Not all gluten free cake recipes are created equal! Fluffy and moist gluten-free white cake is the best, easy, from scratch, vanilla cake recipe perfect birthdays and celebrations! If you have been looking for a homemade white cake to end all future searches, join the hundreds of gluten-free bakers who have made this cake with swoon-worthy success!
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email below & we'll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get affordable and easy gluten-free recipes delivered each week!
Finally. Gluten-Free Cake Against All Odds
After many years experimenting with gluten free baking, I’ve had my fair share of successes and failures. (Oh, the failures. If you know, you know). Fortunately I can now rely on perfected staples, like a fudgy, moist gluten-free chocolate cake, pillow soft gluten-free bread that doesn’t crumble, and crisp GF sugar cookies that are actually easy to roll out!
Until now, though, I’ve continually struggled with a soft, fluffy gluten free white cake recipe. A lot of gluten free baking recipes simply adapt a traditional recipe, swapping out all purpose GF flour. You will bake something that resembles a homemade layer cake, but…
Still have to throw yourself a small pity party. 🥺 All the from-scratch vanilla cake recipes I tried were either dry, dense, or gritty. There’s a better way, friends! All these completely doable gluten-free cake tips don’t require baking expertise. I wouldn’t do you like that.
I relied on some tricks learned when developing my gluten free cookbook, such as a quality GF flour, a longer mix time, and most importantly the precise ratio of wet to dry ingredients. (Which is why swapping out all purpose GF flour in a “regular” recipe will only get you so far.)
I started with a well tested recipe, America’s Test Kitchen lemon layer cake, omitting the lemon flavor to make a vanilla cake.Then adapted it further to make an incredibly light, fluffy homemade white cake using gluten-free flour.
I found the original recipe baking time too long. Two layer cakes in a 9-inch round cake pans only required 23-25 minutes. But then I had to fix another problem. While it baked into a airy, spongy cake, it had a tendency to sink upon cooling.
That’s when adjustments to the wet and dry ingredients came in. That was after A. LOT. of test runs, tweaking baking powder and baking soda amounts. Those were some dark times, with some uncomfortable GF fury.
Let’s celebrate a happy ending, though! Never again will you have to rely on a gluten-free cake mix for an easy, quick layer or sheet cake. This tried and true white cake recipe mixes together in only five minutes to make that special birthday cake!
Hands down the best gluten-free cake recipe I’ve tried. Sticking to this one because it’s so good! I’m new to GF baking so the “no fail” scared me – easy to say but not always true. Been there before! But, this is exactly as advertised. I’ll make this one every time. Better than so-called regular cake by a mile!
—Ann
My husband and grown son and daughter have Celiac. I do not and still eat gluten away from home, so have not forgotten how delicious a cake made with wheat flour is compared to other gluten free cake recipes. This was absolutely moist and delicious, and I could not tell it is gluten free. Thank you for the perfect recipe!
—Jeanne
Watch This Recipe
Free Guide! 5 easy tips for baking like a gluten-free pro!
Simple hacks for fail-proof gluten-free dishes every time!
Let’s Make This Together!
(Below shows step-by-step photos and modified instructions. For the complete recipe, along with ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card.)
Gluten free flours don’t absorb fats as well as regular flour. So, instead of creaming softened butter and sugar, this homemade cake uses melted butter to blend with the starches. The fat and moisture stays coated on the starches, leaving a moist cake instead of dry and crumbly.
After reading comments about deflating cake issues, I retested the recipe reducing the amount of liquid. This was the key! Coupled with my eureka discovery of letting the cake batter rest for 15 minutes when developing my bonafide fluffy GF banana cake recipe, the no-fail, cake magic was solidified.
Whisk together wet ingredients
Room temperature ingredients incorporate better with the dry, so let the egg whites and milk sit out for at least 45 minutes before using. Once the melted butter has cooled, whisk it all together with the vanilla extract.
Combine dry ingredients
In a larger bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. I usually do this in my stand mixer using a paddle attachment. See, I told you this was easy?
Mix. Wait a tad. Bake.
