Amazing Vegan Gluten Free Cake Recipe (Top 9/14 Free & More)

Last Updated on September 22, 2026 by The Allergy Chef

Today I’m going to be sharing with you a very special vegan gluten free cake recipe that’s near and dear to my heart. Why? Because it’s truly corn free, low histamine, Paleo, grain free, migraine diet friendly, and so much more. You have to understand, in more than 10 YEARS, I’ve shared a meal with another human less than TEN TIMES. Let that sink in.

The isolation that comes with a free-from and restricted diet life can be pretty intense for some of us. So, knowing how many people can come to the table with this vegan gluten free cake means a LOT to me. Probably more than the cake itself if I’m being honest.

Now, there are some important notes before you get to baking, especially if you’re hoping to make substitutions. Also, if you don’t need truly corn free and super duper special cake, check out one of these vegan gluten free cake recipes instead:

Bakery Vegan Gluten Free Carrot Cake Recipe
Vanilla Birthday Cake Cupcakes Recipe
Sheet Pan Vanilla Cake Recipe
Gluten Free Orange Cake Recipe
The Best Vegan Apple Sheet Pan Cake Recipe
Low Histamine Carrot Cake Recipe

If that’s not enough, pick up a copy of my Vegan Gluten Free Cake, Pastry, & Frosting Cookbook (Note: Of the 100+ recipes, 2 aren’t vegan due to honey)

Table of Contents

A Little More About This Vegan Gluten Free Holiday Cake Recipe (and Inclusion)

First, a testimonial from a taste tester: “WOW! This tastes like a regular gluten cake!”

I was pleasantly shocked when one of the taste testers made this declaration. Knowing this, I sure hope you make this easy gluten free sheet pan cake recipe and it’s loved by all who eat it.

It’s important to know going into this recipe that it’s DELICIOUS. It’s also been engineered to omit specific common holiday ingredients such as cinnamon. The whole goal of this incredibly special truly corn free cake is to make sure that people who are normally left out, or people who often have to adapt recipes DON’T HAVE TO. They can walk into this recipe with confidence knowing that it’s designed to meet their needs.

This cake is also truly corn free, and there are no corn derivatives (a lot harder than you think). So, remember, if you don’t need this level of free-from, grab my cookbook instead. You’ll find all of the recipes from my award winning free-from bakery (gluten free, vegan, top 9 free, and more). It’s all gluten-free cakes, frostings, pastry pieces, and there’s options for truly corn free people as well.

Allergy Status

Free From: Wheat/Gluten, Dairy, Egg, Soy, Tree Nuts, Peanut, Fish, Shellfish, Sesame, Top 9 Allergens, Top 14 Allergens, Alliums, Apple, Avocado, Banana, Beans & Lentils, Berries, Buckwheat, Cane/Refined Sugar, Carrot, Celery, Cinnamon, Citrus, Coconut, Corn, Cruciferous, Garlic, Latex Cross Reactive Foods (H/M), Legume, Lupin, Mushroom, Mustard, Nightshade, Oat, Onion, Pea & Pea Protein, Potato (Nightshade Variety), Poultry, Red Meat, Rice, Squash & Gourd, Stone Fruits, Strawberry, Sweet Potato & Yam, Tapioca/Cassava/Yuca/Manioc, Tomato, Yeast

Friendly To: EOE, FPIES, GERD, Grain Free, Migraine Diet (Cleveland Clinic & Johns Hopkins) Paleo, Vegan

Compatible With: Low Histamine

GERD: Remember to serve portions that work for your level of fat tolerance. With too big a slice, this is no longer compatible, but, it’s a big cake.
Low Histamine: If vanilla extract is not tolerated, use 4 teaspoons of ground vanilla. Make sure it’s not all clumped together. If you have a small blender cup (think NutriBullet type) you can blend the milk and ground vanilla together first to break up clumps. If ginger is not tolerated, omit. Swap for cinnamon if it is tolerated.

