With a melt-in-your-mouth crumb, this traditional gluten free dairy free vanilla cake is made simply by hand with none vegan butter—however continues to be stuffed with buttery taste!
Despite the fact that truffles made with oil as a substitute of butter have a tendency to remain more energizing longer, they have a tendency to style oily. I made positive that this particular cake has a young, buttery crumb with a mix of dairy free yogurt and a contact of almond flour. Nobody will imagine it is each gluten free and dairy free!

Why this recipe works
This cake is mushy, tender, and simply candy sufficient, like one of the best traditional vanilla cake. It simply occurs to be gluten free and dairy free—with no lengthy checklist of specialty components or fussy steps.
You don’t want a mixer or any fancy instruments. The batter comes collectively quick with easy pantry staples. Should you’ve ever baked a boxed cake combine, you’ve bought this.
The feel is ideal, with out gumminess, no grit, and no unusual aftertaste like butter substitutes can have—only a moist, springy crumb that stacks and slices completely. It is good for a birthday celebration, the place nobody would guess it’s gluten free or dairy free.


Components defined


The total recipe is beneath with quantities and technique. First, this is a bit in regards to the function of every ingredient on this impossibly tender cake:
- Gluten free dairy free flour mix: The fundamental construction of this cake. A finely floor, well-balanced rice flour-based mix offers construction and helps the cake bake evenly with out falling because it cools. Strive Higher Batter’s traditional mix or Bob’s Crimson Mill 1-to-1 (blue bag)—each are vegan-friendly. If utilizing Bob’s, add 1/8 teaspoon further xanthan gum to keep away from a crumbly texture. My mock Higher Batter mix, works right here too, however skip Nicole’s Finest as a result of it incorporates milk powder.
- Almond flour: Lends richness and a refined buttery taste, and provides some extra fats for tenderness with out tasting oily. Use finely floor, blanched almond flour like Wellbee’s, Blue Diamond, nuts.com, or Kirkland. Almond meal received’t mix in easily and creates a gritty texture.
- Baking powder: Offers the cake a lightweight, fluffy rise.
- Baking soda: Aids browning and works with the yogurt to create rise.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances taste.
- Granulated sugar: Provides sweetness and tenderness to the cake.
- Impartial oil: Provides moisture and richness with out making the cake greasy. Select one thing delicate like canola or vegetable oil—olive oil will overpower. We skip vegan butter right here since it may well add a noticeable dairy-free taste and one of the best ones may be pricier or tougher to search out.
- Dairy free milk: Brings the cake along with added moisture and a few fats.
- Dairy free plain yogurt: Tenderizes the crumb and has acid that reacts with the baking soda to supply some rise.
- Eggs: Add construction to assist the cake set because it cools with out sinking.
- Vanilla extract: Infuses the cake with heat, traditional vanilla taste.
- Butter oil: This dairy-free emulsion from LorAnn provides nostalgic buttery taste with none dairy. It’s refined however pretty—discover it on-line at Amazon or at specialty baking or craft shops.


