Perfect Gluten-Free Pound Cake Recipe (Enjoy and Share) (2024)

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Today’srecipe for Perfect Gluten-Free Pound Cake is the third installment ofSSS … a Suite of Sweets for Sweethearts.When I was growing up, pound cake was afamily favorite. Bake a good pound cake and you were loved by all. Seriously.

There was no gift I could give my grandmother (my dad’s mom) that she would havepreferred over my pound cake. Grandma loved pound cake, and she saidmine were the best.

Perfect Gluten-Free Pound Cake

You see … before going gluten free, I made all kinds of pound cakes. There were classic pound cakes, orange pound cakes, lemon pound cakes, cream cheese pound cakes, chocolate pound cakes, and marble pound cakes … to name a few.

Some were baked in tube pans. Some were prettiest if cooked in Bundt pans. Some were 8-inches square. Others were baked in loaf pans.

Some were served plain. Some required a dusting of powdered sugar. Some needed a thin drizzle of icing. But, one thing they all had in common was how good they were.

Everyone in my family and circle of friends had their own personal favorite ofmy pound cakes. I’ve been gluten free for well over 6 years now. I have not baked a really good gluten-free pound cake in that time (although I’ve tried several).

Until …Now. Now I have the Perfect Gluten-Free Pound Cake for you!

This pound cake recipe is anothergfe recipethat uses olive oil as the shortening–in this case, light olive oil or extra light olive oil, and that’s an important distinction. (Extra virgin olive oil’s flavor is way too strong for this recipe in my opinion.) The original recipe is from the Filippo Berio site, which was also thesource of the Mediterranean Chocolate Cakerecipe that I converted to gluten free.

I made this cake dairy free by using full-fat canned coconut milk, although you can use dairy milk if you like. However, I’m pretty sold on themoisture and dense textureprovided by the coconut milk in this recipe. If you consistently eat dairy, this just might be one time you want to try eating dairy free.

I made this pound cake for my dad’s birthday. Good thing the recipe made two loaves. Son was home for the weekend and ended up eatingalmost one entireloaf by himself, and then more from the second loaf later.

He told me I should sell this cake in individual slices for $4 or $5 … “Mom, I’m serious. You could make a fortune.” And, he’s mentioned his love of this cake and his entrepreneurial ideas for meseveral times since.

Before he headed home, he asked me to slice the remaining part of theloaf into individual pieces asa “to-go package” for easy eating while on the road. Then, he offered to deliver the remaining pound cake loaf to my Dad when he stopped by to say hello on his way out of town.

Do I need to tell you what happened? He ate all ofhis to-go package before he arrived and then ate some more of Dad’s pound cake when it was offered. In case you need any more endorsem*nt than that,please know that this cake is very easy to make and delightfully moist.

All the previous gluten-free pound cakes I’ve made were dry the following day (if not later that same day), but that’snotthe case with thisone. Woohoo!

If you are a not a fan of pound cake as a dessert by itself, feel free to top a slice with some fresh fruit. Like strawberries and whipped cream for a strawberry shortcake-type dish. That’s exactly how gfe reader/friend Ginny creates here Strawberry Shortcake as you can see from her photo below. Or you could drizzle a slice with your favorite chocolate or fruit syrup.

Perfect Gluten-Free Pound Cake Recipe (Enjoy and Share) (2)

You can even make an elegantpot of chocolate fondue, cut this pound cake into squares, skewer with a toothpick, and dip intothat chocolate fondue. The results will be amazing!

Thankfully, easy, gluten-free chocolate fondue recipes abound.Here’san allergy-friendly one from Cook IT Allergy Free.(I am definitely craving fondue after looking at Kim’sphoto!)

I even found another allergy-friendly chocolate fonduerecipe at Go Dairy Free.I suspect itmight be easy to makea fondueusing the coconut milk left over from this pound cake recipe with some dairy-free chocolate.

