The Best Gluten Free Red Velvet Cake
This is by far THE best gluten free Red Velvet Cake I have EVER made! Not only is it moist and light and airy, but its soooo easy to make! Everyone will swear you’re a professional baker.
I’m so excited to bring your this very special Red Velvet Cake recipe! Not only did I make it for my sweet friend, Allison, for her special day, but it also took a lot of trial and error to get it right, and boy was it totally worth it!
Once I took these babies out of the oven, I just knew that they had turned out perfect! They were light and airy, bouncy and most importantly, super moist! The little baker girl in me did the happiest of happy dances!
I think everyone should have a good Red Velvet Cake recipe in their collection. It is such a stunning and classic cake, and it really fits elegantly into any kind of event or holiday. Oh, and did I mention how easy this cake is to make? You will LOVE it!
You can make it for birthdays, baby showers, weddings, casual and formal dinner parties, Christmas, Thanksgiving…Never have I ever heard of anyone rejecting the idea of being in the presence of this beautiful cake.
I have to say, I did experiment with a few different brands of gluten free flours, and the winner was the Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour. It is super fine, just like a traditional cake flour, which is why I think it resulted in such a light and airy crumb.
I would HIGHLY recommend using this flour if you want to make this recipe, I was so impressed with the end results. The flavor was also certainly delicious, and some folks that usually are turned off by gluten free baked goods, admitted that they really enjoyed it!
Since the cake turns out so moist and fluffy, I would even go out on a limb and say that if you don’t tell them it’s gluten free, they would never know 😉.
Oh and my Vanilla Cream Cheese Icing is to die for and a match made in heaven! A little tangy, a little sweet and big on the richness and creamy factor! The bright white color also creates a stunning contrast once the cake is sliced and plated.
This cake can be made into a really high and stunning 6″ cake, or also works as an 8″ beautifully, while still maintaining some height.
You can, of course, make it into a 9″ cake, but just remember that it will be a much lower profile and it will probable take an extra few minutes to bake.
If you decide to make it into an 8″ cake, the easiest way is to use 3, 8″ cake tins, creating a 3 layer cake. I only have 2, 8″ cake tins, so I decided to cut each cake in half, resulting in a 4 layer cake.
Regardless of the size you choose, you’ll want to use a large serrated knife, once the cakes are cooled, to even them out, cutting away any “dome” that formed during baking and making all the layers perfectly straight.
As tempting it is to snack on the bits you cut away, I like to crumble them into small pieces and spread them out on a baking sheet. I place the baking sheet in a low temperature oven (300° F) for about 20 minutes, tossing them and spreading them out with a spatula a few times. This will create a nice “dry” crumb for you to decorate the sides and top of your finished cake.
But, then again, who am I to tell you what to do? If you wanna munch on those bits, you do you! You are the baking boss of your kitchen, after all 😊.
Speaking of being a baking boss, when it comes to decorating, let your inner creativity queen conquer! You can go as crazy or as simple as you’d like. I used mini Ghiardelli dark chocolate squares, colored sugar, heart sprinkles, gold dust and non perils.
If you want to keep it more simple and modern looking, I would suggest using a variety of fresh flowers, even roses. I like to wrap the bit of stem I leave on in some cling wrap, to prevent them from touching the actual cake once inserted. Alternatively, you can use thin plastic straws, trimmed to size, to create a little tunnel for your flower stems, but I rather stay away from them as they are not environmentally friendly.
You can also find edible flowers at some specialty food stores; my local Sprouts Market has them in the fresh herbs section.
As always, I would LOVE to see your creations so make sure you tag me on Instagram @thepeonykitchenblog.
The Best Gluten Free Red Velvet Cake
Ingredients
For the Red Velvet Cake
- 3 1/8 cups Gluten Free Flour (400 g) Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour
- 1 3/4 cups sugar (325 g)
- 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 1/2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 3/4 cups neutral oil I used vegetable oil
- 1 1/4 cups buttermilk room temperature
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tbsp vanilla paste or extract
- 2 1/2 tbsp red food coloring Gel, if possible; I like Wilton's "No-taste Red"
For the Vanilla Cream Cheese Icing
- 2 cups unsalted butter (4 sticks) room temperature
- 1 cup cream cheese room temperature
- 5-6 cups powdered sugar depending on humidity
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla paste or seeds from one vanilla bean
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
To make the Red Velvet Cake
- Preheat your oven to 350°F / Grease your cake tins with butter or coconut oil and line the bottoms with parchment paper rounds.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or a large bowl if mixing by hand, add in your flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder and mix on slow speed just for a few seconds to combine.
- In a large bowl, combine all your wet ingredients: oil, buttermilk, eggs, vanilla and red food coloring and mix, using a whisk, making sure it is fully combined.
- Add your wet mixture into your stand mixer bowl, and mix on very low speed, pulsing on and off a few times to get it started, preventing the mixture from splattering. Continue to mix on low speed just until combined; alternatively, you can do this by hand. Make sure to not over mix the batter; the batter will be pretty wet.
- Evenly distribute your batter into your prepared tins and bake for about 30-35 min, or until the top is set and the cake springs back when slightly pressed with your finger.
- Time will vary depending on how many tins and what size tins you use, but once the top is set, and springs back when touched, they are perfect. Remember, they will continue to set in the middle as they cool, so make sure to not over bake them as they might dry out otherwise.
- Let your cakes cool in their tins, and once cool enough to handle, you can remove them onto a cooling rack.
- Once completely cooled, use a serrated knife to even the tops (saving the shavings for crumbs, if desired) and layer them if you wish to do so.
To make the Vanilla Cream Cheese Icing
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, with a paddle attachment, or a large bowl if using a handheld mixer, cream the butter and cream cheese on medium speed until it is light in color and fluffy (4-5 minutes).
- Add salt and vanilla and mix for a few seconds to combine.
- Gradually add in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing thoroughly in between additions, always starting on low speed, and increasing to medium speed after it is incorporated.
- Depending on the humidity level where you are, the icing might take anywhere from 5-6 cups of powdered sugar. You'll want to have a thick, yet soft consistency that is easy to spread but will hold it's shape once spread on the cake.
- If your icing becomes too dry and hard to spread, just add some milk, a teaspoon or two at a time, to loosen it up.
- Assemble your cake and decorate as desired.
To make the Cake Crumbs
- Crumble the bits of cake that you removed from the tops to even them out and crumble them, using your finger, until you have crumbs that resemble sand.
- Evenly spread them out on a baking sheet and bake in a low oven (300°F) for about 20 minutes, mixing them and spreading them out using a spatula a few times throughout the cooking time.
- Let cool completely and use them to decorate the sides and even the top of your cake.
