This almond flour cake is moist, tender, and flavorful. It’s great if you need a grain-free recipe or if you just love almond desserts! Easy one-bowl cake recipe. Perfect for birthdays and other celebrations! 

Looking for a moist, soft, and delicious yellow cake made with almond flour? This recipe has you covered. It’s so easy-to-make! And is perfect frosted with buttercream or simply sprinkled with powdered sugar and served with fresh berries.

People often ask me if they can swap almond flour for gluten-free flour in my gluten-free yellow cake recipe. That’s not a good idea because almond flour, which is made from ground almonds, contains fat and no starch. The good news? This recipe was developed with almond flour. No need to make swaps! It’s moist and tender and grain-free. 

Why You’ll Love This Almond Flour Yellow Cake

• Made with simple ingredients
• One bowl recipe.
• Flavorful
• Moist and tender
• Freezes well

Important Ingredients

• Finely ground almond flour. This cake uses almond flour for a rich flavor and moist texture. For the best results, use a finely ground almond flour. 
• Tapioca Starch/Flour. During testing, I found that tapioca starch made for a yellow cake with a “bakery-style” crumb. It adds softness to the cake while letting the flavor of the almond flour shine. 
• Eggs. There’s a generous amount of whole eggs in this recipe. They provide structure to the cake. Please note: the recipe has not been tested with an egg replacer. 
• Grapeseed Oil. To keep the crumb of this cake light and tender, use a liquid oil, like grapeseed oil. I found that melted coconut oil made the cake heavy. 
• Coconut Sugar or Evaporated Cane Sugar. The sweetness in this cake comes from either coconut sugar or natural cane sugar. If you use coconut sugar, the cake looks a bit darker and has a more caramel-like flavor than if you use cane sugar
• Milk. For a nice smooth batter, a little milk is needed. Traditional milk or a dairy-free replacement may be used. The only milk to avoid is full fat coconut milk. The added richness that full fat coconut milk brings to the recipe creates a cake that’s unpleasantly rich.

How to Make Almond Flour Yellow Cake. Keys for Success

• Whisk the almond flour to remove lumps. Due to the oil content in almond flour, sometimes it clumps together. Before using, whisk it, with either a fork or balloon whisk, to break up any lump.
• Mix the batter until smooth and creamy. You don’t need an electric mixer for this recipe. (Although you can use one if it’s easier for you.) Simply combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and whisk until smooth and creamy. When you’re done with whisking, take a moment to run a spatula along the side and bottom of the bowl. (Sometimes a little of the flour mixture is hanging out there.) And give the batter a few more stirs with the whisk.
• Cool the cake on a wire rack. This cake is fragile when it comes out of the oven. Allow it to cool in the pan for a few minutes. And then, when it’s still warm to the touch but not, remove the cake from the pan and allow it to cool on a wire rack.

Almond Flour Cake: Dos and Don’ts

Don’t use coconut flour. This cake uses almond flour and tapioca starch. Coconut flour or a grain-based gluten-free flour won’t work in this recipe.

Do use coconut sugar or pure cane sugar. This is a mildly sweet cake. 

Do test the cake for doneness. Insert a cake tester or toothpick into the center of the cake to check it for doneness. The cake tester should come out clean or with a few crumbs clinging to it. You don’t want to see any batter.

5 from 1 vote

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Almond Flour Yellow Cake

Easy almond flour cake recipe. Moist and tender, this grain-free almond flour cake is perfect for birthdays. Dairy-free.

Servings 12 servings

Ingredients

For the Cake

• 3 cups finely ground almond flour (12 ounces; 340 grams)
• 1 cup tapioca starch (4 ounces; 113 grams)
• 1 cup coconut sugar or evaporated cane juice (6 ounces; 170 grams)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder, homemade or grain-free store-bought
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ⅔ cups grapeseed oil 4 ⅔ ounces; 132 grams
• 6 large eggs (about 10 ½ ounces; 300 grams out of the shell)
• ½ cup milk, dairy-free or traditional, (4 ounces; 113 grams)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the Frosting

• 1 cup dairy-free butter spread or butter, softened (8 ounces; 226 grams)
• 4 cups powdered sugar, grain-free, see note (16 ounces; 453 grams)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup milk, dairy-free or traditional, more as needed (2 ounces; 56 grams)

Instructions

For the Cake

1. Preheat Oven. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350ºF.

2. Grease Pans. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray or brush lightly with melted coconut oil. Place an 8-inch parchment-paper round in the bottom of each pan and grease it lightly with nonstick cooking spray or brush lightly with melted coconut oil.

