Just about any occasion is perfect for a fun decorated gluten free cake made into your favorite super-fun shape!
Making any birthday, anniversary, first day of school, Super Bowl, Ground Hog Day … that much more special with a yummy gluten free cake is easier than you might think!
This gluten free cake recipe is one of my all-time favorites, and not just because it is so versatile. It truly makes every occasion happy–because everyone can share something this truly yummy!
Or, for an even easier jump-start to your cake decorating, just grab one of my gfJules Gluten Free Cake Mixes! One mix makes 2 cake layers or a large sheet cake or 24 cupcakes!
We all have memories of parties from our past, where someone invariably brought a store-bought or pridefully displayed homemade cake in some fancy shape and it was positively devoured on the spot.
These cakes somehow bore a remarkable resemblance to a medieval castle, a pirate’s treasure chest, a near-life-sized R2D2 or a Spiderman superimposed upon a towering Gotham skyscraper … and they were delicious.
You know what I’m talking about. You were either embarrassed by your mom or you were secretly jealous because someone else’s mom made one of these amazing cake-idols for a party, and it’s all you remember of the party. Until now.
Now you have the opportunity to make any cake you desire, Super Bowl or other super-ceremony … out of delicious gluten free cake.
Run, don’t walk, those typing fingers over to my gluten free birthday cake recipe (or use my even easier gfJules Best Gluten Free Cake Mix!) and start imagining the possibilities inspired by these fun cakes! (Trust me, they’re not that hard!)
Two-Layer Gluten Free Cake Recipe
Fun Decorated Gluten Free Cakes!
The perfect gluten free cake recipe for all your birthday cake or decorated gluten free cake needs!
Ingredients
- 3 cups (405 grams) gfJules All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour
- 1 Tbs. gluten free baking powder
- 1/4 cup powdered pudding mix measure out 1/4 cup of gluten free instant pudding mix
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup butter or non-dairy alternative (like Earth Balance® Buttery Sticks)
- 2 cups granulated cane sugar
- 4 large eggs (note: for white cake, use 6 egg whites + 1 egg; yellow cake, use 4 large eggs)Â *for egg-free option see below
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup milk or non-dairy alternative (like vanilla coconut, almond, soy, hemp, etc. “milk”)
for chocolate cake add:
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- replace 1 cup of milk listed for white cake with 1 1/4 cup chocolate milk, dairy or non-dairy (I love chocolate almond milk in this recipe!)
- 3 Tbs. chocolate syrup
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 325º F (static) or 300º F (convection).
Spray or oil two 8-inch round cake pans with non-stick cooking spray and dust entire surface lightly with gfJules Flour (line bottom with parchment paper, if desired). To make cupcakes, oil or line cupcake pans with cupcake papers (Makes approximately 28 cupcakes).
Whisk together the flour, powdered milk/pudding mix, baking powder and salt and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter and sugar and beat well with your mixer’s paddle attachment, until the mixture is very light and fluffy (approximately 3-4 minutes). Add the eggs next, one at a time (or egg subs noted below) beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla with the last egg addition.
Slowly add the milk, alternating with the flour mixture and beating in between the additions. Beat until smooth and pour into the prepared pans.
Allow cakes to sit in the pan for 15 minutes before baking. For cakes, bake for 40 minutes, turning the pans half-way through if using convection setting; for cupcakes, test after 20 minutes for doneness.
To test the cakes for doneness, insert a cake tester or toothpick in the middle of each cake and be sure it comes out clean, with very few crumbs attached. The cakes will also begin to pull away slightly from the sides of the pans. Add time if necessary to fully bake the cakes.
When done, turn off the oven and leave the oven door open to let the cakes cool slowly there for 5 minutes or so, then remove the cakes to a cooling rack. After 15-20 minutes of total cooling time, gently invert the cakes to remove them from the pans, then flip gently back onto the cooling rack until fully cooled.
Frost the cakes only when fully cooled, or in the alternative, you may wrap the cakes with wax paper or plastic wrap and seal inside freezer bags to freeze or refrigerate until ready to use.
Notes
**For egg-free use aquafaba OR add 4 tablespoons arrowroot powder to dry ingredients. Add 4 tablespoons applesauce to beaten butter and sugar mixture. Proceed with recipe instructions.
Nutrition Information
Yield 28 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 135Total Fat 5gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 45mgSodium 154mgCarbohydrates 20gFiber 0gSugar 17gProtein 3g
Please keep in mind that nutrition information provided is per serving, which may vary. While we have taken care to provide you with the most accurate nutritional values possible, please note that this information may differ significantly depending on the exact ingredients and brands that you choose to use to make this recipe. Additionally, where options are given for ingredients, the resulting calculation may include all ingredient options instead of only one per line, skewing the totals significantly.
To make this gluten free cake recipe into another shape like a football, use 6-inch ball-shaped cake pans if your cake design does not need to be as wide and requires a larger crown (like a football).
If using smaller pans like these, the cakes will be thicker and may need to bake for longer. To test the cakes for doneness, insert a cake tester or toothpick in the middle of each cake and be sure it comes out clean.
The cakes will also begin to pull away slightly from the sides of the pans. Add time if necessary to fully bake the cakes.
Shaped cakes like this caterpillar are cleverly made using a bundt pan. Bake my gluten free white or chocolate cake recipe (or even easier, use my gfJules Best Gluten Free Cake Mix!) and bake in the bundt pan, checking for doneness after 35 minutes, adding time as necessary to be sure the cake is baked through.
