Gluten-Free Vanilla Birthday Cake

This recipe for Gluten-Free Vanilla Birthday Cake is one you’ll never be able to tell is gluten-free! Velvety vanilla cake layers are filled and frosted with rich, smooth chocolate buttercream.

Chocolate cake is typically my preferred flavor of cake to eat and to serve but there is a special place in my heart for vanilla cake and chocolate buttercream, particularly as a birthday cake. It’s such a classic combination that I turn to again and again when I want to make a simple and delicious celebration cake.

I recommend bringing this cake to room temperature before serving and if you have leftovers, it’s best to treat them the same way. Gluten-free cakes can have a tendency to dry out a bit more quickly than their all-purpose flour counterparts, but if you are diligent about keeping them well covered/wrapped in the fridge this will go a long way to extending their lifespan. Accordingly, letting the cake warm up a bit will soften the crumb and let you really taste how tender it it.

For layer cakes I bake the cake the day before and let rest overnight in the fridge so it’s very easy to frost and/or split the layers. The morning of the day I plan to serve it, I’ll fill and frost the cake and let it rest again in the fridge until about an hour before serving to let the flavors fully develop and the frosting to set. You can use the base cake recipe for any iteration of a layer cake along with your favorite fillings and frostings. Each layer also slices in half beautifully so you can do a four-layer cake.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

The gluten-free flour base. For this recipe I used a combination of five naturally gluten-free flours — admittedly a few more than I usually do, but it’s so worth it. The crumb is velvety and rich. I made this last month for a birthday party to rave reviews (and no one guessed it was gluten-free). More about gluten-free flours.

Chocolate buttercream frosting. I love buttercream and this chocolate butter cream frosting is so smooth and satisfying.

Versatile. You can make this as a layer cake, filled and frosted, or you can freeze a half and just keep things simple with a one-layer cake. Try any combination of fillings and frosting you like.

What You’ll Need for Gluten-Free Vanilla Birthday Cake

Cake

• Unsalted butter
• Sugar
• Eggs
• Sweet white rice flour
• Oat flour
• Sorghum flour
• Tapioca flour
• Potato starch
• Baking powder
• Fine sea salt
• Pure vanilla extract
• Whole milk

Frosting

• Unsalted butter
• Semisweet chocolate
• Powdered sugar
• Whole milk

How to Make This Gluten-Free Birthday Cake Recipe

Make Cake

1. Prepare pans. Heat oven to 350° F and Butter an 8 or 9-inch round cake pan and line with a circle of parchment.
2. Whisk flours. In a small bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder and salt.
3. Cream butter. In a large bowl and using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream the butter, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary, until the butter is lighter in color, about 45 seconds. Then add the sugar in a steady stream and scrape down the bowl again.
4. Add eggs. In a small bowl whisk the eggs. Slowly pour in the eggs a little at a time, and beat very well for about 2 minutes.
5. Combine. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in two doses, alternating with the milk and vanilla.
6. Bake. Pour the batter into prepared pans, smoothing the tops. Place cake in the oven and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Cool. Remove cake from the oven and set on a rack to cool for 10 minutes. Run a butter knife around the side of the pan to loosen the cake, then turn out onto the rack to finish cooling completely.

Make Frosting and Assemble

1. Make frosting. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, whip the butter. Add the slightly cooled chocolate and mix to combine. Add 1 Tablespoon milk. Add 1 cup sugar and mix.
2. Assemble cake. Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread one layer with about one third of the frosting, then top with the other cake layer. Use the remaining frosting to cover the cake.

Substitutions

Oat flour – use sorghum flour.

Sweet white rice flour – try almond flour or tapioca flour.

Sorghum flour – use millet flour.

To make dairy-free – use your favorite non-dairy butter and milk for the butter and whole milk.

To make refined sugar-free – use maple sugar in place of the sugar. 

Storage

Store the cake tightly covered in the fridge for 5 days. It tastes best at room temperature.

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Gluten-Free Fluffy Vanilla Birthday Cake

Nicole Spiridakis

A yellow cake with chocolate frosting is a classic birthday cake flavor combination and this one is a real winner.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 10 servings

Calories 300 kcal

Ingredients

  

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Cake

• 1 cup cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups maple sugar or granulated sugar
• 4 eggs at room temperature
• 1 cup/150 g sweet white flour
• 1 cup/100 g gluten-free oat flour
• ½ cup/80 g sorghum flour
• ¼ cup/50 g tapioca starch
• ¼ cup/50 g potato starch
• 3 ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup whole milk at room temperature

Frosting

• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 6 oz. semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
• 1-2 cups powdered sugar or homemade powdered sugar
• 1-2 tbsp whole milk

Instructions

 

Make Cake

• Heat oven to 350° F. Butter an 8 or 9-inch round cake pan and line with a circle of parchment.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder and salt.
• In a large bowl and using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream the butter, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary, until the butter is lighter in color, about 45 seconds. Then add the maple sugar in a steady stream and scrape down the bowl again. Continue to mix on medium speed until the mixture is very light in color and texture, about 4 to 5 minutes.
• In a small bowl whisk the eggs. Slowly pour in the eggs a little at a time, and beat very well for about 2 minutes.
• Combine the vanilla and milk in a small bowl or measuring cup.
• With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in two doses, alternating with the milk. Scrape down the sides of the bowl in between additions.
• Pour the batter into prepared pans, smoothing the tops. Place cake in the oven and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Check after 35 minutes; you want the cake to lightly spring back in the center when pressed.
• Remove cake from the oven and set on a rack to cool for 10 minutes. Run a butter knife around the side of the pan to loosen the cake, then turn out onto the rack to finish cooling completely.

Make Frosting and Assemble

• In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, whip the butter. Add the slightly cooled chocolate and mix to combine. Add 1 Tablespoon milk. Add 1 cup sugar and mix. Add more milk or sugar as desired for consistency.
• To assemble cake, place one cake layer on a serving plate. I like to chill my layers in the fridge, well wrapped for a few hours or up to overnight, Spread one layer with about one third of the frosting, then top with the other cake layer. Use the remaining frosting to cover the cake.
• Cake should be served at room temperature-cool room temperature. It will last up to 5 days in the fridge.

Nutrition

Calories: 300kcal

Did you make this recipe?Let me know in the comments how it went!