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Close-up of gluten-free vegan vanilla cake crumb and frosting

Gluten-Free Vegan Vanilla Cake From Scratch — No Xanthan Gum!

This gluten-free vegan vanilla cake is made from scratch with a homemade flour blend and psyllium husk, so you get a soft, moist crumb without xanthan gum. It is sturdy enough to frost and slice, whether you need a birthday cake or an everyday vanilla cake that happens to be both vegan and gluten-free.
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Course Dessert

Ingredients
  

Vegan Vanilla Cake

  • Dry
  • ¾ cup + 1 tbsp (120 g) Fine white rice flour
  • ½ cup (50 g) Oat flour
  • ⅓ cup (40 g) Cornstarch
  • ¼ cup (30 g) Tapioca starch
  • ⅓ cup + 1 tbsp (40 g) Almond flour
  • 1 teaspoon Psyllium husk powder
  • ¾ cup (150 g) Superfine granulated sugar
  • 1½ teaspoon Baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon Baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon Salt
  • Wet
  • ¾ cup + 1 tbsp (200 ml) Oat milk (room temperature)
  • ⅓ cup (80 ml) Avocado oil (any neutral oil)
  • ¼ cup (60 g) Unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 tablespoon (15 ml) Apple cider vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons (10 ml) Vanilla extract

Vegan Vanilla Buttercream

  • 1 cup (225 g) Vegan butter, cold but not fridge-hard
  • 2½ cups (300 g) Powdered Icing sugar, sifted
  • 2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
  • 1 – 2 tablespoons (15-30 ml) Oat milk (or any plant milk)
  • Pinch of salt

Instructions
 

Gluten-Free Vegan Vanilla Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 170°C / 340°F. Grease and line a 7-inch round cake pan.
  • Whisk all the dry ingredients thoroughly in a large bowl. Make sure the psyllium husk is evenly distributed before any liquid touches it - otherwise it will clump.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk the wet ingredients (oat milk, oil, applesauce, vinegar, vanilla) until emulsified.
  • Pour the wet into the dry. Whisk until just smooth, about 30 seconds. No lumps, but do not over-mix.
  • Rest the batter for 15 minutes.
  • Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and tap the pan once on the counter.
  • Bake for 50-60 minutes at 170°C / 340°F.
    If the top browns too quickly, tent loosely with foil.
    Cake is done when the top is golden it springs back firmly (not softly) when pressed in the center and a skewer comes out clean or with a couple of dry crumbs.
  • Cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Cool completely at least 1 hour - before slicing or frosting.

Vegan Vanilla Buttercream

  • Beat the vegan butter with a hand mixer on medium-high for 3–4 minutes until pale, light, and fluffy.
  • Add the sifted icing sugar in two additions, mixing on low after each until just combined, then turning up to medium for 30 seconds.
  • Add the vanilla extract and salt. Mix on medium for 1 minute.
  • Add oat milk 1 tbsp at a time until you reach your desired consistency:
    1 tbsp → stiff, good for piping rosettes and borders
    2 tbsp → softer, ideal for spreading and swooping
  • Beat on high for a final 2 minutes. The frosting should be white, fluffy, and hold its shape.

Video

Notes

Ingredient Tips
  • Weigh your ingredients for best results.
  • Use fine white rice flour, not coarse rice flour. Coarse rice flour gives a gritty texture that does not improve with baking.
  • Psyllium husk powder is different from whole psyllium husks. The powder is finely milled and blends seamlessly into the batter. If you only have whole husks, grind them first or increase the quantity by 50%.
  • Certified gluten-free oat flour is important if you are baking for someone with coeliac disease, as regular oats are often cross-contaminated.
  • Blanched almond flour gives a slightly paler crumb than natural almond flour. Both work, but blanched is finer and blends more evenly.
  • Unsweetened applesauce is essential - sweetened applesauce will make the cake too sweet and affect the sugar balance.
Method Tips
  • Do not skip the 15-minute batter rest. This is the most important step in the recipe.
    Psyllium husk and rice flour are slow to hydrate- the rest allows them to fully absorb
    the liquid, which results in a finer, more cohesive crumb.
  • Whisk the dry ingredients thoroughly before adding any liquid. Psyllium husk must be evenly distributed throughout the flour blend, otherwise it will clump when liquid is added.
  • Do not over-mix after combining wet and dry ingredients. Mix until just smooth - about 30 seconds. Cornstarch and tapioca starch are sensitive to aggressive mixing which leads to a slightly gummy texture on the palate. Over mixing also deflates the leavening reaction of baking soda and vinegar. this leads to a denser cake.
  • Tap the pan on the counter once after pouring the batter in. This releases large air
    bubbles that would otherwise create an uneven crumb.
Baking Tips
  • Cool completely before slicing or frosting — at least 1 hour at room temperature. GF
    cakes are structurally fragile when warm and the crumb continues to set as it cools.