Tools to Make This Vegan Gluten Free Cake

Handheld Electric Mixer OR Stand Mixer (technically you could use a large mixing bowl and whisk by hand, but something with power will be much easier)
Kitchen Scale (this is non-negotiable in free-from baking, as it allows me to give you precise numbers so you’ll have success at home)
Measuring Cups + Measuring Spoons
Large Baking Tray (Half Sheet)
Spatula
Parchment Paper + Scissors

If you don’t have some of these tools, you can view what I use in my Amazon Shop.

Vegan Gluten Free Cake Ingredients

Flax Gel/Bind

5 TBSP Golden Flax Meal (for best results, use this brand)
10 TBSP Water (room temperature, use this for truly corn free water)

Note: This is sometimes called flax eggs, but I don’t use that term since there isn’t a universal measurement.

Part 1 Ingredients (Dry Ingredients)

450g Organic Tiger Nut Flour (tuber, not a tree nut)
300g Organic Maple Sugar
60g Arrowroot
5 tsp Baking Powder
3 tsp Organic Ground Ginger
2 tsp Organic Ground Vanilla
1.5 tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp Organic Ground Turmeric

Part 2 Ingredients (Wet Ingredients)

385mL Milk of Choice (13.75 ounces)
170mL Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil OR Organic Tiger Nut Oil (6 ounces)
1 TBSP Organic Vanilla Extract

Part 3 Ingredient

170mL Hot Water (6 ounces, use this brand for truly corn free)

Truly Corn Free Ingredient Sourcing Notes

If you have a corn allergy like me, and can’t tolerate a lot of ingredients, here are some brands for you. Keep in mind, I only suggest products for those with a severe corn allergy and NO corn derivatives. If you consider yourself to be “corn lite”, these may not be products you need.

Flax
Arrowroot
Baking Powder (alternative option)
Ginger (look for a 1 pack or buy in the bulk bag)
Turmeric (this is the bulk bag)
Salt (alternative option)
Vanilla Extract
Water

If you’re new to living the corn free life, or struggling, please, get my Truly Corn Free Cookbook & Guide. I spend more than 40 pages teaching you how to properly source ingredients, safe brands to investigate, and much more. Plus, there’s over 150 recipes in that mammoth cookbook. Trust me, it will be the best investment you can make in your corn free life.

General Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

Tiger Nut Flour

This is a specialty gluten free flour. Tiger nuts are not tree nuts, despite the name, they’re tuber root vegetables, and safe for someone with a nut allergy.

THESE SWAPS *SHOULD* WORK: Gluten Free All Purpose Flour, Grain Free All Purpose Flour, and Homemade Gluten Free All Purpose Flour (as long as it’s well balanced).

DO NOT SWAP FOR: Almond Flour, Cassava Flour, Coconut Flour, Sweet Rice Flour, Single Starches (sweet potato, tapioca, etc.), Single Tree Nut Flours or Seed Flours.

Organic Maple Sugar

This is an unrefined granulated sweetener. For best results, you can swap it with organic coconut sugar and organic date sugar. Whilst you can use cane sugar (organic white sugar, organic light brown sugar, or organic dark brown sugar) those sweeteners are going to make the final cake read as SWEET. Keep that in mind if you make the swap, because as-is, this vegan gluten free cake recipe isn’t super duper SWEET, but it’s nicely sweetened.

Arrowroot

When you make a gluten free flour blend, it’s always good to include a light fluffy starch. Arrowroot is our starch for this recipe, and also keeps our gluten-free flour nightshade free. However, if potato starch is your only safe option, you can make that swap, so long as you know the final results will shift a bit. You’ll still have a delicious moist cake, but it’s going to be a little different.

Ginger & Turmeric

These are the flavouring agents. You can swap these basic ingredients for other spices such as cinnamon + nutmeg, fennel, lavender (a little bit goes a long way), and so on. Essentially, without the ginger and turmeric, this vegan gluten free cake recipe is like a maple-vanilla “basic” cake. You can easily tweak it to create a different flavor profile you’ll love.

Milk of Choice

I use a homemade, truly corn free + dairy free + top 9 free milk in my gluten free vegan baking. This awesome cake can be made with any plant based milk including almond milk, oat milk, rice milk, soy milk, and the list goes on. The only milk you can’t use is full fat coconut milk from the can. To use coconut milk, it needs to be the boxed/watery style.

