A riff on Edna Lewis’ classic recipe, this gluten free busy day cake stars simple ingredients that come together to make a perfectly tender and sweet cake that is delicious plain, and even better with whipped cream and fruit.

A riff on Edna Lewis' classic recipe this gluten free busy day cake stars simple ingredients that come together to make a tender, sweet cake.

Easy Busy Day Cake Recipe

This gluten free busy day cake recipe is adapted from Edna Lewis’ “The Taste of Country Cooking” and it’s one of my favorites. I love the concept of a “busy day” cake because it implies that even the busiest days need a bit of cake — and this is the recipe to make when you don’t have much time but still want something sweet!

Lewis describes the cake, also called sweet bread, in her book: “Busy-day cake was never iced, it was always cut into squares and served warm, often with fresh fruit or berries left over from canning. The delicious flavor of fresh-cooked fruit with the plain cake was just to our taste and it was also refreshing with newly churned, chilled buttermilk or cold morning’s milk. ” (p. 86)

After you’ve read her words I defy you to resist baking this recipe! This is a rustic, homey sort of cake, the kind of cake I crave on a summer Saturday afternoon when there’s a little bit of a cool breeze ruffling the leaves on the apple trees in my backyard. That said, you don’t need to save this cake only for a busy day. Its humble beauty means it’s welcome any day of the year.

Who Was Edna Lewis?

Enda Lewis was a chef and cookbook author who is known for her books on Southern cooking. She focused on the fresh flavors and ingredients of Southern cooking, including seasonal vegetables. Lewis grew up in Virginia as part of a farming community made up of emancipated slaves and later helped to open Café Nicholson in NYC where she served as head chef. She published four books including “The Taste of Country Cooking,” from which this recipe is adapted, and included stories from her childhood, details of southern cultural traditions, and her African American heritage, along with recipes.

Ingredients for gluten free busy day cake are shown labelled and portioned out: butter, oat flour, baking soda, salt, eggs, vanilla, sugar.

What You Need to Make This Recipe

This beautifully simple recipe makes a tender, delicious cake you’re sure to love! Here’s what you need to put it together – and be sure to check the recipe card for the full ingredient amounts.

Butter – Unsalted butter is best so that the salt doesn’t compete with the sweetness of this cake.
Granulated sugar – There’s a decent amount of sugar called for, and you can make it a bit less sweet by reducing the sugar by ⅓ cup if you wish.
Eggs – Most baking recipes are developed using large eggs, and this recipe is no exception. Large eggs are best.
Vanilla
Gluten free flour blend – I love using my easy DIY gluten free flour blend to make this cake, but you can use any gluten free 1:1 flour you prefer.
Baking powder
Salt – I always use fine sea salt in my baking recipes.
Nutmeg – A hint of nutmeg brings warmth to the cake.
Milk – Use whole milk or 2% milk.

A gluten free busy day cake on a white background.

How to Make a Gluten Free Busy Day Cake

See how to quickly put this cake together via the photos below. You can find the detailed instructions in the recipe card lower down.

Butter and sugar are added to a bowl. — add butter and sugar

Butter is creamed with sugar. — add butter and sugar

Prep: Butter and line a 9-inch round cake pan.
Cream: Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

The wet mix for busy day cake in a bowl. — add eggs

Flour, baking powder, and salt, are combined in a bowl. — add eggs

Add eggs: Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla.
Make dry mix: Whisk the flour with the baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a separate bowl.

Milk is stirred into the batter. — add flour

Combine: Add the flour mixture and the milk to the butter mixture in three additions.

The rest of the flour is stirred in. — add flour

Busy day cake batter in a bowl. — add flour

Stir: Starting with ½ cup of flour and ⅓ of the milk, and end with the remaining flour.
Mix: Stir well after each addition.

Busy day cake batter in the pan. — place in pan

Baked busy day cake cools on a rack. — place in pan

Add batter to pan: Spoon the batter into the cake pan, and smooth the top with a spatula.
Bake: Heat the oven, and rest the batter while it heats. Bake for about 30 minutes, then cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before turning it out to cool completely.

A slice of gluten free busy day cake on a plate.

Recipe Tips & Tricks

Rest the batter: Make sure to let the batter rest in the pan before baking it to allow the gluten free flour to hydrate. This will result in a moister, more tender crumb. The time the oven needs to preheat is perfect for resting the batter, and I’ve noted this in the instructions.
Add fruit! Fold a little fruit straight into the batter for juicy flavor. I love making busy day cake with sliced strawberries stirred right into the batter, or try 1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries or raspberries.
Flour substitute: You can swap oat flour for the gluten free flour blend in a 1:1 substitute by weight or cups.
Make dairy-free: Substitute your favorite non-dairy butter and non-dairy milk for the butter and milk.

Two slices of busty day cake with the cake near it.

Serving Ideas

Busy day cake is delicious plain – kind of the point of this cake is its simplicity, so please do enjoy it plain with a cup of tea or coffee! You can also add fruit or other toppings, such as:

Whipped cream. You can dollop individual slices of cake with homemade sweetened or unsweetened whipped cream for the perfect accompaniment.
With fruit. Throughout summer, take advantage of the good fruit season and serve busy day cake with fresh fruit! All kinds of berries like blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries are perfect with angel food cake. Or add sliced stone fruit like peaches, cherries, nectarines, and plums.
Ice cream. This is at heart a vanilla cake, so you can serve whatever type of ice cream you like with it! Try a scoop of vegan peanut butter ice cream, no churn pumpkin ice cream, or pick up your favorite flavor at the store.
Powdered sugar. Sometimes the simplest is best! Sift a little powdered sugar over the top of the cake before serving it.
Lemon curd. My luscious homemade lemon curd was meant for gluten free busy day cake! Drape a spoonful of silky smooth tart-sweet lemon curd over slices of cake to serve.

A flowered plate with a slice of busy day cake on a white background.

How to Store

This cake keeps well and doesn’t dry out too quickly, unlike some gluten free cake recipes. You can keep it at room temperature for a few days, and pop it into the fridge to help it last longer. Here’s how to store your cake:

Counter – Cover the cake with foil and keep it on the counter for up to 3 days.
Fridge – Refrigerating busy day cake will help it keep longer. Cover the cake tightly with foil, or place it in an airtight container, and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freezer – Freeze the whole cake or slices of cake by wrapping them in a layer of plastic wrap then foil, and storing them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let the cake thaw in the fridge before serving.

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