• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
logo-sara-kidd-vegan-baking (2)
  • About
  • Recipes
    • Cake
      • Cake Recipes
      • Classic Flavours
        • Vanilla
        • Chocolate
        • Berries / Fruit
        • Lemon
      • Mini Cakes
      • Cupcakes
    • Frostings, Fillings, Buttercreams
    • Muffins
    • Cookies
    • Pastry / Desserts
    • Scones
    • Free From
      • Gluten Free
      • Nut Free
      • Soy Free
  • Cookbook
  • Classes
  • Blog
    • 8 Easy Egg Replacements For Baking
    • 12 Must Have Cake Decorating Tools
    • How To Fix The Most Common Vegan Baking Mistakes
    • Top 5 Tips for Choosing The Best Oil for Baking
    • Fixing The Top 5 Issues for Gluten-Free Vegan Baking
    • 5 Tips To Stop Your Oven Baking Unevenly
    • A Quick Guide To Mixing Methods
  • Resources
    • 8 Easy Egg Replacements For Baking
    • Vegan Food E-Numbers List
    • Vegan Baking Tips
    • Vegan Baking Videos
    • Vegan Cake & Baking Products List
    • Vegan Fondant List
    • Baking & Business Resources
    • Vegan Chef Interviews
icon instagramicon pinterest icon pinteresticon youtubeicon youtube
logo-sara-kidd-vegan-baking (2)

Gluten-Free Vegan Vanilla Cake

By Sara Kidd January 7, 2020 61 Comments

Jump to Recipe
vegan gluten free vanilla cake v2 this recipe

I promise this is truly my BEST cake recipe ever. This gluten-free vegan vanilla cake will not fail you. It’s a no-fail, no sink, no weird flavours, one bowl, gluten-free vegan vanilla cake that is insanely easy to bake. It tastes like a normal vanilla cake. You won’t be able to tell the difference. It’s also a go-to recipe if you’re looking for a Gluten-free vegan sponge cake as it’s really light in texture.

Gluten-free baking can sometimes be a baker’s worst nightmare. We all remember back in the day when gluten-free meant we were about to embark on eating something with the texture and taste of a brick covered in a layer of cinnamon dust – early gluten-free bread gave me nightmares. Thankfully, that good old G-F has come along way and we now have the knowledge and power to create godlike goodness of everyone to enjoy. Here are my top tips to get you started. 

GLUTEN-FREE VEGAN BAKING TIPS

  1. Use extra vanilla when baking. It will help balance out those nutty flavours that appear in gluten-free baking. 
  2. The smaller the better. I always recommend making cakes no larger than 6 to 7 inches or smaller. I find that the smaller the cake, the better the bake. 
  3. Don’t be afraid to under-bake your cake slightly. You want to retain extra moisture in your cake as GF cakes can be a little dry. I usually bake it for 5 minutes less and test it with a skewer. If the skewer still has a few crumbs and a tiny bit of moisture on it, it’s ready to come out of the oven. 
  4. Use 25 percent more raising agents (baking soda or baking powder) if you’re converting a recipe to gluten free.
  5. Do worry about over-mixing your batter even though there is no gluten to overdevelop. It still affects the outcome of your cake. Just mix until just combined.
  6. If you’re finding your GF cake is coming out dry, try using a vegetable shortening as your main fat source, this can add extra moisture.
  7. If you’re converting a recipe to gluten free, experiment with adjusting the temperature of your oven 10C/50F lower. 

WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT GLUTEN-FREE BAKING? CHECK OUT MY LATEST GLUTEN-FREE WORKSHOP.

event promo 3 3
IMG 1979

You can bake this cake along with me and I also show you how to decorate this cake in a naked cake style.

 

Print

clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
Gluten-Free Vegan Vanilla Cake

Never Fail Gluten Free Vegan Vanilla Cake


★★★★★

4.7 from 18 reviews

  • Author: Sara Kidd
  • Total Time: 42 minutes
  • Yield: 1 3 layered 6 inch cake 1x
Pin Recipe
Print Recipe

Description

This gluten-free vegan vanilla cake will not fail you. It’s a no-fail, no sink, no weird flavours, one bowl, gluten-free vegan vanilla cake that is insanely easy to bake. It tastes like a normal vanilla cake. You won’t be able to tell the difference. It’s also a go-to recipe if you’re looking for a Gluten-free vegan sponge cake as it’s really light in texture.