🔄 Ingredient choice & swaps
Egg free
Applesauce won’t work instead of eggs. “Chia eggs” may match, however “flax eggs” will add undesirable taste and colour. Rather than each eggs, attempt including all of those components:
- 1/4 cup (35 grams) added gluten free flour bend;
- 1/4 cup added (60 grams) nondairy plain yogurt;
- 1 extra teaspoon baking powder; plus
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Almond-free
Rather than almond flour, you should use finely floor and sifted hazelnut flour for buttery taste. You can too use oat flour instead for very comparable outcomes. Should you use extra gluten free flour mix, your cake might be extra dense.
Impartial oil
Any impartial oil that is liquid at room temperature will work right here, like canola, grapeseed, vegetable, or peanut oil. If it’s worthwhile to keep away from all vegetable, nut and seed oils, attempt avocado oil. Should you’d favor to make use of vegan butter, attempt the sort within the tub, which is generally oil, as a substitute of the sort within the block, which usually has extra moisture.
Dairy free milk
Make sure you use a dairy free milk that mimics the feel and fats content material of cow’s milk as a lot as potential, like plain soy milk, coconut milk within the carton, or almond milk. Keep away from something fats free, like rice milk, which is generally water, or with any texture, like oat milk.
Dairy free yogurt
Any plain dairy free yogurt will work, and my favorites are Silk and So Scrumptious manufacturers coconut plain yogurt. Keep away from Greek-style yogurt, which does not have sufficient moisture. A skinny dairy free bitter cream various would work, too.
The right way to make this gluten free dairy free cake
Comply with together with my instructions beneath to see make this gluten free dairy free vanilla cake in your personal kitchen.
1. Put together the moist and dry components
We mix the dry components individually from the moist, and every very effectively, so once we put them collectively, we do not have to combine a lot for a easy batter.
Whisk collectively the gluten free dairy free flour mix with xanthan gum, almond flour, baking powder and soda, and salt.
Individually whisk collectively the nondairy milk and yogurt, eggs, and flavorings like vanilla and butter oil. I take advantage of a measuring cup so it is simple to pour.






2. Mix the sugar and oil effectively
In a big mixing bowl that may maintain the mixed batter, whisk the sugar and oil till it creates a creamy suspension and takes about 2 full minutes. Do not skip this step, as a result of suspending the sugar crystals within the oil helps create a lightweight and ethereal cake.
3. Add dry and moist components
Add the totally mixed moist and dry components individually to the blending bowl, starting and ending with the dry. That is to make sure that each ingredient is evenly distributed all through the cake batter.
In a standard cake, we wish to keep away from mixing an excessive amount of, which may develop the gluten and make a troublesome cake. In gluten-free baking, we do not have that fear.








4. End the batter
Flip the cake batter over a couple of occasions to make sure that there are not any unmixed powdery spots. The combination might be thickly pourable, and in no way stiff. That is what you need.
5. Switch the batter to the pan
Switch the cake batter to a greased and lined 8-inch sq. baking pan. The batter ought to be skinny sufficient which you can shake the pan forwards and backwards to distribute it a fair layer. Smack it flat on the counter a couple of occasions to interrupt massive air bubbles which may create tunnels in your cake.
6. Bake the cake
Bake in a preheated 350°F oven on the center rack for evenly air circulation for about half-hour. When it is carried out, the cake might be frivolously golden brown on high, and mustn’t have domed throughout baking.
7. Let it cool
Place the cake within the pan on a wire rack to chill for 10 minutes in order that it is steady sufficient to switch. Flip the cake over onto the wire rack and elevate off the cake pan and liner and let it relaxation, the other way up, for about 1 hour or till fully cool earlier than adorning and/or slicing.
If the cake is not cool earlier than you beautify it, the frosting will soften. Should you attempt to slice it earlier than it is fully cool, it will not slice cleanly and can dry out extra rapidly.










Knowledgeable cake suggestions
Use room temp components
Despite the fact that we aren’t creaming any butter with sugar, oil nonetheless turns stable when it will get chilly. Chilly eggs or yogurt might make the oil clump, and might create oily spots and dry spots within the completed cake.
Select the proper pan
An 8-inch sq. or 9-inch spherical pan works completely—no adjustments wanted. Each maintain the identical quantity of batter and bake evenly.
Make it a layer cake
Double or [2X] the recipe components within the recipe card for 2 8-inch sq. pans or 9-inch spherical pans. For 2 8-inch spherical layers, improve the yield to 12 slices (1.5x the batter) and bake about 25 minutes, rotating as soon as for even baking.
Retailer-bought frosting is scrumptious
Home made dairy free buttercream with butter-flavored shortening or block-style vegan butter is feasible—however actually? I attain for Duncan Hines or Easy Mills. They’re each gluten and dairy free, and style superb proper out of the bathtub.