Enjoying fondue is such a fun thing to do for Valentine’s Day. Iattended a party at Christmas where there was chocolate fondue.But, the fondue hadalready beencross-contaminated from folks dipping in hunks of gluten-containing pound cake, so it didn’t matter that there was fruitavailable for dipping.

Admittedly, I was a bit disappointed that I could not partake, soI thinkhaving a chocolate fondue party for twowould be something special for us to doon Valentine’s Day. I already know how special this Perfect Gluten-Free Pound Cake is!

Perfect Gluten-Free Pound Cake Recipe (Enjoy and Share) (3)

Don’t forget to check out the previous SSS entries … Surprise Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream and Cinnamon-Sugar-Crusted Popovers.

Perfect Gluten-Free Pound Cake Recipe

Perfect Gluten-Free Pound Cake Recipe (Enjoy and Share) (4)

Yield:

Perfect Gluten-Free Pound Cake

Perfect Gluten-Free Pound Cake Recipe (Enjoy and Share) (5)

I don't use the word "perfect" too often, but this recipe really does yield perfect gluten-free pound cake! Honestly, even if you're not gluten free, you will find that this pound cake truly is perfect!

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. (See notes for adjustment for high altitudes.) Grease two loaf pans or grease and flour (use gluten-free flour) a Bundt pan.
  2. Combine flour, xanthan gum, sea salt, and baking powder in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside.
  3. Pour olive oil into large mixing bowl, and slowly mix in sugar, orange juice, and vanilla extract.
  4. Add eggs one at a time, stirring after each addition.
  5. Add milk. Mix 2 minutes. Gradually add dry ingredients into wet ingredients, mixing well.
  6. Pour batter into loaf pans or Bundt pan.
  7. Bake for 50 – 55 minutes.

Notes

Adapted from Filippio Berio.

Reader Wendy lives at a higher altitude---6600 ft---and she adjusted oven temperature to 375 degrees with successful results.

Coconut oil works fine in this recipe, but produces a cake that's lighter in flavor. I prefer the richer taste that the light olive oil provides. (Again, please do not use extra virgin olive oil in this recipe as the flavor is too strong.) Pans can be greased with whichever oil you use.

Two loaf pans are what the original recipe calls for and what I used. Don't worry too much over the size of the pans, although you may have to adjust cooking times. The original recipe called for 6 3/4" x 3 1/2" x 2" loaf pans. I (and one gfe reader) used 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" x 2 5/8" pans.

I don't taste either the coconut milk or orange juice in this recipe; perhaps they balance each other, but all I taste is "good."

Last, I love the crunchy edges of this pound cake recipe. The end pieces are my absolute favorite.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

Originally published February 10, 2010; updated June 1, 2023.

Perfect Gluten-Free Pound Cake Recipe (Enjoy and Share) (2024)

FAQs

What is the trick to gluten-free baking? ›

Gluten-free flours often contain fine starches, so they absorb more liquid than conventional flour. To address this, gluten-free recipes usually call for more liquid and produce looser batters. They may also call for a larger quantity of leavening, like baking powder, to help add volume and lighten the texture.

How do you keep gluten-free cake moist? ›

Add extra liquid: Gluten-free flours tend to absorb more liquid than regular flour, so you may need to add more liquid to your recipes to compensate. This can help to keep your baked goods moist and prevent them from becoming dry and crumbly.

Should gluten-free cake batter rest before baking? ›

Let Your Batters & Doughs Rest

We recommend covering your batters and doughs and letting them rest for at least half an hour. Note: This will also help batters become thicker and doughs to firm up.

Why do gluten-free cakes not rise? ›

YOUR CAKE IS SINKING IN THE MIDDLE OR NOT RISING

You may not have used enough raising agents. I do recommend experimenting with double action baking powders. Otherwise try using 25 percent more chemical raising agents (baking soda or baking powder) if you're converting a recipe to gluten free.