Ingredients

Scale

DRY

  • 1 1/2 cup white rice flour
  • 3/4 cup almond meal ((almond flour is even better))
  • 1/2 cup potato starch
  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt

WET

  • 1 1/2 cup soy milk
  • 1 1/2 tbsp white vinegar
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 tbsp pure vanilla or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste

EGG REPLACER

  • 3 tbsp ground flaxseed meal
  • 7 1/2 tbsp hot water

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 160C/320F.
  2. Grease and line three 6-inch cake tins with vegetable oil and baking paper and then dust with a tiny amount of gluten-free flour to coat the cake tin.
  3. Make your flaxseed egg by mixing flaxseed and water together and set aside to thicken.
  4. In a large mixing bowl sieve flours, starch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar together and give it a quick whisk to combine ingredients.
  5. In a large jug, mix vinegar with soy milk until it becomes thick. Then add oil and vanilla and mix together. Add thickened flax egg and stir.
  6. Pour liquid into flour bowl and gently fold ingredients together with a whisk until just combined.
  7. Pour batter into each cake tin making sure they both have the same amount of batter and tap on the bench to release air bubbles.
  8. Place tins into the middle of your oven and bake for 25 minutes or until a skewer poked into the middle comes out almost clean.
  9. Allow to sit in the cake tin for 10 minutes before turning onto a cooling rack. Run a knife around the outside of the cake before flipping it onto your cooling rack.
  10. Let it completely cool down and ice with your favourite vegan buttercream.
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 27 minutes
  • Category: Cake
  • Cuisine: Dessert

Keywords: vegan cake

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag @veganbakesbysarakidd — we can’t wait to see what you’ve made!

Recipe Card powered byTasty Recipes

If you’re after more gluten recipes go here go here


Discover recipe ideas, get advice and join in on vegan baking conversations with 24,000 keen bakers on Facebook.

Facebook Group Cover 1
Join Facebook Group

Filed Under: Gluten Free, Cake, Popular Recipe, Recipe, Vanilla, Vegan, Vegan Baking 101 Tagged With: gluten-free vegan vanilla cake

About Sara Kidd

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Heidi says

    March 27, 2022 at 3:27 pm

    Could I make this into a lemon cake by subbing out an ingredient for lemon juice/essence?
    Or is it best to use your vegan gf lemon cupcake recipe? Thanks!!

    Reply
    • Sara Kidd says

      March 27, 2022 at 6:21 pm

      Yes, I would just add lemon essence and lemon rind

      Reply
  2. Cassandra McNamara says

    January 15, 2022 at 10:05 am

    Absolutely delicious! I am not a gluten free individual by any means and I will never make another cake recipe again 🙂

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Sara Kidd says

      January 15, 2022 at 2:00 pm

      Thanks so much for letting me know, Cassandra!

      Reply
  3. Jessica says

    December 29, 2021 at 7:30 am

    Is there another type of flour that could be used instead of almond flour? Trying to work around allergies.

    Reply
    • Sara Kidd says

      December 29, 2021 at 9:41 am

      ground sunflower or ground pumpkin seeds x

      Reply
  4. Luisa says

    December 16, 2021 at 2:52 pm

    Thank you for the recipe. I made muffins and they are super delicious. I used Earth Balance butter instead of the vegetable oil, 1/4 cup Xylitol since this is what I had, instead of the regular sugar, apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar and used stone ground whole grain brown rice flour since this is what I had in my pantry. The moisture in this muffins is perfect. I am glad to have found your web site.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Sara Kidd says

      December 16, 2021 at 8:28 pm

      Thanks so much for letting me know!

      Reply
  5. Renuka says

    September 17, 2021 at 4:28 pm

    Hi Sara, is the sugar powdered or granulated?

    Reply
    • Sara Kidd says

      September 27, 2021 at 8:01 am

      Caster sugar

      Reply
  6. Sonia says

    July 26, 2021 at 12:00 pm

    Hi Sarah, just wondering if the cake can be baked ahead of time and put in freezer to decorate at a later date?

    Reply
    • Sara Kidd says

      July 27, 2021 at 10:55 am

      Yes this cake is generally okay to freeze – it’s not as great but it’s still freezable for about 1 month.

      Reply
      • Sonia says

        July 27, 2021 at 11:38 pm

        Thank you so much for your response and also for the lovely recipe! Looking forward to your new cookbook.