Now pour almost all the wet ingredients into the dry, holding back about 1/2 cup. Beat to combine, then mix for 2 minutes, until pale and fluffy. Add in the remaining liquid and beat it for 1 minute longer. Spread in greased baking pans and let it rest for 15 minutes while the oven preheats. This gives time for the liquids to full absorb so you can say goodbye to dense cake layers forever! Bake for 23 minutes, cool, and frost.
If you are making these for a birthday celebration, then I highly recommend stirring in a little fun! Check out my homemade gluten-free funfetti cake for amounts and suggestions on GF sprinkles.
GF Flour Recommendations
Gluten free flour blends have come a long way in the last fifteen years. Gluten free baking used to mean buying, storing, and measuring several different flours to make your own flour mix.
Fortunately there are several commercial brands that perform way better than any homemade mixes I’ve ever experimented with. These are the brands I find work the most consistently and have the best taste.
- Cup4Cup – This is the brand I primarily use because any gluten free taste or difference in texture is undetectable. However, it is also the most expensive, but I find it completely worth it to enjoy baked goods just as good as you remember them.
- King Arthur Measure-for-Measure – This is my runner up GF flour and what I recommend if you need a dairy-free, gluten-free cake recipe. It’s more affordable, but I do detect a slightly gritty flavor in baked goods.
- Bob’s Red Mill – Home bakers like this flour because it’s widely available at grocery stores and affordable. However, when testing it side by side with other brands, it has an off-putting after taste, but if you are going to use it, I only recommend Bob’s Red Mill for cakes. I don’t find it gives good results with breads, biscuits, or cookies.
Why Did My Cake Sink?
After re-testing the recipe numerous times and adjusting with the amount of liquid, this shouldn’t be an issue anymore. In general, GF cakes sink because they did not bake long enough or the ratio of wet to dry ingredients was off. Gluten free flours do not absorb moisture as well as regular flour.
Where traditional cakes need to be pulled immediately, or risk overbaking, gluten-free cake recipes bake a few minutes longer. For best results test with a toothpick inserted in the middle. Testing to see if top “springs back” usually isn’t a reliable method.
Another reason cakes fall is due to inaccurate oven temperatures. If your oven isn’t a true 350ºF, the baking powder could be activated too fast, which causes the cake to rise quickly. I use an inexpensive oven thermometer to verify settings and adjust accordingly.
To make cupcakes instead of a vanilla layer cake, follow this recipe for gluten-free vanilla cupcakes. The batter should be poured in two-thirds full. Cool completely before spreading or piping on your favorite frosting. Another option, try a fresh berry take with this moist and fluffy homemade GF strawberry cake.
Phenomenal Filling and Frosting Ideas
Whether making this recipe or using a cake mix, these are my favorite frostings and fillings that work great for white cakes. For fillings, try a creamy vanilla custard, a fresh fruit filling, or any flavor mousse filling. You can also fill the cake layers with softened ice cream, refreeze, and then cover it with whipped cream frosting.
My family’s number one requested filling? It has to be this homemade banana cream filling, and I’m never mad about it! We usually frost it with vanilla frosting.
Or, keep it classic and simple, old school birthday cake style. Smother a thick layer of the world’s fluffiest buttercream frosting all over, or, for chocolate lovers, opt for an airy chocolate buttercream. We’ve also done a lemon, coconut, and chocolate whipped cream frosting that’s stable enough to pipe.
Save this recipe to your pinterest board!
Let’s be friends on Pinterest! I’m always sharing great recipes!
Did you make this recipe? I love hearing from you! Leave a star rating and comment below the recipe card. It helps others when searching for recipes and I appreciate feedback from our community. You will always hear back from me! -Melissa
Fluffy, Moist Gluten Free White Cake (No Fail!)
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons (113) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- ⅔ cup (163 g) whole milk, room temperature
- 4 (148 g) large egg whites, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups (292 g) gluten free all purpose flour, I use and highly recommend Cup4Cup
- 1 ¼ cup (250 g) granulated sugar
- 1 TABLESPOON baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF and set rack in middle position. Spray two 8-inch or 9-inch cake pans with cooking spray. Line the bottoms with parchment paper and then grease parchment. Set aside.