3. Make Batter. Whisk the almond flour, tapioca starch, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a medium mixing bowl. Break up any clumps of almond flour with your fingers or a fork. Add the oil, eggs, milk, and vanilla and whisk until smooth.

4. Fill Pans. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared cake pans. Gently tap the pan on the counter to settle the batter.

   Bake until a cake tester inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

5. Cool the Cake. Allow the cake(s) to cool in the pan for about 8 minutes, then turn out to a wire rack to cool completely. Peel off the parchment paper and allow to cool completely before frosting.

6. Store the Cake. Cover leftover cake and store on the counter for up to three days. To freeze the cake: cool cake completely. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and freeze up to two months. Thaw cake overnight in the refrigerator.

For the Frosting

1. Make Frosting. Beat the dairy-free spread until light. Stop mixer. Add the powdered sugar, salt, and milk. Turn mixer to low. Mix for a few seconds. Increase speed and beat the frosting until light and fluffy. If frosting is too thick, add additional milk as needed.

Recipe Notes

Powdered Sugar

Many brands of powdered sugar contain corn starch. If you need a grain-free powdered sugar, look for a grain-free brand or make your own with this corn-free powdered sugar recipe.

Easy recipe for gluten-free chocolate cupcakes. The best one bowl, small-batch recipe. Moist and tender. Dairy-free option.

After creating an easy recipe for one bowl gluten-free vanilla cupcakes, I wanted to do the same thing for chocolate cupcakes. 

Some gluten-free chocolate cupcake recipes rely on a combination of cocoa powder and melted chocolate. While this makes for a yummy cake, it’s not what I’d call easy. Some days I’m just not in the mood to chop and melt chocolate. Actually, make that most days. 

My goal was to create a recipe for soft and tender gluten-free cupcakes that’s super easy to make.

After a few flops, I settled on a recipe that, if I’m honest, is one of the best chocolate cupcakes I’ve ever had. Gluten-free or not. 

These gluten-free chocolate cupcakes are

• Dense and tender
• Chocolatey
• Easy to make. You only need one bowl! 

Ingredients for Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes

Gluten-Free Baking Flour. I developed and tested this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour. Using a different flour blend may change the texture of the cupcakes.

Cocoa Powder. This recipe uses natural cocoa powder, not Dutch process. For the best flavor, use a cocoa powder that contains fat. The fat in cocoa powder is what carries the flavor. 

Granulated Sugar. Granulated sugar allows the cocoa flavor to shine. 

Baking Powder. Gives the cupcakes rise. 

Salt. Salt is always important in baked goods. It enhances flavors and tempers the sweetness. Use table salt, not Kosher salt for baking.

Eggs. Provide structure. This recipe has not been tested with egg replacers. 

Milk or Coffee. For a box mix style cupcake, use milk. (Either cow’s milk or a dairy-free option.) If you like chocolate cupcakes with a deeper flavor, use cooled coffee.

Oil. Adds richness and gives the gluten-free cupcakes a soft crumb.

How to Make Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes

1. Preheat the oven. Baked goods rise best when baked in a hot oven. Before you start measuring ingredients and making the batter, turn the oven on. It should be ready for you when you’re done making the batter.
2. Sift the cocoa powder. Since it contains fat, (which is a good thing), cocoa powder tends to clump. Even though it’s a bit of a pain, take a minute to sift the cocoa powder to remove lumps. 
3. Make the batter. Whisk together the gluten-free flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, and salt. You can use a handheld whisk or an electric mixer for this step. Whisking the dry ingredients together evenly distributes the cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt throughout the mixture. Add the milk, eggs, and oil. Stir until the batter is smooth.
4. Fill the cupcake cups. Line a standard cupcake pan with paper liners. Fill each cup 2/3 of the way with batter. Don’t add more batter or the cupcakes might overflow during baking. 
5. Bake until set. Use a cake tester to check the cupcakes for doneness. No batter should stick to the tester. 
6. Cool on a rack. After baking, allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for about five minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the pan and place them on a wire rack to cool completely. This allows steam to escape, so the cupcakes don’t get soggy or gummy.
7. Frost with buttercream. Once the cupcakes are cool, frost with your favorite frosting. I love chocolate buttercream with chocolate cupcakes

Storing Gluten-Free Cupcakes

Cover the cupcakes (or use a cake holder) and store them on the counter for up to three days. Check out my guide on how to freeze cupcakes if you’d prefer to keep some for later.

FAQs Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes

Can I replace the gluten-free flour with almond flour or coconut flour?

