Gluten Free White Cake From Scratch

My 60th birthday cake with edible photo of my family and pets.

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Gluten Free White Cake From Scratch

This was my grandmother’s favorite white cake, called 1-2-3-4 Cake (1 cup butter, 2 cups sugar, 3 cups flour, 4 eggs), and I’ve revised the recipe to make it gluten free.

Course Baking, Dessert

Cuisine American

Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 35

Servings servings

Calories 417kcal

Author Lise Sullivan Ode

Equipment

1 Edible cake photo (optional)

Ingredients

For the cake

1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
3 cups gluten free all purpose flour I used Bob's Red Mill 1-1 Gluten Free Flour
4 large eggs at room temperature
1 cup whole milk at room temperature I used lactose free
½ cup water
2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract Use good quality vanilla

For the frosting

1 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
4 cups powdered sugar or 16 ounces
2 tablespoons whole milk (or more if too thick) I used lactose free
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

For the cake

Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush 2 (8-inch) round pans with melted butter and line with parchment paper. Brush with more butter. You could also use non-stick cooking spray. Set aside. In a medium bowl, measure out gluten free flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk together. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream butter with an electric mixer until smooth. Add sugar and mix. Add eggs and mix until combined. Add half of the flour mixture and half of the milk, plus the vanilla. Mix on medium low until combined. Repeat with remaining flour and milk. Add water. Mix until combined, then continue mixing on medium low for 30 seconds. Divide batter between the two prepared pans. Bake on the middle rack of your oven for 30-35 minutes. At 30 minutes, test one of the cakes by inserting a toothpick. If it comes out clean, they are done. If not, continue to bake for just a few minutes more or until a toothpick inserted into middle comes out clean. Let cool completely.

For the frosting

Beat softened butter on medium speed with an electric or stand mixer. Beat for 3 minutes until smooth and creamy. Add powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract with the mixer running on low. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 minutes. If the frosting is too thick, you can add a little more milk. Just add one tablespoon at a time, then mix thoroughly until you get the consistency you like.
Fill and frost the cooled cake, reserving about 1 ¼ cups of frosting for the decoration (if desired). I used a #32 and #16 tips for the borders. If using an edible photo image, follow package instructions.

Notes

If you have leftover frosting, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Let come to room temperature before using.

Nutrition