I surprised even myself with how insanely delicious this turned out. I really, truly believe it’s the best gluten-free vanilla cake ever made. It’s THAT good.
Okay so I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times – I am not a baker.
I don’t like to bake. I don’t like to follow a recipe. I don’t like to measure out seventy three ingredients and be precise.
But here’s the thing about this cake: the ingredients are fairly minimal, super common and easy! You don’t need a bunch of different ingredients to make this cake good, and it’s not at all complicated.
And that’s the kind of baking I can get on board with.
I adapted this recipe from a recipe I found on Nagi’s website for cake; I made this gluten-free and just health-ified it a bit.
I’ve made it twice now with a few tweaks, and it’s been insanely delicious each time. Like, better than most bakery cakes I’ve tried. And certainly better than majority of gluten-free bakery cakes I’ve tried. There’s just something so much more delicious and fresh about a homemade cake. It’s more flavorful, moist (I hate that word too but it’s true) and fresh.
And the secret here, I think, is butter. Good, real, grass-fed butter. I used it in both the frosting and the cake and what resulted was a creamy, delicious, flavorful, buttery cake. Also known as the best gluten-free vanilla cake ever made.
Tips for making the best gluten-free vanilla cake in the world:
- you can switch up the flour, but I have only tested this using Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten-free flour blend
- to make this keto, use a keto flour blend like this one and a sugar-free sweetener
- this cake stays moist for up to four days so feel free to make ahead of an event
- I use this natural food coloring for pink frosting, go crazy with the colors!
- my kids have so much fun making this cake with me, get them involved too!
- you can make this the day ahead of an event, I’m making it for Easter
The Best Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten-free all purpose flour (I use Bob's Red Mill)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 cups super fine sugar or powdered sugar
- 1/4 tsp sea salt or Himalayan salt
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup milk (raw, almond, coconut, whole, whatever works for you)
- 1 stick grass-fed butter, melted
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract (yes a whole tbsp!)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Frosting Ingredients:
- 4 cups powdered sugar (this makes a lot of frosting)
- 2 sticks butter, softened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- enough milk to thin it out, usually 4-5 tbsp
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350.
- Add all cake ingredients to a large bowl.
- Using a hand mixer, stand mixer or even a whisk (I just used a whisk last time I made this), combine all ingredients until smooth.
- Grease, flour or add parchment paper to two cake pans.
- Add half of the batter to one cake pan, half to the other.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes. I only need 20, but you may need more. Insert a toothpick to the center to see if it's done at 20 minutes.
- Let the cakes cool fully.
For the frosting:
- Add the powdered sugar, butter and vanilla to a large bowl.
- Use a hand mixer or standing mixer to beat the butter with the powdered sugar.
- Add a tbsp of milk at a time until you reach desired thickness. I use about 4-5 tbsp.
- Frost the cake. Devour!
