Gluten Free Old Fashioned Spice Cake

With a warming, mellow flavour the whole family will love, my Gluten Free Old Fashioned Spice Cake recipe has all the flavour of traditional spice cake. The only thing that’s missing is gluten!

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Gluten Free Old Fashioned Spice Cake – Part of Our Family History

My family and I have been making Auntie Margaret’s Old Fashioned Spice Cake for four generations. It’s a real family favourite, and one of my most popular pins on Pinterest. One of questions I was asked most often was if there was a gluten free version. There wasn’t, but there is now!

After lots of experimentation, I’ve developed this delicious gluten free version based one hundred percent based on Auntie’s recipe.

A Truly Old Fashioned Recipe

Aside from eliminating the gluten, I stuck to Auntie’s recipe. As a result, the mixing method may seem a little bit different than what you are used to. The method was developed back in the days before electric mixers. Steps like whipping the egg whites separately and mixing the buttermilk with the baking soda were designed to give the cake a bit more lift. Even though I now use an electric mixer to make the cake, I decided to keep this method as part of the recipe. It really doesn’t take all that much longer, and it adds an authentic vintage flavour and texture to this delicious cake.

Tips for Making Gluten Free Old Fashioned Spice Cake

1. Use a 1 – 1 Gluten Free Flour for ease. I like Bob’s Red Mill 1 – 1 Gluten Free Flour best so far.

2. This is the kind of cake you can serve directly from the pan, but I prefer to use a loose bottomed cake tin. I like how the cake looks when I do this, and it means I can frost the sides as well.

3. This cake tastes great naked, but it’s extra special with the frosting I share in the recipe. My Almond Buttercream is so delicious, you will have to restrain yourself from eating it by the spoonful.

4. Best eaten on the day it is made, my Gluten Free Old Fashioned Spice Cake can be stored in a sealed container for up to 2 days. If you do frost the cake with the almond buttercream I share in the recipe, and you are storing the cake overnight, it is best kept in the fridge. Bring the cake room temperature before eating.

Perfect for snacks, desserts, or afternoon tea, my Gluten Free Old Fashioned Spice Cake is also delicious served with a scoop of ice cream.

Gluten Free Old Fashioned Spice Cake – Printable Recipe

Created by: April J Harris

Gluten Free Old Fashioned Spice Cake

Course Dessert

Cuisine Gluten Free

Servings 1 cake

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup buttermilk or sour milk
• 2 eggs, separated
• 2¼ cups gluten free flour blend
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ teaspoon allspice
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg freshly ground if possible
• ½ cup butter, softened
• ¾ cup soft brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• For the almond buttercream:-
• ½ cup butter, softened
• 2 cups icing sugar icing sugar is also known as confectioner's sugar
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 to 3 tablespoons milk

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
• Grease and flour a deep 8 inch (20 cm) round cake pan or an 8 x 8 inch square pan. I often use a loose bottom pan to make the cake easier to remove from the can pan after baking.
• In a medium bowl or pitcher, whisk the baking soda into the buttermilk or sour milk. Set aside. The milk will foam up as it sits.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour blend, cinnamon, ground cloves, allspice and ground nutmeg. Set aside.
• In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form. Set aside.
• In another bowl (I use an electric mixer for this), cream together the butter and the sugar.
• Add the egg yolks and blend well.
• Now blend the vanilla and the buttermilk and soda mixture into the egg yolk mixture.
• Add the flour and spice mixture to the batter in two additions, beating well.
• If using an electric mixer, remove the bowl from the mixer. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter using a spatula until thoroughly blended. Do not beat.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan, levelling the top a little with a knife.
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.
• Cool the the cake in the pan for at least 15 minutes before removing from the pan and cooling completely on a wire rack.
• If you plan to frost the Gluten Free Old Fashioned Spice Cake, make the almond buttercream while you wait for the cake to cool.
• Cream together the butter and confectioner's sugar using an electric mixer, until well blended.
• Beat in the almond flavouring.
• Add the milk, a tablespoon at a time, until a spreadable consistency is reached. You may not need to use all the milk.
• Wait until the cake is completely cool before you frost it.
• Serve the cake on its own or with a scoop of ice cream. The cake tastes best if used within 48 hours of making.

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