Here’s a pretty cake for summer: Gluten Free Strawberry Cake
I’ve mentioned many times before that my Mom is gluten-free. She has Celiac disease, so eating anything with gluten is like eating poison for her body. It’s a bummer. So whenever she comes over to my house to eat dinner, I try to find something special to share with her. Mom has a sweet tooth, so cake is a good option!
My Mom and I discovered a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend that we both like a lot: it’s called Cup4Cup, and you can sub it in baking recipes cup for cup for the regular flour without having to add any other ingredients. So to make things gluten-free, you just use the Cup4Cup in place of regular flour (assuming that all the other ingredients in the recipe are gluten-free too). I buy Cup4Cup at Whole Foods, but I’ve seen it at my local market (Raley’s) too.
The cake itself has a hint of strawberry flavor. I found that the cake comes out slightly dense (though that may be because I’m at high altitude). It’s slathered with a thick layer of cream cheese whipped cream frosting and plenty of fresh strawberries. My husband didn’t care for the cake that much, but my son and I enjoyed it a lot… and of course, my gluten-free Mom thought it was fabulous.
Gluten Free Strawberry Cake
Ingredients
CAKE
- 1½ cups granulated white sugar
- ¼ cup (½ stick) butter, at room temperature
- 3 large eggs
- 2¼ cups Cup 4 Cup brand all-purpose gluten-free flour blend
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¾ cup chopped fresh strawberries, mashed
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
FROSTING
- 4 ounces (½ package) cream cheese, at room temperature
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ cups sliced strawberries
Instructions
CAKE
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x13 inch pan with nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to combine the sugar and butter until well blended. Add the eggs and mix well.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and cloves. In another bowl, combine the mashed strawberries, buttermilk and vanilla.
- Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture alternately with the strawberry mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely.
FROSTING
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to combine the cream cheese and powdered sugar; beat until creamy. Add in the cream and vanilla; mix until it becomes a creamy spreadable texture.
- Frost the cake. It will have a thick layer of frosting!
- Arrange sliced strawberries on top. Cover and keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Let sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
- I've only tested this cake using Cup4Cup brand gluten-free flour, so I'm unable to recommend use of anything else.
- Add a few drops of food coloring if you want your cake to have a pink hue.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Here are a few more gluten-free cake recipes you might enjoy:
- Gluten Free Pineapple Cake by Mommy Hates Cooking
- Gluten Free Almond Cake with Strawberries by What’s Gaby Cooking
- The Best Gluten Free White Cake by Barefeet in the Kitchen
I’m back, as promised. The cake turned out better than I anticipated. Everyone enjoyed it. It definitely was more of a spice cake with a hint of strawberry though. It was more dense than my normal cakes, but then, I’ve never baked gluten free. It was also slightly dry, but the thick cream cheese frosting helped with that. All in all, not a bad cake, but definitely not my favorite.
Thanks for coming back to let us know! I’ve never been a fan of gluten-free cakes, but my gluten-free Mom liked it so that’s all that mattered to me!
I found this recipe while searching for a) a gluten free cake and b) a strawberry cake that did not involve box cake mix or fake strawberry flavor (i.e. strawberry jello mix). I used King Arthur Gluten Free Multi-Purpose flour because that is what is available to me in my area. The ingredients are similar to Cup4Cup and it’s supposed to work the same. I took the cake out of the oven a little bit ago, and so far, I’m not impressed. The cinnamon and cloves smell, while I love it, make it smell like I baked a spice cake. Not a strawberry cake. There is splitting on both my layers. I am usually an excellent baker, with very few problems, but I am disappointed by the splitting. Since I need a cake for tomorrow, and it has to be gluten free for my MIL, I will proceed with icing it when it cools. But I am doubtful. I will post another comment once I’ve eaten a proper slice, and not just pan remnants.
Hi Rebecca, I only made this as a one-layer cake… so I’m not sure about trying to make it a 2-layer cake. The strawberries in the actual cake recipe don’t yield a ton of strawberry flavor, so I think the spices are key to giving it flavor, and that probably does give it more of a spice cake flavor. I’ve not tried the King Arthur brand of flour, but I would imagine they all work a little differently in recipes. My gluten-free Mom really liked the recipe, so you’ll have to let us know what your MIL thinks of the cake.
I’ve never heard of 4Cup, I’ll have to check that one out. This looks so delicious for the summer. Thanks for sharing and thank you for sharing my recipe too!