Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cake
A two-layer red velvet cake with a soft, tender crumb, a light cocoa flavor and the classic buttermilk and vinegar tang, frosted with a thick cream cheese frosting. A favorite for Christmas, Valentine's Day and birthdays.
At a glance: This medium baking recipe yields 12 servings in about 3h 10m (40 min prep, 28 min cook). It uses 15 ingredients — including gluten-free all-purpose flour blend, xanthan gum, granulated sugar — and walks through 7 steps. Updated . Browse more baking recipes or return to all gluten-free recipes.
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Cross-Contamination Warning for Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cake: When preparing this baking recipe, use pans dusted with gluten-free flour blend, not a baking spray that contains flour. Flour dust travels. Bake this on a day the kitchen is not also handling flour that contains gluten, use clean bowls, beaters and baking sheets, and keep the gluten-free flour blend in its own sealed container.
Gluten-Free Notes for Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cake: The cake uses a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend and xanthan gum instead of flour that contains gluten. Use cocoa powder, food coloring, vanilla, cream cheese, powdered sugar and a flour blend labeled gluten-free.
Ingredients
Shop links on this page are for gluten-free all-purpose flour blend, plus more for the pans, xanthan gum, granulated sugar. Buy the package that says gluten-free. A shared production line is the usual risk with these pantry items. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. Confirm the product is labeled gluten-free before you buy.
Weighing instead of using cups, or swapping a flour or binder? Use the gluten-free flour substitution calculator.
Instructions
Tips & Notes
- Let the red velvet layers cool completely before frosting. Even slightly warm cake melts cream cheese frosting and makes the layers slide.
- Use brick-style cream cheese for the frosting, not the spreadable tub kind. Tub cream cheese has more water and makes a runny frosting.
- Gel food coloring gives a deeper red with less liquid than the small liquid bottles. Start with 1 tbsp liquid or 1 tsp gel and add more to reach the shade you like.
Common questions
What cross-contamination risk is specific to Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cake?
Check gluten-free all-purpose flour blend , plus more for the pans, xanthan gum, granulated sugar before they go into Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cake. Use pans dusted with gluten-free flour blend, not a baking spray that contains flour. Flour dust travels. Bake this on a day the kitchen is not also handling flour that contains gluten, use clean bowls, beaters and baking sheets, and keep the gluten-free flour blend in its own sealed container.
Which gluten-free swaps does Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cake use?
Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cake relies on 2 1/2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour blend and 1 tsp xanthan gum. Keep those gluten-free-labeled products in place of a gluten-containing flour or sauce.
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