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An easy gluten free cake mix recipe for classic chocolate and vanilla cakes and cupcakes. Keep them on hand and you’ll always be able to celebrate a birthday (or a day ending in “y”) in style!
What makes these homemade cake mix recipes special
These incredibly versatile cake mix recipes will come in handy time and again. When my gluten free son was in grammar school, it seemed like there was a birthday party 8 days a week.
It was incredibly helpful to have a stash of chocolate cupcakes and vanilla cupcakes in the freezer at all times, for just such an emergency!
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.
Can you make cakes with egg replacers?
I haven't tried these recipes with an egg replacer, but my favorite egg replacer is a “chia egg” (1 tablespoon ground chia seeds + 1 tablespoon water, mixed and allowed to gel). I don't recommend a flax egg, since that has a strong flavor and color.
I definitely would not use applesauce or water. You need to replace not only the moisture of eggs, but also the structure that the egg white provides.
To make the vanilla cake dairy-free
If you'd like to replace the butter in the vanilla cake mix with something dairy free, I recommend trying butter-flavored nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening (I use Spectrum brand) as a 1 to 1 replacement by weight.
The buttermilk powder in the vanilla dry mix can also be replaced with finely ground blanched almond flour, again 1 to 1 by weight. You can also try powdered coconut milk, which tends to work quite well as a replacement for nonfat dry milk.
The vanilla mix is best for cupcakes or cookies (not a whole cake)
I do have to be honest with you, though, about the vanilla cake mix: If you're making gluten free vanilla cupcakes, this mix is amazing. The cupcakes have the most tender, perfect crumb (more tender with the buttermilk powder than with almond flour, but still) and perfect vanilla taste.
If you're making a straight-up vanilla cake, though, I really prefer my recipe for The Very Best Gluten Free Vanilla Cake. Creaming the butter and sugar first, as we do in that cake, plus sifting the flour is really the only way to get a perfect vanilla cake.
Simple buttercream frosting
Wondering how to make a quick and easy buttercream frosting? Just use exactly half as much room temperature unsalted butter, by weight, as confectioners' sugar. For example, 16 tablespoons (8 ounces) unsalted butter, and 4 cups (1 pound) confectioners' sugar.
Beat them together, along with a splash of pure vanilla extract and a pinch of salt, until light and fluffy. Add milk by the half-teaspoonful and beat until it holds its shape when you scoop it but is smooth and creamy.
Want to make a chocolate version? Replace some of the confectioners' sugar with cocoa powder!
Uses for gluten free cake mix
Below are the Make-Your-Own Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Mix and the Make-Your-Own Gluten Free Vanilla Cake Mix from my second book, Gluten Free on a Shoestring Quick & Easy. They're so useful!
Of course, you can use them whenever you need a quick gluten free chocolate or vanilla cupcake. But they're also perfect for other types of recipes that call for a gluten free cake mix, a dump cake or cookies.
In the photo just above, the vanilla cupcake is made with this cake mix, and the instructions below. The two cookies are cake mix cookies.
The cookie above is a gluten free cheesecake cookie, which tastes just like cheesecake but without any of the trouble.
Gluten Free Cake Mix Recipe
Ingredients
For The Chocolate Cake Mix
- 1 ⅛ cups (157 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend, I used Better Batter; please click thru for full blends info
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum, (omit if your blend already contains it)
- ⅞ cup (70 g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ⅛ cups (225 g) granulated sugar
For The Vanilla Cake Mix
- 1 ½ cups (210 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend, I used Better Batter; please click thru for full blends info
- ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
- ½ cup (43 g) cultured buttermilk blend powder (I use Saco brand), or 1/3 cup (43 g) whey powder or milk powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
Instructions
To make the cake mixes.
- For either mix, place all the ingredients for that mix in a large bowl and whisk well. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.
To make gluten free chocolate cake or cupcakes.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Grease or line 18 of the wells of two standard 12-cup muffin tins or 9-inch cake pan and set it aside.
- Transfer the dry ingredients to a large bowl and create a well in the center.
