Moist Gluten Free Strawberry Cake (From Scratch)

This moist and tender gluten free strawberry cake is filled with pure strawberry taste from a home made berry syrup, topped with a simple strawberry buttercream for tons of taste in each chunk.

I took my favourite white cake and rebalanced the entire components for a strawberry-lover’s delight. And despite the fact that it has tons of pure taste, you do not even want any contemporary berries!

Why this recipe works

Strawberries, like pumpkin and zucchini, have loads of pure moisture, however in various quantities. They make aromatic and flavorful muffins, cupcakes and muffins, when you management for the additional moisture.

Right here, we cut back the strawberries right into a thick, jam-like syrup and use it like half sugar, half moisture, and all taste. We use frozen strawberries, picked on the peak of freshness, as a result of they’re simpler and cheaper.

This cake is right for a summer time celebration of strawberry season, however is simply as simple to make for a birthday celebration throughout the chilly winter months.

Key cake components defined

Listed below are the components we use to make this actually particular berry-flavored cake, and the function every one performs:

• Strawberry syrup – A home made clean, jammy syrup product of strawberries and a few sugar offers all the brilliant, strawberry taste. We cook dinner it down to manage the moisture and keep away from any gumminess within the cake.
• Milk – Provides richness, a predictable quantity of moisture, and brings the cake batter collectively.
• Gluten free flour – Offers the cake’s principal construction, absorbs moisture and holds the rise. Select a well-balanced all objective gluten free flour mix with finely floor rice flour as the bottom, like Nicole’s Greatest multipurpose or VitaCost gluten free multi-blend flour with added xanthan gum for binding, or Higher Batter’s traditional gluten free mix (omit the xanthan gum, because the mix accommodates it). Bob’s Crimson Mill 1-to-1 also needs to work, however add one other 1/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum since that mix accommodates too little.
• Baking powder & soda – Helps the cake rise within the oven and brown.
• Salt – Balances sweetness and enhances different flavors.
• Butter – Provides buttery taste and richness, and provides some leavening to the crumb since we cream it with the sugar.
• Oil – Provides moisture and tenderness, even when the cake is chilled within the fridge for simpler slicing. Retains the cake contemporary for longer.
• Granulated sugar – Provides sweetness, and locks in moisture for a young crumb.
• Eggs – The entire eggs bind the cake collectively; the additional egg white helps stabilize the cake because it cools.
• Vanilla – Provides depth of taste and a few complexity to this candy, tender cake.
• Gel meals coloring – Deep pink or pink gel meals coloring retains the cake from trying grey after baking. Keep away from liquid meals coloring, which is not deeply pigmented sufficient to outlive baking except utilized in giant quantities which add disagreeable taste.

The right way to make gluten free strawberry cake

The complete ingredient quantities and directions are within the recipe card under. However this is an outline with pictures so you’ll be able to picture how you may make this cake in your individual kitchen:

1. Make the strawberry syrup

Cook dinner frozen strawberries with some water to stop burning and sugar to boost their pure sweetness. Puree the combination in a blender, pressure out seeds, and cook dinner them down into an excellent thick syrup. Anticipate to scale back the combination by about half to manage moisture within the cake, which takes about quarter-hour.

2. Put together moist and dry components

Whisk collectively your finest all objective gluten free flour mix with added xanthan gum as crucial, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix every little thing nicely so the leaveners are totally distributed within the batter for an evenly risen cake.

Whisk the cooled strawberry syrup with the milk to keep away from clumps of strawberry taste in some elements of the cake. If the strawberry syrup continues to be a bit heat, use cooler milk to average the temperature of each components.

3. End the cake batter

This cake has loads of moisture, so it is particularly necessary to cream the butter, sugar, oil and vanilla for a full 4 minutes. The combination will lighten in coloration as you incorporate air into it, which can make the cake crumb lighter. Beat in 3 eggs and 1 egg white till creamy.

Add the whisked dry components in 3 batches, and the mixed milk and strawberry combination in 2 batches to the batter. This ensures even distribution of all of the components.

Lastly, beat in pink gel meals coloring till the batter is pale pink to keep away from a grey cake.

4. Bake the cake

The cake batter needs to be clean and silky. Divide it evenly between 2 8-inch spherical greased and lined cake pans for even layers. Bang the pans firmly, flat on the counter to interrupt any giant air bubbles within the batter which might kind tunnels within the cake.

Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes, then rotate the pans within the oven. To complete baking the muffins all the best way to the middle with out burning the skin, decrease the oven to 325°F for an additional quarter-hour or till a toothpick comes out clear. Cool within the pans for five minutes earlier than inverting onto a wire rack and eradicating the pans.

6. Embellish

Make sure you cool the muffins utterly earlier than adorning, or the heat from the muffins will soften the frosting. Trim off any dome on the baked muffins to stage them for a fair cake.

You will want 5 to six cups of frosting for an 8-inch layer cake. Place 1/3 of the frosting between the layers, and switch every layer the other way up for the a fair layer cake.

I made a traditional white buttercream with 16 tablespoons of butter and confectioners’ sugar, and add freeze-dried strawberry powder for taste. It’s also possible to simply Betty Crocker gluten free strawberry frosting, or add strawberry powder to a can of white frosting.

Professional suggestions

Preserve the cake pink

Baked items made with strawberries are likely to look grey when baked as a result of the pigment that makes them pink turns into inactive when the cake is not acidic sufficient, and through baking. To protect coloration and keep away from a grey cake, add some pink or pink gel meals coloring. In any other case, strive including some contemporary lemon juice to the puree throughout cooking to assist protect the colour.

Make the syrup forward

The strawberry syrup takes a while to cook dinner, pressure, and cut back. I prefer to make it as much as 1 week forward of time and retailer it in a sealed glass container within the fridge. It makes the cake baking course of a lot quicker. Let it come to room temperature earlier than baking with it.

Keep away from common dried strawberries

Dried strawberries are like raisins, that are partially dehydrated fruits. We use complete strawberries (contemporary or frozen) to make the strawberry syrup, and freeze-dried strawberries for the frosting. Freeze-dried fruits are crunchy and dry after having their moisture fully eliminated by that course of. I purchase them at Dealer Joe’s, and so they’re additionally accessible in a retailer model at Goal and Complete Meals, and underneath varied model names on Amazon.

Take into account store-bought frosting

Though I am a from-scratch baker all the best way and home made buttercream is scrumptious, canned frosting tastes nice and really easy. Duncan Hines and Easy Mills each make glorious gluten free strawberry-flavored frosting, and it saves you the difficulty of sourcing and making ready the freeze-dried strawberries.

🔄 Ingredient substitutions

If that you must keep away from allergens aside from gluten, otherwise you’d prefer to make a variation on this cake, this is my finest recommendation on how:

Dairy free

As an alternative of butter within the cake batter, strive block-style vegan butter, like Miyoko’s Creamery, Soften, or Nation Crock model. Keep away from the tub-style, which you’ll’t cream and is usually oil. For the milk, use a plain, nondairy milk with the same texture to cow’s milk, like soy milk or coconut milk within the carton.

For the butter within the frosting, I like to recommend butter-flavored Crisco or Spectrum model shortening for a extra genuine style than vegan butter, however vegan butter ought to nonetheless work.

Egg free

Rather than the three complete eggs, I like to recommend including 1/3 cup (47 grams) further gluten free flour bend, 1/3 cup added (80 grams) plain yogurt (nondairy is okay), 1 extra teaspoon baking powder, & 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar. For the egg white, strive 25 grams liquid aquafaba, or the brine from a can of chickpeas.

Xanthan gum

Rather than 1 teaspoon xanthan gum in case your flour mix would not already comprise it, strive 2 1/2 teaspoons guar gum, 1 1/4 teaspoons konjac powder, or 5 teaspoons cellulose (or Excellent Gluten Alternative). For particulars on these replacements, please see our submit on xanthan gum substitutes.

Strawberries

If you would like to make this cake with one other fruit taste, I am positive raspberries or blueberries would work simply as nicely. Make the fruit syrup with frozen or contemporary berries, and the frosting with freeze dried raspberries or blueberries.

Storage strategies

This can be a very moist cake you could retailer within the fridge as a complete cake, lined or as individually wrapped slices for for as much as 3 days.

For longer storage, freeze the frosted cake or slices uncovered for 1 hour, then wrap tightly and freeze for as much as 2 months. Defrost within the fridge, nonetheless lined.

To make the cake forward of time, I like to recommend freezing the cooled particular person baked cake layers unfrosted. Wrap tightly in freezer-safe wrap and freeze for as much as 3 months. Defrost at room temperature, then frost and serve.

FAQs