Ladies and gentlemen, we present to you a perfectly fluffy, tender, sweet vanilla cake that’s vegan and gluten-free! Let’s bake!
This recipe is easy to make, requiring 1 bowl and 10 ingredients.
The base starts with vegan “buttermilk” made by mixing dairy-free milk and vinegar. Then add in applesauce for (oil-free!) moisture and natural sweetness and vanilla extract for that quintessential vanilla flavor. YUM.
For the dry ingredients, after much experimentation, we went with a mixture of almond flour, potato starch, and cornstarch. This combo totally nailed it! So stoked for that fluffy, crumbly texture.
Once your cake is baked, it’s time for frosting!
We included two options: one is coconut whipped cream and the other is classic vegan buttercream frosting. Both are delicious, but we were feeling classic vibes, so we went for the buttercream.
We hope you all LOVE this cake! It’s:
Fluffy
Tender
Perfectly sweet
Vanilla-infused
Easy to make
& SO delicious
This would make the perfect cake for holiday or special occasion celebrations. It’s delicious on its own but also pairs well with coconut whip, vegan buttercream (recipe below), or even chocolate frosting!
For more easy cakes, be sure to check out our Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Hazelnut Cake, Gluten-Free Birthday Cake, Vegan Gluten-Free Carrot Cake, Vegan Funfetti Cupcakes, and The Best Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes.
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers and happy baking, friend!
1-Bowl Vegan Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake
Ingredients
WET INGREDIENTS
- 1 2/3 cup dairy-free milk (we used boxed coconut milk // almond or rice would also work)
- 1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice)
- 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
DRY INGREDIENTS
- 3 1/4 cups almond flour (not meal // we prefer Wellbee's brand)
- 1 scant cup potato starch (not flour)
- 1/3 cup cornstarch (or you can try subbing arrowroot starch for grain-free)
- 1 1/3 cup organic cane sugar*
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt (optional)
VEGAN BUTTERCREAM FROSTING (optional)
- 2 sticks vegan butter, softened (we prefer Earth Balance soy-free buttery sticks)
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3 1/2-4 cups organic powdered sugar (sifted)
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and lightly grease two standard 8-inch round cake pans, one 9x13-inch, or three 6-inch round pans* (with vegan butter or coconut oil) and dust with gluten-free flour. Shake out excess and set aside.
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In a liquid measuring cup, measure out dairy-free milk and add vinegar. Let set a few minutes. Then add applesauce and vanilla. Whisk/stir to combine.
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Add dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Then add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until well incorporated and no large lumps remain. The batter should be thick but pourable. Add more almond flour if too wet or dairy-free milk if too thick.
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Divide batter evenly between prepared cake pans and bake on a center rack for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the edges and surface appear golden brown.
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Let cool 15 minutes in the cake pans. To remove from pans, run a dull knife around the edge of the pans to loosen the cakes. Then place a plate or cooling rack on top and quickly invert. Let cool completely (preferably overnight or at least 6 hours on a wire rack) before frosting.
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Frost with coconut whipped cream and berries for a lighter application (see inspiration here), or frost generously with my 3-ingredient Vegan Buttercream Frosting (see below).
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Store cake covered at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Freeze up to 1 month.
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FROSTING*: Add softened butter to a large mixing bowl and beat for 1 minute. Then add vanilla and mix once more. Gradually add sifted powdered sugar 1 cup at a time and beat until a thick, spreadable frosting is formed. I found about 3 1/2 cups to be the appropriate amount per 1 full cake recipe.
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If too thick, the frosting will be too hard to spread (add 1/2 tsp almond milk at a time if too thick). If too thin, the frosting will slide off the cake. If too thin, continue adding powdered sugar until you get the right texture.
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Use immediately or cover and store in the refrigerator up to 5 days. Let come to room temperature before frosting.
Notes
*If altering batch size, please note that the number of pans and frosting instructions are based on how the original recipe is written. Adjust accordingly.
*To reduce sugar, each 1/4 cup of sugar be swapped with 1 packet (1/2 tsp) of powdered stevia. Or you could try subbing a mix of maple syrup and coconut sugar, but I haven’t tested it this way and can’t guarantee results.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with the salt and without frosting.
*Prep time does not include cooling the cake.
*Recipe inspiration from The Vegan 8.
Nutrition Per Serving (1 of 10 Slices)
- Calories: 326
- Fat: 12.1g
- Saturated fat: 0.9g
- Sodium: 345mg
- Carbohydrates: 50.1g
- Fiber: 3g
- Sugar: 27.4g
- Protein: 5.4g
Delicious – I made it with the coconut whipped cream.
Thanks for a great desert!
I love all the recipes!!! If you want to soft just the right texture. make this recipe! I’m gluten-free and dairy free vegan too, this is definitely the best recipe for everyone… please do a Cheesecake!!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Anna! We have lots of cheesecake recipes =) Here are a couple: https://minimalistbaker.com/easy-baked-cheesecake-vegan-gf/, https://minimalistbaker.com/7-ingredient-vegan-cheesecakes/
Can you use all-purpose flour if you don’t need it to be gluten-free?
Hi Sally, we’re not sure if this cake would be a good fit for all purpose flour (we haven’t tested it). But if you do give it a try, let us know how it goes! Otherwise, maybe check out these vanilla cupcakes: https://minimalistbaker.com/one-bowl-vegan-funfetti-cupcakes/
I was wondering if I can substitute the sugar for monk fruit sweetener. Supposedly monk fruit sweetener can be substituted 1:1 for sugar.
Hi Denise, we’ve never tried that, but let us know if you do some experimenting!
Can I use coconut oil instead of vegan butter?
Hi Alicia, We haven’t tried using coconut oil in place of the vegan butter and can’t say for sure, but we don’t think it would work the same!
Hi! My daughter and I are making this cake right now and it seems the cake batter is super super thick. As of now we have added 1 1/2 cups of coconut milk and the batter isn’t liquid at all! Any help for how to fix this? We followed the recipe here perfectly. Let us know, thanks!!
Hmm, was the coconut milk full fat? Perhaps that was the issue. The recipes calls for 1 2/3 cup. So add a little more. It should be a pourable batter.
Hey! I have some Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten free flour and want to use it for this recipe. Do you think that would work? If so, how much of the flour should I use?
Thanks!
Hi Katie, we think that would be a little tricky, but maybe try this recipe instead and sub it 1:1 for the all purpose: https://minimalistbaker.com/one-bowl-vegan-funfetti-cupcakes/
Ok, will do! Thank you so much for the reply :)
Hi Dana,
I was going to make this cake into a lemon flavor. Do you know if it could be done with lemon extract?
Thanks, Felicia
That’s a great question! I’ve been meaning to try that myself. I think lemon extract + lemon zest / juice would be lovely! Let us know if you give it a try.
I want to make this with some bittersweet chocolate pieces mixed in- does that sound like a reasonable add-in?
Thanks!
Yes!
Amazing! So moist and the frosting is to die for. Honestly, you won’t be able to tell the difference from regular buttercream. I used arrowroot and made homemade baking powder (corn intolerant) and it turned out great. The cake stayed moist and the frosting held up well in the fridge. I had a leftover slice for breakfast for a week (shhh ;)) This is now my go to bday cake recipe. Thanks Dana!
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Angelina! Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
Hi, can we replace the baking powder with baking soda in this recipe.
Thanks
Ambika
Hi Ambika, we aren’t sure that would work as baking powder will give it more rise. But you could maybe try reducing the amount slightly and adding cream of tartar and cornstarch for homemade baking powder. You can find recipes online.
I have made this twice. The first time I followed the recipe near-exactly as written except I used Bob’s Red Mill Super Fine Almond Flour. It was wonderful. My family thought it was too sweet (even for a cake). So the second time I tried to cut the sugar and sub the volume with more almond flour, but the cake didn’t completely rise in the middle. Any tips on making the cake less sweet? I might try cutting sugar and the wet ingredients next time.
Hi Toral, you may be able to get away with reducing the sugar, but not adjusting the other ingredients. Let us know how it goes!
Rating: Out of 5. I’d give it a 5!
I had to substitute the potato starch with arrow root powder as it was suggested in the comments.
I’m curious what the potato starch is for? What does it do?
I used homemade applesauce and it had cinnamon and maybe other spices but it was still so good!
I also did use almond flour but I used unblanched so it had all the brown shell stuff…still turned out good.
In the end my cake was a bit wet out on the outside…maybe because it was in a throw away tin and then put in the fridge overnight… I just tossed it in the oven upside down on a tray for 10 minutes until it wasnt wet anymore.
As I keep making these I will use less cane sugar because I am not a fan for kids cakes.
The icing I could have made a bit thicker but I put it in the fridge once I iced it and was so good…obviously…because its sugar. LoL
So yummy! Loved it. Will make it everytime. You can check how it turned out on my Instagram: samantha.c.hanley
Hi Samantha, we’re so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing! The potato starch provides a light and fluffy texture- glad to hear arrowroot worked for you though!
I made this delicious cake exactly as the recipe is written and it is my absolute favorite vanilla cake recipe! I made it four days ago and we ate it on the second day (was my granddaughter’s birthday cake!) and I have kept the leftovers in the fridge since then, and today (four days later) the last piece still tastes wonderful and moist! Thank you so much for putting this recipe together and sharing it with us!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Patti! Thanks so much for the lovely review!
This is the single best gf baked good I’ve ever had. Hands down. I can’t believe this isn’t a traditional flour cake. Even after I messed with it… I swapped out all of the liquid and applesauce for strawberry purée bc I need a gf/v strawberry cake for a friend. It worked out perfectly. This is a KEEPER.
Whoop! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Lisa! And your strawberry purée modification sounds amazing!
My nephew can not have cane or coconut or honey or maple syrup so can dates be soaked in the milk for sweetness or any other suggestion because everything else meets the requirements
The sugar helps with the texture, so we aren’t sure that would work, unfortunately.
Looks promising but need to remove the sugar and add maybe dates to sweeten it. What would you suggest?
Hmm, we aren’t sure that would turn out in terms of texture. But if you do some experimenting, let us know how it goes!
Just wondering if there’s a substitute for the applesauce that would be fructose free?
Hi Beatrix, perhaps a neutral oil? Or pumpkin puree if that isn’t too much fructose.
Hi Dana! I made this cake two weeks ago but I still wanna give another try to have a better opinion. For now, I can say that it was ok but too dry. I shared the cake with some people and most of them really liked it! But there are some things I wanna highlight here: 1) I had to bake the cake for 55 min, but I checked it after the 40 min you recommended and they were still uncooked but the top was already brown, so I covered with aluminum folie and baked them 5 min more. I checked again and not ready. So I kept checking after 5 minutes until it was good. But it was so brown, that I couldn’t even say that it was a vanilla cake. I also couldn’t taste anything like vanilla. It could taste banana. I read all the other comments here and I really think the color and the fact it was not 100% cooked is related to the almond flour. I can’t find the same brand you use because I am in The Netherlands, so I had to use another one. But I will try to find this Wellbees brand. I didn’t make the frosting, so I cannot make comments about it, but I will try next time. I did the chocolate frosting with sweet potatoes that someone else here in the comments talked about and I was really surprised about the results. People who tried the cake were crazy about that frosting. Anyway, thanks for sharing and I will give another try if I find the same brand of almond flour you used.
