The Best Gluten Free White Cake

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The Best Gluten Free White Cake is tender and moist, while dense enough not to crumble at the touch of a fork, this is exactly what I want in a white cake.

Topped with creamy fresh strawberry frosting, or a classic buttercream, this cake has received more thumbs up over the past ten years than anything else I’ve baked. The flavor combination is absolutely perfect with both almond and vanilla flavors.

best gluten free white cake recipe

Gluten Free Cake Recipes

Several years ago, my best friend asked if I would make her a gluten-free white cake. In my relative newness to gluten-free baking, I assured her that I could do that. Ha.

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It took me 6, maybe 7-8, different recipe attempts, (I stopping counting after I dumped the third mess into the trash.) The taste and/or texture was never quite right.

If you are familiar with gluten-free baking, then you likely already know that recipes for traditional chocolate desserts are fairly simple to convert to gluten-free most of the time.

This is evidenced by The Best Gluten Free Chocolate Cake, no one ever believes that one is gluten-free. Unfortunately, this is not true for all gluten free baking recipes.

Chocolate provides so much flavor that without it, the more “unique” flavors of the gluten free flour alternatives will often show through. This made it much harder to achieve a classic white cake flavor.

Gluten Free White Cake

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m rather picky about my gluten-free baking. (It has caused many an eye roll from my husband as I decide something just isn’t quite right, while he and my kids are happily devouring it. ha)

Because I am not restricted from eating the traditional versions myself, I often make both items side by side to taste the both versions and see if the gluten free recipe measures up. “Good enough for gluten free” isn’t something I ever want to share with you.

I’m thrilled to tell you that this is THE CAKE. This cake absolutely positively measures up. Over the past few years, I’ve made this cake with the exact recipe below countless times now and I’ve served it to over a dozen people.

It received rave reviews from every single person and they all questioned me more than once regarding whether or not it was really gluten free. (That, my friends, is a sign of gluten free recipe success!)

best gluten free white cake recipe

Gluten Free White Cake Recipe

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease (2) 8″ round cake pans with butter and line the bottom of each pan with a greased parchment circle.
  2. Stir together the dry ingredients and set aside.
  3. Beat the eggs and the sugar together until creamy.
  4. Add half of the dry ingredients and beat again.
  5. Add the buttermilk, butter, vanilla and almond extracts and beat to combine.
  6. Add the remaining dry ingredients and beat just until combined.
  7. Divide the batter between the greased cake pans.
  8. Bake in the center of the oven for 35-40 minutes, until the cake is very lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  9. Remove and let cool at least 30 minutes, before inverting onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
  10. Frost as desired.
Gluten Free White Cake with Strawberry Frosting

Once you’ve fallen in love with this cake the way that we have, you can use this recipe to make a Strawberry Poke Cake, a Pineapple Crush Jello Cake, or this Strawberry Mousse Cake.

The Gluten-Free White Cake recipe works great as cupcakes for a gluten-free birthday cake. My middle son loves this cake with Fluffy Chocolate Frosting. The possibilities with this cake recipe are endless.

Check out all of the Gluten Free Dessert Recipes on this website!

Kitchen Tip: I use this sheet pan, this cake pan, or this cupcake pan to make this recipe.

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The Best Gluten Free White Cake

4.64 from 102 votes
The Best Gluten Free White Cake is tender and moist, while dense enough not to crumble at the touch of a fork, this is exactly what I want in a white cake.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Servings: 16 servings

Ingredients 

  • cups brown rice flour
  • cup potato starch
  • cup tapioca starch
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 cup butter melted and cooled
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease (2) 8" round cake pans with butter and line the bottom of each pan with a greased parchment circle.
  • Stir together the dry ingredients and set aside. Beat the eggs and the sugar together until creamy. Add half of the dry ingredients and beat again.
  • Add the buttermilk, butter, vanilla and almond extracts and beat to combine. Add the remaining dry ingredients and beat just until combined.
  • Divide the batter between the greased cake pans. Bake in the center of the oven for 35-40 minutes, until the cake is very lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • Remove and let cool at least 30 minutes, before inverting onto a wire rack to finish cooling. Frost as desired. Enjoy!

