Gluten-Free Yellow Sheet Cake

Our easy Gluten-Free Yellow Sheet Cake = a perfect birthday cake! This fluffy vanilla cake is easy to make, with a moist, tender texture, and unbelievable chocolate frosting you’ll LOVE!

Gather Your Ingredients

I know some people are intimidated by the idea of making a homemade cake, but it’s surprisingly easy, especially for a sheet cake recipe like this. Let’s take a look at the key ingredients:

How To Make Yellow Sheet Cake With Chocolate Frosting, Step By Step

As always, you can find the full recipe, with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and tips in the recipe card below.

First, Bake The Cake

1. Set Out Ingredients In Advance. You MUST set out the cold ingredients (eggs, butter, milk, and sour cream) about 1-1.5 hours in advance to let them come up to room temperature. Otherwise, they will not cream properly and the batter will be chunky instead of smooth.
2. Preheat The Oven & Prep Your Pans. Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a metal 9×13 pan or line with parchment paper and set aside.
3. Combine Dry Ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine gluten-free flour blend, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine, then set aside.
4. Cream Butter & Sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine softened butter and sugar. Use the paddle attachment and beat together 2-3 minutes on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
5. Add Eggs & Vanilla. Scrape down the edges/bottom of the bowl and gradually add eggs one at a time, then the vanilla, mixing to incorporate well. 
6. Mix In Sour Cream. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again, and mix in the sour cream on LOW speed.
7. Alternate Dry Ingredients & Milk. Add half of the dry ingredients and mix on LOW speed, streaming in half of the milk as you go. Scrape down the edges of the bowl and add the second half of the dry ingredients, streaming in the second half of the milk until just combined. Try not to over-mix here. Feel free to finish combining by hand with a spatula, if needed!)
8. Pour Batter Into Pan. Pour the cake batter into your prepared pan. Use an offset spatula to even out the surface of the batter.
9. Bake Cake Layers. Bake the cake for 35-40 minutes in preheated oven or until the top of the cake springs back when gently pressed, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs.
10. Cool Completely Before Frosting. Let the cake cool 15 minutes in the pan before carefully turning them out onto a wire rack to cool completely OR let cake cool completely in the pan before frosting. Note that the cake must be COMPLETELY cool before frosting or the frosting will melt.

Then, Make The Frosting & Decorate The Cake

1. Beat The Butter. Add the softened butter to a large bowl. Beat with a hand mixer on low speed for about 2 minutes, until it’s light and fluffy.
2. Mix. Then, add powdered sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and vanilla extract. Add the cream, then mix for 30 seconds on low speed, then about 1 minute on medium speed, or until well combined.
3. Adjust. At this point, you’ll want to adjust for texture. If the frosting is too dry or thick, add a little bit of additional cream at a time until it thins out. If the frosting is too thin or too wet, you can add more powdered sugar or cocoa powder a teaspoon at a time, until you reach the right consistency. The fudgy frosting should be easy to spread but should still hold its shape. (If you want the frosting to look extra glossy, you can add 1-2 Tablespoons of corn syrup at this point.)
4. Frost The Cake. Use a piping bag and your favorite piping tip to pipe frosting onto the cooled cake, or use an offset spatula to spread the frosting out onto the cake. I like to make a subtle swirl design with the spatula. Add any desired sprinkles or other decoration.*
5. Serve & Store. Use a sharp knife to cut the cake into slices and enjoy right away. Or, cover the cake and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve. I recommend removing the cake from the fridge about 30 minutes before serving for the best texture. Store leftover cake covered in the refrigerator 2-3 days, or freeze leftovers up to 2 months. 

FAQ + Tricks For The Best Yellow Sheet cake

Weigh When Possible! ESPECIALLY when making a homemade gluten-free cake, it’s VERY important to measure your flour carefully to avoid packing too much flour into the cake. I recommend an inexpensive digital scale for best results, but if you don’t have one, make sure you at least use the scoop and level method, spooning the flour into the measuring cup and leveling it off.

Use Room Temperature Ingredients. Really. It’s crucial that all cold ingredients have been brought to room temperature before making this cake, or the batter will turn out lumpy and the finished cake will not look even. Set out butter, eggs, sour cream, and milk 1 hour in advance to bring them to room temperature.

Decorating Tips. I usually just use an offset spatula to spread the frosting onto a sheet cake, but for pretty presentation, I like to use a Wilton 2D or Ateco 849 closed star tip to pipe a spiral or shell border or to make little poofs of frosting around the border of the cake. 

Your Pan Matters! I recommend baking this homemade cake in a light colored metal pan, since it conducts heat evenly and cooks the cake gently. If you use a glass pan or ceramic pan, you’ll likely need to add a few minutes to the bake time and your cake may not bake as flat as mine. 

More Gluten-Free Cake REcipes To Celebrate With

Gluten-Free Carrot Cake

Gluten-Free Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake

Gluten-Free Tres Leches Cake

Gluten-Free Yellow Layer Cake

Gluten-Free Yellow Sheet Cake With Chocolate Frosting

5 from 4 votes

Author: Emily Dixon, Sweets & Thank You

This homemade gluten-free vanilla sheet cake is topped with a super plush chocolate buttercream frosting. It's fluffy, moist, and deliciously nostalgic. The perfect gluten-free birthday cake!