Hi Marcela, we would say maybe try using a banana that is less ripe and reduce the oven temperature. Hope that helps for next time!
Hi Dana,
Thanks for your quick reply! Actually, I followed your recipe and I used applesauce too. The other people didn’t taste banana, but people who knows me say, in general, that I have a refined palate, and I think I do have it. But I havent’t used any bananas at all. Next time, I will reduce the oven temperature. Thanks and I’ll come back when I make this recipe again!;-)
I made this recipe and it is perfect! Cut the measurements in half (used metric, so it was easy to adjust), and baked it in an 8 inch square pan – perfectly done at 35 minutes. The only change I made was using arrowroot instead of cornstarch, and I added sprinkles to make it a funfetti cake. Frosted with a different but similar vegan buttercream. So good — moist but not claggy. Can’t wait to try this as a base recipe with other spices or even fruit inside! ??
This recipe is a slam dunk. Moist, flavorful, perfect density. I will make this over and over again. Thank you!!
Hi, can the potato starch be substituted? Would the cake freeze well as cupcakes?
We think it would freeze well! The potato starch is somewhat of a staple ingredient in this recipe and we aren’t sure how it will turn out without it. But if you must use something else, perhaps try arrowroot and/or GF flour blend.
Can I substitute apple sauce with something else?
Hi Ekta, you could try subbing the same amount of banana or another mashed fruit puree. Or perhaps a neutral oil? Let us know if you give it a try!
I made this and it sunk in the middle… badly! What might have happened?? Thanks x
Hi Michelle, sorry to hear that was your experience! Were you perhaps baking at altitude? If not, we wonder whether maybe it needed more dry ingredients? Hope that helps!
Thank you for replying! Certainly not baking at altitude. Should I add more almond flour? I used ground almonds… would that have caused it?? It certainly tasted amazing!
Yes, we’d say try adding more potato starch. We wouldn’t expect ground almonds to cause an issue, but it’s possible.
If I needed to sub the almond flour due to an almond allergy, what type of flour would you suggest?
Hi Becky, Unfortunately, almond flour is a pretty key ingredient in this cake. But if you test other flours or meals, let us know how it goes!
I’ve made this cake a number of times for my (highly opinionated) vegan family who absolutely loved it – with or without frosting but with a layer of dark chocolate instead on top. This past week I made the cake exactly as per the recipe with frosting and all for 20 people at my work. An office of lunch catering specialists, who are used to cakes made with eggs, milk and butter. They ALL want the recipe! Couldn’t believe how good it was, so tasty and delicious ;) So THANK YOU for this amazing recipe!
Yay! We’re so glad everyone enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing!
Hi, I wonder if it is possible to replace the cane sugar with a natural sweetener? Like coconut/palm sugar? Is this possible? Or do you recommend any other natural sweetener?
Hi Sarah, other readers have tried that with success! To see their comments, you can press “ctrl+f” on a PC or “command+f” on a mac and a find bar should pop up that allows you to search for specific words (such as coconut sugar) in the post and comments.
Can I substitute with brown rice flour vs almond?
We haven’t tried that and aren’t sure whether it would work. Let us know if you give it a try!
This turned out really delicious~
Subbed half of the recipe reqs for cane sugar with coconut sugar and turned out good. I think mine was a little overcooked so next time I’ll check it at 30 mins (cooked it for 35 mins). Made the 9×12 cake as a snack for my kids. They named it almond cake since my oldest said there’s not much vanilla taste, but rather he could taste the almonds (I used almond milk). Overall a great recipe and I will make this one again and again for sure. Didn’t make the frosting either. Just ate it plain as a breakfast bite and after school snack. Maybe next time I’ll adventure with the maple syrup and remove the cane sugar altogether.
I just made this in a 9-inch pan. Living in the UK means slightly different ingredients but I did everything I could to follow the recipe to the letter. The cake tasted beautiful but it was very dense and claggy, despite baking it for an extra 20 mins. I need to make a variety of sizes for a baby shower cake for my friend. Does anyone have an idea as to how long it should bake for? Also is American applesauce a puree or does it have apple pieces in it? Thanks!
Hi Mennat, it sounds like maybe it needed to bake even longer. What ingredient modifications did you make? That could also contribute. American applesauce is typically a purée. Hope that helps!
Hi was wondering would the cake recipe work if I bake in a sheet pan and not a round?
Yes, that should work! To see what other readers have done, you can press “ctrl+f” on a PC or “command+f” on a mac and a find bar should pop up that allows you to search for specific words (such as “sheet pan”) in the post and comments.
So excited to try this! Will it work with 4” pans?
Yes!
Hey,
almond flour is crazy expensive around here. Can I just use normal GF flour mix or will it be very different?
Thanks!
I think it will be quite different. But if you give it a try let us know! You could also try subbing cashew flour (finely ground cashews) if that’s more accessible.
Do you know if I could substitute oat flour for the almond flour? I’m trying to make a nut free, gluten-free, vegan cake for a birthday party. Thank you!
Hmm, I don’t think so. I think it will make it gummy and heavy. Let us know if you try though1
I wanted to cry eating this cake! It tastes like an actual cake! My daughter has many, many allergies and she is so brave in a world where eating and socializing go hand in hand. For special occasions we usually have fruit but this year I was asked to bring a cake for Christmas Eve. I come from a family of bakers, baking at downtown markets, catering, wedding cake designers etc. so to have people say that it tastes like a “normal” cake was a huge accomplishment. Thank u for this recipe, it allows her to feel a little less different and I get to say yes! We did switch the organic cane sugar for coconut sugar as she can have that. Thank you again.
So kind! Thanks, Mindy! So glad you daughter enjoyed it!
I make it with the coconut sugar too. It always turns out so perfect! Grateful for this recipe! I’ve made it at least a dozen times! I always love a good excuse to make this gem! Thanks for your hard work and dedication! #govegan
I am so anxious to try this recipe. Can it be modified for cupcakes? If so, any suggestions. I know i won’t be able to eat an entire cake.
Other readers have done so with success! If you press “ctrl+f” on a PC or “command+f” on a mac, a find bar should pop up that allows you to search for specific words in the post and comments.
Made no modifications and the cake was a beautiful, delicious showstopper. My daughter has class V allergies to wheat, dairy, and egg whites, so I’ve come to consider your recipes to be lifesavers. I made this for her 2nd birthday last week. I made 1.5 recipes, and made a 3-layer 9-inch round cake. After each layer was cool I wrapped them individually in plastic wrap and fridged them until the next night. They held up perfectly and I would actually recommend chilling them overnight because it helped them be less fragile. Everyone at the party loved it and couldn’t believe what was NOT in it! We’ve been eating the leftovers (for breakfast!) all weekend and it isn’t dried out or soggy, it’s still delicious. Will make again and again, but I also might experiment with a chocolate version.
xoxo!
I use a 3 ingredient chocolate sweet potato frosting on this cake to make it a little healthier and it is so delicious! I don’t go with the recipe frosting because we try and stay away from processed foods and it’s just too much sugar and butter. The sweet potato frosting works great. Sweet potatoes, chocolate chips and either syrup or honey. You can find the recipe by googling it. This cake is amazing! I also sub out the cane sugar for coconut sugar!
Hi, I’ve tried this cake and I’ve got to say it tasted good. My only problem was whilst the outside of the cake was very much light and fluffy like a cake should be, the middle was quite dense/almost raw and claggy? Also it sank in the middle!
Any attempts to prevent this next time?
Hi There, it sounds like it wasn’t quite baked enough! Next time, make sure to bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Hope that helps for next time!
Thanks, I cooked it for longer a second time around and added less liquid and it came out much better!
Whoop! Thanks for sharing!
I had the same issue. How much leads liquid?
Hi! If we wanted to just use regular flour, what would we omit and how much flour would w replace it with?
Hi Sarah, we’re not sure if this cake would be a good fit for all purpose flour (we haven’t tested it). But if you do give it a try, let us know how it goes!
Hi! Awesome recipe! But is there anyway I could sub the almond flour for all purpose gluten free flour? If I used that would I still need potato starch? And use tapioca starch instead of cornstarch? I have lots of food allergies! Thanks for any advice!
Hi Mayen, we haven’t tried it that way and aren’t sure whether it would work. We would recommend searching the comments to see what others have tried. If you press “ctrl+f” on a PC or “command+f” on a mac, a find bar should pop up that allows you to search for specific words in the post and comments.
I’m giving this one star because the texture was not cake like at all. If this was a cornbread recipe it would have been 5 star. It was very expensive and time consuming to make a birthday cake that had the texture of cornbread. I have made almond flour cakes before with great success. I really wanted this vegan version to work
Hi Betsy, we’re sorry to hear that was your experience! This is denser than your classic vanilla gluten cake. Which brand of almond flour did you use? We love Wellbee’s and have found other brands to be more difficult to work with. Our other suggestion would be baking in three 6-inch pans as it creates more height, requires slightly less bake time, and makes them slightly fluffier.
Hi There! I’ve made this cake before with great success but wanted to see if you have tried any adjustments to create a red velvet base? Hoping to make one for Christmas ? thank you
Hmm, I’m not sure about that! I’d probably recommend adding cocoa powder and a roasted beet?
I can’t figure out why the inside of my cake is gummy but the outside is perfect?
Hi Alyssa, it sounds like it may have needed more baking time or your baking powder was old. Did you insert a toothpick to see if it was done? Better luck next time!
could I use anything other than potato starch? I don’t have any at home but I have tapioca and GF flour blend….
Hi Leah, Hmm, it’s somewhat of a staple ingredient in this recipe and we aren’t sure how it will turn out without it. But if you must use something else, perhaps try arrowroot and/or GF flour blend. Let us know how it goes!
I couldn’t find potato starch at my grocery store so used arrowroot instead and it worked well as far as I could tell!
Thanks for sharing, Jennifer!
This was my first crack at a vegan gluten-free cake. It was delicious! But it wasn’t quite right and I’m not sure how to fix it. I used all the listed ingredients with one minor change: I used cold almond milk (not boxed — Almond Breeze unsweetened vanilla almond milk). I also used two 8-inch cake pans. I think I slightly under-baked it because, although the toothpick came out completely clean, the cakes “deflated” a little in the middle after coming out of the oven. When removing them from the pans, I noticed the cakes felt heavy, dense. And when I ran my finger across the empty pan to taste the cake “film”, one pan seemed a tad wet. After frosting and eating the cake, I was right — it was very dense & heavy. The texture was more like cornbread than cake, only much denser. Do you think I just needed to bake it longer? I was afraid to leave it longer cuz they were very golden brown when I removed them from the oven. Any other suggestions? BTW, for the frosting, I used 2 Earth Balance vegan buttery stix, about 12 strawberries — coarsely pureed, and 2 lb. powdered sugar! I could have halved the ingredients and ended up with just the right amount of delicious vegan strawberry buttercream frosting.
