What Is A White Cake & How Do You Make It
A white cake is simply a yellow cake made with only egg whites and no egg yolks. Egg yolks add a more yellow tinge to a vanilla cake and give it more of a custard-like texture.
A white cake is perfect for dressing up with food coloring to make a fancier-looking cake. And its also a great cake for adding sprinkles, nonpareils, or edible confetti to for a funfetti-style cake. It also makes more of a dramatic presentation than a yellow cake.
But this white cake is not just our very best gluten free yellow cake simply made without any yolks. When I decided to make a white cake, I tried just replacing the whole egg with more egg whites, without changing anything else and it works okay. But that cake is generally amazing, and okay just isnt good enough!
The batter was really just too thick, and the cake became stale way too quickly. That means it wasnt moist enough to start. An egg yolk is not just a yellow egg white. It has the fat of the egg in it, and fat is a tenderizer in baking.
I tried increasing the amount of sugar in the recipe since sugar is also a tenderizer, but again the batter was too thick. The cake was also too pale for most of the baking time and then browned too much at the end once the sugars caramelized. No good.
Tips For Making The Best Gluten Free Vanilla Cake
- Dont be afraid to over-mix your batter! Vigorously whisk your batter for a few minutes once its made, to help give it structure
- Let your batter sit for about 30 minutes before baking to help the gluten free flour absorb more moisture from the batter
- Properly measure your gluten free flour or use a kitchen scale to measure your dry ingredients
- Ingredients at room temp mix together better, so be sure you set out any cold ingredients ahead of time.
- Bang your cake pans on the counter before putting it in the oven, to bring any air bubbles that are trapped in the batter to the surface
- Use vanilla bean paste to give your cake an amazing flavor!
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.
It took me 6, maybe 7-8, different recipe attempts, 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.
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Difference Between Gluten Free White Cake And Yellow
When searching for a gluten free vanilla cake, you may be confused between the difference of white and yellow cake recipes.
Yellow cakes have a buttery flavor with a moist, slightly denser crumb due to the added egg yolks. White cakes are pure white and use only egg whites for a fluffier, lighter, more delicate texture.
A white or yellow cake, either homemade or cake mix, may be substituted for each other. It is just a matter of taste and preference.
A Quick Note About Sifting Flours
![Full Circle Market Gluten Free White Cake Mix Full Circle Market Gluten Free White Cake Mix](https://www.glutenprotalk.com/wp-content/uploads/full-circle-market-gluten-free-white-cake-mix-hy-vee-aisles-online.png)
Okay, yes, you really do have to sift the flour with the cornstarch and the baking powder and baking soda. I hate to sift, and I rarely do it. But it makes an enormous difference in the final baked cake.
If you watch the video, youll see that I used a sifter. Its this fast-and-efficient sifter from OXO and its been worth having.
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How To Make A Gluten Free White Cake:
To make this a white cake, you will need to make a few adaptations.
My Favorite Gluten Free Flour Blend
Ive tried this recipe with a few different brands of gluten free flour, and so far each of them has worked great:
My favorite brand of gluten free flour for this recipe was King Arthur. However, any brand of gluten free flour you can find at your grocery store should work.
My only word of caution is to be sure you use some sort of gluten free flour blend.
Using a single type of gluten free flour like almond flour or cassava flour in this recipe will not yield the same results!
Most grocery stores carry at least one blend of gluten free flour. Stores like Whole Foods or Trader Joes also have lots of great options.
If all else fails, amazon is another easy way to get your hands on a gluten free flour blend. I order a majority of my baking supplies on , including most of my specialty ingredients.
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Best Pound Cake: Williams Sonoma Gluten
Pound cake is typically denser and moister than regular cakesomething thats been pretty difficult to replicate with gluten-free mixes until the Williams Sonoma Gluten-Free Vanilla Pound Cake Mix came along. Made with a special blend of gluten-free flours and Madagascar vanilla power, this rich and buttery cake is moist, tender, and dense enough to make it truly reminiscent of your grandmothers homemade pound cake.
While the finished creation is delicious on its own, it also acts as the perfect base for strawberry shortcake and is a welcome addition to a gluten-free trifle dessert. You can even make a gluten-free pound cake French toast.
A gluten-free indicator doesn’t always mean a product is vegan, too, but Thrive Market provides explicit instructions on its almond flour cake mix for making a delectable vegan and gluten-free confection thats moist, delicious, and totally hits the spot. All you have to do is swap the eggs for a combination of applesauce and cornstarch.
Better yet, the ingredients list for this mix is quite simple, featuring almond flour, organic coconut sugar, organic arrowroot powder, organic coconut flour, baking soda, and sea salt. While the finished cakes texture is a bit differentits a little grainy, thanks to the thicker texture of the almond flourits still an absolute crowd-pleaser.
How To Make Cake From These Mixes
Each of the recipes is formulated to work by adding water, not milk, to the dry ingredients, along with either oil or butter and eggs. The result is a moist, tender cake with a perfect crumb every time, whether you bake cupcakes, a cake or a dump cake.
Chocolate cake made with cocoa powder, not melted chocolate, lends itself especially well to being made with oil in place of butter. You can use whatever neutral oil you like best: liquid coconut oil, vegetable oil, canola, or grapeseed oil all work fine.
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Why I Prefer Vanilla Bean Paste Over Vanilla Extract In This Recipe
Its important to use good quality vanilla when its the only flavor in a baked good like this. I used vanilla bean paste in this recipe, and I think it makes a huge difference in taste!
