Name: Flourless Vanilla Cake {Gluten Free, Dairy Free}
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 95 min
Ingredients: 180 grams almond meal (about 2 cups); 60 grams coconut (finely shredded, about 2/3 cup); 1 teaspoon baking powder; ¼ teaspoon salt; 250 grams granulated sugar (finely ground, about 1 ¼ cups); ½ cup dairy free butter (cubed and softened); 4 eggs; 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

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One bite and you’ll never believe this flourless vanilla cake has NO flour whatsoever! It’s delicate, tender and topped with a light dusting of powdered sugar – gluten free and dairy free never tasted so good!

When you need something different than the typical cake, this is the recipe to turn to. It’s a delightful dessert that could easily be served at a bridal shower, baby shower or even as a weeknight treat. To make up for the flour, the recipe uses almond meal and ground coconut – these two ingredients are the perfect pairing for this single layer cake.

What’s the difference between a white cake and a vanilla cake?

At first glance you’d think the terms would be interchangeable. But the major difference between a white cake and a vanilla cake is the simply the color. A white cake is going to be white, using egg whites and clear vanilla extract. A vanilla cake like this one, doesn’t rely on a ‘white’ color.

What does this flourless cake taste like?

The best to describe this tender cake is a cross between a moist sheet cake and a full bodied crumb cake. Whereas a cake that uses flour, like these almond flour chocolate cupcakes, would be light and spongy, this flourless cake is a bit more dense. Not in a bad way. But more substantial. I top the cake with fruit and powdered sugar because that’s really all it needs.

What is the reverse creaming method used in this flourless vanilla cake?

The reverse creaming method is a way of mixing in the fats into a baked good. For reference, these oatmeal raisin cookies use the traditional creaming method. The butter and sugars are creamed then the eggs and rest of the dry ingredients are added. But with reverse creaming, you mix the dry ingredients first, then add the butter, then after the mixture is creamy, add the eggs.

The benefit of this method for this cake has more to do with the structure than the taste. Taste-wise, both methods produce an equally tasty cake, but the reverse cream method produces a more tender cake with a fine, smooth crumb.

Why is it necessary to let the batter rest before baking?

If you’ve ever mixed up a batter and then poured it right into the pan to bake only to be disappointed when it sinks or turns out dense and unappealing, a ‘rest time’ may immediately solve your problem. Gluten free baking needs time to give the liquid and dry ingredients time to completely absorb. Aim for at least 20 minutes and you’ll be amazed at the difference of your cakes, breads and muffins!

Do I have to use a springform pan for this cake?

A 9” springform pan is the easiest way to successfully bake this cake. An alternative would be a regular 9” baking pan but it may be a little more challenging to remove it.

With either pan, spray and flour the pan and the parchment paper well. This cake tends to stick to any unsprayed and unfloured surface.

What’s the best way to serve this cake?

There’s not many cakes out there that don’t need frosting. Most at least need a glaze to give them a little boost. But not this one. This cake is super moist and really doesn’t need a thing. Now I’m not one to say no to frosting, so this buttercream would be amazing on it, but here’s a way to keep it simple (and quick!)…

Once it’s completely cooled, place the cake on a serving platter
Top it with sliced strawberries, blueberries and raspberries – I just randomly placed these on the cake
Then place a sifter on a plate and add a Tablespoon of powdered sugar
Hold the sifter over the cake and lightly tap it to sprinkle the powdered sugar evenly over it

Note on serving: With all the fruit piled on the cake, it may sink a little in the middle – this is completely normal and does not affect the taste.

How do I store a no flour cake?

This cake stores very well – the easiest way to store it is to move the slices left over to a plastic container. Then store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

How to make a flourless vanilla cake

Pro tip #1 – Room temperature ingredients

All ingredients, from the eggs to the almond meal should be at room temperature before using. This creates a lighter, less dense cake. About 30 minutes should do it.

Pro tip #2 – Caster sugar (Finely ground sugar)

: Before

: After

The granulated sugar is this recipe is ground into a finer blend, called caster sugar, for a couple reasons:

It dissolves quicker, so it eliminates any extra graininess in the cake
It contributes the delicate texture in the cake

Caster sugar is tough to find in the US, but making your own is easy with a food processor. Place the 250 grams of sugar in the food processor. Turn it on to run for 1 minute. The result is the perfect blend of sugar – not powdery, but finer than granulated crystals.

Pro tip #3 – Ground coconut

: Before

: After

Sweetened coconut was used in this recipe – but for the consistency, you want something finer than just shredded coconut at the store. So after blending the sugar, add the shredded coconut to the blender to ground that up next. Add 60 grams to the food processor and mix for 30 seconds. The coconut will still have some shreds, but overall the pieces will be a little larger than the almond meal.

Pro tip #4 – Use parchment paper

Parchment paper makes a world of difference in baking this cake. Without it, the cake sticks to the pan terribly and becomes nearly impossible to remove (in one piece anyway!)

Cut a piece to fit the entire bottom of the pan and place it at the bottom – spray and flour it well.

Pro tip #5 – Let cool completely

After the cake has baked, you’ll want to give it time to cool both in the pan and on the wire rack. The springform makes it easy to remove the cake from the pan. Just run a knife along the side, pop the spring and turn it over on a wire rack.

Then using a knife, run it along the underside of the springform pan base. And then remove bottom portion from the cake. Allow it to finish cooling.

Serve this flourless vanilla cake with fresh fruit and a dusting of powdered sugar.