This gluten-free pound cake recipe is deserving of a spot in my upcoming cookbook, “Carla’s Best 125 Gluten-Free Recipes“. I know you’ll enjoy it! All of the ingredients come together perfectly to make a lighter and moister pound cake. As with many baked gluten-free goods, baking in smaller amounts achieves surprising results. A tube or bundt pan creates a narrower cake; therefore, an incredible texture, while keeping its buttery flavor. The crunchy thin crust is a pleasant addition. Serve this cake to a crowd or slice and freeze for when cravings strike.
Note: I said that my favorite recipe from my cookbook was probably the Crunchy Gluten Free Chocolate Mousse Pie, but I must say, this is equally deliciously. I also had trouble restraining myself from going back for seconds on this dessert. It is the best pound cake I have ever had. It’s much lighter than traditional pound cake, yet still moist. These characteristics are why people love this cake.
One of my 20 recipe testers served this cake to her family shortly after serving them a doctored-up gluten boxed cake, and they enjoyed this one much more.
Note: This is another recipe from my upcoming cookbook, Carla’s Best 125 Gluten-Free Recipes.
The moisture and sponge-like texture of this gluten free pound cake must be experienced to truly appreciate. Serve to everyone, gluten or gluten-free.
Ingredients:
- Oil or butter, for pan
- 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
- 2-3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 5 large eggs, at room temperature
- 3 cups Carla's Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Blend (using cornstarch, not tapioca flour), plus extra for dusting the pan
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
- 1 cup milk (I used a combination of nonfat milk and about 1-1/2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream)
- 1-1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract*
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Oil or butter and flour an 8 to 9-inch tube pan or angel food cake pan. Place on a baking sheet if you are using a 2-piece tube pan. Set aside.
- Cream together butter and shortening in the bowl of your mixer on medium speed until fluffy and almost white in color.
- Add sugar and mix on medium speed for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes, scraping bowl as needed.
- Add eggs, one at a time, and beat after each addition, just until thoroughly incorporated. Scrape sides as necessary.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder. Add dry mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Scrape bowl as needed and mix until batter becomes silky.
- Add vanilla and beat just until combined.
- Transfer to the prepared pan and bake on the center shelf of the oven, approximately 1 hour 15 minutes. The cake is fully baked when it no longer jiggles when shaken and a toothpick inserted and removed comes out clean.
- Allow cake to cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove the cake, along with the bottom of the two-piece pan, and transfer to a wire rack to completely cool, about 2 hours. If using a 2-piece pan, remove the bottom once cool, if desired. Slice and serve.
Tips
*You can use 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice + 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla if you wish to add lemon flavoring. Adding the zest of 1 lemon is delicious, as well.
I am looking forward to making this cake. I haven’t had any pound cake in at least 45 years(yes I am old and could write a book on living with allergies to corn and wheat and many other foods.) I am so thankful I can use tapioca instead of corn starch and so thankful for this recipe and all your other recipes. You are a blessing to gluten free people.
Carla,
I just finished making a double batch of your all purpose flour blend with the tapioca flour only to see that most of your cake recipes need cornstarch instead of tapioca. My heart was set on making pound cakes again, but the all purpose recipe is all wrong. If it is all purpose then what can I use it for? My goal is to make cakes that are not gummy.
Hi Mistiraemerril,
You can use tapioca instead of cornstarch in most of my recipes. I use cornstarch now because I discovered that I am allergic to tapioca. I often state what I used. Unless I specifically state that you must use cornstarch, then go ahead and use tapioca flour. In many cases, tapioca turns out even better than cornstarch.
Carla
Carla, thanks for being such a great creator of gluten-free recipes that work. Fortunately or unfortunately, which ever way you want to look at it, I can not do milk products or common vegetable oils. So, do you know of a workable substitute for the butter and vegetable oil? I’ve been using coconut oil for other things. from Lorna
Lorna,
Other than coconut oil, I have mostly used vegetable oils such as Earth Balance and butter flavored shortening. If you can tolerate eggs, egg yolks make a wonderful fat replacement as does mashed bananas. I’ve also used mashed avocado in chocolate recipes.
Of course, all of these substitutes would be an experiment in itself.
I hope this helps.
Carla