My birthday was this past weekend! I am officially “I have to get my own health insurance” old! Birthdays sure do change as we get older….they go from a fun “I am getting older and getting more freedom” to “oh no I’m getting older and have more responsibilities and where are these wrinkles coming from.”
I specifically remember my birthday in 2012 because that was the first year I was going to need a gluten-free birthday cake! It was the first holiday or event since I started eating gluten-free that I was worried about how my traditions would be changed by my new diet. For as long as I can remember I have always had a red velvet cake for my birthday. I LOVE red velvet cake and cream cheese icing! My gluten-free red velvet cake in 2012 was pretty good….BUT my mom has gotten better and better at making gluten-free cakes over the years and she has come up with a red velvet cake recipe that you HAVE to try out.
My friends who aren’t even gluten-free LOVE this cake and ask for the recipe all the time so I thought I would share it today! I love making this cake, but love it even more when my mom makes it for me! Recently she was making this cake and I realized she didn’t have some of the BEST attachments for her Kitchen-Aid mixer that I had gotten from our wedding registry. My essentials for cake baking include:
- Kitchen-Aid Mixer
- Flex-Edge Beater
- Pour Shield
- Cake Pans – Amazon – Williams Sonoma
- Cake Silpats or parchment paper
- Cooling Racks
- Icing Knife
Okay, enough starter info. Here is the recipe you came for!
Contents
Gluten Free Red Velvet Cake
Ingredients
For Cake
- 1 15 oz box gluten free vanilla cake mix We use the Betty Crocker brand.
- 1 3.5 oz box chocolate instant pudding Make sure this is gluten free! We use the Jello brand.
- 1/2 cup butter (softened) do not substitute
- 8 oz sour cream
- 3 eggs
- 2/3 cup whole milk
- 1 bottle red food coloring Double-check that this is GF. We use McCormick brand.
- 1 tsp butter and GF flour for pans
For Cream Cheese Icing
- 8 oz cream cheese (whipped)
- 1 stick butter (softened)
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 16 oz confectioners sugar
Instructions
For Red Velvet Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Coat cake pans with butter and a light dusting of gluten-free flour.
- Combine all 7 ingredients in the mixer until smooth.
- Pour into 2 6-inch cake pans or a single 9-inch cake pan and bake for 45 – 50 minutes.
- Cook until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Let the layers cool for 20 minutes, then remove from pan and let cool completely.
- If your cake formed a dome while cooking, use a serrated knife to make the bottom layer more stackable.
- Use refrigerated icing (recipe below) to complete the cake.
For Cream Cheese Icing
- Blend the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in the mixer until smooth.
- Gradually add in the sugar until smooth.
- Place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before icing the cake.
Notes
- Summer heat and humidity are not cream cheese icing’s friend. If it is hot and humid, make sure to chill the icing before putting it on the cake. This will help it from making your cake slide all around.
- Let your cake cool for about 20 minutes in the pan and then remove it from the pan and let it cool COMPLETELY before icing it.
- Be careful about what utensils you are using. Once you add the red food coloring be cautious of wood utensils or anything super porous that could become stained.
- If not eaten within 24 hours, the cake needs to be refrigerated due to the cream cheese.