Gluten- Free Toasted Vanilla Cake
toasted vanilla cake
Deep, rich toasted flavors that will remind you of a summer campfire
toasted vanilla cake
Vanilla cake is something that is rarely done well. Typically, you get a flavorless, disappointing cake that lacks and depth or character. That is where this toasted vanilla cake excels. Think of those easy summer nights around a campfire and that is this cake in a nutshell.
Some Notes:
Toast that dry milk powder. Don’t skimp on this step, it is incredibly important. It should be a deep pretty brown but not black and should smell toasted. This might take up to 10 minutes- be patient.
I love buttermilk in a cake. I think it adds so much to the layers of flavor and contributes to the rise of the cake. However, if you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can make some by adding a tablespoon or two of vinegar to a cup of milk.
Let’s go over some vegan options. Vegan baked goods aren’t my favorite challenge to take on but all of my cakes are pretty easy to make vegan. You can switch out the milk with oat milk. The toasted milk powder gets a little more challenging but I have had good luck with both oat milk powder and coconut milk powder. As for the egg- any time I do a vegan cake I choose a flax egg over any other egg substitute.
Last tip- When you mix the toasted milk powder with the hot milk, let it sit for a minute, this helps the flavors really come to life and bloom in the cake.
Overall- I hope you enjoy this cake, I definitely have.
Gluten-Free Toasted Vanilla Cake
The taste of summer campfires and warm vanilla, all bundled up into a nice package that will leave you wanting more.
Prep Time: 30 minutes Cook Time: 12-15 minutes Total Time: 45 minutes Yield: 12 Cookies
Ingredients
Toasted Milk Powder:
- 1/4c Dried Milk Powder
Cookie Dough
Wet Ingredients
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- 1 cup buttermilk (room temperature)
- 1/2 cup neutral oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste for stronger flavor)
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup superfine brown rice flour
- 1/2 cup sorghum flour
- 1/2 cup tapioca starch
- 1 tsp xanthan gum
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup toasted milk powder (from above)
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
Additional Ingredients
- 3/4 cup hot water or hot milk
Filling
- Almond Flour: 38g
- Granulated Sugar: 1 tbsp + 1 tsp
- Egg: 10g
- Melted Butter: 1 tbsp (8g)
- Almond Extract: ⅛ tsp
- Milk or Cream: 1 tsp (optional)
Instructions
Prep Work: Toasted Milk Powder
- Preheat a dry skillet over medium heat.
- Add 1/4 cup dried milk powder and stir constantly for 3-5 minutes until it turns golden brown and smells nutty. Remove from heat immediately to prevent burning.
- Set aside to cool.
Prepare the Batter:
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line cake pans with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla extract until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients, including the toasted milk powder, flour blend, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing gently.
- Slowly pour in hot water or hot milk, stirring until fully combined. The batter should be smooth but not overly thin.
Bake:
- Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