Notes

This recipe makes (40) cupcakes. Bake cupcakes at 350°F for 18 minutes. If you are looking for a traditional white cake recipe, not a gluten free version, I recommend I Am Baker’s Perfect White Cake. The recipe has received amazing reviews from everyone who has made it.

Nutrition

Calories: 312kcal · Carbohydrates: 45g · Protein: 3g · Fat: 13g · Saturated Fat: 8g · Cholesterol: 73mg · Sodium: 216mg · Potassium: 224mg · Fiber: 1g · Sugar: 26g · Vitamin A: 440IU · Vitamin C: 0.2mg · Calcium: 65mg · Iron: 0.7mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @barefeetkitchen or tag #barefeetkitchen!

{originally published 4/1/14 – recipe notes and photos updated 8/17/21}

The BEST Gluten Free White Cake doesn't taste "gluten free" at all! get the recipe at barefeetinthekitchen.com

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Mary Younkin

Mary Younkin

Hi, I’m Mary. I’m the author, cook, photographer, and travel lover behind the scenes here at Barefeet In The Kitchen. I'm also the author of three cookbooks dedicated to making cooking from scratch as simple as possible.

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  1. Linda Thurston says

    Your white gluten free cake looks amazing! My question is regarding the baking powder. Due to corn allergies, I make a baking soda sub with 1/2 tsp cream of tarter and 1/4tsp baking soda to make 1 tsp. Your recipe calls for a 1 tbsp baking powder, do you think, 1 tsp of my sub would work. I feel if I make a tbsp it may have a baking soda taste.
    Thanks

    • Mary Younkin says

      Hi Linda, if you typically use your substitution without any issues in different cake recipes, it should work fine. I can’t speak to it for sure though, as I’ve never tried that myself. Happy baking!

    • Jess says

      Hello Linda!

      My son was severely corn-intolerant until he was nearly 2 years old! I also had to make my own baking powder this way! I would mix up a fairly large amount of 1 part baking soda to 2 parts cream of tartar and then would use it interchangeably whenever a recipe called for baking powder. I never had any issues with it and for proper leavening you’re going to want to make sure you use the same amount as the recipe calls for! I know this comment is a bit late but I hope it helps you in the future!

  2. Heather says

    What sugar substirute would you recommend I try with this recipe? I have honey, maple syrup erythritol coconut palm sugar…….

    • Mary Younkin says

      Yes, it will keep nicely. If you know you won’t be serving it for a few days though, I recommend wrapping it tightly in saran wrap and freezing it until closer to the serving day.

  3. Brittany E Kreider says

    I’m really curious about the pink frosting you have on the cake. Is it the same Strawberry Mousse Cake you mention earlier in the article? It looks so delicious5 stars

  4. Jess says

    I’m not sure you’ll see this in time so for future reference or other people’s information, would I be able to substitute Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 in equal parts for the flours, starches, and xanthan gum? I myself am not gluten-free but I occasionally bake for a friend who is. It’s her birthday this weekend and I’m in charge of cake! The 1-to-1 is what I keep on hand as that’s what she uses and recommends and I’d prefer not to have to spend more money on these other ingredients simply because they’ll most likely go to waste once the cake is finished.
    Thanks for your time!

    • Mary Younkin says

      You can certainly try that, Jess, but I can not speak to how it will work for this particular recipe. If you do try it, let me know how it works out for you.

