Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake Layers

Oct 13, 2026 · By VanillaGoods

Baking Cakes cupcakes Vanilla: Extract Medium

Two bare, level rounds of gluten-free vanilla cake layers stacked on a cooling rack with one slice cut to show the crumb

A soft gluten-free vanilla cake made with a cup-for-cup flour blend, sour cream for moisture and a little extra leavening. It stacks and frosts like a wheat cake.

Prep 25 min

Cook 35 min

Cooling 1 hr

Total 2 hr

Yield 12 slices

Diet —

Ingredients

Adjust yield

slices

2 ¼ cups (315.0 g)gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour (with xanthan gum)
2 ½ tsp (10.0 g)baking powder
½ tsp (3.0 g)baking soda
½ tsp (3.0 g)fine sea salt
¾ cup (170.0 g)unsalted butter, softened
1 ½ cups (300.0 g)granulated sugar
4.0 (200.0 g)large eggs
1.0 tbsp (15.0 ml)pure vanilla extract
¾ cup (180.0 g)sour cream
½ cup (120.0 ml)whole milk

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Instructions

Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter two 8-inch round pans, line the bottoms with parchment and butter the paper; dust with flour and tap out the excess.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Beat the butter and sugar 4 minutes until fluffy, then beat in the eggs one at a time and the vanilla.
Mix the sour cream and milk. Add the flour in three additions alternating with the sour cream mixture. Let the batter rest 10 minutes so the flour hydrates.
Divide between the pans and bake 30 to 35 minutes until golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool in the pans 15 minutes, run a knife around the edges, turn out onto a rack, peel off the parchment and cool completely before filling.

Tips

The 10-minute rest keeps the crumb from tasting gritty.
Gluten-free layers are fragile warm; cool completely, then chill before stacking.

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Recipe FAQ

How long does it take to make gluten-free vanilla cake layers?

Plan on 25 minutes of prep and 35 minutes of cooking, plus 1 hour to rest. The recipe makes two 8-inch layers (12 slices).

How should I store gluten-free vanilla cake layers?

Wrap cooled layers tightly and keep at room temperature up to 2 days or freeze up to 2 months; frost them cold from the freezer for the cleanest crumb.

Can I make gluten-free vanilla cake layers ahead?

Bake the layers a day ahead, wrap and chill; cold layers are easier to fill, stack and frost.

Can I use a different form of vanilla?

Yes. This recipe uses 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract (15 ml). Each teaspoon of pure vanilla extract can be swapped for 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste, the seeds of half a vanilla bean, or 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla powder. Paste and seeds add the classic dark specks.

A soft gluten-free vanilla cake made with a cup-for-cup flour blend, sour cream for moisture and a little extra leavening. It stacks and frosts like a wheat cake.

Estimated · per serving

Nutrition

Per serving = 1 of 12 servings this recipe makes.

357 Calories / serving

16.5g Fat

46.4g Carbs

5.5g Protein

26.3g Sugar

Whole recipe (12 servings): ~4284 cal · 198g fat · 557g carbs · 66g protein · 316g sugar

Estimated values per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not verified Nutrition Facts; actual values vary with brands, measurements, and preparation.