        Reply
        • Sara Kidd says

          July 28, 2021 at 8:44 pm

          Not a problem at all. xox

          Reply
  7. Char says

    April 22, 2021 at 1:57 pm

    This recipe is amazing! I’m wondering if you can sub the rice flour with almond flour though?

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Sara Kidd says

      April 27, 2021 at 11:21 pm

      Hey Char
      No unfortunately. Every flour plays a different role in creating the texture and structure of this cake.

      Reply
  8. Louisa says

    March 21, 2021 at 9:53 am

    I made this recipe and its amazing but would it work if i doubled it for 3 8inch cake for a celebration cake?

    Reply
    • Sara Kidd says

      March 22, 2021 at 8:54 pm

      Hey Louisa
      Yes it will work at that size, you will need to double the recipe

      Reply
  9. teya says

    January 28, 2021 at 4:26 am

    this is amazing! thank you!

    Reply
  10. Ingrid says

    October 27, 2020 at 4:22 am

    Thanks a lot!! The recipe is really good! after trying many others finally

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  11. Ainol says

    October 16, 2020 at 1:26 am

    Can’t wait to try..but can I sub potato starch for tapioca starch? Or use fresh potato itself?

    Reply
    • Sara Kidd says

      October 16, 2020 at 3:38 am

      Hi, no I’m sorry this recipe only works with Potato Starch.

      Reply
      • elaine says

        October 31, 2022 at 6:05 am

        is this the same as cornstarch? can i substitute aquafaba for flaxseed?

        Reply
        • Sara Kidd says

          November 14, 2022 at 12:07 pm

          Yes corn flour is the same as cornstarch. No, you can’t sub aquafaba for flaxseeds.

          Reply
  12. Amy says

    August 30, 2020 at 8:38 pm

    I am so excited to try this with some help from the FB group! I was wondering if it can be made into cupcakes?

    Reply
    • Sara Kidd says

      August 30, 2020 at 8:51 pm

      Hey Amy
      Unfortunately this recipe doesn’t work as cupcakes. I do have a GF cupcake recipe in my recipe book if you have that…
      Sara x

      Reply
  13. Vish says

    August 19, 2020 at 1:50 pm

    Am not gluten intolerant, but i tried baking this for the birthday of a gluten intolerant friend. She can’t stop thanking me since 🙂
    How did u do the frosting. Any gluten and lactose free frosting recipe plz?

    Reply
    • Sara Kidd says

      August 23, 2020 at 9:57 pm

      Wonderful! I would check out Gretchen Price’s Vegan Bakery website for frostings xox

      Reply
  14. Katherine says

    August 8, 2020 at 4:59 pm

    Hi Sara,

    I made this recipe but with almond milk and coconut oil. It was really tasty but dry like bread. Not sure if it was the oil or the almond milk or both that made it dry. I don’t have access to vegan shortening. I’d love to make it myself if I knew how.

    Reply
  15. Sophia Moon says

    August 2, 2020 at 11:00 am

    This is a fabulous recipe when you follow the recipe! I accidentally forgot to add sugar, wow, I have never done that before in my cake baking life. Turned out, as you imagine, a savoury cake, which was actually really yummy though, but not what I need. Luckily I was making the cake in advance and can try again tomorrow!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Sara Kidd says

      August 4, 2020 at 6:30 am

      Thanks so much, Sophia!

      Reply
  16. Jonah says

    July 2, 2020 at 12:15 am

    Can you use stevia/powedered monk fruit instead of sugar?

    Reply
    • Sara Kidd says

      July 2, 2020 at 8:03 pm

      Yes but you will need to experiment with the quantities…

      Reply
  17. Ron says

    June 17, 2020 at 1:20 pm

    I’m considering using vegetable shortening in place of oil to create more moisture as I felt it was a tad dry. Should I use the same quantity ie 1/3 cup melted vegetable shortening? Also, could you recommend a vegetable shortening to use as I’ve never used it before! Thanks so much

    Reply
    • Sara Kidd says

      June 18, 2020 at 1:10 am

      Yes that’s a great idea. Use the same amount. Where are you located?

