Best Gluten Free White Cake Recipe: Moist & Fluffy

Have you wanted to try making a gluten-free cake? It’s understandable if you hesitate a bit. You want your cake to be as moist and fluffy as one made with ordinary cake flour.

The good part is that you can get gluten-free white cake with all the flavor and texture you want with only a few adjustments. The trick is to find the right substitutions that can do what gluten normally does in baking.

Why This Recipe for Gluten-Free White Cake?

This gluten-free white cake succeeds because it rebuilds what gluten normally does using smart ingredient chemistry and technique.

• Balanced gluten-free flour blend creates structure without heaviness, avoiding the dense texture common in GF cakes
• Egg whites provide lift and stability, giving the cake its light, airy crumb
• Proper hydration + mixing allows starches to fully absorb moisture, preventing a gritty texture
• Fat + sugar interaction (creaming method) traps air, which expands in the oven for a soft, tender rise
• Careful baking time ensures the crumb sets without drying out, keeping the cake moist and delicate

The result is a cake that’s light, fluffy, and clean-tasting, not dense or gummy like many gluten-free versions.

Equipment

Before you start baking, gather all the equipment and supplies you need. This simple layer cake only requires common tools you likely already have on hand.

• Medium or large mixing bowl
• Strainer or flour sifter
• Whisk
• Stand mixer
• Spatula
• 2 8-inch round cake pans
• Wire racks
• Offset spatula (for frosting)
• Digital kitchen scale

The digital kitchen scale is a must-have for gluten-free baking because gluten-free recipes can be finicky about getting the exact amounts of dry ingredients. Many dry ingredients used in gluten-free recipes, like psyllium husk powder or flaxseed, excel at retaining moisture, so it’s important to measure them exactly!

Key Ingredient Roles

The important thing to remember about making gluten-free cake is that the measurements of the dry ingredients need to be exact. Gluten-free baking is finicky that way! So most of the measurements of the dry ingredients will be in grams.

Gluten-Free Flour Mix

280 grams gluten-free flour mix

Look for a gluten-free option that contains a mix of flours and starches. Single-flour options just won’t have everything needed to support the structure of your cake. The best ones will usually have at least five flours and starches listed in the ingredients. (Make sure it doesn’t have xanthan gum!) Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Flour is usually a good pick.

Alternatively, you could try making your own gluten-free flour mix. This gluten-free flour mix recipe contains five ingredients: White rice flour, brown rice flour, tapioca, cornstarch, and potato flour.

Psyllium Husk Powder

1 teaspoon psyllium husk powder

Many of the gluten-free flour mixes you can find in the grocery store or online contain xanthan gum. If you get one that doesn’t, psyllium husk powder is one of a few good substitutes for xanthan gum.

The neat part? A Kuwaiti study showed that psyllium husk powder is slightly better than xanthan gum at retaining moisture and increasing the volume of some baked goods, such as bread.

Cornstarch

54 grams cornstarch

Cornstarch helps achieve a tender, crumbly texture in baked goods like cakes.

Baking Powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

Baking powder is one of two leavening agents that you’ll need for this recipe. Leavening agents help dough or batter rise by adding air. Baking powder manages this by including a weak acid and a carbonate or bicarbonate. It also usually contains a dessicant, such as cornstarch, that prevents them from reacting prematurely.

When the components of baking powder react in the batter, they release carbon dioxide bubbles that provide the “pre-baking” support for the cake’s eventual structure.

Baking Soda

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Baking soda is the second leavening agent you’ll need. Unlike baking powder, baking soda is almost pure sodium bicarbonate, a white crystalline powder. The sodium bicarbonate will react with acids in the cake batter to produce carbon dioxide bubbles.

Baking powder and baking soda are called chemical leavening agents because their action relies on chemical reactions. That makes them different from biological leavening agents like yeast, which metabolize sugar to produce carbon dioxide that makes dough rise.

Salt

1/2 teaspoon salt

Salt supports many of the chemical reactions that add to a cake’s flavor without making it noticeably salty.

Vegan Butter

12 Tablespoons vegan butter

Vegan butter adds the fat that cake needs for a tender, moist texture and contributes to a rich flavor.

Granulated Sugar

300 grams granulated sugar

Granulated sugar adds most of the sweetness to the cake. It can also help retain moisture and tenderize the cake.

Why not powdered sugar? Powdered sugar is nice for sprinkling on top of some baked goods, but its slightly different format would not provide the same level of sweetness as granulated sugar if put in the batter.

Pure Vanilla Extract

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

With a white cake, you probably expect a bit of vanilla flavor. The vanilla extract provides that while enhancing the sweetness.

Egg Whites

6 egg whites

Eggs are most commonly used as a binder in baking. Here, you leave out the yolks and stick to adding the whites.