What to avoid for gluten-free baking? ›

Some baking ingredients that contain gluten (and thus are not suitable for a gluten-free diet) include:
  • Wheat.
  • Semolina.
  • Spelt.
  • Durum.
  • Emmer.
  • Einkorn.
  • Rye, sometimes referred to as pumpernickel.
  • Barley.
Mar 29, 2021

What to avoid when cooking gluten-free? ›

If You're Given the Green Light to Cook

When you're eating gluten-free, you must avoid the grains wheat, barley, rye, and most oats. This is tricky because these grains and ingredients made from them are included in many packaged products.

What gluten-free flour is best for cakes? ›

What's the best gluten-free flour for baking? Bob's Red Mill gluten-free 1-to-1 baking mix is my favorite gluten-free all-purpose flour blend for baking. It has a mild texture and plenty of "stick" thanks to a blend of sweet rice flour, brown rice flour, and sorghum flour, plus some starches and xanthan gum.

What helps gluten-free cakes rise? ›

Gluten-free flour blends don't have the same elasticity as flour containing gluten so often the cakes don't rise as much or will sink after rising. To combat the flat cake problem, I add ½ tsp of bicarbonate of soda to the recipe even when using a self-raising gluten-free flour blend.

What ingredient tenderizes the gluten in a cake? ›

Fat tenderizes the gluten. Examples of fat are butter, margarine, hydrogenated vegetable shortening, or oil. Leavening agents are added to most shortened cakes to make the cakes rise and become porous and light. Examples are baking powder or baking soda and sour milk.

Can I just replace flour with gluten free flour? ›

Gluten-Free Bread Flour can be swapped 1:1 for all-purpose flour and bread flour by both weight and volume.

How do you keep gluten-free cake from falling apart? ›

Xanthan gum (along with other thickeners like guar gum and arrowroot) acts like a binder in gluten-free baked goods to maintain their structure. Without it, there's a good chance that your brownies or muffin will crumble and fall apart.

Can you overbeat a gluten-free cake? ›

Over-mixing can beat too much air into the batter and cause it to collapse. Less is more with mixing a gluten free cake batter — try to blend the batters for less than one minute.

How do you know when a gluten-free cake is done? ›

Even when fully cooked, gluten-free baked goods often look underdone, are slightly wet inside, and feel soft to the touch. Only when they cool do the starches set and firm up. That's why we often find that timing is a more foolproof way that visual cues to determine doneness.

Do I need xanthan gum for gluten-free baking? ›

Xanthan Gum adds thickness and viscosity to gluten-free breads and other baked goods. Without xanthan gum, your gluten-free baked goods would be dry, crumbly and flat. Because xanthan gum is gluten-free and vegan, it's the preferred thickener for those home bakers with food allergies.

What is the trend in gluten-free bakery? ›

The Global Gluten-Free Bakery market is anticipated to rise at a considerable rate during the forecast period, between 2023 and 2030. In 2022, the market is growing at a steady rate and with the rising adoption of strategies by key players, the market is expected to rise over the projected horizon.

How do you make gluten-free baking less crumbly? ›

One of the most common gluten-free baking tips is “let your batter rest”. Letting the batter rest gives the gluten-free flours and starches more time to absorb the moisture. In theory, it will turn your dry, crumbly cakes into delicious, moist masterpieces.

Does gluten free flour bake the same as regular flour? ›

One of the first rules of gluten-free baking is managing your expectations; traditional baked goods lean on gluten for their texture and rise. Replicating this is challenging and the results might not be identical, but it can get pretty close with the right flours.

What are the rules for gluten-free cooking? ›

When cooking gluten-free, there are two important things to remember:
  • Be sure to read all ingredients label to ensure you are not accidentally using a product that contains gluten. ...
  • Make sure that you are not causing cross-contact by using foods, utensils and other cookingware that has been contaminated by gluten.

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