1-Bowl Vegan Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake

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!

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!! ?

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 :(

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!

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. ?

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 :)

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!!!!

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

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!

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

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.

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!

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.

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!

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!

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!!

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

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

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.

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!

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!

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 ?

I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out delicious!!

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.

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.

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!

Wow this cake recipe is so good, thank you for sharing your blog

May be the best cake I’ve ever had, gluten-free or otherwise! We used regular dairy frosting since we’re only avoiding gluten and eggs. What a hit at the b’day party!

Thank you!

Fabulous recipe, it was loved by all, everyone had a second helping! Not easy finding a vegan gluten-free cake recipe that is this good, will save this one! Thank you so much for sharing!

This recipe was easy to follow, and the cake came out perfectly. I used lemon extract instead of vanilla, and lemon in the frosting, then topped with fresh raspberries. Even the non-gluten free adults at our party loved it. The flavor was a bit too “adult” for most of the kids, but that was probably the lemon. And we didn’t want to share anyway! Thank you for sharing this recipe, we’ve been struggling to find a decent moist, vanilla cake recipe that doesn’t have gluten, dairy or eggs, and this one is a keeper.

My 14 year old novice baker made this cake yesterday (so it’s pretty easy). I am vegan and GF and she wanted to make something I could eat, too. It is delicious! Maybe the best vanilla cake I’ve ever had (vegan or otherwise). She made it with the vegan buttercream frosting in a 9×13 pan. We will try it again with the coconut whipped cream. Thanks for the fantastic and easy recipe!

Thank you very much for this recipe! Since my 10 years old child has developed multiple allergies in the past 6 months your recipes are my guide in baking without egg, milk, wheat, corn, sunflower(oil) and some more. In this recipe I substituted the cornstarch for tapioca starch, and in the previous batch for arrowroot. Both worked out fine! Also I used soy milk, because that was in my fridge.
The first time I used vanilla extract, the kind that’s sold in the supermarkets in the Netherlands, but that was a bit too much artificial vanilla. So this time I used less and I put some bourbon vanilla in the mixture. It tastes delicious! Also I put some sour red berries in half of the cupcakes I baked from this recipe. That worked out very well!

This is the best yellow cake I have ever eaten! It has wonderful flavor and texture and even my husband liked it, who doesn’t care all that much for gluten free/grain free desserts. I love that there are no eggs as my daughter-in-law isn’t doing them right now. I used the most amazing almond flour, the texture of real wheat flour, and used 3 cups but still had to add extra liquid–thanks so much for letting us know it needed to be thick but pourable, that was so helpful. Also, I used 3/4 cup erythritol/stevia mix instead of sugar and it was amazingly sweet. I could eat the batter!