Tip #2 Let Your Batter Rest
Remember earlier when I said that gluten free flour blends can have a hard time absorbing moisture and fats?
If you let the batter sit for a bit before baking it, you give the flour more time to absorb all that goodness. This helps thicken the batter and prevents your cake from having a gritty texture.
I unintentionally did this as I was photographing and filming this gluten free spice cake batter. Youd be surprised how long it takes to get a perfect shot of pouring cake batter into a pan!
Letting the batter sit for about 30 minutes drastically improves the texture of these cake layers. Be sure you dont skip this step!!
Why I Love This Gluten Free Spice Cake:
- It has a LOT of flavor. I am a nutmeg fan and I did use it liberally. The beauty of this recipe is you can modify how much spice you add, making it the way YOU like it!
- This cake tastes great without frosting too so if you are cutting back on how much sugar you use, this is a great tasting cake!
- You can freeze this cake and it will keep fresh in the freezer up to 4 months!
If you love cake as much as I do, check out all of my delicious gluten free cake recipes!
Dairy Free Gluten Free Spice Cake
To make this cake dairy free, youll only need to replace the butter with a nondairy alternative. I recommend vegan butter my favorite brands are Melt and Miyokos Kitchen.
This is such a forgiving recipe, though, that you may be able to use Earth Balance buttery sticks here. They have too much moisture, though, so you might want to reduce the water by 1 to 2 teaspoons. And reduce the salt by half, since theyre very salty.
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Can I Use This Recipe To Make A Gluten Free Spice Bundt Cake
I dont know if this recipe would make a proper gluten free spice bundt cake, since its very, very moist all the way through, and the best gluten free bundt cake has a crispier, buttery edge.
It may bake up similar to our gluten free vegan chocolate crazy cake, which has a similar texture. Just multiply all the ingredients by 1.5 to make enough batter.
Tips For Making The Best Gluten Free Spice Cake
- Properly measure your flour. Either spoon it into the cup measure, then level with a knife or use a kitchen scale.
- Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature to help them mix together better.
- Dont level your cake layers until they are completely cooled.
- Make this spice cake vegan or dairy free! Use your favorite type of dairy free milk to replace the sour cream and heavy cream, vegan butter sticks in place of the butter, and additional applesauce in place of the eggs .
- Make sure your buttercream is the right consistency before frosting your cake! It will help give your cake proper structure and make it easier to decorate.
- If your cake layers turn out less than perfect, I recommend reading my cake troubleshooting guide!
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Best Vanilla: Bob’s Red Mill Gluten
Bobs Red Mill is a leader in baking mixes, and its gluten-free yellow variety is the best around. Its moist, fluffy, and delicious all on its own, but it also provides a great neutral base for fancier desserts, like pineapple upside-down, carrot, or fresh lemon cake.
If you want, you can also use this mix to make a white cake instead of a yellow one. Just use egg whites in place of whole eggs. Most reviewers say its so good that if you dont tell people its gluten-free, they won’t be able to tell the difference.
Lets Talk About Spices
This cake calls for a fragrant combination of warm ground spices: ground cinnamon, grated nutmeg, ground cloves, and a touch of ground ginger. Its similar to pumpkin pie spice, but without allspice.
You can use pumpkin pie spice, apple pie spice, or even just ground cinnamon in this recipe. Just be sure to use the full amount of spices called for , since this is a spice cake, after all! You want the rich flavors of the spices to shine through.
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Why This Is The Best Spice Cake Recipe
This spice cake has a dense, but incredibly moist, crumb thats rich with brown sugar and warm spices. Its made with a combination of melted butter for flavor and and a touch of oil for moisture.
The result is a super tender crumb in a cake that stays fresh for days. You know the type of cake where the crumbs are always in clumps, never alone, and stick to the tines of the fork? This is that cake.
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.
Read Also: Gluten Free Bread Crumbs Alternative
It Only Takes One Bowl To Make This Delicious Gluten Free Spice Cake
We want a super moist cake, but one with a tighter crumb than, say, a gf vanilla cake. For that, we dont want to beat room temperature butter with the sugars, which would make a more open crumb.
That means we make this cake in one single bowl by combining all the dry ingredients, plus the sugars, first, and then adding all the wet ingredients one by one on top. The melted butter warm water make a soft cake batter that bakes evenly and quickly in the oven.
Storing Leftover Gluten Free Spice Cake
Before this cake has been sliced at all, it will stay fresh for days if wrapped tightly and stored at room temperature. This special cake can even be stored in the refrigerator, if the weather is warm and youre concerned about its spoiling.
For longer storage, slice the cake into squares, wrap each tightly in freezer-safe wrap, and store in the freezer for up to 2 months, if not longer. Defrost at room temperature or in the microwave, briefly.
Also Check: Is Puffed Rice Gluten Free
Which Gluten Free Flour Blend To Use
The cake works really well when made with Better Batter classic blend gluten free flour, but you can also make it with Cup4Cup. Your cake will just be a bit fluffier, since Cup4Cup has more starch. Please see our all purpose gluten free flour blends page for full information.
Almond flour spice cake?
This recipe isnt designed to be made with almond flour, and almond flour cakes require a recipe developed specifically to be made with that flour. Try our almond flour sponge cake, if youd like to make a cake with almond flour.