This recipe was developed for a grain-based flour. Almond flour or coconut flour won’t work. 

Is this recipe dairy-free?

Yes. Use dairy-free milk in the batter and a dairy-free spread for the frosting and you’re good to go.

What’s the best frosting for chocolate cupcakes?

I like chocolate buttercream and I included my favorite recipe below. Use my recipe for vanilla buttercream if you like the combo of chocolate cake and vanilla frosting.

5 from 3 votes

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Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes

Easy recipe for gluten-free chocolate cupcakes. The best one bowl, small-batch recipe. Moist and tender. Dairy-free option. Makes 12 cupcakes.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes

• ¾ cup gluten-free flour (4 ounces; 113 grams)
• ¾ cup granulated sugar (5 ½ounces; 158 grams)
• ½ cup natural cocoa powder, sifted (1 ½ ounces; 45 grams)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs (about 4 ounces; 113 grams out of shell)
• ½ cup milk or cooled coffee, see note (4 ounces; 113 grams)
• ⅓ cup vegetable oil (2 ⅓ ounces; 65 grams)

Chocolate Frosting

• 2 cups powdered sugar (8 ounces; 226 grams)
• ⅓ cup cocoa powder
• ½ cup softened butter or dairy-free spread (4 ounces; 113 grams)
• 3 tablespoons milk plus more as needed

Instructions

1. Heat Oven. Adjust oven rack to middle position. Preheat oven to 350℉. Line 12 standard muffin cups with paper liners.

2. Make Batter. Whisk together gluten-free flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Add eggs, milk, and vegetable oil. Whisk until batter is smooth.

3. Bake. Fill cups ⅔ full. Bake until set, about 15 minutes. A cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcakes should come out clean.

4. Cool and Frost. Allow cupcakes to cool in the pan for five minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Frost with buttercream if desired.

5. Chocolate Frosting. Whisk together powdered sugar and cocoa powder. In a medium bowl, cream butter until smooth. Stop mixer. Add sugar-cocoa mixture and milk. Mix until smooth. If frosting is thick, add additional milk, one teaspoon at a time.

Recipe Notes

Ingredient Note: Using Coffee

For a more intense chocolate flavor, use cooled coffee in the recipe. It enhances the chocolate flavor. 

Storage Directions

Store cupcakes, covered and at room temperature for up to three days. Freeze frosted or unfrosted cupcakes for up to 2-3 months. When ready to serve, thaw cupcakes overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature for several hours.

Easy gluten-free vanilla cupcakes. These are the best cupcakes to make on a weeknight! You only need one bowl and a whisk. 

One Bowl Gluten-Free Cupcakes

I wanted to create a recipe for gluten-free cupcakes that were as easy to make as a boxed mix. My early attempts were…interesting.  The first ones came out flat. The next were too sweet and the batch after that tasted like a dry muffin. Not what I was going for in a cupcake recipe. 

After several tries, the cupcakes were finally what I wanted.

These gluten-free cupcakes are:

• Easy-to-make! 
• Soft and tender, like my gluten-free funfetti cake
• A simple, small batch recipe. 
• Dairy-free.

The recipe makes about dozen cupcakes. So it’s perfect for a weeknight birthday or one of those nights you just want cake. (If you don’t want to bake a dozen cupcakes, make a gluten-free mug cake.)

Gluten-Free Cupcakes: Key Ingredients

• Gluten-Free Baking Flour. An all-purpose gluten-free baking flour that contains xanthan gum or guar gum makes it easy to whip up these cupcakes in a snap. 
• Granulated Sugar. Cupcakes are sweet but you don’t want them too sweet. My first tests included a full cup of sugar. These made for very tender cupcakes because sugar acts as a tenderizer but they were too sweet. Three-quarters of a cup is just right. 
• Baking Powder. Makes the cupcakes light and tender. Check the expiration date on your baking powder. You don’t want to use expired baking powder. The cupcakes won’t rise as much.
• Salt. A half teaspoon of salt enhances the flavor. Use table salt, not kosher salt. Table salt dissolves easily in batter. 
• Eggs. Provide structure. This recipe has not been tested with egg replacers. 
• Milk. Use regular milk or dairy-free. The recipe works well with either! Milk adds flavor and helps the cupcakes to brown. 
• Oil. Adds richness. If you prefer to use butter, melt butter and allow it to cool before adding it to the batter. 
• Vanilla. Gives the cupcakes a nice “birthday cake” flavor.

How to Make Gluten-Free Cupcakes: Keys to Success.