- Melt the butter first so it has time to cool before blending in. Once it comes to room temperature whisk together cooled butter, milk, egg whites, and vanilla in a bowl.8 tablespoons unsalted butter, ⅔ cup whole milk, 4 large egg whites, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- In a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with paddle, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined. Add all but approximately ½ cup (just eyeball it) of the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients. Beat slow at first to moisten ingredients. Increase speed to medium for 2 minutes and mix until the batter becomes pale and fluffy. Pour in the remaining liquid and beat for 1 minute longer.2 cups gluten free all purpose flour, 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar, 1 TABLESPOON baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- Divide the batter between prepared cake pans. Let it rest for 15 minutes for the liquids to full absorb so you have nice fluffy cake layers. Bake for 23-25 minutes, rotating halfway through baking. Cake is done when tops are golden and toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.
- Allow the cake layers to cool in pans for 10 minutes. Turn onto a wire rack, remove parchment, and cool completely before frosting with fluffy vanilla or chocolate buttercream.
Notes
Tips
- For a pure white cake use clear vanilla extract.
- Melt the butter before beginning the cake recipe so it has time to cool.
- Egg whites separate easier when they are cold. After the eggs have been separated, set them out with the measured milk to come to room temperature.
- The recipe calls for whole milk for best results. 2% may be substituted, but skim is not recommended. For the dairy free version, almond milk performed best.
Dairy-Free Adaptation
To make dairy-free, substitute Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks and use unsweetened almond milk for the milk. Reduce the amount of salt to 1/4 teaspoon.Sheet Cake
To make a sheet cake bake in a 9X13 inch pan. If you plan on removing the cake from the pan to decorate, line the bottom with parchment paper cut to size. Grease the top of the parchment with cooking spray. Bake at the same temperature as the layer cake directions. The baking time may need 4-5 minutes longer, but start checking around 24 minutes.Storing and Freezing
Gluten free cakes do not stay fresh as long as regular cakes. Therefore, if you don’t plan on freezing the cake, make it no more than 24 hours ahead of time. Frequently I bake the cake layers and freeze them until ready to assemble with a filling and frosting. Alternatively, the cake may be baked, frosted, and frozen whole. Freezing Cake Layers: Wrap each completely cooled layer securely in plastic wrap. Transfer wrapped layer to a gallon freezer bag and freeze up to 3 months. When ready to use, remove from freezer bag and thaw wrapped cake at room temperature for 1 hour. Freezing Frosted Cake: Assemble the cake with filling and frosting. Transfer whole cake to the freezer so frosting solidifies. After the frosting is frozen, wrap the cake securely with plastic wrap. Cover plastic wrap with foil and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw cake overnight in refrigerator. Carefully remove plastic wrap and foil. Continue to thaw at room temperature for 5-6 hours. Recipe adapted from America’s Test KitchenThis post contains affiliate links. My opinions are always my own. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link, I make a small commission – at no cost to you. Read full disclosure policy here.
I followed recipe to a “T” and have made a lot of GF items the last 10 years. While it tasted good, each layer was very thin. LOL. They were done as they had pulled from the sides of the pan and toothpicks came away clean. Very perplexed.
Hi Sandy,
Hmm, I’m perplexed too. What brand of GF flour did you use? If the layers were very thin something happened with the leavening or flour / liquid ratio was off. If you used a different GF flour, the way it absorbs liquid would be different.
Best,
Melissa
Hi Melissa! I’m looking to find a white cake recipe that I can add jello mix and raspberries to make a raspberry cake. Do you have any recommendations for what I should substitute, or how it would affect the batter?
Hi Lily,
I love this idea, but I would have to experiment with it before telling your for sure. I think adding the raspberry jello mix to the batter wouldn’t affect the recipe as much as adding the raspberries because that would introduce a lot more liquid as the cake baked. You could try adding the jello mix and save the raspberries for filling and garnishing?
