Step-by-step photos make stacking three layers of gluten free red velvet cake piped with fluffy rosettes a “piece of cake”. This gluten free red velvet layer cake will impress! The gluten free red velvet cake is moist, with the traditional hints of cocoa and vanilla. Piped with cream cheese frosting roses, it is absolutely stunning.
Gluten Free Red Velvet Cake
I’ve been super excited to share this with you! Layer cakes may seem scary or hard, but they really aren’t.
There are a few tricks to success but once you try it, it isn’t that tricky.
It isn’t as hard as you’d think to make a stunning layer cake like this, and I’m going to show you how.
I’m a big fan of red velvet cake. I’ve been making gluten-free red velvet cupcakes and gluten free dairy free red velvet cake for years.
How do you make a gluten free red velvet cake?
First you start with the cake.
Moist gluten-free red velvet cake batter is made with the traditional buttermilk and cocoa which lends a reddish-brown hue to the cake.
How to make your own buttermilk using vinegar?
I’ve always made my own “buttermilk” instead of purchasing it.
All you need to do is add the vinegar to your milk and let it sit for a few minutes.
Since there really isn’t a dairy-free buttermilk on the market, this makes it easy to make a gluten free red velvet cake dairy free or vegan.
If you handle dairy, you can also use regular milk with the same results.
The vinegar is essential to getting your cake to rise, and it will rise a lot. Almost double!
The vinegar reacts with the baking soda and cocoa powder, just like those volcanos you made in grade school.
Except for making a volcano and a mess, you get a slice of gluten free dairy free red velvet cake.
Of course we help the red along with some food coloring to make it more vibrant, but the chemical reaction between the vinegar, baking soda, and cocoa is how the cake got its name.
When do you add the oil for gluten free red velvet cake?
Based on some comments I tried mixing the oil into the flour and other dry ingredients before adding the other wet ingredients.
Several commenters said that this is how they’ve always made red velvet cakes, and that it gives the cake its velvety texture.
In a red velvet cake made with regular gluten-flour adding the oil first makes a big difference!
This is because the oil prevents some of the gluten binding together when other liquid is added, which does result in a more tender cake.
I have tried adding the oil first, and to be honest I didn’t notice any difference in texture.
With gluten free cakes, you don’t have to worry about preventing gluten development, so that is hy mixing the.
You can mix your gluten free dairy free red velvet cake batter whichever way you prefer.
Can you make red velvet cake with natural food colorings?
There are lots of natural food colorings on the market, too. If you use a natural food coloring, your cake may not be as vibrant.
Just add your food coloring of choice until your cake batter reaches the hue you desire.
If you use a liquid food coloring, you’ll need a lot more to get a vibrant color.
You may have better luck using a powdered natural food red coloring to get a brighter color.
How do you color a red velvet cake using beets?
I’m working on a dye-free vegan gluten free red velvet cake using beets.
Until it is ready, I’d try using pureed steamed beets instead of some of the dairy free milk if you want to give a gluten free red velvet cake colored with beets a try.
While I personally have no problem with a little red food coloring on occasion, I know many do so I’m working to help you have the gluten free red velvet recipes that work best for you.
How do you make vegan red velvet cake?
To make a vegan gluten free red velvet cake, simply swap the egg in the recipe with a little egg replacer.
My go-to is Bob’s Red Mill’s Egg Replacer, but I also have had great results with a flax egg.
I know many people swear by Ener-G egg replacer. Use your favorite vegan egg replacer!
Because this recipe uses whole eggs I’ve had no problems substituting a egg replacer.
Don’t Be Scared of the Layers
I like to bake the gluten-free red velvet cake layers the day before I assemble the cake.
That gives them plenty of time to cool.
The batter is super easy to make, just measure all the ingredients and mix!
I baked it into 3 layers, but you could do 2 if you want.
Once they are baked pop them in the freezer to chill, and then trim them to make the top level and even.
It is so much easier and less messy to do this if the cake is frozen.
How to use gluten free flour
when baking with gluten free flour, your results will vary based on the gluten free flour you use.