Oil

If you have organic tiger nut oil (tuber, not a tree nut), that’s the preferred oil to use, as you’ll have the most awesome results. The second pick is organic extra virgin olive oil.

From there, use an oil that’s liquid at room temperature, and that’s as close to neutral as possible. Also, an organic, high quality oil, really does make a difference.

DO NOT SWAP the oil for a fat that is solid at room temperature including palm shortening, vegetable shortening, vegan butter, or coconut oil.

Helpful Gluten Free + Egg Free Baking Resources

If you’re new to gluten-free recipes that are also vegan and allergy friendly, I have some seriously helpful resources for you that dive in and pull back the curtain. I’m all about teaching you the WHY so you understand, and then you can take simple ingredients and make your own awesome creations at home.

Why listen to me of all people? Welp, I owned and operated a gluten free, vegan, top 9 free bakery for years until lockdowns caused me to pivot. My award winning bakery was the safest free-from bakery in the state of California for people with food allergies and dietary restrictions due to how I did everything behind the scenes.

If that’s not enough, I’m an expert in the free-from field, have won awards for all sorts of things, published quite a few cookbooks, and well, I know how to make a free-from sweet treat that makes someone without food allergies say “I can die now”. I kid you not. The lady took a bite and was like, on cloud nine. So, read the articles. I promise, they’ll make you a stronger vegan gluten free baker.

Gluten Free Baking Tips from an Expert Free-From Baker (also includes egg free and allergy friendly tips)
Egg Substitutions: A True Master Class
Gluten Free + Egg Free Baking Tips
Gluten Free Flours – Where to Start

Vegan Gluten Free Cake Directions (with pictures)

Good news, the instructions are pretty easy, and you should be able to get this great recipe into the oven in about 10 minutes (or less if you hustle).

Bake Temperature: 350f/175c
Prep Time: 5 – 10 Minutes
Bake Time: 30 – 35 Minutes
Best Cake Pan: Half Sheet Baking Tray (like this)

Start by combining your flax and water in a small bowl. Mix well and set aside. Now is a good time to turn on your kettle for hot water, and preheat your oven to 350f/170c.

For this cake, I’ll be using a stand mixer with the wire attachment. If needed, you can use a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, or even mix by hand.

Place your empty mixing bowl on your kitchen scale and tare to zero. Add each of the Part 1 Ingredients one at a time and tare to zero between weighted ingredients.

Once they’re all in, lightly mix to combine. Return your bowl to the scale and add the Part 2 Ingredients. Mix on medium speed to combine. As your batter starts to form, turn the mixer off and add the flax gel.

Mix again and once the flax is completely incorporated, add the hot water. It doesn’t need to be boiling water, but it needs to be HOT. I start the kettle when I preheat the oven, it boils, I turn it off, keep adding ingredients to the mixing bowl, and when I use said water, it’s still very hot.

When the hot water is incorporated, mix on high speed for 30 seconds. Your cake batter is ready now. Pretty easy, right?

Line a large baking tray with parchment paper. I like to let some extra paper hang over the edges which makes cleanup much easier. Alternatively, you can bake other shapes, but I used a sheet pan to cut out small cake rounds (as pictured). Also, if you plan to use a different shape, read my warnings below, in the layered cake section.

Use a heavy spatula to mix your batter one last time (the last stir ensures there isn’t any batter clumping or stuck to the bottom of the bowl). Transfer the smooth batter to the baking tray.

Bake at 350f/175c for 30 – 35 minutes on your sheet pan. When your sheet cake is ready, a toothpick should come out clean. A few dry cake crumbles are OK, but wet/gooey batter isn’t. Note: A tooth pick test should be done in the center of the cake, or at the thickest part of your cake.

If your cake is cracking, there’s a good chance it’s done, even if the time isn’t up, so do your toothpick test and check.

High Altitude Note

NOTE: As a sheet pan, this cake will work at high altitudes. With other shapes, especially cake rounds, you may run into issues at high altitude. If you opt for cupcakes, be very gentle with the release and lean towards under filling the liner a bit so the tops don’t get stuck to the pan (ask me how I know).