1. Make the Batter. Whisk together the gluten-free flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. You can use a handheld whisk or an electric mixer for this step. It doesn’t matter! Doing this evenly distributes the baking powder and salt throughout the mixture. If you add the liquid ingredients right away, the baking powder can clump and the cupcakes won’t rise as well. Once that’s done, add the milk (regular or dairy-free), eggs, and oil. Whisk until the batter is smooth and you’re ready to bake.
2. Fill the Cupcake Cups. Line a standard cupcake pan with paper liners. Fill each cup ⅔ of the way with batter. Don’t add more batter or the cupcakes can overflow during baking.
3. Bake Until Set. These gluten-free cupcakes stay very light. Check the cupcakes with a cake tester to see if they’re done. No crumbs should stick to the tester.
4. Cool Before Frosting. After baking, allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for about five minutes. Then remove them from the pan and place on a wire rack. This allows steam to escape, so the cupcakes don’t get soggy or gummy.
5. Frost. Once the cupcakes are cool, frost with your favorite frosting. I love vanilla buttercream with these but chocolate or lemon is yummy too!

The Best Flour for Gluten-Free Cupcakes

I developed this recipe using Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour. Using a different flour blend can change the texture of the cupcakes. 

The Key to Even Cupcakes

Other than a cupcake pan, you don’t need any special kitchen tools to make gluten-free cupcakes. But…if you want perfectly even cupcakes, grab a muffin scoop. (It looks like an ice cream scoop.) Fill each cup ⅔ full. Using a scoop makes this easy and less messy!

5 from 20 votes

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Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes

Easy one-bowl gluten-free cupcakes. Soft and tender. Small batch recipe.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 18 minutes

Total Time 28 minutes

Servings 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes

• 1 ¼ cups gluten-free flour (6 ¾ ounces; 192 grams)
• ¾ cup granulated sugar (5 ¼ ounces; 148 grams)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup milk, regular or dairy-free (4 ounces; 113 grams)
• 6 tablespoons vegetable oil (2 ⅔ ounces; 75 grams)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Frosting

• ½ cup butter, room temperature (regular or dairy-free butter replacement) (4 ounces; 113 grams)
• 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted (8 ounces; 226 grams)
• 2 tablespoons milk, regular or dairy-free, more as needed
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Make the Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350℉. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners. Set pan aside.

2. Whisk gluten-free flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Add milk, eggs, oil, and vanilla extract. Mix until the batter is smooth.

3. Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners. Fill each cup ⅔ full. This prevents overflow during baking. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean, about 18 minutes.

4. Allow cupcakes to cool in the pan for five minutes. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Frost cupcakes when cool. Use your favorite gluten-free frosting or the recipe below.

5. Store cupcakes, tightly covered, on the counter for up to three days or freeze for up to two months.

Make the Frosting

1. Beat butter until smooth in a medium bowl. Add powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract. Turn mixer to medium-low speed. Mix. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until light. If frosting is too thick, add more milk.

Recipe Notes

Notes

Recipe Yield: Cupcake pans vary slightly in size. This recipe makes between 10 to 12 cupcakes. 

Gluten-Free Flour: This recipe was tested with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Baking Flour. Using a different flour might change the taste and texture of the cupcakes.

This easy almond flour coffee cake recipe is gluten-free and grain-free. It makes a moist and tender cake that paleo eaters and others love! 

My love of coffee cake started years before I tasted a sip of coffee. My mom made a Bisquik coffee cake often during my childhood. We never ate it for breakfast; it was always an after-dinner treat. This recipe, with its sweet cinnamon flavor, makes a nice breakfast or dessert–coffee optional! This grain-free recipe is a love letter to the coffee cakes of my childhood. 

Why You’ll Love This Grain-Free Coffee Cake

• Delicate and tender
• Not too sweet
• Easy-to-make
• Dairy-Free (with an option to use butter if that works for you.)
• Freezes well

Key Ingredients for Almond Flour Coffee Cake

• Finely ground almond flour. This is the backbone “flour” for this recipe. It adds wonderful flavor, texture, and richness. Please do not replace the almond with traditional gluten-free flour or additional coconut flour. 
• Coconut flour. There are only three tablespoons of coconut flour in this cake. It provides the cake-like texture we all know and love in coffee cake. As with the almond flour, it can’t be replaced with either gluten-free flour or almond flour or it will adversely affect the texture of the cake.
• Coconut Oil. Some brands of coconut oil taste strongly of coconut. Others do not. For this recipe, I prefer mild coconut oil; I find the coconut flour adds enough coconut flour without overwhelming the flavors of the almond flour and cinnamon. If you use a strongly flavored coconut oil, this coffee cake has more of an almond/coconut flavor.

