A deliciously light and fluffy gluten and dairy free vanilla cake. No one will even know it doesn’t have gluten or dairy in it!
Have you ever seen a gluten dairy free vanilla cake this light and airy before?!
About this cake
This recipe is actually my classic vanilla cake recipe but I transformed it into a gluten free and dairy free one. It’s a great recipe to use if you’re gluten and/or dairy free or if you know someone who is. However, you don’t have to be on a gluten free or dairy free diet to make and eat this cake. It is still just as light, fluffy and delicious as the original version and is healthier as it contains less sugar and healthier fats.
I've posted about how to convert a gluten cake recipe into a gluten free cake. Below I’ll show you how I did it with this cake. As you’ll see, it’s super simple.
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Difference between fluffy gluten dairy free vanilla cake and classic vanilla cake
- Flour replaced
All purpose flour is replaced with a gluten free flour blend with a ratio of 1:1 - New binder
1 egg is replaced with 1 tablespoon of chia seeds soaked in water (this helps bind everything together and provides moisture - Milk
1 cup rice milk + 1 tablespoon vinegar is used to replace the buttermilk (you could use any non-dairy milk) - More air incorporated
Eggs are whipped with the sugar to create more air (instead of using the creaming method, as in the classic vanilla cake recipe). - Buttercream
Vanilla buttercream is replaced with whipped coconut cream and a couple of tablespoons of sugar
…and that’s it! I told you, not much to it right?
NOTE: The little black specs you can see in this photo are from the chia seeds. If you don’t want them, just grind the chia seeds before soaking in water.
How to Make This Cake:
Make coconut cream – Whip the solid part of canned coconut cream with sugar, vanilla, and salt until thick.
Prepare tins & oven – Preheat to 175°C (345°F) and line two 8-inch cake tins.
Dry ingredients – Sift and whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and vanilla bean paste.
Wet ingredients – Beat eggs and sugar, then mix in oil, vanilla, rice milk, vinegar, and chia mixture.
Combine – Fold in the dry ingredients until smooth.
Bake – Divide batter between tins and bake for ~30 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack.
Assemble – Level cakes, spread whipped coconut cream between layers and on top.
Tip:
Be sure to place the coconut cream in the fridge a good couple of hours before making the frosting (best over night) so that the cream and coconut water can separate. The cold coconut cream also whips up a lot better when it is cold.
Prefer a different flavour?
This is a great cake to get creative with!
As with the classic vanilla cake, you can have fun with the flavours.
Make it into a lemon cake
- omit the vanilla seeds and add lemon zest to the cake and frosting instead.
Or a coconut cake
- To stick with the coconut themed frosting, add 1-2 teaspoons of coconut essence or extract and use the coconut water instead of the dairy free milk or a combination of both.
Or a chocolate cake
- If you are a chocolate lover like me, substitute 30g (¼ cup) flour with natural cocoa powder and add 2 tablespoons to the frosting.
Storage
Store iced cake in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days or in the fridge for 1 week. I have tried freezing this cake yet but I think it would be fine if wrapped in gladwrap and then placed in an airtight container.
FAQ
You can, but you'll need to increase the baking time to 40-50 minutes and the outside of the cake will be much thicker and crunchier. Be sure to check with a skewer for doneness in the centre.
You can substitute with ground flaxseeds mixed with water (flax "egg") for a similar binding effect. Use the same quantities as the recipe (1:1 ratio).
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Fluffy Gluten Dairy Free Vanilla Cake
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds mixed with 60mls (¼ cup) cold water
- 310 g (2 +½ cups) gluten free flour (make sure it contains xanthan gum)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon scraped vanilla beans optional
- 300 g (1 + ½ cups) castor sugar
- 3 medium eggs
- 125 mls (½ cup) flavourless vegetable oil Canola, rice bran etc.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 250 mls (1 cup) dairy free milk I like using rice milk for this recipe
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar apple cider vinegar is fine too
Vanilla Coconut Cream
- 1 x 400ml can coconut cream chilled in fridge
- 1 tablespoon sugar or to taste
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla bean paste optional
- A pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 175C (345F) and line 2 x 8 inch (20cm) cake tins with baking paper.
- In a medium sized bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and vanilla bean paste. Whisk to combine and set aside.
- In another bowl, beat eggs and sugar with an electric mixer together until foamy. Gradually add the oil, vanilla, rice milk, vinegar and chia seed mixture and continue to beat until combined.
- Add the flour mixture and fold until combined and there are no lumps.
- Divide the cake batter among the two cake tins and bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean (or with a few loose crumbs). Leave to cool in cake tins for 5 minutes before inverting on a cooling rack.
- Once completely cool, level the cakes with a serrated knife (optional). Place one cake on a cake board and using a off-set spatula, spread ½ cup whipped coconut cream on the cake. Place the other cake on top and apply the rest of the whipped coconut cream. Decorate as desired.
To make whipped coconut cream:
- Open the can of coconut cream upside down and tip the coconut water into a jar. Scoop out the coconut cream into a bowl of an electric mixer and along with the sugar, vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste (if using) and salt. Beat on medium speed until thick or you reach the desired consistency.