Vegan Buttermilk

1 1/3 cup vegan buttermilk

Vegan buttermilk adds the acid and moisture for this recipe. I make it by placing 1 tablespoon of distilled white vinegar in the bottom of a measuring cup, and then filling the cup to the 1 1/3-cup line with an unsweetened non-dairy milk.

The exact non-dairy milk you use can affect how this cake tastes. They can also affect the amount of fat in the vegan buttermilk. For this recipe, I used almond milk.

Did you make and love this recipe? Give it your review and rating below! And make sure to follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook too!

Step-By-Step Process for Making Gluten-Free White Cake

Now that we have everything we need, let’s jump right into it!

Step One: Mix Flour Mix, Psyllium Powder, Cornstarch, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, and Salt

Sift together the gluten-free flour mix, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl. Whisk them together just enough to thoroughly combine them.

Step Two: Blend Butter and Sugar

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter and granulated sugar and beat on low speed to incorporate. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides. Turn the speed to medium speed and beat for 2 minutes, until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides.

Step Three: Add Vanilla and Egg Whites to Butter and Sugar Mix

Add the vanilla extract and egg whites and beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides.

Step Four: Alternate Adding Dry Ingredient Mix and Buttermilk

Add 3 large spoonfuls of the dry ingredients to the stand mixer bowl and beat for 10 seconds on low speed to mix. Stop the machine. Add 1/3 of the buttermilk to the stand mixer bowl and beat on low speed for another 10 seconds.

Scrape down the bowl as you go. Repeat this process until all the buttermilk is added.

Step Five: Add Remaining Dry Ingredients

Add the remaining dry mixture and mix for 1 minute until thick and completely combined. There should be no visible dry mixture left when this is complete.

Step Six: Let Batter Rest

Set the batter aside to rest for 30 minutes.

Step Seven: Prepare Pans and Preheat Oven

While the batter is resting, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (176 degrees Celsius). Prepare two 8-inch pans by spraying them with cooking spray and lining the bottoms of each with parchment paper.

Step Eight: Bake Cakes

When the batter is done resting, and the oven is preheated, pour the cake batter equally into the two pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cakes comes out clean.

Step Nine: Cool Cakes

Remove the pans from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Then turn the cakes out of the pans to finish cooling completely on the wire racks.

Step Ten: Frost and Decorate as Desired

This is very much optional, but I like a good frosting as much as I like the cake. When the cakes are completely cool, frost with your favorite frosting and decorate as desired.

Substitutions in This Gluten-Free White Cake Recipe

This recipe gives the best results when made as written, but there are a few easy swaps you can make if needed. Below are the best substitutions for this gluten-free white cake, plus notes on how each one may affect the final texture and flavor.

• Tapioca starch or potato starch makes a decent substitute for the cornstarch in a pinch.
• The vegan butter may be substituted with dairy butter. Melted coconut oil and vegetable oil have not been tested.
• Use room-temperature egg whites. Whole eggs may be used, but the cake will be more yellow than white. Use 5 whole eggs.
• I like to use coconut milk when I need a replacement for almond milk. Dairy buttermilk can also be used.

How To Store This Gluten-Free White Cake

Cakes will last for up to 2 days, unfrosted, in an airtight container or wrapped with plastic wrap at room temperature. For longer storage, they will need to be wrapped in plastic wrap several times and frozen. Defrost the unfrosted cake at room temperature and serve right away. 

FAQs for Gluten-Free White Cake

While making this cake is usually pretty straightforward, we do get questions sometimes! I tried to answer some of the most common questions here. If you think of one I haven’t answered yet, feel free to ask in the comments section, and I’ll try to answer it.

Why did my gluten-free cake turn out gummy?

There are several reasons why gluten-free cakes turn out gummy, and they typically relate to the type of flour alternative used. Many gluten-free flours require more leavening than all-purpose, so you may need to use extra baking powder or baking soda.

Too much liquid can also contribute to gummy cake, which is one more reason it’s important to measure everything correctly. Too much of the moisture-absorbing ingredients could cause it. Psyllium husk powder can hold up to 12 times its weight in liquid, for instance!

Underbaking can also cause gummy cakes. The temperature might have been too low, or it might not have been baked for long enough.

Do gluten-free cakes need more liquid?

Gluten-free flour blends typically require additional liquid to reach the right texture. If the batter seems too dry, adding an additional spoonful of dairy-free milk might help.

Why did my gluten-free cake sink in the middle?

Sinking can be caused by overmixing, underbaking, or opening the oven door too early. Let it bake for at least 25 minutes before opening the door.

Did You Make This Gluten-Free White Cake?

If you tried this gluten-free white cake, I’d love to hear how it turned out. Leave a comment below and let me know if you made it as written or tried one of the variations or substitutions. Your tips, questions, and feedback can help other readers, too.