Easy Cake Decorating Ideas (and little tweaks you can make)

Since this awesome vegan gluten free cake can be eaten by so many different diet types, I’ve included different decorating ideas based on said diets. Have fun!!

Low Histamine Decorating

If you’re following a low histamine diet, here are some ways you can create delicious carrot cakes at home:

Dust Your Cake with Organic Powdered Sugar Before Serving
Make a Glaze and Drizzle All Over (cinnamon, vanilla, cardamom, carrot, etc.)
Serve with Low Histamine Ice Cream (carrot, vanilla, etc.)
Top with Crushed Blackberries (you can macerate in a syrup first)
Drizzle Organic Maple Butter on Top (maple butter is a dairy free whipped maple syrup product)
Add Dates (place chopped dates on the sheet pan before adding the batter)
Cook Sweet Glazed Carrots or Sweet Potatoes and Top (think compote, but intensely flavoured diced carrots)

GERD Decorating

Combine Diced Banana with Cinnamon for Upside Down Cake (spread this on the baking tray, then add the cake batter)
Dust Your Cake with Organic Powdered Sugar Before Serving
Make a Glaze and Drizzle All Over (cinnamon, vanilla, cardamom, carrot, etc.)
Serve with GERD Friendly Ice Cream (carrot, vanilla, cardamom, etc.)
Top with Crushed Fruit (you can macerate in a syrup first)
Drizzle Organic Maple Butter on Top (maple butter is a dairy free whipped maple syrup product)
Add Dates (place chopped dates on the sheet pan before adding the batter)
Cook Sweet Glazed Carrots and Top (think compote, but intensely flavoured diced carrots)

Top 9 Free Decorating

If you fall within top 9 free and don’t need to take low histamine or GERD into consideration, here are some ideas you can try to jazz up your next carrot cake. Remember, you can also use this fantastic carrot cake recipe from my award winning free-from bakery.

Dust with Powdered Sugar and/or Cacao Powder Just Before Serving (note: cacao is not the same as cocoa powder)
Serve with a Side of Ice Cream (carrot, vanilla, chocolate, etc.)
Drizzle an Orange Juice Glaze on Top
Flavour Extracts Such as Rum, and Toffee (this is the brand that I use)
Make a Pineapple Glaze (I make this with freeze dried fruit from this brand)
Top with a Strawberry Compote (or other fruit compote)
Fold in Mini White Chocolate Chips (like these)
Use Tip 32 to Top with Chocolate Frosting
Spread Vanilla Frosting on Top, Then Sprinkle Cranberries All Over

Everyone Else Decorating (additional ideas)

In addition to all of the ideas I’ve shared in the above three categories, here are more ways to jazz up this gluten free vegan carrot cake:

Top with Cashew Cream Cheese Frosting
Serve with a Side of Vanilla Coconut Milk Ice Cream
Make Crushed Glazed Sticky Pecans (like a loaded caramel sauce) and Serve on Top (this would also work with almonds and walnuts)
Top With Homemade Frosting (chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom)
Make a Light Citrus Glaze and Drizzle on Top (don’t be heavy handed with the citrus or it will be too much)

How to Use This Gluten Free Recipe for a Layered Cake

If creating cake layers is important to you, there’s a lot you’ll need to know first. Remember, free-from baking requires a PhD, and this particular recipe is what I like to call super free-from. It’s been designed to accommodate a lot of different diet types, meaning, you must be so careful with your cake if your aim is to manipulate it into something else. These are the steps to follow to create a layered cake.

Bake the cake and make sure you pass the tooth pick test. You can use several smaller sheet pans if desired.
Cool the cake completely.
Place the cake, still in the baking tray, into the freezer and freeze SOLID.
Make your frosting (if you need recipes that use vegan butter etc., be sure to grab my cookbook).
Take the frozen cake out of the freezer and apply the frosting.
Add a layer and frost again.
Repeat if needed.
Frost the outside, or leave uncovered for a shabby chic sort of vibe.