Best,
Melissa
Hi Melissa, I’ve only baked a handful of GF recipes, only when I’m visiting my mom as that’s what she eats. I had a request for a white birthday cake with chocolate frosting and found your recipe for the fluffy cake and fluffy chocolate buttercream frosting – it was a huge hit! The texture is just like any other cake and you’re right, after 5 minutes of mixing, the frosting really is fluffy (even though I threw everything in at once instead of in stages). I even used a dairy-free heavy whipping cream alternative, which worked perfectly. I’ll definitely share your site with another GF friend who is always looking for good ideas.
Hi Caren,
That is so sweet of you to take the time to let me know. And I’m so grateful to know that dairy-free whipping cream works just as well in the recipe! Thank you for sharing the site. That is always appreciated!
Best,
Melissa
The batter turned out like soup. Don’t know what I could have done wrong — measured everything correctly and had things room temp as the recipe needed. It kind of “baked” but was still extremely wet and gross.
Hi Ally,
I’m so sorry this happened! As you can see the process shots I included in the post, the batter shouldn’t be soupy. It sounds like something was off with the ratio of ingredients added.
Best,
Melissa
I’d like to try this recipe because of the positive comments. I want to make cake pops (have never made them but look fun) for my daughter and grandkids for Valentines. Do you know if a gluten free cake would work?
Hi Carolyn,
I think that is a great idea! Using a gluten free cake wouldn’t affect the cake pop recipe at all and yes it would work fine!
Best,
Melissa
I need a 12 x 18 sheet cake. Can I double this recipe for that?
Hi Karen,
Yes, to make the math easy you would double the recipe for that. However, the baking time might change. Start checking around 23 minutes.
Best,
Melissa
Thank you for your quick response! I’ll be trying this tomorrow 🙂
We are new to the gluten free lifestyle and I am not a great baker to start but this cake turned out SO perfect for my son’s birthday 😃 thank you so much for the recipe! We’ll be using so many more recipes in the future!
Thank you so much, Megan! I’m so glad it was a success, especially on your son’s birthday!
Best,
Melissa
Hi, I want to try this recipe but I have two 7 inch cake pans. I don’t want to overfill and have them deflate. Any suggestions??
Hello,
For cakes fill the pans halfway. With the leftover batter you can make cupcakes (filling 2/3 way up cups). Another option would be to cut the recipe in half. A 6-inch cake pan holds exactly half of what a 9-inch cake pan holds. Therefore you will have two slightly thinner layers and the bake time will reduce probably by about 5 minutes. Your last option would be to use the adjustable serving amount in the recipe card. Instead of 12 servings, move it to 8 servings and all the ingredient amounts will automatically adjust. The only tricky ingredient will be the egg whites. You will need 3 1/3, so I would just use 1 tbsp of a 4th egg white or add an additional 1 tbsp milk.
Hope this helps!
Best,
Melissa
I just made this cake for a friend’s wedding in 2 days. The cakes looked beautiful when I took them out of them oven but as they cooled, they deflated and when I cut into them, they were like a mochi cake density. I don’t know what I did wrong. I used an oven thermometer to verify the correct temp and /i baked them for about 27 minutes to be sure they were fully cooked.
Any suggestions???
Hi Julie,
It sounds like the liquid ingredients were off. GF flours don’t absorb liquids as well so if they are overly saturated it becomes very dense and gummy. Also, out of curiosity, what brand GF flour did you use?
Best,
Melissa
Every recipe I’ve tried from your site has been excellent and this cake is no different! I’m a retired professional (gluten) baker and have struggled to find a gluten free recipe that is passable let alone delicious and as good as a wheat based cake. I’m here to say after trying 15 different recipes, THIS is THE ONE. I used cup4cup and followed the recipe to the T. Fit anyone who had less than great results, your flour will make or break your cake. I beg you, use the flour the recipe calls for. It’s all the difference! Thank you for the recipe!
Thank you so much for taking the time to watch, Tina. This really made my day! I feel your pain being a former baker. Although I didn’t do it professionally before becoming gluten-free, I would consider myself a well-versed and confident baker. It was hard to go from that, to starting back at square one, with a lot of dismal results. What most people considered “passable” was truly disheartening for me. I’m excited to be able to share recipes that actually don’t make me miss gluten anymore. 🙂
Best,
Melissa
Can sour cream be added to this cake?
