
You're welcome jeanne!
Carla says
I look forward to trying this recipe. Is it possible to use coconut milk in place of cows milk? If so, is it 1:1? I don’t know if the fat content is the same. Thanks so much, Liz!
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yea you totally could, you can also use almond milk 🙂 Maybe a nice vegan butter for the butter replacement, not sure if margarine would work
jean says
hello thank you for your recipe can i make this also vegan gluten-free, by adding soya milk and egg replacer. have you ever done this?
The Sugar Geek Show says
I have not used an egg replacer but I have used almond milk
Amy O'Connell says
You can substitute applesauce 1/4c to every egg and just use soy or almond milk equal parts. Thats what I always do for Vegan cake!
The Sugar Geek Show says
Great suggestions! Thank you so much!
Miriam K says
How you replace the butter?
The Sugar Geek Show says
You can use a dairy free butter
June says
Your cake looks scrummy. Definitely going to try it. I make cakes for my best friends daughter (and her cousins too) who can’t have gluten, eggs, beets (gotta watch the icing sugar), corn (no cornstarch, or icing sugar cornstarch in it). I use Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten free flour too. Just an amazing product. Cakes come out beautifully. A real life and time saver!!
The Sugar Geek Show says
Good to know! What egg replacer do you recommend?