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cooling Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 2 hours hours

Print Pin Rate

Servings: 1 (9×13) Sheet Cake

Equipment

• 1 Metal 9×13 Pan
• 1 Offset Spatula
• 1 Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer

Ingredients

For The Yellow Cake:

• 2 cups gluten-free measure-for-measure flour* (240 grams)
• ¼ cup cornstarch (32 grams)
• 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup butter, softened to room temperature** (227 grams/2 sticks)
• 1 ¾ cup granulated sugar (350 grams)
• 3 large eggs room temperature**
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• ⅛ teaspoon almond extract optional
• ½ cup sour cream room temperature**
• 1 cup whole milk room temperature**

For The Chocolate Frosting:

• 1 cups butter, softened (227 grams/2 sticks)
• 3 ½ cups powdered sugar (or more, if needed) (420 grams)
• ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (65 grams) – Use natural cocoa not Dutch Processed cocoa
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ⅓ cup heavy cream or more, if needed
• 1 Tablespoon corn syrup (optional, for glossier frosting)

Instructions

First, Make The Cake:

• Set Out Ingredients In Advance. You MUST set out the cold ingredients (eggs, butter, milk, and sour cream) about 1-1.5 hours in advance to let them come up to room temperature. Otherwise, they will not cream properly and the batter will be chunky instead of smooth.
• Preheat The Oven & Prep Your Pans. Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a metal 9×13 pan or line with parchment paper and set aside.
• Combine Dry Ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine gluten-free flour blend, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine, then set aside.
• Cream Butter & Sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine softened butter and sugar. Use the paddle attachment and beat together 2-3 minutes on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
• Add Eggs & Vanilla. Scrape down the edges/bottom of the bowl and gradually add eggs one at a time, then the vanilla, mixing to incorporate well. 
• Mix In Sour Cream. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again, and mix in the sour cream on LOW speed.
• Alternate Dry Ingredients & Milk. Add half of the dry ingredients and mix on LOW speed, streaming in half of the milk as you go. Scrape down the edges of the bowl and add the second half of the dry ingredients, streaming in the second half of the milk until just combined. Try not to over-mix here. Feel free to finish combining by hand with a spatula, if needed!)
• Pour Batter Into Pan. Pour the cake batter into your prepared pan. Use an offset spatula to even out the surface of the batter.
• Bake Cake Layers. Bake the cake for 35-40 minutes or until the top of the cake springs back when gently pressed, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs.
• Cool Completely Before Frosting. Let the cake cool 15 minutes in the pan before carefully turning them out onto a wire rack to cool completely OR let cake cool completely in the pan before frosting. Note that the cake must be COMPLETELY cool before frosting or the frosting will melt.

Then, Make The Frosting & Decorate The Cake

• Beat The Butter. Add the softened butter to a large bowl. Beat with a hand mixer on low speed for about 2 minutes, until it's light and fluffy.
• Mix. Then, add powdered sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and vanilla extract. Add the cream, then mix for 30 seconds on low speed, then about 1 minute on medium speed, or until well combined.
• Adjust. At this point, you'll want to adjust for texture. If the frosting is too dry or thick, add a little bit of additional cream at a time until it thins out. If the frosting is too thin or too wet, you can add more powdered sugar or cocoa powder a teaspoon at a time, until you reach the right consistency. The frosting should be easy to spread but should still hold its shape. (If you want the frosting to look extra glossy, you can add 1-2 Tablespoons of corn syrup at this point.)
• Frost The Cake. Use a piping bag and your favorite piping tip to pipe frosting onto the cooled cake, or use an offset spatula to spread the frosting out onto the cake. I like to make a subtle swirl design with the spatula. Add any desired sprinkles or other decoration.*
• Serve & Store. Use a sharp knife to cut the cake into slices and enjoy right away. Or, cover the cake and refrigerate until you're ready to serve. I recommend removing the cake from the fridge about 30 minutes before serving for the best texture. Store leftover cake covered in the refrigerator 2-3 days, or freeze leftovers up to 2 months. 

Notes

• Gluten-Free Flour. We HIGHLY recommend King Arthur Flour Measure-For-Measure gluten-free flour. If you use another brand, be sure to use one with xanthan gum. Additionally, it’s VERY important to measure your flour carefully. We recommend weighing on an inexpensive kitchen scale, or at least use the scoop and level method, spooning the flour into the measuring cup and leveling it off.
• Room Temperature Ingredients. It’s crucial that all cold ingredients have been brought to room temperature before making this cake, or the batter will turn out lumpy and the finished cake will not look even. Set out butter, eggs, sour cream, and milk 1 hour in advance to bring them to room temperature.
• Frosting Tips. I usually just use an offset spatula to spread the frosting onto a sheet cake, but for pretty presentation, I like to use a Wilton 2D or Ateco 849 closed star tip to pipe a spiral or shell border or to make little poofs of frosting around the border of the cake. 
• Your Pan Matters! I recommend baking this cake in a light colored metal pan, since it conducts heat evenly and cooks the cake gently. If you use a glass pan or ceramic pan, you’ll likely need to add a few minutes to the bake time and your cake may not bake as flat as mine. 

Video

Course: Cake, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free

Keyword: cake, frosting, sheet cake, vanilla cake

Find the recipe:

sweetsandthankyou.com/yellow-sheet-cake/