      Reply
      • Ron says

        June 18, 2020 at 2:21 pm

        Australia 🙂

        Reply
        • Sara Kidd says

          June 20, 2020 at 4:38 am

          I would recommend buying high quality vegetable shortening from a cake decorating shop xox

          Reply
  18. Ron says

    June 7, 2020 at 8:54 am

    Can we sub the nuts for something else in this recipe? Have allergies here

    Reply
    • Sara Kidd says

      June 7, 2020 at 9:26 am

      You can try ground sunflower or pumpkin seeds x

      Reply
      • Ron says

        June 10, 2020 at 2:43 am

        Would it impact a strong taste though?

        Reply
        • Sara Kidd says

          June 11, 2020 at 12:15 am

          It should but there will be a slight taste

          Reply
    • sholeh says

      April 2, 2021 at 11:21 am

      Did you end up making this without nuts?

      Reply
      • Sara Kidd says

        April 2, 2021 at 7:50 pm

        No not yet…

        Reply
  19. Milvi Salurand says

    February 8, 2020 at 8:27 pm

    First, let me rave about this fabulous cake! As long as I followed the cup measurements. Mostly I bake following weight measures, but your converter does some strange things when selecting Metric or US Imperial. In metric the volumes for the default single 3 layered 6 inch cakes adds about 25% volume. Selecting US Imperial (being Canadian, I assumed that was the default cup measurements), it now shows to measure flour in fl oz, and I can never get back to the initial cup measurements. Just fyi. And, many thanks for the extra tips.

    Reply
    • Sara Kidd says

      February 9, 2020 at 5:02 am

      Hey Milvi!
      Thank you and yes I know I just noticed this the other day. I’m looking into it. I will add gram measures to the recipe this week. Thanks for letting me know. xox

      Reply
      • Ron says

        June 17, 2020 at 1:11 pm

        Are the weight measurements still going to be added? Thanks!

        Reply
        • Sara Kidd says

          June 18, 2020 at 1:11 am

          Soon! Sorry, I just haven’t had time.

          Reply
      • Milvi says

        January 8, 2022 at 8:33 am

        I just made this cake again and referred to the metric measurements, assuming they were now correct. Sadly, I started with 237g of white rice flour and then started measuring 19g of almond flour – not a chance that 3/4 c (almond meal or almond flour) weighs 19g … it was about 69g, so I used the cup measure for the almond flour. Similarly, 96g of potato starch is about 3/4c, but I didn’t reduce the amount of starch as the ratio seemed too low. At this point, I was so far along with combining and sifting the flours that I didn’t want to toss everything out and start again. And, reading through other recent comments (to see if anyone else reported this), I noticed that caster sugar was one of the answers to powdered or granulated. I used granulated. 🙁
        I was making this for a gift but I will reduce it by a layer if the sample (3rd layer) tastes satisfactory. Otherwise, I’ll start again. And, when I was pouring out the soy milk, I noticed it had some curdley bits and was 2 months past its best before date. Luckily, I did have a newer carton on hand. Does it ever seem that a cake just doesn’t want to be made?

        ★★★

        Reply
        • Sara Kidd says

          January 8, 2022 at 10:23 am

          Hey Milvi
          I’m so sorry you’re having trouble with the cake. I didn’t realise to would change it to the metric measurement. I’m using Australian measurement and I think it’s changed then into US measurements. I’m currently upgrading my site and still fixing bugs. Lots of people have made this successfully just sticking to the cup measurements. I have updated this recipe but not on the website yet. Here are my gram measurements and in this version I use xanthan gum instead of flax – but you can use either or. This amount is perfect for 1 layer 8 inch cake or you can still do 2 layered 6 inch. I really hope this helps. You can send me a direct email if you need help hello@sarakidd.com
          Ingredients
          265 g (1 ½ cups) white rice flour
          80 g (¾ cup) blanched almond flour
          60 g (½ cup) potato starch
          170 g (¾ cup) caster sugar
          3 teaspoons baking powder
          1 teaspoon baking soda
          1 teaspoon sea salt
          ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum
          375 mls (1 ½ cups) plain soy milk
          1 tablespoon white vinegar
          125 mls (½ cup) vegetable oil
          1 tablespoon vanilla extract

          Reply
  20. Ria Garner says

    February 3, 2020 at 2:59 pm

    Hi! Thank you for this recipe! Could I use almond milk instead of soy milk? I know that soy milk “curdles” better than almond milk when blended with vinegar, but I need a cake recipe that is both gluten free & soy free.