The frosting sounds amazing! As for the cake, this is denser than your classic vanilla gluten cake. Which brand of almond flour did you use? We love Wellbee’s and have found other brands to be more difficult to work with. My other suggestion would be baking in three 6-inch pans as it creates more height, requires slightly less bake time, and makes them slightly fluffier in my experience. Hope that helps, Lynda!
It’s me again!! This recipe is phenomenal! Make it….you won’t be disappointed.
Thanks for sharing!
Oh my goodness……this was absolutely delicious. I love it. I haven’t eaten cake in 20 years because of gluten and dairy allergies. I have tried to make the boxed versions but they turn out dense and like gummy glue that is just disgusting. This was light, fluffy and simply beyond delicious. I made it just like the recipe except I replaced the apple cider vinegar with lemon juice, I
replaced cornstarch with arrowroot starch
and I replaced cane sugar with 6 stevia packets
The ONLY bad thing is that I am the only one eating it and can’t stop dipping my fork in for more……..Please higher power, give me strength :). Thank you minimalist baker. I can now have my cake, eat it and enjoy it!!! This was truly amazing. I am a happy baker today.
Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications. We are so glad you enjoyed it! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo
Hello,
I have now tried to make this recipe for the second time.
The only thing I can think of for why it didn’t turn out is because of the type of almond-flour I have (purchased in Canada). I don’t know the brand because I re packaged it in a glass mason jar and threw out the original bag long ago. It turned out extremely hard and overly dry- brick like and not edible.
I had to use WAY more almond milk than the recipe calls for (over triple the amount for sure)….
So I was perplexed as to what was wrong. Could it be the type of almond Flour? What else could cause this? Thank you!
So interesting. Did you make any other modifications? I’d be so curious which almond flour you used b/c Wellbee’s is definitely our favorite and others tend to give varied results. Let us know! We’d love to help troubleshoot.
I made this for my daughter’s birthday and it was wonderful. I used arrowroot instead of cornstarch with no noticeable change. For the frosting I blended together avocado, cocoa powder and agave. This cake was sturdy enough to be stacked five layers high yet moist and yummy. This recipe is a keeper!
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Maren. We are so glad you enjoyed it! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo
What is the baking time for the three 6 inch pans? Still the 35-40 minutes?
That’s what I did! Yes, 35-40 minutes should be perfect. Do a visual check around the 30 minute mark to ensure it’s not cooking too quickly.
SUCH AN INCREDIBLE RECIPE!
Not too sweet, the almond flour flavour is very light and works so well with the vanilla. I recommend this recipe. 10/10.
I made a few substitutions
Brown sugar for cane sugar and melted coconut oil instead of applesauce – turned out great
Thanks for sharing, Anika!!
Hands down the BEST cake in the world! My family who is neither gluten free nor vegan is now in love with this. Thank you for the perfect recipe.
Whoop! We are so glad to hear that, Aaesha! Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
This is a comedy of horrors in baking, but with a happy ending, no thanks to MY own messing up with things; I will credit this recipe for being resilient to incompetent tooling around.
After my initial failure with a different vegan-gluten free cake (which is still going to be used, just as decorative crumbs because YIKES, coconut flour, what did you doooooo), I googled and found this recipe. I was desperate, and made a dash to corner store to loot some ingredients, thinking “oh yeah, I got potato and maize starch at home, no probs, I’m in a super hurry now”, grabbed more almond flour after wondering if I REALLY needed more… and uh.
“Hey darling Significant Otter, where’s our baking soda?” I asked once back home and going thru the cupboard, recalling the Great Baking Soda discussion we had couple of weeks ago. “We don’t have it.” Whaaaattttt. Facepalm, me on verge of tears again. “But I’m also going to store now.” “Please bring some so I can catch up with my schedule for this party-to-come.”
So I get my baking soda.
Wait, this bag of almond flour I bought… it is 300 grams. I need more. OK, I got… SOME more in my home stash. About 40 gram more. [insert swearing]
OK, OK, I’ll just compensate with other flours and starches, right? Potato flour, ah there’s my packet of it… WAIT, I got HOW MUCH left!? WHERE DID IT GO!? At least my bag of maize starch was full. This is about 80 gram more maize than the recipe originally suggested to put in.
I can’t use apples (IBS), and even bananas are a bit touch and go, but I used pureed bananas anyway. Sugar! Welp, I could make things more interesting with a bit of muscovada sugar? Except it absolutely refused to cooperate. There are chunks in it. I can’t make those chunks much smaller. They’re going to be little surprise nuggets of pure dark delight in that cake.
I tucked the cake into the oven and marched to sulk in front of my computers, expecting a catastrophic failure #2 to manifest in 35 minutes, thanks to my own level of tiredness and general incompetence with all things gluten-free and vegan (but I can bake non-vegan and gluten-y cakes just fine).
BUT! What I pulled out of the oven was beautiful, about 2 inches risen cake (yay! I can easily halve it and fill with yums!) which also tasted incredibly great based on crumb samples.
Thank you for saving my butt and butts of people who are coming to celebrate our local sci-fi club’s 30th birthday and who need their yums in vegan or gluten-free variety!
Changes: Pureed banana, extra maize starch to substitute for about 80 grams in total of potato starch and almond flour, toasted almond milk used as non-dairy variety.
The cake will be filled with dark chocolate pudding (gluten-free, vegan) and mix of banana puree-raspberry jam, and decorated with vegan buttercream frosting and topped with fresh raspberries and blackberries, some decorative food colors and edible sparkles.
Hi Skiriki, we’re so glad to hear it turned out well despite all the obstacles! Great job!!
My son is allergic to almonds. Is there another flour I can use instead? He’s allergic to corn, soy, dairy, eggs, peanuts, oats.
Hmm, that’s tough! This cake is almost entirely based with almonds. Maybe try this recipe instead but with gluten-free flour. OR, if he can have gluten you could use all purpose as suggested.
Hello! I am making this for a friend with celiac disease, and he is sensitive to corn as well. Can I replace the cornstarch with arrowroot?
That should work, but we haven’t tried it! If you do, let us know how it goes!
Hello. Can I add cacao powder to make it a chocolate cake or will it have any adverse effect on the final cake?
Hmm, we haven’t tried that, but it might work! You may need to reduce the amount of flour though. Or perhaps try this recipe instead: https://minimalistbaker.com/gluten-free-birthday-cake-vegan/
I have tried several gluten-free and vegan cake recipes but this one is a Keeper!!!! I made this for my grand daughter’s birthday and it was all gone before anyone could get a second piece. My family has been gluten-free and now they want to go vegan and this cake was the best I have ever had!!! I don’t want to change anything and will be using this recipe all the time!!!! Thank you!
Wonderful – thanks for sharing, Lucy!
This has a great consistency and taste! I am making a 3 tiered wedding cake and am happy with how it has baked off. Thank you!
Hi,
Can I swap out the almond flour and the potato starch for Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free all purpose flour blend?
Thanks for your help!
No, I don’t think that will work. But if you try it let us know how it goes!
hey did this work, im wanting to do the same thing?
Can this be frozen
Yes!
I made this cake today, exactly as written. I was impressed with how good it tastes! I’m pretty new to gluten free baking and until now all the recipes I’ve tried failed to impress. But thanks to you, I now have a great go-to recipe for when my sweet tooth demands cake! I had a feeling that Minimalist Baker wouldn’t let me down! ?
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it, Heather! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
This cake is DELICIOUS!!! I’ve made it a few times now- so moist and turned out perfect both times.
Thanks for sharing, Jaimee!
What size cake pans do I need to purchase for this recipe?
I recommend three 6-inch pans.
My brother is allergic to nuts. Can I replace almond flour with white rice flour?
Hi, Subbing the almond flour is difficult, but what about another seed meal, such as sunflower or hemp?
Can the almond flour be replaced with coconut flour?
We wouldn’t recommend it. They behave differently and coconut flour is much more absorbent.
I would love to make this for my baby’s first birthday but am wanting to substitute the cane sugar. Is their a no refined sugar alternative I could use? Many thanks in advance.
Our best suggestion would be using stevia to taste OR subbing half the sugar with maple syrup and the rest with stevia or monkfruit to taste. If you end up experimenting, let us know how it goes! We would recommend testing with a small batch first before committing so you don’t waste ingredients :D
Hi! My friend that will be baking this for is refined sugar free meaning she cannot have cane sugar but she can have honey. Will honey change the texture of the cake?
Hi Marisa, we haven’t tried this recipe with honey and aren’t sure how it would work. For another refined sugar free option, we might recommend subbing a mix of maple syrup and coconut sugar, but we haven’t tested it this way and can’t guarantee results.
I am gluten, dairy, and soy free (not fully vegan). Is it possible to replace the applesauce with eggs? If so how many?
Thanks! Can’t wait to try this recipe.
Hi Jennifer, we haven’t tried this recipe with eggs and aren’t sure how it would turn out! Let us know if you give it a try! Otherwise, another idea would be to try subbing the same amount of banana or another mashed fruit puree?
I’m currently dealing with several good intolerances (ugh). Do you think I could use a pineapple purée? Both apple and banana are no-gos. Thanks!
Hmm, it’s worth a shot! Let us know if you give that a try!
Thanks for this. I use your gf recipes all the time (I’m gluten sensitive), and now it’s time for my daughter’s first birthday cake, and it’s becoming evident that she’s intolerant to egg. Looking forward to making this and to more gf and—now egg-free—baking!
Lovely! Let us know how it goes!
Made the cake as is. I just added some lemon zest to the batter. Best gluten and dairy free cake I’ve had. I also feel good that we are using almond flour so there is some nutritional value to it as well. I’m going to make it again today but I’m gonna change out the flavors and I’m going to use the coconut frosting. I’ll let you know how it goes.
So glad you enjoy this recipe, Debra! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
I want to make this cake for me nephew’s birthday. He’s allergic to apple, so can I subsitute it for banana please?
Hi Elizabeth, we haven’t tried it, but think it will work! It may have a slight banana taste though. Let us know if you give it a try!
Has anyone made this with arrowroot starch instead of corn starch !? If so, how did it turn out in terms of consistency … is it still fluffy ?
Thanks !
We would recommend doing a search for “arrowroot” in the comments section to see other readers feedback. Most mentioned they had success! Let us know if you give it a try!
Yes, I always sub arrowroot and it comes out perfect.
xxLindsey
Hi! I have a question, what is the egg substitute in the recipe? Trying to learn!
The applesauce!
Hi! I’m making this for a birthday party on Saturday. I can’t find almond flour anywhere – could I substitute white flour for it? Thank you!
Hmm, I don’t think that would be the recipe to try subbing gluten flour for. Perhaps try this instead? You can leave out the sprinkles.
Could you recommend a gluten free replacement for potato starch? Thanks!
Hmm, it’s somewhat of a staple ingredient in this recipe. Is there some reason you can’t consume it? I don’t have another recommendation at this time…
My cake was flat. I used tapioca starch instead of potato starch — otherwise everything the same. Could the tapioca starch have affected that?
Hmm, we’ve never tried this with tapioca starch. Perhaps that could’ve been it?
Hi! This cake is delicious! Thank you! I am hosting mystery dinner party next week. I plan to have a Caribbean menu. However, I will be adding this cake to the menu :) Any icing and filling recommendations to switch it up a bit to coordinate with the party? It’s summer and hot of course. I usually make this cake with your traditional buttercream icing which we love!