Hello,
I haven’t tested the recipe with sour cream, but I’d imagine it would throw off the ratio of wet to dry ingredients. Sounds like a great idea of something to test, though!
Best,
Melissa
Excited to try this recipe!! Could I use the whole eggs instead of just the whites? Im not really interested in a purely white cake just a delicious vanilla one.
Hi Teresa,
If you want to use whole eggs, I would do 3 whole eggs. It will change the flavor and texture slightly, but will still be delicious!
Best,
Melissa
Made this for Easter. Much better than a boxed cake mix. Moist and flavorful. Very happy with the outcome!!
Thank you for letting me know, Joyce!
Idea..could the egg whites be whipped and folded in after you mix the dry and wet? Hmm next time
It’s in the oven now…is the batter supposed to be runny or a thicker consistency? Anyone else’s look broken? Fingers Crossed
Hi Natalie,
I’m curious how it turned out after baking? My batter isn’t runny, but I use cup4cup flour, which contains cornstarch, so the batter is on the thicker side. I wouldn’t recommend whipping the egg whites for this particular cake because it would have a drier crumb. Let me know if I can help in any way!
Best,
Melissa
I just pulled mine out of the oven. It looks good but did not rise at all! Not sure what I did wrong. I followed the recipe exactly. When I filled the 9 inch springform pans they were very thin layers.
Hello,
Hmmm, are you sure you put the baking powder in or perhaps the flour was mis-measured? I’m not sure why it would be so flat. I’m sorry that happened!
Best,
Melissa
This recipe is amazing!! My niece asked me to bake her a wedding cake for her 9th birthday. I have not tried cake baking since going GF and DF last year. I found another cake recipe that was TERRIBLE! It was gummy and tasted gross. This was HEAVEN!! I also used Bobs Red Mill 1 to 1 baking flour. Instead of whole milk I used canned coconut milk thinking it would provide better fat than almond milk would. I did keep the butter in the recipe. I did not notice any coconut flavor although my husband did but thought it was good. This was fantastic, it was light, moist and delicious. Thank you so much!!!! This will be my go to vanilla cake recipe from here on out!
Oh thank you so much, Kate! This makes me immensely happy and I’m so glad you found it. For some reason I had a much easier time with gluten-free chocolate cake versus white. I was so happy when I finally came up with a recipe that didn’t make me feel like I was missing out!
Best,
Melissa
I’m reading through All the comments, just to see if anyone used coconut milk. My coconut cake with lemon filling is famous among family and friends. But I haven’t been able to duplicate it gluten free, and all my girls and I are GF now.
My granddaughter is begging for my coconut cake, so I’m going to try with coconut milk.
I’m excited and will let you know how it turns out.
That sounds like a wonderful idea, Pamela. I think it will work out well! I also have gluten-free coconut cake with lemon filling. You can take a look at the recipe and see if it’s like yours or if you can do an adaptation.
Best,
Melissa
Great cake! My goodness it turned out superb. Used Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 baking flour. Batter had me a bit worried -taste and texture, but it turned out lovely. Will bookmark and make again!
Thank you so much, Terri! Yay! I’m so glad you had such great success with this recipe.
Best,
Melissa
Question: Could I get results as good using a sugar substitute such as an Erythritol, Allulose blend?
Hello,
I have not tried this, but if it works for other cake recipes I don’t see why not. I would only be worried about the structure of the cake. Do other baked goods become flatter with it?
Best,
Melissa
This smelled amazing while it was baking and it rose well . . . but it dropped while cooling and is now only about 1 inch thick. Do you have any suggestions for trouble shooting? I used Cup 4 Cup, brand new baking powder, whole milk, and followed the recipe exactly except that I used a hand mixer instead of stand mixer. Thanks for any suggestions you may have!
Hi Devon,
I’m so sorry to hear this! How is the texture inside? Is it really gummy? I’m wondering if it was underbaked. When baking with gluten-free flour I always error on the side of overbaking because a lot of times it looks and feels done and then when you cut into it, the moisture hasn’t been given enough time to evaporate so it sinks and becomes dense and gummy.
