Gluten Free Vanilla Cake {Easy From Scratch Grain Free Cake Recipe} (2024)

FAQs

What gluten-free flour is best for cakes? ›

We often reach for almond flour in baking recipes when we're looking for a light, fluffy, cake-y texture with neutral flavor, because almond flour has a milder flavor than almond meal, and tends to fluff up nicely when baked!

Gluten-free batters need to rest.

Even the best combinations of gluten-free alternative grains and flour blends can yield a gritty texture. This is remediated by resting your batter for about 30 minutes so the flour has time to hydrate and soften.

Xanthan gum (along with other thickeners like guar gum and arrowroot) acts like a binder in gluten-free baked goods to maintain their structure. Without it, there's a good chance that your brownies or muffin will crumble and fall apart.

Gluten-free baked goods often benefit from extra liquid to hydrate the flour blends, eliminate grittiness, and achieve a less dense or dry texture.

Homemade gluten free cake flour:

Use a gluten free flour blend that is higher in starches and doesn't contain any heavy or strong flavored flours like bean flours. For every 1 cup of flour you need in the recipe, remove 2 tablespoons of the gluten free blend and substitute with 2 tablespoons gluten free cornstarch.

2 teaspoons of baking powder per cup of gluten-free flour is necessary to ensure proper leavening. Baking soda and buttermilk can be used to leaven instead of baking powder, but 1-1/8 teaspoon of cream of tartar should be added for each 1/2 teaspoon baking soda used.

Substitute by weight, not volume. Moreover, because they are finer, they weigh less than all-purpose flour, so it is a good idea to substitute your blend for the all-purpose by weight, rather than by volume. If the original recipe calls for 260 grams of all-purpose flour, substitute with 260 grams of your blend.

Something that is often added to gluten free products is xanthan gum. This ingredient has an ability to trap air which allows gluten free cakes and breads to rise properly and have a light and airy texture. It is also added to doughs such as pastry doughs so that they can be rolled and stretched without breaking.

Add extra liquid: Gluten-free flours tend to absorb more liquid than regular flour, so you may need to add more liquid to your recipes to compensate. This can help to keep your baked goods moist and prevent them from becoming dry and crumbly.

Ultimately, the toothpick test is just one data source to rely upon: with the trio—toothpick, edges, & centre—you can reliably know your gluten-free baked goods are, well, baked! If your toothpick comes out with wet batter on it, your cake definitely needs more time.

Why do gluten-free cakes not rise? ›

YOUR CAKE IS SINKING IN THE MIDDLE OR NOT RISING

You may not have used enough raising agents. I do recommend experimenting with double action baking powders. Otherwise try using 25 percent more chemical raising agents (baking soda or baking powder) if you're converting a recipe to gluten free.

Gluten-Free Bread Flour can be swapped 1:1 for all-purpose flour and bread flour by both weight and volume.

Gluten-free baked goods need all the help they can get in the rise department. Gluten-free flours are not nearly as light or elastic as their gluten counterparts. This is where leavening agents such as baking powder come into play.

These gluten-free flour blends substitute well in batters that use baking powder and/or baking soda to leaven—such as cookies, muffins, and cakes—along with batters that are wetter in texture, like pancakes and quick breads.

Gluten-free ingredients = gluten-free baked goods. Gluten-containing ingredients <> gluten-free baked goods. Maybe, though, what you really wanted to know was whether gluten-free flours can be used for cupcakes and cakes, as they are for breads. In that case, the answer is still yes.

If you want to buy just one gluten-free flour, we highly recommend the Pillsbury all-purpose gluten-free flour. Not only is it our favorite gluten-free flour, and easy to use in gluten-free recipes, but it's also one of the few gluten-free flours currently on the market that is recommended for baking with yeast.

This might be due to the lack of gluten but can be for many other reasons. Lots of gluten free flour is rice based and this can result in a dry and slightly gritty texture.