I haven’t tried your coconut whipped cream icing yet.
p.s. I’m looking to purchase new cake pans. Do you have any brands you recommend?
Thank you!!
Patty ?
Hmm, you could add coconut flake and pineapple on top?
Which of your icings do you recommend with the pineapple topping you recommended? Thanks!
Probably the buttercream!
Thanks for your recipes. This one had gotten such great reviews that I’m wondering if it would make a good bundt cake? And if so, what adjustments need to be made. I looked through the comments and no one seemed to try this. (I’m on a bit of a bundt cake roll right now)
Hi Spring, we think it would work, though we haven’t tried it and aren’t certain! Let us know if you give it a try!
Hello!! i want to try your recipe BUT i need to make it a “champagne cake”. I was thinking on reducing champagne and substituting some of the milk for the reduction….what do you think? Will it work?
Ooh, that sounds fun! I don’t know how it will react with the other ingredients but it’s certainly possible. And I think the way you’re going about it is exactly how I’d do it. You could also see if there’s a “champagne extract” – ha! Seems like a long shot, but potentially an option. Let us know how it goes!
Amoretti makes an excellent Champaign extract, it’s my favorite flavor for cakes. I can’t recommend it enough
Apparently I can’t spell either ?. Champagne
This cake was unbelievable!! Thank you so much for the recipe. Everyone loved it!! I made a half batch to make a dozen cupcakes topped with coconut whipped cream and berries for kids. And a normal batch for a two layer cake with vegan buttercream frosting, dyed purple with purple carrot juice and edible flowers. The only swaps I made were to use coconut sugar for the cake and added lemon zest and juice for a lemon flavor. Everyone raved and demanded the recipe, especially finding out later it was vegan and gluten-free. THANK YOU!!
So glad you enjoyed it, Amy! Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications! xo
This recipe came out great! I even added sprinkles to make a funfetti cake. I want to try it again as a rum cake. Do you think I’d be able to sub the milk for some rum?
Thanks for sharing, Cristina! I think the rum substitution should work! Let us know if you try it.
Next time would you mind adding a rating to your review? It’s super helpful to us and other readers! xoxo
Hello,
We want to try this recipe — it looks so yummy! Can I sub vanilla powder for essence? If so, how do you suggest? I have run out of essence and only have powder (which seemed like a good buy at the time however I don’t know how to use it).
Thanks :)
Hi Vix, we would recommend a ratio of 1/2 tsp vanilla powder to replace 1 tsp vanilla extract. Hope that helps! Let us know if you give it a try!
Thankyou!!! I’m just starting to bake now. x
I am clear that this recipe is gluten free and vegan. Can you verify for me if it contains soy? I am making this for a client and do not want any mistakes. Thank you!
Correct – it should not contain soy unless your dairy-free milk contained soy as an additive.
Hi, I am planning on making this cake for my mom for her birthday. We are sugar free so I was wondering if I could sub something for the powdered sugar in the buttercream frosting. I have granulated monk fruit sugar that can be used just like regular granulated sugar so I don’t need a substitute for that. Thanks!!
Hi Maya, we haven’t tried this recipe with any sugar substitutes and aren’t sure how they would turn out. We would recommend checking the other comments as some readers have experimented. Someone reported success with an erythritol/stevia blend. If you do some experimenting, we would love to hear how it goes!
You can make powdered sugar by grinding coconut sugar in a coffee bean grinder into a finer powder and mixing it with arrowroot powder.
I attempted to make this delicious looking cake for my birthday though made a different buttercream than the recipe called for. When I took the cake out of the oven I noticed that it hadn’t risen as much as I would have thought. As the cakes cooled and I began to assemble them they looked very compact and dense, almost like an uncooked cookie. I followed the instructions to the dot. Is there something that I missed?? Please help.
Hmm, what size pans did you use and did the cakes get cooked through all the way? In the photos I believe we used 3 6-inch pans to give it more height as this cake naturally won’t rise as high without eggs / gluten. I’m also wondering if your leavening ingredients were fresh? Please let us know! We’d love to help troubleshoot.
I’ve made this twice already! It’s amazing ? I made it as a sheet cake once with the coco whip. Sooo this time I’m making it as a layered cake but wanted to do 4 layers with 2 layers being a strawberry cake! Can I sub blended strawberries for the milk?
Smart idea! I’m not sure how that will go but I think it should work? Let us now if you try it!
Well I tried subbing strawberry purée for the milk and it worked, however the taste was of strawberry was super faint. I also had to bake it longer and it didn’t have a pink color just a darker brown. Probably could use some tweaking but I pulled it off! I used your butter cream frosting recipe and added strawberry purée to give color and strawberry taste which worked out perfect. I also only did 3 layers at 8” and saved 1 strawberry layer for taste testing lol! I wish I could post a pic, it came out really cute for my daughters bday cake:) Love your recipes, thank you!
How great! Thanks for sharing your experience Aimee! We’ll add testing a strawberry version to our list!
I cannot find Potato Starch anywhere near me and I have to bake this for this weekend so I don’t have time to wait on Amazon to bring me any. What can I use instead of the Potato Starch? Anything?
Hi Tracie, perhaps a blend of arrowroot and/or a GF blend would work? Let us know if you give it a try!
Ok…. This cake is the one! I have vegans and gf folks in my DnD group, so always turn to Dana when I wanna bring something special!!
I wanted a “Queen Victoria sponge” look with tropical flavors, so I substituted half of the vanilla with coconut extract before baking. To decorate the cake, I filled the cake with a thick layer of mango-peach preserves and an even thicker layer of So Delicious Cocowhip. I then dusted the top of the cake with powdered sugar. SO yummy and so cute. I definitely recommend serving it this way!
Also: I set the number of servings to 6 and prepared the batter, dividing it into two 6 inch cake pans. The result was a perfectly sized tiny cake with no leftovers.
Thanks for sharing!!
Hi Dana, can the apple sauce be substituted with something? Like banana or flax egg? What would be the right portions? I’d like to make this cake for the yummy walnut frosting my husband asked for, for his birthday! Thanks so much
Hmm, we haven’t tried it, but I’m guessing you could sub the same amount of banana or another mashed fruit puree?
Thanks. I’ve gone through the other comments and decided to go with oil. I used sunflower oil and it worked perfectly. My new favourite cake recipe!
Thanks for sharing!
Can I use coconut oil instead of applesauce
We haven’t tried that. But if you do let us know how it goes!
I wanted to try out this recipe using all purpose flour, since I didn’t have any gf substitutes on hand. I kept the corn starch in since I was hoping to get some nice crumb texture, and used the all purpose instead of the almond and potato. I halved the recipe and ended up with a great imbalance of wets to dry- the batter was more dough-like- so I went ahead and added an additional half of the wet ingredients and that ended up working out! I also did a puree blend of mangoes, bananas and pineapple and lemon juice instead of applesauce and that was very tasty. This recipe is truly one of a kind in the fact that you can play around and the ratios don’t seem to need to be absolutely perfect, like most vegan recipes. Very appreciated!
Hi Katy!
I’m looking to make this recipe with all purpose flour as well — do you mind posting the exact measurements that ended up working out?
Jenna
This cake looks amazing and I am hoping to make it for my sisters birthday! Unfortunately she is allergic to all nuts and cannot have almond flour is there any other flour I could substitute for the almond flour? Any recommendations would help!
Hi Eden, Subbing the almond flour is difficult, but what about another seed meal, such as sunflower or hemp?
Made this recipe into 24 cupcakes, and the frosting recipe covers them beautifully, no left overs. They are delicious. After mixing the batter, I added a little almond flour a bit at a time until the consistency looked like thin cream of wheat. To the frosting, I added 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract. Very easy and all the ingredients I had on hand. I will make this recipe again very soon. ?
Thanks for sharing, Joanne! So glad to hear you enjoyed them!
Why did you add almond flour to the batter, was it too runny? Also do you remember how long the cupcakes baked?
How long did you bake the cupcakes for?
Has anyone tried this with all purpose flour? If we used AP, would we omit the cornstarch and potato starch? Just omit potato starch? Thanks for any recommendations!
Hi Marissa, we are not sure if this cake would be a good fit for all purpose flour (we haven’t tested it). But if you do give it a try, we would say replace both with the all purpose. Let us know how if you give it a try!
I saw where you said we could try to substitute the cornstarch with arrowroot starch, but could I substitute the potato starch with arrowroot starch? Crazy as it is, I cannot find anyone that has potato starch in stock or that even carries it.
Hi Brittany, the potato starch is a pretty specific ingredient that helps the texture go a long way. But perhaps a blend of arrowroot and/or a GF blend would work? We would recommend getting potato starch (you should be able to get online!), if possible.
I am very happy to share that the arrowroot starch worked (thank goodness). I figured potato starch would be a very common thing, but not one store in my city carried it. I wouldn’t have been able to order it in the time that I needed it, so I just went with a prayer and arrowroot, haha. I added some coconut flour to it and it was a huge hit. It did come out a little more dense than fluffy, but really moist and kind of melted in your mouth. The crowd really loved it and I was asked to make it for another person’s birthday next month. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. It really is a wonderful cake recipe, and bonus is it’s not complicated.
Thanks so much for sharing your experience, Brittany! We are so glad to hear it turned out for you! xo
Can anyone tell me if the cake is made as directed, does it need to be refrigerated? I need it for an event on Friday, but need to bake and frost on Wednesday due to travel. Thanks in advance.
Hi Anneliese, making in advance should work! We would recommend baking the cake, wrapping it in plastic wrap, and putting in the fridge. Then, the day of the event, frost and garnish it. Hope that helps!
Thank you so much!!
Could I sub the vanilla for almond extract for an almond cake? Also I find it too sweet for my taste w/o buttercream. I will reduce sugar next time. But still a very very delicious cake.
Hi Jada, we haven’t tried that, but we think it should work! Let us know if you give it a try!
This recipe is amazing! I just made it for my toddler who can’t eat gluten, dairy or eggs. I made cupcakes. They baked for 20 min and turned out great. We couldn’t believe how cake-like they were. So good!! Now I have a cake recipe for her birthday :))) I can’t thank you enough!
Thanks for sharing!!
My friends keep begging me to make this cake again. I made it with a lavender infused vegan buttercream, and then put the berries on top and they freaked out. It was seriously delish.
That sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing, Lindsey!
I made this cake again and added the lemon juice instead of cider vinegar, and zest of a lemon for a lemon infused cake. To the vegan buttercream I also added lemon juice and zest, and then when layering I put a layer of seedless raspberry preserve on top of the lemon buttercream. It was knock out good, and looked so pretty. I put fresh raspberries on top. This cake is so fun to play with and tailor to different tastes!
Oh, and I added poppyseeds, so it was lemon poppyseed :P
Wow, Lindsey! That sounds absolutely incredible! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
I’ve made this recipe before and it was an absolute success! It was so great finding this recipe with the alternative ingredients you used because I have many food allergies/intolerances. I wanted to make it into a sheet cake instead of a round cake the next time I bake the cake. What are your thoughts on baking the recipe in a different way?