How to Make Almond Flour Coffee Cake: Keys for Success

1. Use parchment paper. Grease the cake pan with oil and then line the bottom with a piece of parchment paper. Why? Cakes made with coconut flour tend to stick to the pan. Parchment paper prevents this. 
2. Soften the coconut oil. You want the coconut oil soft, not hard and brittle, and not melted. 
3. Use a large balloon whisk. Thanks to the coconut flour in the recipe, the dough is thick. If you notice it’s sticking inside your whisk, switch to a larger whisk or use an electric (handheld or stand) mixer.

Note: This recipe is dedicated to Julia who loves to bake and to her mom, Kendall, who so beautifully introduced her daughter to the kitchen. 

5 from 4 votes

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Almond Flour Coffee Cake (Gluten-Free & Grain-Free)

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Servings 8 slices

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups finely ground almond flour (7 ounces; 198 grams)
• 3 tablespoons coconut flour (3/4 ounce; 21 grams)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, homemade or store-bought (grain-free)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, solid or unsalted butter, softened (2 ounces; 58 grams)
• 4 large eggs (about 8 ounces; 225 grams out of shell.)
• 1/3 cup maple syrup (3 1/2 ounces; 100 grams)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Streusel Topping

• 2 tablespoons granulated maple sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Instructions

1. Heat the oven and prepare the pan. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees Grease an 8-inch round cake pan with nonstick cooking spray or brush lightly with coconut oil. Place an 8-inch round piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan.

2. Prepare the batter. Whisk the almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium mixing bowl. Cut in coconut oil until no large pieces of coconut oil remain. I like to use my fingers for this. If you don’t want to use your fingers, use a pastry cutter. Remove two tablespoons of dry mixture for the streusel and place in a small mixing bowl. Set aside.

3. Add the eggs, one at a time, to the remaining dry ingredients. Allow each egg to incorporate before you add the next. After you add the final egg, whisk in the maple syrup and vanilla extract. Spread batter into prepared pan.

4. Prepare the streusel. Stir together the reserved almond flour mixture, maple sugar, and cinnamon. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the top of the cake.

5. Bake the cake. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

6. Remove pan from the oven and place on a wire rack. Allow cake to cool completely in the pan.
7. Store, wrapped tightly, on the counter for up to three days.

Easy Recipe for Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake. Follow this simple recipe for the best angel food cake you’ve ever made. Perfect served with berries and whipped cream. 

If you’ve baked angel food cake before, this recipe asks you to forget almost everything you know about the process. And if you’ve never baked an angel food cake, you’re in luck. This version is ridiculously easy–and you don’t need to forget any prior techniques!

Why You’ll Love This Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake

• Easy to Make. You start by whipping together cold eggs and sugar. A sturdy stand mixer does all of the work. 
• Light and Tender. This gluten-free angel food cake bakes up so light and tender. 
• Perfect Served with Whipped Cream and Berries. This cake tastes great on its own but it’s also really tasty with a dollop of whipped cream and some fresh berries.

How to Make a Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake: The Important Steps

• Whip together the egg whites, cream of tartar and sugar. This isn’t a fussy recipe. Simply combine the egg white, cream of tartar, and salt and whip until thick and shiny. This takes about 10 minutes on a stand mixer. Don’t give up! Unlike some recipes for angel food cake, there’s no need to add the sugar a little at a time.
• Slowly add the gluten-free flour. Once the egg whites are thick and shiny, add the gluten-free flour. Go slow here. It’s important. You want to add about a quarter cup at a time. Be sure each addition of flour is incorporated before adding more.For the first few tests, I attempted to fold the flour into the whipped egg whites with a rubber spatula. This lead to some of the flour sinking to the bottom of the mixing bowl—causing the batter to deflated and bake with streaks of unhydrated flour throughout.

  The solution to the problem was simple. I added the flour, in four additions, with the stand mixer running. As soon as the last bit of flour is incorporated, you’re done.

• Gently spread the batter into an ungreased angel food pan. It’s important that you don’t grease the pan when making angel food cake. You want the batter to climb the sides of the pan and stick. 
• Bake until set. Bake until the internal temperature of the cake reaches 205 degrees F. or until the cake is golden brown. Underbaked gluten-free angel food cakes can collapse. So it’s important to bake it thoroughly. 
• Cool upside down. Before baking, check out your pan. Does it have little feet sticking up on the edge? These are for cooling. You invert the pan onto the feet. Some pans have this feature and some don’t. If your pan doesn’t have cooling feet, find a glass bottle before baking. As soon as the angel food cake comes out of the oven, turn it over onto the neck of the bottle to cool. 

Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake: The Ingredients

Cold Egg Whites: Angel food cakes requires a lot of egg whites. How many? A full dozen! And there’s no need to use room temperature eggs. Cold egg whites work great in this recipe.

Cream of Tartar: A little cream of tartar has a big impact. Just 1 1/2 teaspoons allows the egg whites to whip up thick and shiny.

Granulated Sugar: Angel food cakes are, simply put, a baked sweet meringue. This is why they taste a bit like cotton candy. Reducing the amount of sugar called for in the recipe doesn’t work. Sorry! 

Salt: A little salt balances out the sugar and gives our angel food cake it’s delicate-sweet flavor.

Gluten-Free Flour: During testing, I used Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour. If you use a different flour blend, the cake might turn out differently from mine and some blends can cause the cake to collapse as it cools. For the best results, I strongly recommend using this blend. 

Vanilla Extract: Use vanilla extract to flavor the cake. Some flavorings, like peppermint, orange, and lemon, many contain oil and cause the cake to collapse. (see troubleshooting for more information on why to avoid oil in your angel food cake.)

Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake: The Pan

The pan is an important part of the success of angel food cake. Here’s the lowdown: you need a 10-inch uncoated pan.

As the cake bakes, it needs to cling to the sides of the pan. If it can’t stick to the pan, the cake will sink and turn out heavy.

If you need to buy an angel food pan, look for one with legs. The cake is cooled upside down. If your pan has feet, you simply flip it over. If the pan doesn’t have legs, you need to find something, like a bottle or stack of cans, to rest the pan on while it cools. While this isn’t hard, it’s a bit of a pain.

Troubleshooting Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake

De-grease the Bowl and Whisk. Angel food cake requires a grease-free mixing bowl and whisk. Even just a little bit of grease can prevent the egg whites whipping into a thick meringue. Before mixing, wash your bowl and whisk to remove any greasy film that might be clinging to it.

Keep Egg Yolks Out the Mix. When separating the egg whites from the yolks, it’s a good idea to separate the egg white into an individual bowl. Then pour the white into the mixing bowl. This way if a little bit of egg yolk gets into the white, you can easily remove it. (To remove a little yolk, use half an eggshell. The edge of the shell cuts through egg whites.)

Cool Upside Down Angel food cakes, like chiffon cakes, require an unusual step: you cool them upside down. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, flip it over.

Many angel food cake pans have little legs on them, making it easy to flip the pan over and cool it on the legs. If your pan doesn’t have feet, carefully invert the pan onto the neck of a bottle or a stack of cans.

Why did my angel food cake fall out of the pan?

There are some common causes for this.

1. The cake was underbaked. This is the most common problem. If the cake is underbaked, even just a little, the moisture remaining in the cake makes it heavy and the weight pulls it out of the pan. Bake the cake until the internal temperature reaches 205 degrees F. At this point, the cake will look golden brown.
2. The pan was coated. Angel food cake needs to cling to the pan when cooling. If the pan was coated with a nonstick coating or if it was sprayed with oil before baking, it will slip from the pan.
3. The Kitchen was cold. If your kitchen is 68 degrees for below, the cake can contact and fall from the pan before it sets. Stella Parks suggests this solution for cold kitchens: open the oven door and place the inverted cake on the stovetop, where drafts of warm air will stabilize its temperature.

Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake: Supplies

The list below includes affiliate links. GlutenFreeBaking.com earns a commission from sales made using the links.

KitchenAid Stand Mixer

10-inch Aluminium Uncoated Tube Pan

Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour

5 from 6 votes

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Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake

Easy Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake. Light and Tender.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Cooling Time 2 hours

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings 8

Ingredients

• 1 cup gluten-free baking flour (5 ounces; 142 grams)
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (11 ounces; 312 grams)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 12 large egg whites (about 14 ounces; 396 grams)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat Oven. Adjust oven rack to the middle position and remove the top rack. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Sift gluten-free flour and set aside.(This removes any lumps in the gluten-free flour.)

2. Whip the Egg Whites. Stir together granulated sugar, cream of tartar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add egg whites and vanilla extract. Whisk on low to combine, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium-high (6-8 on a KitchenAid) and whip 6 minutes.

