For over a decade I’ve been hunting for gluten free dessert recipes that actually taste great. Cakes that EVERYONE can happily eat! This gluten free cake is also grain free and easy to make!

One of my favorite things about this cake is that it’s also dairy free. (Surprise!) And guess what?? it’s possible to have decadent, delicious dairy free cake AND chocolate frosting.

Gluten Free Yellow Cake Ingredients

For the cake:

• Coconut oil
• Large eggs
• Maple syrup
• Vanilla extract
• Almond flour
• Himalayan pink salt
• Turmeric
• Baking soda

For the Milk Chocolate Frosting:

• Baking chocolate
• Coconut oil
• Maple syrup
• Vanilla extract
• Almond butter
• Coconut milk

How to make Gluten Free Birthday Cake

For the cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line two 6-inch cake pans or one 8-inch cake pan with parchment paper rounds, then grease the sides of the pans with coconut oil.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and yolk, coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla until well incorporated. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, turmeric, and baking soda until there are no clumps. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, stirring until a batter forms. Using a spatula, scoop the batter into the prepared pans and smooth out the tops.
3. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the cakes are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool completely before removing from the pan.
4. You can leave the cake in two layers or slice each layer in half horizontally, creating four (which we prefer, to maximize the cake-to-frosting ratio). To save for later, wrap each cake layer in plastic and refrigerate for up to 3 days, any longer and the turmeric might turn dark red as it oxidizes.

For the frosting:

1. Melt the chocolate and coconut oil in a double broiler over medium heat, stirring constantly. (Or a heat-proof bowl that nests in a pan with 1-inch of simmering water on the stove.) Remove from the heat when melted. Add the maple syrup and vanilla stir to incorporate. Cool to room temperature; it should still be liquid, not solid.
2. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl (or use the same bowl as before) and with an electric mixer beat in the almond butter until a thick, whippy frosting is formed. Add the coconut milk and continue beating until smooth.
3. Put the frosting in the fridge to set for at least 2 hours. Whip again until spreadable and fluffy, adding coconut milk if you need to smooth it out further. You can store this in a refrigerated container for up to 2 weeks.

For frosting the cake:

1. For decorating four layers, place one layer on a cake plate and top with 1/4 cup of the frosting. Add the next cake layer, top with another 1/4 cup frosting, and smooth. Repeat for all of the layers, then coat the cake with the remaining 1 cup frosting, smoothing it evenly all over.
2. For an 8-inch cake, you can cover the entire cake with the frosting.
3. Garnish with flower, berries, or leave it plain. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Tips for making Gluten Free Dairy Free Cake

I like slicing each cake layers in half, making 4 layers in total, to maximize the cake-to-frosting ratio.

Make sure you line the cake pans with parchment paper and grease the sides of the pans with coconut oil to avoid any sticking to the pans.

Gluten Free Cake Recipe FAQs

Why do gluten-free cakes not rise?

Gluten-free flour blends lack the elasticity of gluten-containing flours, so cakes often don’t rise as much.

What gluten-free flour is best for cakes?

I personally like using almond flour for it’s nutty flavor and predictability.

Do gluten-free cakes need to bake longer?

Gluten-free cakes often contain more liquid, so they do often need to be baked for longer. I like to test the layers by inserting a toothpick into the center, it should come out clean.

Do gluten-free cakes need more baking powder?

If you are converting a recipe yourself to gluten-free, you can use more baking powder to improve the amount the cake rises. Otherwise follow this recipe as instructed.

How do you add moisture to a gluten-free cake?

Continue to Content

Gluten Free Yellow Cake

Yield: Serves 6

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Additional Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours

You'd never know it's gluten-free (and grain-free) and dairy free! | perrysplate.com | paleo recipes | gluten-free cake recipe | dairy-free recipe

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Ingredients

For the cake:

• 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted, plus more for greasing the pans
• 2 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk
• 3/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups blanched almond flour
• 1 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

For the Milk Chocolate Frosting:

• 8 ounces 100% cacao unsweetened baking chocolate, broken into chunks
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, solid
• 2/3 cup maple syrup
• 2 Tablespoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup almond butter, store-bought or homemade
• 1 cup full-fat coconut milk, plus more as needed

Instructions

For the cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 6-inch cake pans or one 8-inch cake pan with parchment paper rounds, then grease the sides of the pans with coconut oil.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and yolk, coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla until well incorporated. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, turmeric, and baking soda until there are no clumps. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, stirring until a batter forms. Using a spatula, scoop the batter into the prepared pans and smooth out the tops.
3. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the cakes are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool completely before removing from the pan.
4. You can leave the cake in two layers or slice each layer in half horizontally, creating four (which we prefer, to maximize the cake-to-frosting ratio). To save for later, wrap each cake layer in plastic and refrigerate for up to 3 days, any longer and the turmeric might turn dark red as it oxidizes.

For the frosting:

1. Melt the chocolate and coconut oil in a double broiler over medium heat, stirring constantly. (Or a heat-proof bowl that nests in a pan with 1-inch of simmering water on the stove.) Remove from the heat when melted. Add the maple syrup and vanilla stir to incorporate. Cool to room temperature; it should still be liquid, not solid.
2. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl (or use the same bowl as before) and with an electric mixer beat in the almond butter until a thick, whippy frosting is formed. Add the coconut milk and continue beating until smooth.
3. Put the frosting in the fridge to set for at least 2 hours. Whip again until spreadable and fluffy, adding coconut milk if you need to smooth it out further. You can store this in a refrigerated container for up to 2 weeks.

For frosting the cake:

1. For decorating four layers, place one layer on a cake plate and top with 1/4 cup of the frosting. Add the next cake layer, top with another 1/4 cup frosting, and smooth. Repeat for all of the layers, then coat the cake with the remaining 1 cup frosting, smoothing it evenly all over.
2. For an 8-inch cake, you can cover the entire cake with the frosting.
3. Garnish with flower, berries, or leave it plain. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

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