Hi Bethany, we aren’t sure but think that would work! You will likely need to adjust the baking time. Let us know if you give it a try!
Will this work in cupcake form? Has anyone tried this?
Hi Catherine, we haven’t tried it, but other readers have had success making cupcakes with this recipe! They mentioned that the batter makes 24 cupcakes baked for about 15 minutes (not sure how full each was, sorry). Hope that helps!
HELP. I can’t find potato starch anywhere. Just went to 5 stores. Any substitutes??
Thanks!
M
Hi Melissa, the potato starch is a pretty specific ingredient that helps the texture go a long way. But perhaps a blend of arrowroot and/or a GF blend would work? We would recommend getting potato starch (you should be able to get online!), if possible.
This looks fantastic! I want to try for my daughters birthday since she has many allergies. Just one question. Can I use oil instead of applesauce? Thanks!
I haven’t tried it with oil, but let us know how it goes!
Hello! I recently made this cake for a friends daughter’s third birthday. It was a big hit! When she told me she needed a vegan and gluten-free cake, I was a bit discouraged. But I tried this recipe out at home and was pleasantly surprised at how delicious it was. She wanted a Funfetti cake so I added sprinkles to it and it was perfect. Now my sister needs a gluten-free vegan cake for her daughter and wants strawberry flavored cake with lemon frosting. I’m pretty sure I can pull off the lemon frosting, but I’m wondering if I could add reduced pureed strawberries instead of the applesauce and maybe strawberry essence instead of vanilla. Would that work? Thanks so much for this wonderful recipe!
So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Jen! Thanks for the lovely review! We think a strawberry puree would work well in place of the applesauce. We haven’t used strawberry essence so we can’t comment on that. Let us know how it goes!
Hello! I just did a trial run on the strawberry cupcakes. I did 1/3 cup of reduced strawberry purée and 2 tsp strawberry extract. I am not getting a lot of strawberry flavor still. Do you think it would work if I reduced the dairy free milk and increased the purée as long as the liquid level stays the same as the original recipe? With the substitutions I made the texture is still spot on!
Thanks for sharing, Jen! That might work! Crossing our fingers! xo
I highly recommend using concentrates instead of fruit purée. Fruit purées can be difficult to work with and throw throw your ratios off without much flavor payout
I have made this cake 3 times, I love it! BUT it sinks in the middle every time. I can still make a cake but it’s a pretty substantial sinkage. Any thoughts on why?
A little sinkage in the middle is normal. But you could try and make the batter a bit more dry (with flours) to help with this! Or, add more leavening ingredients.
Do you need to adjust for altitude? That’s what I have to do it all my cakes sink regardless of ingredients
The cake itself was moist and delicious and I will probably make it again adding lemon juice and peel for a version of lemon drizzle cake. It was very moist and held together well. I used the buttercream frosting which was too sweet for my tastes though my friends with a sweet tooth seemed to like it as it was. The recipe, though very expensive to make, is a keeper for me.
Hi! I have the cakes in the oven right now. I’m not sure why but the batter was super runny. I added well over an additional cup of almond flour to try to thicken it up. It seems like so much more than what the recipe called for. Even if I eyeballed the wet measurements even a bit off which I’m not sure how since I was very careful I don’t think it would require that much extra almond flour. The batter thickness was thicker but not sure if it was right. Any idea why the batter would have been so soupy? Thanks!
Hi Patty, hmm, we aren’t sure what happened as we haven’t had this issue! How did the cakes turn out? Did you make any modifications?
I’ve noticed that almond flour will continue to absorb liquid over time, so I’ll let the batter sit for 5-10 minutes before adjusting.
Hi there, it’s my son’s first birthday tomorrow and I am making this cake as his birthday cake today because he is allergic to wheat, eggs, dairy etc. I’m all the way in Ivory Coast though and I cannot find vegan butter. Can I substitute with an oil of some kind?
Hmm, I haven’t tested it without butter of some kind. You could try coconut oil, but I’m not sure how it would work. Keep us posted?
Thanks for the quick reply. I can also try a margarine. Perhaps that’s a better bet. I’ll let you know how it goes!
This recipe is amazing! I have made it several times now, and every batch has turned out delicious!
I have made it for two events where it has sat on display in a warm room for a few hours before being cut, and it has held its own (doubled recipe, four layers stacked – using 20cm cake tins).
Although a couple of people have, I personally wouldn’t recommend freezing – worked out ok, but found it was a little dryer than usual! Also the almond meal doesn’t work as a substitute for all of the almond flour, but worked fine when i was about 1/3 cup short of flour!
I didn’t reveal to guests that it was GF/vegan until they’d finished eating and everyone was stunned! Thank you for this wonderful recipe! :)
Hi Isobel, Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your experience. We are so glad you enjoy this recipe! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! xo
Hi. I am making this for my daughter’s birthday today. I do not have potato starch. Would I use 1 1/3 cup cornstarch? Is this an egg replacement? If she can have eggs could I use eggs instead?
Hi Stacey, the potato starch is a pretty specific ingredient that helps the texture go a long way. But perhaps a blend of arrowroot and/or a GF blend would work? We would recommend getting potato starch, if possible.
I’ve previously made your 1 bowl vegan chocolate cake and it was amazing! I decorated with vegan buttercream, sprinkles and coconut whipped cream.
I’ve been asked to make this vegan + gluten free cake for my friend but almond flour isn’t readily available in my area, and when it is it’s quite expensive. Would coconut flour work? Or would ground almonds be better? Not sure if the latter is fine enough!
Thanks :)
Hi Isabella, so glad you enjoyed our chocolate cake! Coconut flour is a lot more dense than almond flour, so we do not think that will work! In a pinch, you could sub almond meal. We haven’t tested it with any other alternative flours so we don’t have any other recommendations at this time.
I’m needing to make some gluten free cupcakes for an event this weekend and wondered if this recipe will work. I’m new to gluten free baking so I wasn’t sure if it translates as well in cupcake form. If it will work how full should I fill the liners?
Hi Nicole, we haven’t tried it, but other readers have had success making cupcakes with this recipe! They mentioned that the batter makes 24 cupcakes baked for about 15 minutes (not sure how full each was, sorry). Hope that helps!
Please help!
I followed your recipe to the dot…
My cakes sank in middl.
What am i doing wrong?
Thanks a lot for ur help!
Best
Shobaa
Hi Shobaa, A little sinkage in the middle is normal. But you could try and make the batter a bit more dry (with flours) to help with this! Or, add more leavening ingredients. Hope that helps!
That is not great advice for high altitude bakers. It’s counter intuitive but as you increase altitude, you decrease leavening agents. If your readers are at 3000-5000 feet, they might want to consider some high attitude adjustments. I looked over your site and I can’t figure out where you’re located but altitude is too often a forgotten piece of a baking puzzle.
Amazing recipe, taste is absolutely divine. I love all you’re recipes, you are my vegan go too!
Thanks, Tia!
Are there any specific recipe modifications that you would suggest for using a 9″ cake pan for one big cake? I’m making a two layer, and I just wondered if I should increase bake time or any ingredients, I made it last week and it turned out great. Only a teeny bit crumbly
Nothing I can think of, other than decreasing bake time shortly, perhaps. But check in with a toothpick and monitor the color as it goes!
If I can make a gluten-free, vegan and sugar-free cake I might literally jump for joy! Have you tried substituting with liquid or packs of Stevia? Wondering if it turns out right as the sugar would add some bulk I would imagine. Thanks!
We’ll add that to the list! If subbing this recipe with stevia, do so to taste and add more almond flour as needed to dry out the texture.
Is it possible to use King Arthur’s Gluten Free flour instead of the almond flour, potato and corn starch? I’m not sure how much of the Gluten Free flour mix I should use…
Hmm, we haven’t tested it that way. But let us know how it goes!!
Hello – did you try this with gf flour instead of the suggested blend? Thanks
I’m going to give it a try! Will let you know how it goes!
Please let me know if you tried it as I need to make that and gf flour is all I have.
I did give it a try and it turned out quite well! I used 4 1/2 cups of King Authur’s Gluten Free Flour Mix. It was a little dry after I mixed it and needed to add more coconut milk so maybe a little less flour would be better? 4 cups instead? I also used honey instead of sugar – 3/4 if you don’t like it too sweet. I prefer sweeter so maybe try 1 cup honey. Hope it turns out well for you! It’s a fun and easy cake to make!!!
I gave it a try with the gluten free flour mix and it turned out quite well! I used 4 1/2 cups of King Authur’s Gluten Free Flour Mix. It was a little dry after I mixed it and needed to add more coconut milk so maybe a little less flour would be better? 4 cups instead? I also used honey instead of sugar – 3/4 if you don’t like it too sweet. I prefer sweeter so maybe try 1 cup honey. Hope it turns out well for you! It’s a fun and easy cake to make!!!
hello, I was most excited to make this recipe. Unfortunately, the batter didn’t not turn out as described at all. It was a stoggy lump. Something seems to be wrong with the starch ratios. It has the texture of mocha.
Hi there, I’d love to help troubleshoot! The batter shouldn’t be the texture of “mocha” – I assume you mean the drink? Are you sure you read the measurements correctly, and did you sub any ingredients?
So I have made this twice now. The first time as written and it turned out well. The second time I made it for my friend’s birthday and she requested either lemon or strawberry cake. So I made the cake as written, but added lemon zest from half a large lemon and juice from half a large lemon to the batter. It turned out great. I also made the buttercream frosting and added the zest and juice from the other half of the lemon. I made the cake in two six inch rounds and sliced the rounds in half for presentation.
I filled the cake with a thick strawberry coulis and frosted it with the lemon buttercream. I made 6 cupcakes with the extra batter. This cake was so well received that my friend’s son requested one for his birthday and he is neither vegan nor gf.
Great! Thanks for sharing, Elle! So helpful for us and other readers!!
Dana just wanted to let you know that this cake, with the lemon additions noted in my earlier comment, has become the most requested birthday cake I make. Thank you so much for this recipe that comes out great every time. I am making it again today for my niece’s birthday. Thank you for all the great recipes you share. I also wanted to share that I have tried it cutting back on the sugar to 1 cup and replacing half the granulated sugar with coconut sugar. It turned out fine. I added about an extra 1/4 cup of almond meal to even out the wet/dry ratio.
Thanks so much for your kind words and for sharing your modifications, Elle! We are so glad everyone enjoys it! xo
Does this turn out well non gluten free? I am just needing vegan. How would I substitute?
Hi Lia, we are not sure if this cake would be a good fit for all purpose flour (we haven’t tested it). But if you do give it a try, let us know how it goes!
I have made tons of gluten free, vegan cakes and frostings but this was BY FAR the BEST cake we’ve ever had. It was moist, had no “allergy free” taste and the buttercream frosting tasted like the real thing! This will be our new go-to recipe for birthdays!!!
This was the most amazing cake! I had never made a cake from scratch, let alone a vegan gluten-free one, so I was anxious about how mine would turn out. I made this for mothers day and my entire family was getting together and everyone absolutely loved it! I was nervous because my family isn’t one for “healthified” recipes and they were so impressed and I only had one slice leftover. The texture, moisture, and flavor was all on point. I can’t wait to make this again! I feel way more confident in my cake baking skills now and now that it’s gone I find myself craving it :)
So glad to hear it, Barbie! We are so glad everyone enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing!