- 1 ⅛ cups (158 g) all goal gluten free dairy free flour mix, See Recipe Notes
- ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum, (omit in case your mix already incorporates it)
- ¼ cup (30 g) finely floor blanched almond flour, See Recipe Notes
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 (100 g weighed out of shell) eggs, at room temperature
- ⅓ cup (76 g) plain nondairy yogurt
- ⅓ cup (2 ⅔ fluid ounces) plain nondairy milk, like soy, almond, or coconut milk within the carton
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon butter emulsion oil, (non-compulsory, for buttery taste)
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- ⅜ cup (84 g) impartial oil, like peanut, grapeseed, canola, vegetable, avocado
Stop your display from going darkish
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Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease and line a 8-inch sq. cake pan and set it apart. You can too use a 9-inch spherical cake pan.
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In a medium-size bowl, whisk collectively flour mix, xanthan gum, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set the bowl apart.
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In a 4-cup measuring cup or a separate medium dimension bowl, whisk the eggs, yogurt, milk, vanilla and non-compulsory butter emulsion oil till very easy.
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In a big mixing bowl, whisk the sugar with oil till the combination creates an emulsion and turns into creamy and glossy, about 2 minutes.
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Add the whisked dry components to the sugar and oil combination in 3 elements, alternating with the egg, yogurt and milk combination in 2 elements, starting and ending with the dry components.
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Use a spatula to combine within the final portion of the dry components. Flip over the cake batter over by hand one final time to make sure that all the pieces is well-combined. It ought to be thickly pourable and really easy.
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Switch the cake batter to the ready cake pan. Shake the pan gently forwards and backwards to distribute the batter into a fair layer. Bang the pan flat on the counter a couple of occasions to interrupt any massive air bubbles.
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Bake the cake till it’s beginning to draw back from the edges of the pan, is frivolously golden brown on high and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clear (about half-hour).
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Enable the cake to chill within the pan for 10 minutes earlier than turning it out onto a wire rack to chill fully. Take away any paper lining so the cake can cool freely.
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Frost and beautify as desired solely after the cake is totally cool. Slice into 8 equal items and serve.
Make sure you use a dairy free flour mix with a superfine rice flour as a base, like Higher Batter’s traditional mix (don’t add further xanthan gum), Bob’s Crimson Mill 1-to-1 gluten free flour (add a further 1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum because it would not have sufficient), or Vitacost multi-blend gluten free flour.
Keep away from Nicole’s Finest right here as a result of it has milk powder. You can too make my mock Higher Batter mix.
Almond flour
Make sure you are utilizing finely floor and sifted blanched almond flour with its skins eliminated, not almond meal, which has its skins intact and is extra coarsely floor.
Diet info is mechanically calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.
Storage directions
Retailer leftover frosted cake slices in a tightly sealed container at cool room temperature for at the least 3 days. Refrigerate in an analogous method for as much as 7 days after baking. Let it come to room temperature earlier than serving for one of the best texture.
For longer storage or a make-ahead choice, let it cool fully, wrap tightly in freezer-safe wrap, and freeze for as much as 3 months. Defrost at room temperature. Frost earlier than serv ing.
The frosted cake as a complete or particular person slices may be frozen, too, however chill so the frosting units earlier than wrapping.


FAQs
Sure! This recipe makes sufficient batter for one 8-inch sq. cake or one 9-inch spherical cake. Double the yield or click on the [2X] and bake in 2 separate pans precisely as directed. For two 8-inch spherical cake pans, you will want just one 1/2 occasions as a lot batter. Improve the yield from 8 slices to 12 slices and bake for about 25 minutes or till carried out.
I have not tried to make this batter into cupcakes, however I feel it might work effectively. Strive filling the wells 2/3 of the best way full in order that they bake up flat, and beginning checking for doneness round 20 minutes. It could make 12 to 14 cupcakes.
Strive oat flour instead, or finely sifted, blanched hazelnut flour.
Sure! You may combine this cake simply by hand, however you should use a handheld mixer or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. If you combine the oil and the sugar that means, it’s going to take lower than 1 minute as a substitute of two to get a creamy suspension.
Should you use the egg-free solutions within the ingredient swaps part above, the cake might be vegan.