  5. Amanda says

    Hello! I’m not sure if this will reach you in time! I plan to make this cake this weekend for my sons 9th b-day. I can honestly shamefully say that I have always used boxed cakes. I’ve never been into baking (although I think if I had more time I would enjoy it more now). However, since both of my children were diagnosed with Celiac a few years ago, I’ve had to become cake decorator haha! I try! I have still used the boxes though. Well, we are doing a space theme this birthday and it just hit me that it would be fun to marble the cake. Which means I am in need of a white cake to add coloring to.. So, this is how I have made it here to this recipe. I know there are a couple of white boxes on the market but to be honest I’m not a fan of other products made by these same brands. I’d rather take my chances that I could pull this off then attempt one of the the others! With this all being said, I haven’t had as much time to be creative with decor this year so I ordered an edible cake topper….sheet. Anyhow, this was ordered prior to my thought of needing a true white cake. So the topper is for a 1/4 – 1/2 sheet cake. What would you recommend on the baking time for a 9×13 pan? On a side note, is there any reason I can’t stack a 9×13 right on top of a 9×13? I did a layered cake for my daughter a couple of years back and did the whole rod and board support thing but am thinking I could stick the 9×13’s right on top of each other. So there you have it! a lot of information you didn’t need to know, to ask you 2 questions! Hello, my name is Amanda. I suffer from being too wordy on a daily bases. Unfortunately you’ve had the pleasure of experiencing my overly processed, birthday party and present shopping, cake brain storming, and it’s 1:00 am on a week night (setting records here) self. I should probably say I’m sorry but I have a feeling this will bring laughter to some (embarrassment to myself) and simply can’t apologize if it brings even one person a smile! Thank you & thank you;)

    • Mary Younkin says

      I think that as a 9×13 it should stack fine. This is a fairly sturdy white cake that I’ve layered as rounds many times. I can’t speak to the baking time, but I would recommend testing for doneness around the 30-minute mark and then allowing more time as needed. Happy birthday to your son!

  6. Tremough says

    Is this cake truly a WHITE cake (as opposed to a yellow cake that is labelled “white” in the GF world? I am not a baker, but I crave a real, soft, traditional white cake! I don’t want to go to all this challenging work to end up with another not-white cake!

    Thanks

  7. Selina Solis says

    I am looking for a gluten-free white cake for a birthday party and your pictured cake looks awesome! Have you tried covering this cake with fondant? Do you think it’s firm/dense enough for it? Mine would be a double-layer, single-tiered cake. Thanks!!!

  8. Helen B says

    This was the best cake ever! We baked it for about 50 minutes in a Bundt pan and covered it with a caramel glaze and chopped pecans.

  9. Julie says

    The cake in video looks like a different texture than cake in the picture wanted to try this recipe as was looking for a good gluten free one but that through me off and not gonna try this recipe now

    • Mary Younkin says

      The texture is the same, Julie. I can’t control the photo results vs video results and I don’t edit to change it. As you can tell by the hundreds of thrilled comments, people LOVE this recipe.

  10. Connie Poth says

    I made this recipe as cupcakes the first time and took them to work and everyone raved and said that they would not have known they were gluten free if I had not told them! Then second time I made them as layers for a wedding cake and they did not rise as high as my regular cakes. I do wrap my cake pans with cold baking strips while baking. Still moist but took 6 layers to equal the standard three I was looking for. Also trying to figure out what consistency the butter is suppose to be liquid but room temperature cooled is what I used.5 stars

    • Mary Younkin says

      I have no idea why the layers wouldn’t have risen for you. That’s very odd. My butter is typically warm, but not hot. I don’t know if that would make a difference. I’m glad you’re liking the recipe, Connie.

  11. Cindy says

    This is a good tasting cake but it is not white. It’s yellow. If you add yolks its yellow cake not white cake. I ‘m so disappointed I haven’t found a gluten-free white cakerecipe yet.

  12. Cecily Muller says

    I’m going to make this for an event, but it will not be white or look like the picture with 4 whole eggs, this will certainly be yellow. I’ve yet to find a decent gf white cake recipe.

    • Mary Younkin says

      For what it’s worth, Cecily, this is an untouched photo of exactly what the cake looks like. Same for the video. Feel free to adapt it however you like.

    • Lise says

      Can you use a gluten free flour blend in this instead of the individual components? New to GF baking here!

    • Mary Younkin says

      I have no idea how that will work in this recipe, Lisa. The recipe was developed to work perfectly with the ingredients as listed here. It’s worth reading through the comments here though, as many people have tried alternated flour blends.

    • David says

      Can you tell me what brand of brown rice flour you use because every time I use brown rice flour, my baked goods come mushy and/or uncooked. Thank You and can’t wait to try this!

  13. Meika says

    Yum! I just tried the white cake recipe with a blueberry swiss meringue buttercream and I love it!!! Thanks for a beautiful, tender GF cake recipe. So tired of almond meal cakes.5 stars