Hi there! I’ve made tons of your recipes and loved them all, so I was really looking forward to making this cake, but it didn’t turn out quite right for me. I followed measurements and instructions well, but the cake hardly rose at all. They turned out very flat – like less than an inch tall. Any thoughts?? Thank you!
Hmm, did you make any substitutions at all? Also, did you bake it in one pan or more? It doesn’t rise as much as a cake with gluten, but it shouldn’t be flat. And you didn’t forget the leavener?
You had it spot on, I divided it into three 9” pans, completely read instructions wrong!! Thank you so much, attempting again tonight for party tomorrow!
What can I use to substitute for potato starch? I am not finding this anywhere in stores.
Hi Michelle, that’s a pretty specific ingredient that helps the texture go a long way. But perhaps a blend of arrowroot and/or a GF blend would work?
Hello, it looks like it has a really nice texture, light and airy with large crumbs, which is exactly what I have been looking for in a basic cake recipe (usually they have added coconut flour to get this lovely texture).
I was wondering if I can substitute the applesauce with anything?
Good question! Check the comments for other readers’ substitutions. I haven’t tried subbing applesauce but I’d think another non-starchy fruit puree would work, such as pear?
My husband asked what cake I want for Mother’s Day (it’s tradition that we bake some treats for a family member’s special day) and I said this one! Now I am wondering if the coconut whipped cream of the V+GF birthday cake would work on this one?
It should!
This looks really good but what could be substituted for almond flour? It is good for people with gluten allergies but I have family members with tree nut & coconut allergies. I never heard of potato starch. Where do you get that? Thank you.
Potato starch can be found in grocery stores or online! Subbing the almond flour is difficult, but what about another seed meal, such as sunflower or hemp?
Made this for my sons 1st Birthday. This cake turned out amazing! I used coconut sugar instead, and it worked great! My niece said, ‘this is the best cake in the world!’
Thank you for the sweet recipe ❤️
Tried this recipe out and adjusted for a family member who has food allergies to wheat, nuts, and dairy. I really enjoyed it! I like how it’s more dense than normal cake and not too sweet. The vanilla flavor came through really well. I used unsweetened coconut milk (refrigerated kind in the carton just from a regular grocery store).
I adjusted the recipe to replace almond flour (due to nut allergies)—3/4 cup + 1 Tbsp coconut flour (plus around 6 Tbsp more so batter not as watery) and 3 eggs.
Also tried another variation—3/4 cup + 1 Tbsp coconut flour (plus around 1/2 cup more so batter not as watery), 3/4 cup + 1 Tbsp tapioca flour, 2.5 eggs, and 3/4 cup + 1 Tbsp coconut milk—that resulted in a chewier texture (not in a bad way), but I didn’t feel like it “kept” as well as the first variation the next day.
Had another family member make a trifle with a cake like this with strawberries and coconut whipped cream and that was really good! Didn’t try it this time, but when I find the right brand of coconut cream I will give it a go. Don’t know how much it affected the results, but I do live at an elevation of around 4500 ft above sea level. Really appreciate how detailed your recipes are and having videos and great pictures also helped me to know if I had the right consistency when I’m cooking/baking. Your site has also been great for adjusting for food allergies! :)
Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications! We are so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
So I made it with two 9” pans and after the cake has cooled down it seems to fall apart. Do you think it’s because of the pan size ? I have not changed anything besides that
Hi Thuy, we wouldn’t expect that to cause an issue, but it is possible! It sounds more like it needed additional moisture (such as almond milk). Hope that helps!
I don’t know if I’d call it a vanilla cake, I would say it’s more like an almond breakfast cake. Usually I love all MB recipes, and I made this one as precise to the directions as possible, but I think I was just disappointed because I was expecting a more traditional vanilla cake. For an almondy breakfast cake thing, delicious!
Hi Nina, Sorry to hear this wasn’t what you were hoping for! You may enjoy our Funfetti Cupcakes (minus the sprinkles) as they are a more traditional vanilla cake recipe. Hope that helps!
I just saw a comment asking how to make the Funfetti cupcakes gluten free and you directed them to this recipe ?
Hi Monica, yes! Rainbow sprinkles can be added to this recipe in a similar way to the funfetti cupcakes to make a gluten-free funfetti cupcake. It won’t be quite as traditional, but similar.
I made this cake on Saturday . Well actually twice. The first time, since I didn’t have potato starch, I subbed in tapioca (this after carefully researching). Fell apart! Don’t sub tapioca in such large quantities.
Second time, I subbed gf flour mixture and it was great. Used homemade low sugar blueberry jam in between layers (with frosting natch) and frosted using the butter cream recipe. Blueberries on top. And it was declared beautiful and yummy by all.
So glad you enjoyed it! That blueberry jam addition sounds dreamy!
I made a double batch of this recipe so that I could make a large triple layer easter cake for a large family get together. I had not made before, but have made enough MB gluten free recipes to trust that it would be good, and it really exceeded my expectations. If you like a slightly denser, richer cake you will love this one. We used the buttercream icing and as it was an easter cake it was decorated with lots of pastel colours. It is a little more effort because of the ingredient list (which I followed exactly)but well worth the effort. Will definitely make again.
So glad you liked it, Anna! Thanks for sharing!
This is the first gluten free cake recipe I have ever made and it was delicious! It was moist, not gritty and the gluten eaters I fed it to were pleasantly surprised. They DIDN’T say, “Pretty good for gluten-free”! I used a cream cheese icing instead of the icing recipe you supplied. I substituted the arrowroot for tapioca and made my own applesauce to use in the recipe.
Thanks!
Glad to hear it! Thanks for sharing, Sylvia!
I did the recipe as the instructions, i spent a lot on all these special flours and unfortunately my batter was not pourable and the cake did not come out well:( Can you give me pointers, I’ve mad your vegan chocolate cake many times and I was wondering why this cake had no oil or vegan butter in the batter. Thank you!
Hi! It sounds like you need to add more dairy-free milk until it is a pourable batter. This recipe is an oil-free one, but you may prefer our Vanilla Cupcakes if you are looking for a more traditional recipe.
Hi! I tried this today and this may be a very silly question…how full do you fill the cake pans with batter? New to baking and feel like it was too full so wanted to clarify.
Thank you!
Hi Suzanne, Thanks for giving these a try! We filled them about 2/3 full. Hope that helps! The video and photos above may help as well.
I made this cake recipe for my first vegan birthday yesterday. Everyone loved it! Made the recipe exactly how it was written out and the best thing I can compare it to is a Starbucks birthday cake pop. I bought wholesome brand icing and used the bread portion of the recipe. I am definitely gonna be making this again! I’m not even gluten free just love MB recipes!! ?
Yay! Thanks for sharing, Nereida! SO glad you enjoyed it for your birthday! xo
Hi, can I make the cakes ahead of time and freeze them? Then defrost and frost at a later time. Thank you.
Yes, that should work well!
I just made this cake (divided amongst 5-6″ pans) and the cake sunk in the middle :( I’m in Denver and at a high altitude, so maybe that’s the reason? I bake quite a lot and have definitely experienced sunken cupcakes, but haven’t been able to figure out why. For some reason it’s usually with vanilla cake :/ I’m not an experienced gluten free baker, fyi.
Hi Patricia, we aren’t familiar with baking at a high altitude, so unfortunately no recommendations there! Our only other suggestion would be if your oven temperature was off?
Hello
I replaced the sugar with monk fruit Lakanto brand but it failed miserably. The cake from outside was overcooked but from inside it was not cooked at all and completely moist. I followed the ingredient step by step, other than replacing the white sugar with monk fruit, and I also replaced the corn starch with Arrowroot. I really do not know what went wrong with my cake :(
Hi Ragy, sorry to hear it didn’t work out as intended! Our guess is that the monk fruit caused this to happen, but it could also be the arrowroot. Next time, perhaps you could try using some sugar and some monk fruit, if possible. Hope that helps!
what can I substitute for white sugar? I cannot have processed sugar
Hi Vijaya, You could try subbing a mix of maple syrup and coconut sugar, but we haven’t tested it this way and can’t guarantee results. Hope that helps!
I made this subbing coconut sugar one for one and it turned out great.
Baking soda and baking powder? Thats can’t be the same thing? Sometimes powder includes baking soda in it.
We recommend using both as they are a little different. You can sub one for the other with varying results. Hope that helps!
What is 4 sticks of butter ? How do I measure that?
Each stick is 1/2 cup. Hope that helps!
I am so happy I found this recipe! My cake turned out beautiful and delicious! I gave the frosting a lemon twist and it was delicious. Thank you so much!
Can’t wait to make this. Do I have to use cake pans?
No, you can use a different size pan! Just adjust the baking time accordingly. Hope that helps!
Could I use regular flour for this recipe? Thanks!
Hi Annie, not sure if this cake would be a good fit for all purpose flour (we haven’t tested it). But if you do give it a try, let us know how it goes!
Hi! I love the vegan funfetti cupcake recipe, but I’m hoping to make a whole cake. I’m wondering if you could sub AP flour for those who aren’t gluten free. Thanks so much!
We haven’t tried it, but think it would work! If you give it a try, we would love to hear how it goes!
Hi,
Can we sub alomond flour with coconut flour ?
Thanks :) !
Coconut flour is a lot more dense than almond flour, so we do not think that will work! In a pinch, you could sub almond meal. We haven’t tested it with any other alternative flours so we don’t have any other recommendations at this time.
I made this delicious cake today and just like all of your recipes it was a hit.. I used Tapioca instead of potato starch as that was all I had and was very happy with the result. I covered mine in a strawberry açai frosting that I made with fresh strawberries, açai powder and protein powder.. I’m having great success with your recipes. thank you. ?
Hi :) I’m just about to make the cake, and I
want to use tapioca instead potato starch, but not sure is it the same ratio. Saw your comment and would love to know what amount did you use?
Thank you in advance for the help ?
Cake came out super yummy! First time ever making a vegan cake and it was probably one of the best cakes I have made in a while. Thanks for sharing the recipe :)
Thanks so much for the kind review, Nikita. We are so glad you enjoyed it! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! xo
WOW!!! This is hands down the best gluten free cake I’ve ever had in fact it’s the best cake I’ve ever had! It is light, moist, perfect level of sweetness and doesn’t have that sandy texture of typical GF cakes. And it’s super easy to make. I am floored! Thank you so much!!!!
Do you think it would be safe to reduce the sugar to 1 cup or would it mess with the baking “chemistry” of the cake??
Hi Hanna, great question! We don’t think it would mess up the chemistry of the cake, but if the batter seems too wet after reducing the sugar, we would recommend adding a little almond flour to thicken it. If you tend to like sweeter things, you may also want to add a little stevia to compensate for the reduced sugar. If you give it a try, we would love to hear how it goes! Hope that helps!
Can I make this cake a day or two in advance and then frost it later? I was thinking of letting it cool, then wraping the layers in plastic till I’m ready to frost. Any experience doing this, or pointers?
Thanks!
Haha never mind— literally the comment before mine answered my question. Thank you!