   Increase speed to high (10 on a KitchenAid) and whip until the meringue is shiny, white, and thick. This takes between 2-4 minutes. The tines of the whisk should leave a pattern in the meringue. Stop the mixer and remove the whisk attachment from the bowl. The meringue clinging to the whisk should form a very soft peak. You want it to fall in a thick ribbon off the whisk. Replace the whisk and turn the mixer back on to high speed.

3. Slowly the Gluten-Free Flour. Add the flour, 1/4 cup at a time, and mix until incorporated. Allow each addition of flour to incorporate before adding the next.

4. Bake the Cake. Spoon batter into an ungreased 10-inch aluminum tube pan. Bake until the cake is golden brown and firm to the touch, about 50 minutes. (The internal temperature of the cake should be 206°F.)

5. Cool the Cake. Remove pan from the oven and immediately invert onto the legs of the pan. If the pan does not have legs, invert onto the neck of a wine bottle. Cool for at least 2 hours. If the kitchen is cold, place the pan on top of the oven to cool and prop the oven door open. 

6. Remove the Cake from the Pan. Slide an offset spatula around the sides of the cake to loosen. Remove the insert, and slide a spatula under the bottom of the cake. Gently lift the cake off the insert and place onto a serving dish.

   To serve, cut with a serrated knife. Store leftovers wrapped tightly in plastic for up to 1 week at room temperature.

Single serving microwaved gluten-free spice mug cake. It contains brown sugar and spices. Takes less than five minutes to make! 

Someone saw my recipe for gluten-free spice cake on Facebook and said that the cake looked great but (there’s always a but) they didn’t need that much cake. 

That gave me an idea: a gluten-free spice mug cake. 

As you know, I love gluten-free mug cakes. And while I’ve made a gluten-free vanilla mug cake and a gluten-free chocolate mug cake, it never occurred to me to make a spice version. Until now. 

It’s quick. It’s easy. And it’s really good. Perfect for a cold night when all you want to do is curl up with a movie or good book and some cake. 

How to Make Gluten-Free Spice Mug Cake: The Ingredients

• Gluten-Free Flour. Use a gluten-free flour blend that contains xanthan gum or guar gum. Without a gum, the cake doesn’t rise well. 
• Egg. For a light and airy cake, an egg is needed. I haven’t tested the recipe with an egg-replacer. 
• Brown Sugar. Adds a molasses flavor. If you don’t have brown sugar in the house, replace it with an equal amount of granulated sugar. 
• Spice Blend. Unlike my gluten-free spice cake, we’re using a spice blend for this mug cake to keep things simple.

How to Make Gluten-Free Spice Mug Cake: Keys for Success

Like my other gluten-free mug cakes, this recipe is easy-peasy. 

1. Use a large (but not too large!) mug. You need a mug that can hold about 12 ounces. The cake rises (and then falls a bit) as it bakes. If the mug is too small, the cake can fall out. If you use a really tall mug, think Starbucks grande-size or bigger, it’ll be hard to eat the baked cake. 
2. Stir the dry ingredients together. Before you add the egg, oil, and milk, take a second to whisk the gluten-free flour, brown sugar, spices, and baking powder together with a fork.  This ensures that you don’t get clumps of brown sugar or spices in the finished cake. 
3. Expect the cake to rise and fall. It’s totally normal for a gluten-free mug cake to rise during baking (microwaving) and fall a little as it cools. This is simply the egg expanding and contracting. 

5 from 2 votes

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Gluten-Free Spice Mug Cake

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 1 minute

Servings 1 serving

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar, light or dark
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or melted butter
• 1 tablespoon milk

Toppings

• whipped cream
• vanilla ice cream
• cream cheese frosting, recipe below

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 2 tablespoons softened cream cheese
• 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon milk

Instructions

1. Spray a large (12 ounce) mug with nonstick cooking spray. Stir together gluten-free flour, brown sugar, spices, and baking powder in the mug. Add egg, oil, and milk. Stir until smooth with a fork or mini whisk.
2. Microwave on high for 60-80 seconds or until cake pulls away from the sides of the mug and the top looks dry. Allow cake to cool in the mug. Top warm cake with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, if desired. Or allow the cake to cool for a few minutes and frost.

3. For the Frosting

4. Beat together the butter and powdered sugar until smooth with a spoon. Add milk. Mix until creamy. Spread frosting on cooled cake. If you put the frosting on the hot cake, it will melt.

Easy gluten-free spice cake. Moist and tender. Perfect finished with cream cheese frosting.

This Gluten-Free Spice Cake is

• a one-bowl recipe
• easy-to-make
• tender-and-moist (not heavy or gummy)
• great with frosting; great without
• made in a sheet pan (Layers and cupcakes are options too!)

