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!
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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.
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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 was so excited to make this white cake, as I haven’t had a whole lot of luck with gluten-free baking, and the pictures looked so wonderful.
I followed your instructions to the letter, but the batter was very thick, difficult to spread in the pans, and did not rise very much after baking.
Any suggestions as to what I should do to have my cake be light and fluffy, as yours was ?
Hello Carol,
Can you let me know which GF flour you used? Also, did you happen to measure my weight or volume? I’d be happy to help as much as I can!
Best,
Melissa
To answer your questions:
I used Costco’s gf Cloud 9,1:1 all purpose baking flour. I live in Canada and the gf flour that you suggested is not available here I measured the flour by volume – 2 cups.
Was the flour my problem ?
Hi Carol,
That’s good to know. Perhaps that was the problem. Not necessarily the amount, but the starches making up the flour could absorb more of the moisture. Next time I would first measure the flour by weight. If it’s comparable to weight measurement of Cup4Cup for 2 cups, increase by 1 more egg white and if the dough is still thick, add a little more milk. I hope that helps!
Best,
Melissa
I made this cake. It was very dense. The batter was so thick, it was hard to spread it in the cake pan. I followed the directions so I’m having a problem trying to figure out what I did wrong.The cake itself was delicious. I used it for a strawberry shortcake cake.
Hi Sandi,
Any chance you used Cup4Cup? It has a lot of cornstarch in the mixture, which makes the batter pretty thick. But then magically it bakes perfectly!
Best,
Melissa
Thank you for sharing your recipe on gluten free desserts. I made GF white birthday cake. Followed your instructions and it came out perfect. I’m going to try your GF chocolate cake. Thank you again
Thank you for sharing, Sharonann! I appreciate you taking the time to comment.
Best,
Melissa
So happy to hear, Sharonann. I appreciate you taking a moment to let me know.
Best,
Melissa
Okay this actually is an amazing recipe. I am really really impressed. I replaced the sugar with maple sugar (not maple syrup folks, maple sugar) since my friend requested a maple cake, and it was fantastic. I made cupcakes, took about 22 minutes in the oven. And I used King Arthur Measure for Measure flour. A resounding success.
Yay! Love reading this, Sarah. Thanks for sharing the details with us!
Best,
Melissa
I just cooked this, did I miss the xanthum gum?
Hello,
No, GF flour blends will have them included. Does your brand not? I’ve only came across one variation of King Arthur that doesn’t have it, but I’m not sure about international blends.
Best,
Melissa
I just read that Cup 4 Cup changed their recipe and people aren’t getting the same result with their recipes. Have you used it recently and are you still getting the same result? Thank you in advance for your reply.
Hi Sandy! Yes, the new formula works just as well. With some of my bread recipes I might remove 2 tablespoons of GF flour and add in milk powder. But with desserts there is so much sugar, which helps with moisture.
Best,
Melissa
I literally just pulled these out of the oven, but they are REALLY good! I made my own flour blend from 30% white rice flour, 20% brown rice flour, 15% tapioca starch, 15% potato starch, 20% cornstarch (added 1/2 tsp xanthan gum per 1 cup of the mixture used) and I used 2 whole eggs instead of just the whites because that’s where the good flavor/fat content is. I really hope they freeze and refrigerate well and don’t crumble next day but they are super tasty from a very recent gluten free ex pastry chef!
That’s really neat that you make your own flour blend! Thanks for sharing, Kayla!
Best,
Melissa
my cake was flat also. I wonder why the egg whites aren’t beaten to stiff peaks before adding the other liquid ingredients? That might help. I did recipe 1 1/2x divided into three 9 nch pans and barely had enough for a short layer cake.
Hi Suzanne,
I’m wondering if bakers with this problem are using a different brand of GF flour? Unfortunately the starches aren’t universal in GF flour blends so perhaps your blend needs a little more dry ingredients to wet. You can also try baking the cake in 8-inch cake pans if you have those on hand, which would make fuller layers.