Can I make this two days prior to an event? Will it stay fresh?
Hi Mallory, yes, that would work! We would recommend baking the cake, wrapping it in plastic wrap, and putting in the fridge. Then, the day of the event, frost and garnish it. Hope that helps!
I was looking to make 2 8” round cakes. Do you think it would be okay to freeze one to use for a week later? Making this for my sons 1st birthday smash cake and need one the weekend after for his photo shoot with a photographer. Thank you!
Hi Nikki, yes, we think that will work!
Currently making this cake :)
How many mls/tsps of butter would the two sticks of vegan butter equal too?
1 stick = about ~113g if that helps!
This looks great! I’m looking to make a lemon drizzle cake and adapting this recipe by adding lemon juice/zest. It’s surprisingly difficult to find vegan gf lemon drizzle cakes online! Any suggestions for adaptation?
Hmm we haven’t tried adding lemon to this recipe, but I think that should work just fine! Let us know how it goes if you experiment :D
Unreal!! This is a kick … s recipe!! So good! Brilliant texture and flavours .. I just made it for Valentine’s Day using some heart shaped cake pan … looking fab! My girlfriend loved so much.
Wish I could post a pic. So proud lol
If you have Instagram, post a pic using the hashtag #MinimalistBaker and we’ll keep our eye out for it! xoxo!
My parents visited this past week, and my mom made this for my birthday cake. Moist, delicious, and perfect in every way but one….you just want to keep eating it! This recipe is a keeper!
Whoop! We’re glad to hear that, Sara!
Can this same recipe be used to make a pound cake? If not, can you do a gluten free pound cake post PLEASE?
We’ll add it to the recipe request list, Charla! We haven’t tried making this into a pound cake and can’t say for sure, but if you experiment with it, report back on how it goes!
Just made this cake and it was delicious! I used a melted chocolate chip/tofu frosting and it was perfect. I made the recipe for 15 servings, and it made 4 layers of 8 inch circle pans. I used 1.5 cups white sugar and 1/2 cup coconut sugar – perfect sweetness. I only had a cup of potato starch, so I added a half cup of arrowroot. The almond flour kept it from rising too much, so each layer was flat and perfect for a layer cake. It was so easy to frost – no crumbs falling apart into the frosting! I made this for a birthday party and everyone raved about it, saying it was the best cake I’ve made yet (12 birthday parties and counting!) Thank you!
Best gluten free cake I’ve made and tasted. I made this for my sister’s wedding and she said it was the highlight of it :). I’ve been asked by a couple other people now to make it for birthday parties etc. soo good and so simple
I tried this recipe last night and used the ingredients listed in the stated quantities. The only two issues I had were 1. Even with greasing and flouring the pans beforehand, the cakes still stuck to the bottom. I am going to address this by putting parchment circles in the bottoms before I pour in the batter; and 2. The cake didn’t hold its shape very well and was extremely crumbly. Could I add some xanthum gum to the recipe to help it hold together a bit more?
Hmm using too much flour can make a cake turn out dry and that may have been what happened here. If you try adding xanthum gum, let us know how it turns out!
How would you reduce this recipe if making for just one person? Thank you in advance.
It would be tricky, seeing as though its a cake but you could change the serving size above the ingredients but the measurements are quite awkward amounts. I’d personally recommend making the full amount (a full cake) and then freezing what you don’t use..
Hi Dana! Thanks for all your wonderful recipes. Question, is there a plant-based sub for vegan butter? If so, are the ratios the same?
This was delicious! I made this into cupcakes with the buttercream icing. I’ve been searching for a good gluten free vanilla cake recipe for a while now and this far surpassed my expectations. No one could tell they were gluten free! Thanks so much for all you do Dana!
I’ve made this three times now in the 6” pans and have learned the toothpick test doesn’t really work for me, the first time the layers were still a little raw. I bake at least the full time stated and look for deep golden on top and pulling away from the sides- more so than with a traditional cake. The 6” layers are super cute and they bake up tall so I find all three too tall. Instead I split two of the layers and frost for a four-layer cake and then freeze the other layer for another time. This last time I subbed pumpkin purée for the applesauce and then added 2 tsp each of pumpkin spice and cinnamon and a shaving of fresh nutmeg. It was excellent! I use Trader Joe’s almond flour and sometimes I need to add a bit more of it to thicken my batter but it seems to work just fine. Thanks for the great recipe!
Made this for my wife’s birthday. It was really tasty, moist and simple to make.
I did “make it my own a bit.
Used Almond nogg instead, mashed banana instead of apple sauce, and tapioca starch.
The holiday nogg gave it a nice pretty taste.
could this be made into red velvet? (w. Cocoa & coloring)
I think so! Let us know if you give it a try.
This cake was great! I can’t have apples, so I pureed pears and used that instead of applesauce. I also wanted to have a lemon vanilla cake, so I added peel from 2 lemons into the batter and peel from 1 lemon into the frosting. It was the perfect balance of lemon and vanilla. I will definitely be making this cake again!
I made this and it came out really nicely. I’m not even good at baking! I did the option calling for one 9X13 pan, and just frosted the top and served it from the pan, so there was lots of frosting left over. Found all the ingredients at Whole Foods in DTLA. I will say it is a pricey cake to make but my GF friend and everyone else loved it. Everyone had 2-3 pieces!
Yay! Thanks for sharing, Merris!
Hi,
I am about to embark on making this cake. The recipe looks easy to do & follow. I have a question….is it possible for me to swap out cane sugar for another type of sugar?
Thank you.
Hi Robin! You could try subbing a mix of maple syrup and coconut sugar, but I haven’t tested it this way and can’t guarantee results.
Im new to GF baking, and after several GF baking flops, I’m happy to say this one was a total success! I loved that the recipe was easy to follow, and accommodated all of my dietary restrictions (i’m on a low FODMAP diet).
The flavor (perfectly sweet) and texture (light and fluffy!) are pretty fantastic, but I’m looking forward to experimenting with some additions (Tiny vegan chocolate chips? Wondering if the cake would support them..). The cake really holds up and still tastes amazing a few days later! Already planning on making this again.
I made this cake and icing for our daughter’s birthday. It was a hit with omnivores and vegans! Everyone was stunned at how delicious and light this cake was. It even kept, without drying, in a sealed contained in the fridge for days after. Will do this one again soon.
I made this cake for my daughter’s first birthday and it was a crowd pleaser! I followed the recipe as is and the cake came out dense but moist and delicious. Definitely one of the best vegan gluten-free baked goods I’ve had!
I made this recipe as cupcakes tonight and it was incredible. It made 24 perfect sized cupcakes. I baked them about 15 min. I have never had a gluten free recipe be so amazing. I am not gluten intolerant but made them for family members who are and these are honestly better than my go to vanilla cupcake recipe. Just delightful. I used almond flour from Kirkland bran and it worked great. I followed the recipe using the metric measurements which I highly recommend. Added a tiny scoop more of almond flour at the end because it seemed a tad runny. Dana your recipes never disappoint. Big fan here.
I was wondering about subbing the coconut milk for coconut water…I am using this as a base for my grandma’s coconut cake (basically white cake with 7 minute frosting -vegan with aquafaba- and with fresh coconut). She would use the coconut water in the cake and then grate the fresh coconut on top…Can I use the coconut water for this or it is not dense/fatty enough?
Hi Sarah! Unfortunately you won’t get the same results using coconut water in place of coconut milk. I’d probably recommend another non-dairy in place of coconut milk. Hope this helps!
Vegan desserts are a dietary necessity in our household so I am always excited to try your recipes (and the best part is they’re 1-bowl!). This recipe turned out very moist. But I thought I’d finally ask a pro baker: why do all my baked goods always taste like baking soda?! Over the years of trying any recipe with baking soda, I encounter this problem with cakes, muffins, breads, cookies… Even if I’m using a new container of it. I’ve also tried storing the baking soda in the fridge. The container I buy is not the cardboard box kind– instead it has a plastic lid to keep it fresh. Any recommendations/tips are greatly appreciated!
We have a nut allergy. Which flour would be the best substitute for the almond flour? No bean flour please…the taste is too strong.
Hi Jo! Unfortunately, almond flour is a pretty key ingredient in this cake. But if you test other flours or meals, let us know how it goes!
Could this be turned into a lemon cake with lemon extract and/or lemon juice? How much?
I’d recommend using this recipe as inspiration, Allie!
I saw that one but I like how this one is gluten-free so was hoping to do something close to this recipe.
Can I replace Bob’s red mill Gf and vegan egg replace instead of the potato starch, corn flour/arrow root and baking soda? It’s kinda expensive to buy all those ingredients, and so I thought I could sub this instead, which has these three ingredients and a husk of some kind to act as a binder. I know I don’t know the ratio of these three ingredients in the egg replacer, and I couldn’t find it online, but I was hoping you might have some experience with it?
I made this for my friend’s birthday potluck, and everyone raved about! I doubled the recipe, baked it in a ceramic 9×13 casserole dish and baked it 1 hour and 20 minutes until the center was cooked through. Turned out perfect in my opinion! Lots of impressed people! Thank you
I ordered 6” cake pans on Amazon for this because the picture was so cute, I had to have that tiny cake! I pulled one layer early as it was brown on top and passed the toothpick test, however it ended up being underdone in the middle as others have reported. The other layers were better so I ended up only using two layers and the cake was still tall, beautiful and really tasty. Maybe it was the almond flour brand? I used Trader Joe’s but I will still probably just use that again and let bake a little longer. Thanks for the great recipe!
Yes, bake longer next time and it should be good!
How can I post a photo?
Hi Lucy! We love that you want to share a photo with us! While our site doesn’t currently allow photo sharing in the comments section, if you post the photo on Instagram and use the hashtag #MinimalistBaker, we’ll keep an eye out for it!
Awesome. Such a delicious recipe! Umm, we at the cake in one day. My son kept saying, “do you mind if I have another piece?” He ate three on his birthday . . . Thank you for sharing this special cake!
Yay! We are so glad to hear that, Lucy!
This was delicious and so easy to make. I made it early before work do that I could frost it and decorate after. So simple to do. I had more than enough frosting. I added chocolate shavings to the top and cocoa powder to the frosting, but I was afraid to add too much cocoa. I made this for my son’s birthday and will be making it for my husband’s in a few weeks. The fruit on top is delicious!!! Thank you!!
Yay! Thanks for sharing, Lucy!
Hi,
What is a ‘stick’ of butter? I am baking from the UK and unsure if this is a US term.
Hello, your recipes are always perfect. I made the Carrot Cake for a birthday and it was delicious. I would like to make this recipe, but adding cocoa for a chocolate cake. How much cocoa? Thank you
We haven’t tried, but that should work! Another reader made a marble cake (vanilla and chocolate) and mentioned it in a comment above! You may also be interested in this chocolate cake recipe!
is it possible to substitute coconut oil (solid) for the butter?
If I double the recipe can I make 1/2 chocolate for layering the cake?
We haven’t tried using coconut oil in place of the vegan butter and can’t say for sure, but I don’t think it would work the same! As for a chocolate layer, that should work! You may also be interested in this chocolate cake recipe!
Hi Dana! Yet another exciting recipe I want to try!