Once cooled, and removed from the pan, cut the bundt cake in half and cut one of the halves again. Arrange pieces touching one another to make this cute crawling caterpillar! Eyes are Junior Mints (gluten-free) and “dirt” is just crumbled gluten free cookies or chocolate covered gluten free pretzels.
This treasure chest is simply two small gluten free sheet cakes stacked and stuffed with candy!
Gluten Free Frostings, Sprinkles and Food Colorings
Frostings make the cake, so don’t skimp! Homemade frosting is easy, inexpensive, and not preservative-laden. Plus, following my recipe, you’ll be able to smooth the frosted cake just like a professional!
Easy Homemade Vanilla or Chocolate Frosting Recipe
Buying ready-made frosting in a can may look like the perfect shortcut, but those frostings can be difficult to spread on a cake, and tend to pull the crumbs off and into the frosting.
If you really want to use the ready-made kind though, I’d recommend making cupcakes – they’ll turn out just fine. Companies which have frostings not containing gluten include Pillsbury and Betty Crocker (but always check labels!).
Regarding food colorings (necessary for most shaped or themed cakes), there are several options.
Ubiquitous brands like McCormick® are gluten-free and now even offer natural food coloring options. Other food dye-free options are available from brands like Watkins, Color Kitchen, Nature’s Flavors, Suncore Foods, or India Tree.
Some or more vibrant than others, so don’t give up if you don’t find one you like at first! Check out my Food Dye-Free Gluten Free Red Velvet Cupcakes Recipe while you’re at it!
Decorative sprinkles are another nice touch – they’re fairly easy to find online from brands like A Great Surprise, Sweets Indeed, Chefs Select, Supernatural, The Unpretentious Baker, and Illinois Nut & Candy, which thoughtfully delineates between its sprinkles which are gluten-free, casein-free, lactose-free, etc.
I have also seen “Let’s Do Sprinkelz” (from Germany but distributed in the US by Edward & Sons Trading Co) gluten-free, naturally-colored sprinkles carried by most of the organic grocers near me, so look for those next time you are at your favorite organic grocery. India Tree’s Nature’s Colors line of sprinkles use cabbage and beet juice for colors.
Another fun decorating option: Gluten Free Cupcake CONES!
I baked these cupcakes in fun gluten-free ice cream cones and the kids had a great time running around the party with them! Choose the cake-style cones with the flat bottoms and for easier baking.
Place the gluten free cake cones in muffin tins for stability, then fill with cupcake batter and bake! Alternatively, you can bake the cupcakes in cupcake wrappers, then drop them into the cones once cooked. Just make sure the cupcakes are the right size for the cones you’ve purchased!
Let’s Do, Goldbaum’s or Barkat are some other good brands of gluten free cones to look for.
So have fun making your next party the tastiest and sweetest yet! What will your next gluten free decorated cake creation be? I can’t wait to see it!
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i would like you send me a superblow cake please 152 dogwood trail tyrone ge 30290
Ha – funny!
It’s really easy to make your own!
Hi, having a hard time finding powdered milk on short notice – any subsititions for this item?
Hi Teresa, can you eat almonds? Making your own almond flour is a great alternative here!
Jules, as always, thanks for sharing your recipes. They are truly THE BEST!
I plan to make this cake for my dad’s birthday, and his all-time favorite is “wedding cake” (white cake, no egg yolks, with white frosting, baked in a sheet pan). I am concerned about adapting the recipe–do you think it would be alright to leave out the yolks & replace each egg with 2 egg whites?
Also, would you adjust the temperature as well as the baking time? Any suggestions for that? I feel like I’m aiming at an unknown target in the dark, so any guidance would be immensely helpful.
Again, thanks for sharing your experiences–both as a celiac patient and a baker. Your recipes are keepers in our household: pancakes, sandwich bread, pie crust, cookies . . . I just made your chocolate chip cookies this morning, with a mixture of chocolate and butterscotch chips. They turned out fabulously!
Hi Jaimie – I think you could try the egg white switcheroo here, but since there are supposed to be FOUR WHOLE eggs, that’s a lot to sub. If you want to give it a go, here’s what I would suggest: replace half the amount with egg whites; the other half, use a homemade egg sub like 1 full egg = 1 Tbs. oil, 2 Tbs. water & 2 tsp. baking powder. You need to get some oil back into the cake to replace the yolks’ emulsifying effects. Hopefully that will be enough to do it without adding color to your white cake. Also, pure vanilla extract is going to add color, and it’s an essential part of the flavor here. You’ll need to opt for artificial vanilla flavoring (clear), but be certain that it’s gluten-free. It appears that Wilton’s is, but check with their customer service department to be sure that the ingredients haven’t changed.
Regarding time and temperature, it will take longer to bake in a large sheet pan — I’d start checking the center at 35-40 minutes or so, and see how it’s going. The temperature should be ok for you.
I’m so glad you’re loving my recipes! That’s the greatest compliment in the world, to know that they have made others’ families so happy!!!
I have a daughter getting married this Summer and we’re working with the bakery to make a second smaller wedding cake for myself and several other family members who must eat GF. Can you recommend a frosting recipe that will work to give the cake a professional look, as well as being used for decorating with frosting roses, etc.?
Thank you so much for any help you can give.
I forgot to mention, the recipe cannot contain chocolate, due to several people also having that allergy.
The easiest, tastiest and most versatile frosting recipe I know is an old fashioned, traditional confectioner’s sugar frosting that can be colored or remain white and need not contain chocolate. Send us pictures of the cake for the wedding! Lots of people have used this frosting recipe and my cake recipes for the WHOLE wedding cake for EVERYBODY to eat … it will surely be a hit for your event too!