Best,
Melissa
This truly was the very best gf white cake I have made. I was kind of shocked – a lot of recipes just don’t turn out like the writer describes, but this was amazing. I added a vanilla bean buttercream frosting and took to my girls weekend for a birthday. These gals don’t even eat sugar and loved it. I printed it out and will definitely be using it often. Thank you so much!
Thanks so much for sharing, ADunn! I really appreciate it.
Best,
Melissa
Can I use carton egg whites?
Hi Ana,
I haven’t tried it with this recipe, but I don’t see why that would be a problem.
Best,
Melissa
Any suggestions on how to make these cupcakes?
Yes! Follow this is the recipe adapted for cupcakes.
Enjoy!
Melissa
Truly the best g.f. cake recipe I’ve made yet. I will keep this in my recipe box. Well done! Thank you!
Thanks for the note, Kendra! I appreciate it.
Best,
Melissa
I’m planning to make a two tiered cake – do you know how many cups of batter the recipe makes?
Hi Dani,
I’m sorry, I do not. I only know it fits in two 9-inch cake pans, which holds a total volume 8 cups.
Best,
Melissa
Hello! I followed everything to a T but my cakes came out very very thin. Even after baking they only filled up about half of each 9 in pan. I think I’ll have to make a third letter to make a proper sized layer cake. Any idea what could have gone wrong here? I used King James 1:1 flour.
I think I’ll half the recipe to make a single third layer but i was surprised how thin each layer was.
Thanks!
Hi Shae,
Hmm, I’m so sorry this happened to you and my apologies for the extra work. I’m not familiar with King James 1:1 flour. Do you happen to be somewhere other than the U.S. and using metric ingredients?
Best,
Melissa
Likewise!! I thought it was just me. I made the Chocolate version (that was amazeballs) with no problem, but I felt like I dbl’d that recipe.
Other than this vanilla version being a “pan” cake, it was fab!!! So I’m just going to triple the recipe personally 🙂
What if I want to cook in a loaf pan? What would the temperature and timing be please? I want to make strawberry shortcake.!!!
Oh, love this idea, Jessica! I wish I could be of more help, but I haven’t tried this. First of all, though, if you are doing one loaf, I would have the recipe or split between two loaf pans. I would guess it would need a little longer to bake since the pan is deeper. I would start around 30 minutes, but use a cake tester to insert down into the middle of the cake before pulling from the oven. You can probably just use your oven light to check when the top looks set before testing, so you aren’t opening your oven door so much. Hope this helps!
Best,
Melissa
I attempted a dairy-free version. I substituted Mocha Mix for the milk and Trader Joe’s knock off of Earth Balance for the butter.
I tried making with Bob’s Red Mill flour. As others have reported, the batter was a soupy mess.
I tried again with King Arthur flour. This time the batter had the expected consistency.
I increased the quantity by 25% to get a taller cake when using 9-inch pans.
This was a good call. One could even increase it more.
The cake was still just a bit too dense. I’m wondering if I should add some xanthan gum and/or increase the leavener.
I wrapped the pans in Rose Levy Beranbaum’s Heavenly Cake Strips to reduce doming. It still domed a bit.
I baked for around 28 minutes.
The crumb will still a bit too moist.
Next time I’ll probably reduce the temperature to 325F and bake even longer…significantly longer than a cake made with wheat flour.
Step 3 is missing the instruction to let the batter sit in the pans for 15 minutes before baking.
Thank you for all your tips and feedback, Allen! And thank you for pointing that out about the missing step. I changed it in the post, but not the card!
Best,
Melissa
Was wondering how I can do this cake recipe but into a strawberry cake! Using strawberry purée?! I did the vanilla it was SO GOOD! my dad requested a strawberry cake for his birthday and am hoping I can use this same cake recipe!!
Hey Regan,
This is on my list to create and I was going to use this cake to build it off of. I haven’t tested anything yet, but I was thinking replacing the whites with 2 whole eggs. The part that would need some experimentation is the balance of milk and strawberry puree. You would have to puree a pound of strawberries, reduce it on the stove top, cool, and add it to the cake. So, I would probably cut back on the milk by 1/3 cup? That would be where I would start testing…
Best,
Melissa
I turned this into a strawberry cake with a few changes, and it turned out fantastic! Thank you!