Gluten Free Spice Cake With Dairy Free Cream Cheese Frosting
Send your tastebuds into overdrive with this gluten free spice cake! It’s topped with a delectable dairy free cream cheese frosting that’s a perfect combination of sweet and spice. This one-bowl cake makes a beautiful birthday, anniversary or anytime dessert!
And another bonus for this tasty, Fall-inspired cake – there are no eggs in the recipe! That’s right, no eggs, but still a fluffy, high rising cake… sounds impossible? Check out the tips for helping it to get that gorgeous height!
This post contains affiliate links. Affiliate links support Zest For Baking at no additional cost to you. I receive a commission if you choose to make a purchase through these links.
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Ditch The Gluten Without Ditching The Flavor
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Many food manufacturers have answered the increasing demand for easy-to-make gluten-free products with various gluten-free cake mixes. Unfortunately, many fall short on taste and texture.
One alternative is to make your own gluten-free cake completely from scratch, but if youre short on time or you dont have the knack for baking, great gluten-free cake mixes do existyou just have to find them, or in this case, let us find them for you. We researched every option out there to bring you the top contenders.
Here are the best gluten-free cake mixes.
Simple Mills nailed this gluten-free almond flour cake mix. Made with only seven ingredientsalmond flour, organic coconut sugar, arrowroot powder, organic coconut flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and sea saltthis mix proves that you dont need additives to get the job done.
Choosing A Pan For Your Gluten Free Spice Cake
This is a really forgiving recipe and can be baked in a variety of cake pan sizes. I like baking it in a 9-inch x 13-inch cake pan, since it bakes so quickly and makes generous but not oversized slices.
You can also bake this cake in 2 8-inch round cake pans, if you prefer. Just divide the batter evenly between greased pans, spread into an even layer, and bake until set in the center .
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Recipe Step By Step Instruction:
Step 1: In a bowl, add the dry ingredients and whisk to blend.
Step 2: In a smaller bowl add the wet ingredients and mix well.
Step 3: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and add the raisins. Mix the two together.
HINT: Mix the ingredients until they are just barely mixed. This will make your gluten free spice cake fluffier!
Step 4: This is what your batter should look like.
Step 5: Put the spice cake batter into a greased loaf pan. You can also make cupcakes, a sheet cake, or a layer cake with this spice cake batter.
Step 6: Bake the cake at 350º F for 30-35 minutes. The actual baking time will vary greatly depending on if you use a loaf pan, layer cake pans, or a cupcake pan.
To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean, it is done baking. If you see batter or crumbs, the cake needs to bake longer.
Step 7: Remove the cake from the oven and cool it on a cooling rack.
If you love this spice cake, you will also love my Gluten Free Fruit Cake recipe!
Best Chocolate: King Arthur Flour Gluten
King Arthur Flour has been making gluten-free products since things like gluten-free cake mixes were only available in specialty stores online. Nowadays, its gluten-free cake mixes are easily accessible and extremely delicious. This one has a rich, decadent chocolate flavor and moist crumb that pleases a crowd, whether that crowd follows a gluten-free diet or not.
The ingredients list is pretty straightforward, and everything is non-GMO. Because this cake holds up so well to frosting, and one box bakes two 8- or 9-inch cakes, its ideal for building gluten-free layer cakes.
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Substituting The Sugars In This Gluten Free Spice Cake Recipe
This cake has two granulated sugars: white, and light brown. I havent tried replacing either of them with liquid sugars, but it might work. Youll have to experiment!
If youd like to try replacing the granulated sugars with liquid sugar, youll have to rebalance the recipe, since liquid sugars are sweeter, and have more moisture.
Try replacing the 1/2 cup granulated sugar with 75 grams corn syrup , and the 1 cup light brown sugar with a total of 165 grams liquid sugars .
I dont recommend trying to replace the sugars with something like applesauce. That isnt nearly sweet enough to replace sugar, and your cake will be dense and not at all tender.
How To Make Gluten
This is a one-bowl gluten-free cake. You dont even need to use an electric mixer to make the batter.
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Properly Measure Out Your Ingredients
Always measure your ingredients by weight, not volume. Measuring ingredients on a simple digital kitchen scale, cuts down on dishes to wash , and ensure precise measurements.
Even water can be measured by weight, since its the one liquid where weight and volume measurements are the same. One fluid ounce of water weighs one ounce .
Best Organic: Namaste Foods Organic Gluten
Fully organic, gluten-free cake mixes are difficult to find, but thankfully, the Namaste Foods mix is all you need. Its made with very few ingredients and is easy to prepare. All you need are eggs, oil or butter, and a milk of your choicedairy or non-dairy work equally well.
Not only is this mix gluten-free, but its also made without dairy, peanuts, soy, egg, and corn. Each box makes one 9-inch round cake or 12 gluten-free cupcakes.
If youre looking for a gluten-free cake for one, making an entire package may be overkill. Thats where this King Arthur Gluten-Free Single-Serve Confetti Cake Mix comes in. Not only is it perfectly portioned for one, but all the ingredients are contained in a microwaveable cup. All you have to do is add water, stir, and nuke for 50 seconds to create a freshly baked gluten-free cake ready for devouring.
If youre not into confetti cake, theres also a gluten-free chocolate cake with salted caramel chips thats just as delicious and easy to make.
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