The BEST Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake (1 Bowl!)

1 week ago 15

Slice of gluten-free vanilla cake decorated with vanilla buttercream frosting and fresh berries

Friends, meet the vanilla cake of your DREAMS! It’s super fluffy, perfectly moist, undetectably gluten-free (& dairy-free), and seriously…the BEST. It’s impressive enough for a birthday or even a wedding!

Bonus? It’s also SO easy to make, with simple methods, 1 bowl, and 9 ingredients. Preheat your oven. Let them eat cake!

Almond flour, almond milk, brown rice flour, potato starch, cane sugar, salt, vanilla, egg, and baking powder

This cake could not be easier to make! Simply whisk, pour, bake, and enjoy your cake, for goodness sake! 😉 Okay, that’s all the Dr. Seuss we’ve got in us, friends.

Whisking gluten-free flours with cane sugar

The secrets to this PERFECT gluten-free vanilla cake? Almond flour gives it a gorgeous crumb texture, potato starch keeps it light, and brown rice flour provides structure. Cane sugar ensures a neutral sweetness and classic vanilla cake flavor.

Then we finish it off with some cake classics: baking powder, salt, (dairy-free) milk, egg, and pure vanilla extract.

We’ve done a vegan (& gluten-free) vanilla cake before, but this version has egg, which makes for an extra fluffy result!

Removing a slice of our best gluten-free vanilla cake from a cake platter

We can’t wait for you to try this vanilla cake! It’s:

Light & fluffy
Moist
Perfectly sweet
Easy to make
Gluten-free + dairy-free
& SO classic!

We love topping it with our Dairy-Free Buttercream Frosting and fresh berries, but any of our frosting recipes would be welcome. Its neutral flavor means you can get creative and experiment with different fillings and frostings (lemon + raspberry, anyone?)!

More Gluten-Free Cake Recipes

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!

Close up shot of a slice of gluten-free vanilla cake to show the tender crumb texture

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 8 (Slices)

Course Dessert

Cuisine Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free

Freezer Friendly 1 month

Does it keep? 2-3 Days

1 ⅓ cup almond flour*
1/3 heaping cup potato starch (1/3 heaping cup = 1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp*)
1/4 cup brown rice flour
2/3 cup cane sugar (ensure organic for vegan-friendly)
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
2/3 cup dairy-free milk (plain, unsweetened // we used almond // we don’t recommend canned coconut milk // if not dairy-free, dairy milk should also work)
1 large egg* (organic, pasture-raised when possible)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and grease an 8-inch cake pan* (we used avocado oil). Set aside.
To a medium mixing bowl, add the almond flour, potato starch, brown rice flour, cane sugar, baking powder, and sea salt. Whisk well until fully incorporated. Next add the dairy-free milk, egg, and vanilla extract. Whisk again until just combined.
Pour the batter into your prepared cake pan and bake for 24-28 minutes, until the center springs back when touched or when a toothpick can be removed with only a few crumbs left behind.
Let the cake cool in its pan for 10 minutes before flipping it onto a cooling rack to let cool completely (~2-3 hours). Frost with buttercream or whipped cream, garnish with berries, and serve!
Best enjoyed within 2 days. To keep leftover cake moist, cover with plastic wrap, a cake cover, or a wide bowl flipped upside down. If using a frosting that melts at room temperature, wait to frost until just before serving (recommended), or refrigerate the frosted cake then set it out at room temperature for 1 hour before serving.

*Photos show use of a doubled recipe baked in two 8-inch cake pans to make a two-layer cake.
*Almond flour is key in this recipe for the right texture. The next best option is cashew flour. If nut-free, you could possibly add a neutral-flavored oil + a lesser amount of a gluten-free flour blend, but it would require some experimenting and we can’t guarantee success!
*This recipe also works well for making cupcakes (bake for ~20 minutes)! Recipe as written makes 9 cupcakes.
*Looking for a vegan + gluten-free vanilla cake? Find our vegan version here.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without optional ingredients.

Serving: 1 slice Calories: 228 Carbohydrates: 31.2 g Protein: 5.1 g Fat: 10.4 g Saturated Fat: 0.9 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 2.5 g Monounsaturated Fat: 6.4 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 23 mg Sodium: 261 mg Potassium: 171 mg Fiber: 2.2 g Sugar: 17.7 g Vitamin A: 61 IU Vitamin C: 0 mg Calcium: 137 mg Iron: 0.9 mg