Please read through my gluten free flour page for very thorough and detailed information about which gluten free flours work well, how to substitute one gluten free flour for another, and for my gluten free flour recipe.
How to measure gluten free flour
How you measure your gluten free flour is also very important.
To accurately measure your flour, use the “fork, spoon, knife” method.
First, mix your gluten free flour with a fork to ensure it is aerated and evenly mixed.
Then carefully spoon it into your measuring cup.
DO NOT scoop the flour with your measuring cup, you’ll compact extra flour into the measuring cup and then your gluten free baked goods will be dry and crumbly because they’ll have too much flour.
Finally, level off your measuring cup using a knife.
Use room temperature ingredients
You’ll also have best results if all the ingredients are at room temperature, except for any ingredients that specify “cold” or “chilled”.
Using room temperature ingredients like eggs, butter, and gluten free flours helps your baked goods to bake evenly and correctly.
Think about it, if you use cold eggs, your batter will be colder.
And then it will change how it bakes, or may take longer.
For recipes that rise using steam, this is especially important.
How to make Cream Cheese Frosting
The cream cheese frosting only has 4 ingredients (5 if you count the vanilla.)
Super easy to make, you just have to whip all the ingredients together.
Whipping the butter and cream cheese first helps to incorporate more air into the frosting, making it creamy and easier to spread.
This cream cheese frosting gave me plenty to frost the cake very liberally and I still had a extra.
Better to have extra frosting than not enough! You can use the extra on a few Gluten-Free Red Velvet Mug Cakes.
Or if you aren’t planning on doing the rose swirls and want a more moderately frosted cake (more cake than frosting) then make the frosting with 8oz of cream cheese, 4 oz of butter, and 24 oz of powdered sugar.
How to frost a cake with rose swirls
I loaded the frosting into a piping bag with a large round tip to make it easier to apply it to the cake.
Place the bottom cake layer on your serving plate and put a big swirl of frosting on the top of the layer.
Use a spatula to spread the frosting evenly over the the layer, and out over the edge slightly.
Top with the next layer and repeat. Then repeat again.
Cover the sides using the frosting that you pushed out over the edge. You just need a thin layer, this is your “crumb coat” which prevents crumbs from getting into the finished cake, and helps you to just have a smooth cake canvas to start with.
Once your crumb coat is on put your cake in the fridge or freezer for the frosting to set.
I loaded some more of the frosting into a piping bag with a large drop flower tip. You could also use a star tip.
Starting in the center of the cake make the rose swirls.
Hold the bag perpendicular to the cake and starting in the center swirl outwards.
Continue to make frosting swirls working from the center of the cake….
working out down the sides of the cake.
It doesn’t have to be perfect! It will taste good no matter what.
The sides of my cake were a mess, but you can’t tell. It just looks yum!
Gluten Free Red Velvet Cake
Moist gluten-free red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting is absolutely stunning! 3 gluten-free red velvet cake layers, filled and frosted with creamy frosting in a romantic rose pattern. The traditional gluten-free red velvet cake is moist with hints of cocoa and vanilla. The perfect "WOW!" dessert for Valentine's Day, or any day.
Ingredients
For the Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cake
- 3 Tablespoons cocoa powder (0.75 ounces by weight)
- 1 1/4 cups white sugar (9.5 ounces by weight)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp xanthan gum (omit if you are using a different flour blend that already includes xanthan or guar gum)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 cups Gluten Free Flour Blend
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp vinegar
- 1/2 – 1 tsp red food coloring
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- (2) 8 ounce packages Cream Cheese, softened
- (2) 4 oz sticks butter, softened (1 cup)
- 3 lbs (48 oz) powdered sugar
- 2-3 Tablespoons milk or cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
For the Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 3, 9 inch round cake pans and line them with parchment paper.
- Mix together all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. In a large liquid measuring cup mix together all the wet ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
- Divide the batter evenly between the 3 pans (approx 1 cup per pan) and bake until a toothpick poked near the center of the cake comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes.