I prefer vanilla bean paste to vanilla extract in this recipe for a couple reasons. The first reason is that I love the little flecks of vanilla bean in the buttercream frosting and cake layers.
Theyre beautiful!! Its like you can see that warm, delicious flavor swirled throughout the cake.
I also think that the vanilla bean paste adds a stronger, better flavor than vanilla extract. If you havent tried it before, I highly recommend giving it a try. Its not too expensive, and it really elevates the flavor of this cake!
If you dont want to buy another ingredient or you prefer using vanilla extract, thats ok too! Just be sure to use real vanilla extract. Imitation vanilla just doesnt do it for me flavor-wise.
Do I Need To Add Xanthan Gum
No, not if the gluten free flour blend contains it. All three flours mentioned above do have xanthan gum in the mix.
Please note King Arthur has two variations of gluten free flour.King Arthurs all-purpose gluten free flourdoes not contain xanthan gum, so 3/4 teaspoon will have to added to the dry ingredients.
King Arthur Measure-for-Measure Gluten Free Flour does contain the xanthan gum already, so theres no need to add extra.
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Expert Tips And Recipe Faq:
What gluten free flour is best for cakes?
While there are many different gluten free flour options for sale, I have a few gluten free flour blends that I regularly use in this recipe. I ike Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Blend and Authentic Foods Multiblend is very cool because they mill their gluten free extra fine so there isnt any grit. This will allow a much smoother texture. I also like King Arthur’s Measure for Measure Gluten Free Blend.
How do you know when the cake is done baking?
There are several ways to tell if a cake is done baking. You can try all the methods or just use the ones that work for you.1. The toothpick test is the most common. Just stick a toothpick in the center of the cake and pull it back out. If it comes out clean and free of liquid, then your cake is done.2. Another way to check is if the sides are pulling away from the pan then it is a good indicator the cake is done.3. You can also use your finger to check the texture of the cake. If you press down on the cake and it doesnt bounce right back up, then it probably needs to cool a little longer.
How do you assemble a gluten free layer cake?How do you lift a layer of cake onto a cake stand?
The easiest way to lift a layer of cake onto a cake stand is by using a giant spatula. Simply place the spatula under the cake and raise it. You will want to make sure to hold the cake with your other hand to ensure you dont lose balance.
How long will this gluten free vanilla cake keep fresh?
Whats In Gluten Free Flour
![Full Circle Market Gluten Free White Cake Mix Full Circle Market Gluten Free White Cake Mix](https://www.glutenprotalk.com/wp-content/uploads/full-circle-market-gluten-free-white-cake-mix-hy-vee-aisles-online.png)
There are a lot gluten free flour blends out there. Each brand uses a unique mixture of wheat flour alternatives, like rice flour, brown rice flour, and even almond flour.
It can be difficult to get the texture of gluten free flour just right for baking. A lot of these alternative flours have a finer texture than all-purpose flour.
Some type of starch is usually added to help give the mixture better structure, and a bit of binding power. Tapioca and potato starch are the most commonly used starches.
One other ingredient in gluten free flour that might sound a little strange is xanthan gum. Its a key ingredient in gluten free baking. Xanthan gum has a big impact on the texture of gluten free baked goods too.
Gluten adds an elasticity and stickiness to dough and batter. Xanthan gum emulates these characteristics in gluten free baking, and helps lock in moisture.
Luckily for us, xanthan gum is included in almost all gluten free flour blends .
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Gluten Free White Cake Recipe
Once youve 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.
Kitchen Tip: I use this sheet pan, this cake pan, or this cupcake pan to make this recipe.
Ways To Use This Vanilla Cake Recipe:
- Make cupcakes with the batter. Perfect for holidays and other gatherings.
- You can make a sheet cake for a birthday party or any other event.
- Whip this recipe into cake pops for a fun spin.
- Make it as a layered cake to add extra elegance to the cake.
Are you ready to see how easy this gluten free vanilla cake recipe is to make? And don’t worry, I will include the cream cheese frosting recipe too!
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Gluten Free Yellow Cake
A gluten free yellow cake that’s good for eating by itself, but even better for getting crazy with that icing.
1 Stick Butter, Melted*
STEP 1
HEAT oven to 350F. Line or lightly grease the bottom only of 2, 8-inch round cake pans. For cupcakes, line muffin pan with paper baking cups.
STEP 2
WHISK together eggs, milk and butter in medium bowl until frothy. Add cake mix and stir until combined.
STEP 3
POUR half of batter into each prepared cake pan. For cupcakes, fill muffin tins 2/3 full.
STEP 4
BAKE as directed below or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cake or cupcakes cool completely before frosting.*Real butter works best. If using margarine, use one that contains more than 65% oil.High Altitude : Prepare as directed, adding 3 Tbsp Krusteaz Gluten Free All Purpose Flour and an additional 2 Tbsp milk.Tertiary Prep Note: Do not eat raw batter.
Tips For Making A Gluten
- Instead of scooping the measuring cup into the bag of flour, use the spoon and sweep method for measuring. Use a spoon to scoop flour into the measuring cup and then a knife to level out the top of the measuring cup once full.
- in a separate bowl before pouring into the batter. If needed, use part of an egg shell to remove an excess egg yolk from the egg whites.
- Let the cake layers completely cool before frosting.
- Make a day in advance then store in an air tight container or covered cake stand.
- Bake until a toothpick can be inserted into the center of the cake and comes out clean. Gluten free cakes will sink in the center if not baked long enough.
- Add the round parchment paper liner to the bottom of the cake pan prior to baking to easily remove the cake once cooled.
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