Gluten-Free Spice Cake Ingredients

Here’s the thing: the ingredient list for gluten-free spice cake looks long. Why? The spices. But if you take a second to read the other ingredients, you’ll see that they aren’t anything too fancy.

Gluten-Free Flour: This recipe was tested with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour. It makes for a nice moist and dense spice cake. If you use a different flour, use one that includes xanthan or guar gum. Without those ingredients, the cake comes out too dense and won’t rise.

Brown and Granulated Sugar. Brown sugar adds a nice molasses flavor and helps to keep the cake moist. But too much of it proved too much of a good thing. It made the cake a bit too moist. To solve this, I swapped out half the brown sugar for half granulated sugar. It gave me a cake with a moist, delicate crumb and just the right level of sweetness. (I haven’t tested this recipe with sugar-replacements.)

Baking Powder and Baking Soda: A combination of baking powder and baking soda helps the cake rise.  And the baking soda enhances the flavor and browning.

Salt. Enhances the flavor and controls the sweetness.

Spices. Here’s where the magic is at! Ground cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg give the spice cake it’s spicy flavor. You can replace the individual spices with a spice blend, like pumpkin spice, but the flavor will be a little different.

Vanilla Extract. There’s only a teaspoon of vanilla extract in this cake and you can’t really taste it. So why use it? The vanilla extract enhances the spices and, frankly, just makes the cake taste good.

Eggs. Helps the cake to rise and gives it structure and a delicate texture. (I haven’t tested this cake with a flax egg but several of my testers did with excellent results.)

Oil: Makes for a moist, light cake.

Water. Smooths out the batter.

How to Make Gluten-Free Spice Cake

This is a one-bowl gluten-free cake. You don’t even need to use an electric mixer to make the batter. (But if you want to use on, go ahead!)

1. Preheat the oven. Baking a cake in a hot oven ensures it rises to its full potential.
2. Whisk together the dry ingredients. Take care to break up the brown sugar so there are no little lumps of it. 
3. Add the eggs, oil, and water. Whisk until a batter forms. Switch to a rubber spatula to ensure there’s no dry gluten-free flour hanging out in the bottom of the pan. 
4. Spread batter into prepared pan. I like to make spice cake in a 9×13-inch pan. Instructions are included below for two rounds and cupcakes.
5. Bake. As always, it’s best to use visual cues to tell when this cake is done. Look for it to be set in the center. A 9×13 inch cake takes about 40 minutes to bake. (Bonus: the house smells amazing while the cake bakes.)
6. Make Frosting. While the cake bake, make the frosting. Cream cheese is the classic frosting for spice cake but use any frosting you love.(Or skip this step if you don’t want frosting.)
7. Cool the cake. Unlike most cakes, this one cools right in the pan. It takes about an hour or so to cool.
8. Frost. Once the cake is cool, frost it. (To make sure it’s cool, put your hand on the bottom of the pan, right in the center. It should not feel warm. If it’s still warm, the frosting will melt into a mess.)

5 from 15 votes

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Gluten-Free Spice Cake

Easy and moist gluten-free spice cake.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 12 servings

Ingredients

• 2 cups Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour (10 ounces; 285 grams)
• ¾ cup packed dark brown sugar (5 ½ ounces; 158 grams)
• ¾ cup granulated sugar (5 ½ ounces; 158 grams)
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¾ cup canola or other vegetable oil (5 ¼ ounces; 148 grams)
• 4 large eggs (out of shell, about 8 ounces; 226 grams)
• ⅓ cup water (2 ⅔ ounces; 75 grams)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened (4 ounces; 113 grams)
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened (2 ounces; 56 grams)
• 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted (8 ounces; 226 grams)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350℉. Grease a 9×13-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

2. Whisk together the flour, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and clove. Add the oil, eggs, water, and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth.

   Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans.

3. Bake until golden brown. A toothpick inserted into the center of the cake should come out clean, about 40 minutes.

4. Cool and frost. Allow cake to cool in the pan. When cool, frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.

5. Cream Cheese Frosting

6. Combine cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Cream until light and smooth. Add powdered sugar. Mix until smooth. Spread on cooled cake.

Recipe Notes

Other Pan Sizes

Round Layer Cake: Use two greased 8-inch round cake pans. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Double cream cheese frosting recipe when making a round layer cake.

Cupcakes: This makes about 24 standard cupcakes. Line cupcake pans with paper liners. Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full.  Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clea, about 20 minutes.