- Cool before frosting with cream cheese frosting.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- Using a stand mixer or electric hand beaters beat the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy (5 minutes) add the milk or cream, powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth (additional 3 minutes.)
Notes
If you are doing 2 layers instead of 3, bake for 30-35 minutes.
To make dairy free red velvet cake, substitute your favorite non-dairy milk for the milk and frosting with my Vegan Frosting. You can also check out my Gluten Free Dairy Free Red Velvet Cake Recipe
Wow! This cake looks amazing. I just love the rose swirls and I bet it tastes amazing too. I have a few red velvet cake lovers in my home so I’ll be giving this a go. Thanks.
This is one of the most beautiful cakes I’ve ever seen, Brianna! ♥
Thank you Audrey! I loved baking it.
Oh my gosh, this is the most gorgeous red velvet cake I’ve ever seen. These tips on how to ice it, is awesome. I didn’t realize you should freeze layers first or freeze/cool it before putting a final icing layer on. Thanks for the advice. I’m going to try making for my kids’ birthday.
It is so much easier to frost if everything is cold. Good luck Jessica, I hope your kids love it!
I love red velvet cake and yours looks so pretty. Thanks for sharing your recipe at the #AnythingGoes Link Party.
Wow! This cake looks amazingly delicious!
This looks like a true classic red velvet cake.. and I can imagine it tastes like perfection too. Love the rosette icing!
Thanks Thalia!
My niece wanted a red velvet cake for her birthday. Thank you for this post it taste delicious. I am not an expert on red velvet cake but everyone agreed this cake is yummy. I used a flour that already contained xantham gum so I left it out of the mix.
I am so happy that you and your niece and family enjoyed it!
This is DELISH and so very easy. I used Coconut sugar instead of white sugar and loved the result.
One question – I only have about 1 cup of rice flour left at the moment but I have plenty of Gluten Free Flour in the pantry, Can I use this instead? Or a combination of the two?
Thanks!
Hi Kim!
This recipe calls for a gluten free all purpose flour (I used my gluten free rice flour blend) and NOT straight rice flour. So yes, use your gluten free flour. I just avoid gluten free flours that are garbanzo bean based (since the bake differently) and if there is xanthan gum in your blend already be sure to omit it from the recipe.
Happy Baking!
-Brianna
Hi Brianna,
Whoops! I interpreted that as straight rice flour and was only able to find white rice flour (i assumed the blend meant white and brown combo). It actually turned out great – very light and fluffy! I’ll go for regular Gluten Free Flour Blend this time 🙂
Thanks!
Kim
Hi Kim!
Sorry for the misinterpretation! “rice flour blend” was linked to the page where I had my gluten free rice flour blend that I use as gluten free flour. At the time I developed this recipe I hadn’t found a gluten free AP blend that I recommended (but I since have found several that I LOVE and am able to use interchangeably in my recipes.)
I am glad that it still turned out great! I think it will be even better if you use an AP blend that has some starch in it too.
Happy Baking!
-Brianna
Wow this look amazing! And I love how its gluten free as well! This is perfect for valentines day as its coming up! Thanks for sharing!
I made the cake following the instructions to the letter. It might be European taste pallet, but this cake is so very overly sweet, it was impossible to actually eat it. Even my kids refused to eat more than one fork-full. Are the sugar amounts right??? Plus the total amount of all ingredients for the frosting gives so much frosting it was again too much and too sweet (and I used 9 inches cake form).
Hi Guna,
From what I know from my husband living in Europe, most cakes are not very sweet on that side of the ocean. The sugar amounts in the cake and the frosting are correct, but are tailored to the sweetness of American red velvet cakes.
To make the cake to your liking, try decreasing the sugar.
The frosting recipe will make some extra frosting. Depending on how a cake is frosted, more or less frosting will be needed. I always prefer to have excess frosting to save for later, instead of running out and having to make another batch. I wanted to make sure that there was plenty of frosting for those who like to apply it generously.
Best,
Brianna
Would live your recommendation for best alternative to potato starch for this recipe? I have to make potato and egg free.