I made this for a strawberry shortcake layer cake. And no one could tell it’s Gluten free. Texture was great.
The salt is however more for our taste. I could taste the salt so much when I just ate the cake without frostings and the cream and strawberries. I am surprised no one commented on this. May be we eat way less salt. Haha.
My go to recipe for for gluten free. Thanks bunches.
Hi Shweta,
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake! Thank you so much for taking the time to write. You know, I never taste the salt, but the last time I made the cake I wondered why I had so much salt in the recipe. I adjusted it in case anyone else has the same issue.
Best,
Melissa
thanks for sharing this information with us
Where have you mentioned xanthum gum in the recipe?
Hi did you use ATK flour blend or
cup4cup because I cannot get those commercial brands here. Thanks
Hello,
I used the Cup 4 Cup, but if you want to use the ATK flour blend, you can do that and add 3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum to the dry ingredients.
Best,
Melissa
Woah! My son and I made the gluten free white cake + the vanilla buttercream frosting for his dad’s birthday. It was exceptional. My husband LOVES birthday cake and the last four years w/out gluten have been a big disappointment. Last year I purchased a small cake for $65 from a gluten free bakery. It was good. This was GREAT. Moist, light, not overly sweet- it was all the things. It was also incredibly easy and we used items we already had in the house. Highly recommend!
Hi Mellicia,
This means so much! I’m so happy you were able to finally find something for your family. I have definitely been there with the overpriced bakery cakes. I’m all about making things easy and affordable!
Best,
Melissa
Hello,
Thanks for the recipe. I am beginner wanna-be gluten-free dad bake. The flavors were great. However, when I made it, the cake came out more dense than I would like. I used Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1. The batter was a little runnie when I put in the oven. Any suggestions?
Hi Derek,
Thanks for writing and I’d be happy to help! Unfortunately not all GF flours are created equal. Bob’s red mill is good because it has consistent results, but the combination of starches does make for really dense baked goods. I did a post and tested all the top GF flours, baking cookies, breads, and pies with the top brands. I found Cup 4 Cup brand to perform the best, but you can see all the results and see how they stacked up against each other here.
Best,
Melissa
Hello! My gluten free all-purpose flour does not have xanthum gum. How many tsp should I add for this cake?
Hi Patricia,
You would use 1 1/4 teaspoon xanthum. Enjoy!
Whole family loved this cake! Used Cup for Cup flour and couldn’t even tell cake was gluten free. Used a different frosting recipe just because I found one I liked. Will def use this again! Thank you for sharing!
Hi Allison,
Thank you so much for writing! I’m so happy it was a success with your family. The best compliment ever is – you couldn’t tell it was gluten free #1 goal always, right?!
Best,
Melissa
The flavor and texture on this are much better than most vanilla gf recipes! I made cupcakes and the one edit I have is that I would not fill them more than 2/3 full. I filled my liners about 3/4 (I know the recipe said almost to the top; I was worried based on my extensive experience with overflowing batter :)) and I still had overflow. I will absolutely make this recipe again, and give a layer cake a try some time. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Erin,
I’m so glad to hear this recipe worked out well for you! For some reason, vanilla cake has always been harder than chocolate to get a recipe to work in a gluten free version. I’m so relieved to finally settle on a recipe that works! I will make a note in the recipe about filling the cupcakes, thanks for tip!
Best,
Melissa
Can I substitute the whole milk with a dairy free milk?
Hi Annie,
Yes that would be fine! Enjoy 🙂
Best,
Melissa
if my all purpose flour has xanthum gum mentioned! Do i need to put more?
Hello!
No, no need for more! Enjoy!
Melissa
This recipe looks great! I was just wondering, can I halve the recipe to only make 12 cupcakes or will it be screwed up?
Thank you!
Hi Kathy, No that would work perfectly fine. Enjoy!
Do you know if anyone has tried coconut sugar as a substitute to the sugar?
I can’t wait to try this for my kids birthday! ☺️
Hi Kelsey,
I personally have not tried it with coconut sugar. Have you tried substituting it in other cake recipes? I think it should be fine, but the cake wouldn’t be white and more brown, if that isn’t an issue.
Best,
Melissa