Oooh, I’d love to hear how you did that! Sounds delish.
Best,
Melissa
Can this recipe be used to make a marble cake?
Hi Marie,
I haven’t tried this, but if you wanted to use a half recipe of this and a half recipe of this gluten-free chocolate cake, I think that’s a great idea!
Best,
Melissa
Hands down the best GF cake recipe I’ve tried. Sticking to this one because it’s so good! I’m new to baking and new to GF cooking 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! Thank you!
Oh, love this, Ann! Thank you so much for taking the time to share. It’s appreciated!
Best,
Melissa
Soft and moist but the crust tastes sour for some reason.
Hi Loretta,
Hmm, I wondering if it’s from the baking powder? Are you happening to use a baking powder with aluminum in it?
Best,
Melissa
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!
What a lovely comment. Thank you so much for sharing! I truly appreciate it!
Best,
Melissa
Absolutely the best gluten-free white cake I have ever made! Used almond extract and made cupcakes. Had to taste one as soon as they cooled. Superb!
Appreciate this, Violet! Love the almond extract add. I love that stuff!
Best,
Melissa
My cake batter was very thick and did rise but lumpy on top. Any idea what I did wrong?
Hi Sharie,
Yes, this does not seem right at all. You are positive about the measurements of wet and dry ingredients? Also, which GF flour did you use?
Best,
Melissa
I used this recipe to make my coconut cake, which my family adores and was glad I finally could make it gf.
I need to recreate my pumpkin spice cake, which calls for a slice cake mix and pumpkin puree. Do you think it will work with this recipe adding in pumpkin spices and puree?
Hi Pamela,
Hmm…Adding pumpkin is a little more tricky than adapting to coconut because of the extra moisture canned pumpkin will add. There would have to be some adjustments on the amount of milk and probably using whole eggs versus egg whites. Basically you are looking at a completely different ingredient ratio. I like what you are thinking, though! I put gluten-free pumpkin cake on my recipes to test list!
Best,
Melissa
This is Hands Down the Best fluffy, most cake!!
Thank you, Pamela! I really appreciate it!
Best,
Melissa
Hi ..I just made your GF cake recipe and love it.
I used Bob’s Red Mill flour and because I was just a little short of two cups, I added two tablespoons of tapioca starch. Also used three eggs instead of four egg whites, because I don’t mind a yellow cake. Made cupcakes and it made 17. Will keep this great recipe…thanks, Carol
Thanks for all the tips, Carol! So helpful for others and I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Best,
Melissa
I just tried your recipe. I was looking for a cake for my daughter-in-law who is gluten free. You were right it is very difficult to find just a simple vanilla cake. Actually wanted to make her a coconut cake but I couldn’t find one that didn’t have ingredients that I would be unable to find in my small town. So I thought I’d do a vanilla cake and add coconut. Which is what I did I added a cup of sweetened coconut at the end. Because I was adding sweetened coconut I dropped the sugar to a scant one cup. The other changes is that I used the American test kitchen gluten-free flour blend. I’m in small town in Canada, and I cannot get the cup for cup flour. Like some of the other readers I did find it looked broken a bit. But it came out just fine. It didn’t sink. They’re not thick but for me that’s actually better. We’re just using it as simple cake without frosting. After I made this I realized you had a coconut cake LOL So the next time I’ll look at that one. Keep up the good work!
Oh thank you, Louise! I really wish gluten-free flours were universal! It definitely adds a challenge to write recipes when bakers main ingredient varies so much from brand to brand, so I find it so helpful when readers write in what they used. I’m sure it helps a lot of others too! Thanks for taking the time to write!
Best,
Melissa
Hi Melissa! Two questions, can I use liquid egg whites in this recipe vs separating out eggs in a shell? Can I add sprinkles to make a funfetti cake?
Hi Stacey,
I haven’t tried it with liquid egg whites. Are they just pure liquid egg whites? If so, they should work fine. Also you can definitely add gluten-free sprinkles! Let me know if you have any other questions and enjoy!
Best,
Melissa
Perfect
Glad to hear!
Best,
Melissa