Thanks in advance
Hi Kerrie, My friend, Sharon from What the Fork Food Blog, has a great nightshade free gluten free flour mix that I think would work well in this recipe.Let me know how it turns out. Happy Baking! -Brianna
Hi Brianna, thank you for your reply. I am very happy with the red velvet cake recipe. I substituted arrowroot for potato starch and used flaxseed to replace the eggs as you recommend. I used a shortening based buttercream to decorate as a dairy free option. As a cake decorater this will be my preferred recipe from now on!
Hi Kerrie,
I am so happy that you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for letting me know how it turned out. -Brianna
What type of milk works best with this recipe?
Hi Maggie, I have used dairy milks, and a variety of non-dairy milks with this recipe without any noticeable difference. I have for sure used whole milk, 2% milk, and almond milk, those are normally what I have on hand.
Hope that helps. Happy Baking! -Brianna
I followed the recipe exactly, but my 3 layers were VERY thin. Could an ingedient have been omitted in the printed recipe? Not really a pretty cake
Hi Norma,
I’m sorry it didn’t end up with a beautiful cake.
If you bake it in three layers they are pretty thin (for me, I think they were about 1″-1.5″). What size of pans did you use? I believe my pans were 9″ round. If you would like taller layers, you can also bake the cake batter in two pans instead of three.
Hope that helps. Happy Baking! -Brianna
So in all the recipes I’ve found so far buttermilk and vinegar played a role. Your recipe doesn’t use buttermilk. What’s the difference?
Hi Tiffany,
So that the cake can be made dairy-free, I use vinegar and regular milk to create the same reaction that buttermilk would create. Commercial buttermilk is made by combining milk with acid. I never buy buttermilk, so I make my own.
Hope that helps!
-Brianna
I made this cake for a coworker who is gluten free. I have only made gluten free baked goods one other time, so I was a little nervous on how this would turn out/taste. And OH MY GOSH! This cake FAR exceeded her expectations. She won’t stop raving about the taste, texture, consistency, ect. Claiming it is the best gluten free cake she has ever consumed. So I wanted to say thank you for producing such a perfect recipe! This will definitely be my go to recipe for gluten free cakes in the future!
Xo -Lindsi
Hi Lindsi, Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and comment! I’m so happy to hear that you both enjoyed this recipe so much. I can’t wait for you to try more of my gluten-free cake recipes.
Happy Baking! -Brianna
Do you add the xanthan gum if the flour blend already has it in it? If so this is important to note!!
Hi Edi,
If you are using a different flour blend that already contains xanthan gum in it, you should omit the xanthan gum in the recipe. I’m sorry, I forgot to note that and will add it to the recipe.
Happy Baking!
-Brianna
What kind of vinegar works the best for this recipe?
Hi Dessie,
I’ve had best results using white distilled vinegar, but I’ve also used apple cider vinegar in a pinch. The apple cider vinegar is a bit more potent in my experience, so you won’t need quite as much. Happy Baking! -Brianna
How many days will this cake stay moist & fresh for?. Making for a wedding but may have to be sat around for a few days. Will it keep?
Hi Joanne,
I’ve actually made this cake for my sister’s wedding! It will keep well for a few days. I’d recommend putting it in an airtight container, if possible, and refrigerating it.
I’ve also baked the layers ahead of time, wrapped them individually, and frozen in an airtight container for a week or two.
I can’t wait to see the wedding cake you create!
Happy Baking! -Brianna
Hi,
Do you have any ideas on how to get this recipe to become one that can be used with subbing the red colour paste/dye for real beets? I can’t take the red colouring.
Hi Safi, I haven’t tested a beet-colored version of this recipe yet, and it is on my to do list! what I’d recommend, and what I’m planning to test, is using a pureed steamed beets instead of some of the buttermilk (or milk with vinegar) in the cake, and then I’d reduce the oil because of the moisture the pureed beets will add to the finished cake.
If you give it a try, let me know how it works for you!
Happy Baking! -Brianna