    Reply
    • Sara Kidd says

      February 3, 2020 at 7:50 pm

      I would recommend using a thin coconut milk that you get in a box not a can

      Reply
  21. Brooke Arnolda says

    January 28, 2020 at 4:48 am

    Fabulous recipe! I made this into cupcakes and added raspberries…yum!
    Just wondering, was I meant to add extra water mentioned in step 5…couldn’t spot it in the ingredient list…or is this the water that is in the flax egg? Either way, it was delicious!!!

    Reply
    • Sara Kidd says

      January 28, 2020 at 5:12 am

      Hey Brooke
      Ah that’s a tiny typo. Sorry about that. There is no extra water. So great to hear these worked as cupcakes! Thanks for sharing. Please rate the recipe if you have a spare moment. xoxo

      Reply
      • Brooke Arnolda says

        February 3, 2020 at 1:36 am

        Thank you! I baked this again on the weekend and it was even more popular this time 🙂

        Reply
        • Sara Kidd says

          February 3, 2020 at 2:50 am

          Fantastic!

          Reply
  22. Tatiana says

    January 11, 2020 at 1:34 pm

    Is tapioca flour the same as tapioca starch?

    Reply
    • Sara Kidd says

      January 11, 2020 at 9:03 pm

      yes xox

      Reply
      • Awill says

        January 30, 2021 at 4:07 pm

        Can I make this cake and decorate it two dates in advance and refrigerate it before serving?

        Reply
        • Sara Kidd says

          January 31, 2021 at 12:15 am

          Hey Awill
          I would recommend making it the day before. If you’re refrigerating it put it in a cake box that is completely sealed and I would recommend using a sugar syrup between layers to keep it moist.

          Reply
  23. Melanie says

    January 8, 2020 at 1:37 am

    I’ve made this cake a couple of times and it’s simple and yummy. I only have one 6 inch tin, so I did 2/3 of the recipe and cooked it slightly longer, it worked beautifully. So wonderful to have a recipe that my whole family can enjoy (I’m vegan, sister is gf, MIL is gf and dairy free).

    Reply
    • Sara Kidd says

      January 8, 2020 at 1:48 am

      Thank you so much xoxo

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

Primary Sidebar

About sarakidd.com

Welcome bakers! Here you will find loads of vegan baking recipes, how to videos & resources. More.

icon instagramicon pinterest icon pinteresticon youtubeicon youtube

Monthly Live Baking Workshops

Bake Vegan Stuff, Easy recipes for kids (and adults too!) Book

Subscribe for recipes straight to your inbox!

Get my free Vegan Baking eBook.. Click here…

FEATURED IN

More Vegan Recipes

How To Take Better Photos Of Cakes & Baking + Vegan Cookie Decorating Class

Vegan Red Wine, Berry and Dark Chocolate Cake with Vegan Pastry Chef Naimita Jagasia

Vegan Gingerbread Cookies

Vegan Salted Caramel Swirl Bundt Cake

Vegan Apple Pie

Vegan Chocolate Fudge Pear Cake

See More Recipes

CONNECT WITH US   icon instagramicon pinterest icon pinteresticon youtube

Sara Kidd footer logo

CONNECT WITH US

icon instagramicon pinterest icon pinteresticon youtube
Copyright © 2022 Sara Kidd
  • About
  • Recipes
    • Cake
      • Cake Recipes
      • Classic Flavours
        • Vanilla
        • Chocolate
        • Berries / Fruit
        • Lemon
        • Back
      • Mini Cakes
      • Cupcakes
      • Back
    • Frostings, Fillings, Buttercreams
    • Muffins
    • Cookies
    • Pastry / Desserts
    • Scones
    • Free From
      • Gluten Free
      • Nut Free
      • Soy Free
      • Back
    • Back
  • Cookbook
  • Classes
  • Blog
    • 8 Easy Egg Replacements For Baking
    • 12 Must Have Cake Decorating Tools
    • How To Fix The Most Common Vegan Baking Mistakes
    • Top 5 Tips for Choosing The Best Oil for Baking
    • Fixing The Top 5 Issues for Gluten-Free Vegan Baking
    • 5 Tips To Stop Your Oven Baking Unevenly
    • A Quick Guide To Mixing Methods
    • Back
  • Resources
    • 8 Easy Egg Replacements For Baking
    • Vegan Food E-Numbers List
    • Vegan Baking Tips
    • Vegan Baking Videos
    • Vegan Cake & Baking Products List
    • Vegan Fondant List
    • Baking & Business Resources
    • Vegan Chef Interviews
    • Back
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
  • icon youtube