I’d love to make this cake sugar free, suitable for diabetics…still vegan though.
Do you have any suggestions on sugar replacement in the Cake and the Frosting?
Aloha!! I have made this cake numerous times in the past and they came out perfectly but now for some reason the last 3 times I’ve made it each time they sink in the middle…Ive purchased new baking soda/powered and still same result…any ideas why this could be happening? Can I cook them at a lower oven temperature?
Hmm, did you change any of the other ingredients? Or is your oven off?
the only other thing I can think of that might be different is the type of applesauce…ran out of unsweetened applesauce and have used the to-go applesauce packets my daughter eats for snacks, they equal 1/3 cup….
I’m suspecting it’s my oven because things seem to be getting browner much quicker then before…until I can really test out my oven temp do you think if I dropped the temp to 340 it would be ok?
no matter what, this recipe is the BEST tasting vegan gluten free vanilla cake I’ve tried! I’ve made it at least 3 or 4 times prior to this and it’s always been a hit! That’s why I’m flabbergasted as to why it’s been giving me such a hard time lately hahaha….
I can’t wait to make this cake, but would about two layers in 9″ pans? Would you change the baking time?
It should be a similar baking time! I’d recommend cooking for 35 minutes and you’ll know they’re ready when an inserted toothpick in the center comes out clean and the edges and surface appear golden brown.
Hi Dana,
As always your recipes are awesome. I made this last night and panicked when I realized I didn’t have the full amount of almond flour as needed according to the recipe.
I subbed about 85 grams with (freshly ground) sunflower seeds. Amazing! Perfect consistency! Dankjewel from Holland
Oh and I used soy milk and had no applesauce so I just blended 1 apple with a spalsh of water.
Smart! Thanks for sharing!
I tried to reply to your email with an update on the frosting. But it wasn’t delivered so am copying and pasting what I wrote here:
Well my wife liked it, and it was her birthday cake, so I think that’s all that matters!
I used the frosting for a lemon thyme cake I made that wasn’t too sweet, so it all worked out in the end!
Thanks for all that you do Dana, neither my wife or I are vegan or even vegetarian but I do lots of vegan cooking because it’s healthy, and with your recipes it tastes great.
Cheers,
Matt
We are glad to hear that you and your wife enjoyed this frosting, Matt! Thanks for sharing!
Hi! Could I substitute almond flour with coconut flour?
Have you worked with coconut flour at all? I know the conversion isn’t 1:1 and the coconut flour is super absorbent, would you recommend adding more of the wet indgredients?
Hi Florence! Coconut flour is particularly absorbent and sucks up a lot of moisture. When replacing coconut flour for almond flour, it requires that you adjust the amount of liquid and eggs added. Because of this, we wouldn’t recommend it, but if you experiment with this recipe, report back on how it goes!
Hi Dana, this cake is AMAZING! Thank you for the recipe. It was moist and delicious…perfection! I made a chocolate icing instead of vanilla, but other than that, I followed the recipe exactly! Will definitely make it again! have 2 cribs for sale and a 6 drawer dresser. All in nearly new condition. Clean, smoke free, pet free home.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Dana! I’m baking my cakes at the moment! Can’t wait to see how it turns out. Can you tell me the name of the cute little flower twigs you used to decorate the cake in the video? Thanks!
sorry – we’re not sure! Just some wild flowers!
I made this cake exactly as the recipe stated and it turned out fabulous! It is incredibly moist despite having no oil–the applesauce works wonders as an oil replacer. I served it with a medley of raspberries, strawberries and blueberries and folks were saying that this was the perfect complement to the cake. Thank you for another great recipe, Dana!
Whoop! We are so glad to hear that, Steph!
Hello! I gave this recipe a try today. I followed the instructions to a tee, except that I went with only 1 cup of the cane sugar.
I cooked it for 35 minutes because when I put the toothpick in it came out clean, however, mine does not look fully cooked like yours does in the photos. Did I go wrong somewhere or should I leave it in for 40 minutes next time? Thanks!
by “not fully cooked” I mean that it has a denser layer at the bottom of the cake…can someone explain how to fix this so that it doesn’t happen again when I make it for guests. This one was a test run.
Hi Ev! This should help for next time!
Just couldn’t believe this was GF! I halved the recipe and made 12 cupcakes, baked 23 mins, used oil instead of applesauce and arrowroot starch (instead of corn). They were so moist and fluffy, this is for keeps! Thanks so much!
This cake is truly fantastic: moist but not overly dense and it holds its shape well all while tasting A-MA-ZING! I served it at my kids’ birthday party and adults and kids alike gobbled it up like nothing else. It will be gracing our table again for birthdays to come!
We are a vegan and gf family due to some food sensitivities and while it is a challenge to find vegan, gf, coconut flour-free baking recipes that work, your recipes have NEVER failed me. Never. You are my go-to gal for all baking things gf and vegan. This cake, your cashew “cream cheese” frosting (the BEST!), carrot cake, strawberry shortcake, vegan biscuits (which work great gf, too!), vegan gf cinnamon rolls…the list goes on. You’re a rock star in my book – thank you, thank you!
We are glad you enjoyed this cake, Jessica!
Hi Dana! Could I substitute the Almond flour for coconut flour? Thanks!
Hi Debbie! Coconut flour is particularly absorbent and sucks up a lot of moisture. When replacing coconut flour for almond flour, it requires that you adjust the amount of liquid and eggs added. Because of this, we wouldn’t recommend it, but if you experiment with this recipe, report back on how it goes!
Wow!!! I made this cake and infused it and the buttercream with lavender. Best cake I have ever had. Not a crumb was left from guests ?
Woot woot!
Hello,
I was wondering if I could make this recipe in one large bundt pan?
Thanks in advance!
Hmm, we aren’t sure but think that would work! Let us know if you give it a try!
hELLO! I am making this cake but I am able to use actual milk. Will that make a difference?
That shouldn’t make a difference, nope! Hope you enjoy the recipe, Angela :D
Can you sub in ethyritol or xylitol in place of the sugar?
We haven’t tried and can’t say for sure, but if you experiment with it, report back. Good luck!
I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out delicious!!
Is the frosting easy to spread? I am wanting to try making a vegan ombre cake and came across this recipe. It looks delicious!
Yes, it is quite spreadable! Let us know how it turns out!
Thank you! I made this as a birthday cake for my baby’s 1st Birthday. It was a hit with all including the non vegan, non gluten free people.
I had a bit of trouble getting the cakes out of the pans: 2 of 3 stuck and lost bits of their bottom edge. I was able to ‘glue’ them back together with the frosting so no harm, but wondered if anyone had any advice? I tried to follow the recipe faithfully but I used the almond milk option, and ended adding an extra 3/4 cup almond flour as my batter was originally very liquid. I think the problem might have been that I greased and floured the pan using corn starch? The recipe says gluten free flour but didn’t specify what kind.
Also, when the slices were cut you could see a denser layer towards the lower edge, not a uniform texture through each cake.
I’m pretty sure these are newbie errors, not problems with the recipe! Any suggestions welcome as i’d like to make this again – more Birthdays coming up! Thanks again for the yummy recipe!
I had this denser layer at the bottom as well…and I don’t know why! Any ideas would be appreciated!
I made this cake for my daughter’s birthday yesterday it turned out great the flavor was delicious it was a little sweet so we’ll cut back a little bit on the sugar next time but overall it was the perfect birthday cake for her. Thank you so much for this recipe
Hi! I’m going to make this tomorrow for my sons first birthday. Do you have any tips for cooking it in a gas oven? Do you think the sand timing would apply? I’m also going go try it with 3/4 cup coconut sugar instead of the caster sugar. Keeping my fingers & toes crossed that it works out!! Btw we love love love your site, my hubby is vegan & GF and I’m vego so your site is our go-to place for everything food related :) x
Hi Emily! Here are some tips you might find useful. Coconut sugar should be fine, but may also turn the cake darker and give it more of a “muffin” flavor and texture. Good luck!
Do you actually have any measurements in grams or oz for this cake. cup sizes vary all over rhe world and I dont want to guess. thanks
Yep! Select “metric” above the ingredients to toggle back and forth.
I made this for my birthday yesterday. I was a little hesitant because it was my first ever vegan cake, but it was awesome. I wound up using a nut flour blend (almond, walnut, pecan, and coconut) and it was so good. A little crumbly, but still very tasty. I also used tapioca starch for the second batch (my kids used the last of the potato without telling me) and couldn’t tell the difference.
What really did it though was the vegan buttercream. I hate homemade buttercream because it is so toothachingly sweet. I don’t know why this one wasn’t, even though it was essentially the same as my old go-to, but, with a little almond extract, it was some of the best frosting I have ever had. It was VERY stiff though and pulled at the cake, but a little almond milk did the trick.
Hi, I just made this and since I didn’t have potato starch I didn’t add it to the mixture which resulted in my cake breaking. Altho this happened, the taste was GREAT and I plan on finding the potato starch so I can make this for a birthday party.
find the potato starch in the ethnic section of your grocery or Whole foods. It is with Kosher or
Jewish cooking ptoducts
Do you think doubling this recipe would work? I would like to use it for my wedding cake but it would need to be larger. I think three 9″ round pans would be fine size wise.
Yes, you can absolutely double it!
what 6″ baking dishes did you use in the video? are they just ceramic?
Ceramic, yes!
This cake is truely beautiful! I was invited to a dinner party and asked to bring dessert. I knew I needed a dessert that was both dairy free and gluten free. This cake was perfect! A real crowd pleaser and show stopper. I baked the full recipe and put into 2 x 8 inch cake tins, but decided I wanted another layer so baked half the recipe to get my 3rd tier. The only sub I made was just standard caster sugar instead of organic cane sugar. I couldn’t find the unsweatened apple sauce so I just bought apple purée (with no added sugar) from the baby food section which was the perfect quantity in one jar. I decorated with the buttercream frosting, fresh berries, pistachios and mint. If I could upload a photo I would! Everyone loved the cake and I already received a request to bake it again for a birthday. Thanks for the amazing recipe! Proving vegan and GF can still be delicious and simple when done right.
We are so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Tia! If you’d like to share a photo, we’d love to see what you baked up! Use the hashtag #MinimalistBaker on Instagram and we’ll keep an eye out for it :D
I made this cake for my son’s 1st birthday. He has FPIES, a rare illness which makes him very sick when he ingests certain type of proteins. He doesn’t have a very long list of safe and I couldn’t convince myself to go for a cake made from fresh fruits.
Anyhow, it was a really simple cake to make. I used minute tapioca which I grinded for a few seconds instead of cornstarch since my son is allergic. I also only used 3/4 cup of coconut sugar instead of the 1 1/3 cup pure cane sugar. (You know, baby and sugar often make an explosive team hahah).
I got scared of making the whipped coconut cream, so I made the frosting and the whole result was a huge success!! Thank you so much for all those awesome recipes and helping make my life a little easier when there are fewer ingredients, it is easier for me to find substitutes my son can eat!
Thanks so much for sharing your recipe changes with us, Mary! We are so glad you were able to modify this recipe to meet your son’s dietary needs!
Wow this cake recipe is so good, thank you for sharing your blog