- Add 6 tablespoons (84 g) of neutral oil, 3 eggs (150 g, weighed out of shell) at room temperature, beaten) and 3/4 cup (6 fluid ounces) lukewarm water, mixing to combine well after each addition.
- Fill the 18 wells of the cupcake tin each 2/3 of the way full, or transfer the cake batter to the prepared 9-inch pan.
- Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean, or with a few moist crumbs attached (about 19 minutes for cupcakes; about 28 minutes for the cake).
- Remove from the oven and allow to sit in the pan for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Makes one 9-inch cake or about 18 cupcakes.
To make gluten free vanilla cake or cupcakes.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease or line 18 of the wells of two standard 12-cup muffin tins or 9-inch cake pan and set it aside.
- Transfer the dry ingredients to a large bowl and create a well in the center.
- Add 8 tablespoons (112 g) of melted and cooled unsalted butter, 2 eggs (100 g, weighed out of shell) and 1 egg white (25 g) at room temperature, beaten, and 2/3 cup (5 1/3 fluid ounces) lukewarm water, and 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, mixing to combine well after each addition.
- Fill the 18 wells of the cupcake pan each 2/3 of the way full, or transfer the cake batter to the prepared 9-inch pan.
- Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean, or with a few moist crumbs attached (about 19 minutes for cupcakes; about 28 minutes for the cake).
- Remove from the oven and allow to sit in the pan for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Makes one 9-inch cake or about 18 cupcakes.
Video
Notes
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
sweerdeatpat@yahoo.com How can I copy your recipes from my computer?
I tried to copy and paste the cake recipes, but it wouldn’t work.
What is the best way to store all of the gf mixes and the items to make the gf mixes ?
Hi, Vayden,
I wrote this post on gluten free food storage that should help. Typically, I only store nut flours in the freezer as they are the most perishable.
I love your recipes and I use your flour blend made wh. Rice , potatoe, and tapioca flour etc, I just printed out your recipe for. g f. Chocolate and white cake mixes. My problem is I.m. not only gluten intolerant I.m also diabetic so can the sugar in these recipes be subed wh. Trivia or stevia, or some other natural sweetner.
Hi, Eula,
I have had good luck substituting granulated sugar with Truvia baking blend, in general, but I haven’t tried it with these mixes specifically. It’s definitely worth a try! I would not suggest Stevia, no.
Hi
I prefer to use only natural sweeteners such as honey and maple syrup – can I replace sugar with honey when I make your baked recipes?
Thanks
I love and use a lot of your GF recipes. I’m just wondering what the shelf life is on these dry cake mixes. Thanks.
Hi, Jo Lynn,
The shelf life of these mixes is as long as the shelf life of your most perishable ingredient. You can certainly help extend it by storing the mixes in the refrigerator or freezer, as I discuss below with Stacia.
I love these too! But for chocolate, your devils food cake recipes take the prize!!!
Making twix bars today by request from my boys! I love that feeling when they ask me, can you make “blank” ? And I know you have me covered!!!
I try, Jennifer! Thank you for always being here. :)
Have you ever tried full fat coconut milk for a non dairy milk?
This recipe doesn’t call for a liquid milk, agilby19.
I’m using your home made gluten free flour mix.Rice,potatoe tapioca. Tapioca flour replaces Xanthum isthat correct .Otherwise cake recipe should be made as recipe states,is that right.
Hi, Kat,
Tapioca flour does not replace xanthan gum, no. They are completely different.
Would it be appropriate to store the mix in the freezer to keep it longer??
Hi, Stacia,
Sure! It will likely clump, especially the vanilla mix, so you’ll just need to let it come to room temperature before using it.
These are basically the only chocolate and vanilla cakes or cupcakes I make. So easy and delicious!
Really, Anneke? I’m trying to figure out why that surprises me somehow! I guess just because I know that you and your kids are pretty adventuresome bakers. ? But if you’re going to pick one set of cakes, this is the one to pick!
And then what? When I decide to make a Choc. cake, how do I do it?
Thanks, Darlena