Gluten Free Vanilla Cake

Gluten Free Vanilla Cake is the perfect recipe for a layer cake or any other cake that you want to hold its shape well. This nut free recipe is light and neutral, a great base for fancy frostings or whatever else you might want to add.

layer cake with strawberries and whipped cream on a pedestal — Gluten Free, Nut Free Vanilla Layer Cake

I like mine with fresh berries and minimally sweetened chia berry jam, then topped off with freshly whipped pure cream.

A slice of two-layer vanilla strawberry cake is served on a white plate alongside the rest of the cake. — Serve gluten free vanilla layer cake with whatever toppings you wish.

What gluten free flour is best for cakes?

This is a question that people often ask. My answer is always that there isn’t one gluten free flour that you can simply substitute for wheat flour. Good gluten free baking requires a blend of flours. The specific blend you use depends on what you are making. That’s why I list the exact flours that I’ve found to work best for this recipe. Read more about that in Gluten Free Flours.

strawberry jam between two layers of vanilla cake — Strawberry chia jam between the layers makes it even better the second day!

Gluten Free Cake Recipes from Scratch

Here are some other gluten free cakes you might enjoy!

two layers of gluten free vanilla cake with strawberry jam between them and whipped cream on top, garnished with fresh strawberries — Whipped cream is nice on top of this vanilla layer cake, whether it’s made from dairy cream or coconut cream.

How do you grease a pan for a gluten free cake?

A little tip that I like to use for greasing gluten free cake pans actually works well for any kind of cake. I grease the sides of the pan with butter or lard residue that remains on the wrapper before discarding it. Then I simply trace the bottom of my cake pan onto parchment paper, cut out the shape, and press it into the bottom of the pan.

two layers of vanilla cake laid out to cool on wire racks — Lining the bottom of cake pans with parchment paper allows your cake layers to come out nicely.

When the cake has finished baking, let it sit on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Then, slide a knife or other straight edge around the edge to free the cake from the pan. After that, simply tip the cake over onto a cooling rack and peel off the parchment paper from the bottom.

strawberry jam spread over a single layer of vanilla cake on a pedestal plate — Jam makes a great filling between layers of cake. I like a strawberry chia jam that isn’t too sweet.

strawberry jam spread over the top layer of cake — I spread the jam over the top layer, too, before adding whipped cream.

two layers of light cake with whipped cream and strawberries on top — You can spread whipped cream over the top of the second layer. Then, top it with fresh, seasonal berries.

fresh blueberries and strawberries on top of the whipped cream on two layers of cake — Blueberries, as well as strawberries, are another nice addition to this lovely gluten free cake.

Equipment for This Recipe

(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)

9-inch round cake pans

Gluten Free Vanilla Cake

This recipe makes a great two-layer cake.

1 cup white rice flour
1 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup potato starch
4 teaspoons gluten free baking powder
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup butter (at room temperature)
1 cup organic raw sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup coconut milk (from carton)
2 tablespoons avocado oil
1 tablespoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350° F.
Grease the sides of two 9-inch cake layer pans. Trace around the bottom of pans onto a sheet of parchment paper. Cut them out and place them inside the bottoms of your pans.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the rice flour, tapioca flour, potato starch, baking, powder, xanthan gum, and sea salt.
In a large bowl (Use a stand mixer, if you have one.), beat the butter until light. One by one, add the sugar, eggs, coconut milk, avocado oil, and vanilla. Continue beating until the batter is smooth.
Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake for 25 minutes.
Allow cake to cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove cake from pans, and let it finish cooling.

Fill and decorate this cake as you wish. It’s good with jam between the layers and whipped cream and fresh berries on top!