How to make layers that aren’t a sheet pan.

Choose a pan that’s ideally short, like this set.
Bake the cake and make sure you pass the tooth pick test.
Cool the cake completely.
Place the cake, still in the cake pans, into the freezer and freeze SOLID.
Make your frosting (if you need recipes that use vegan butter etc., be sure to grab my cookbook).
Take the frozen cake out of the freezer and apply the frosting.
Add a layer and frost again.
Repeat until you’re happy with the height.
Frost the outside, or leave uncovered for a shabby chic sort of vibe.

The Critical Keys to Layer Cake Success (with this recipe)

For this top 9 allergy free cake recipe to have a fighting chance at being successful when stacked as layers, there are several critical things you must do. If you skip these things, you may have a disaster on your hands. An expensive one, because we both know how much free-from ingredients cost.

Do not alter the recipe. I repeat. Don’t alter the recipe.
The cake batter level/height in your pan, no matter the cake pan shape, MUST be the height of a sheet pan cake (shoot for 3/4″ or 1.875cm). Do NOT attempt to make a standard height cake with this very specific, hyper inclusive cake recipe. For that, you’ll need to use a different recipe and there are loads to choose from in my cookbook.
You need to decorate frozen cakes.
Thaw the cake in the fridge overnight, the night before you plan to eat it.
After slicing and serving, know that there can be some cake collapse, depending on the height and shape of your cake. It’s still delicious, but once you cut into it, the structure is gone.

Remember, and I can’t stress this enough, this top 9 allergy free, gluten free vegan cake recipe was designed for those with limited options. It has a fantastic, delicate crumb, but, that means stacking is a hurdle. You can always use a different recipe, designed for stacking, from my Cake, Frosting, and Pastry Cookbook (all GF + Top 9 Free).

How to Store Your Vegan Gluten Free Cake

Storing cake properly is going to change depending on where you live, and the current season (I’ve done some testing). For the absolute best results, cut individual slices of your allergy friendly cake and store them in small airtight containers in the freezer.

You can store cake in your freezer with or without frosting. To thaw, leave it on the counter top for about 90 minutes, and it’s like day one cake all over again. You can store leftovers in the freezer for several months. Be sure to use an airtight container when storing this tasty dessert, and ideally, have as much air removed as possible to prevent freezer burn from happening.

You can also store cake leftovers in the fridge for 3 – 4 days. Be sure the cake is well covered, especially the sides of the cake, to make sure you don’t end up with dry hard bits of cake. Whilst lots of people like to use plastic wrap when storing cake leftovers, personally, I use foil and wrap things nice and tight. I also sometimes have a layer of parchment paper, then foil on top of that.

Ultimately, make sure the cake is completely covered and in an airtight container, and you’ll be good to go.

More Amazing Vegan Gluten Free Cake Recipes

Each of these phenomenal cake recipes is gluten free, vegan, egg free, and so much more. Click through to see if it will be a good fit for you.

Answering Your Questions About This Vegan Gluten Free Cake Recipe

Can I use almond flour in place of the tiger nut flour?

I’m glad you asked, because no, you can’t make that swap and have a successful gluten free bake. Whilst they both sound like nuts, tiger nuts are actually tuber root vegetables, and the flour doesn’t behave like almond flour.

If almond flour is your only safe option, I’d encourage you to look up “paleo vegan cake recipe almond flour”. The Paleo will keep you gluten and grain free, and the vegan term will keep it egg free. You may be able to find more recipes with that search combo than other search terms.

Will oat flour work in place of the tiger nut flour?

Maybe. Generally, oat flour and tiger nut flour are a 1:1 swap. However, I’ve personally never tried swapping *this much* flour. So, if you want to try that swap, you can, but do it eyes WIDE open. The cake may turn out wrong, or it might be A-OK.

Be sure to start with a half batch of cake (and bake it on a quarter sheet pan), and if it works out, next time, try the full recipe. Happy baking, and be sure to report back.

Can I use Bob’s Red Mill gluten free all purpose flour in this recipe?

You can use the Bob’s Red Mill AP gluten free flour mix in place of the tiger nut flour in this recipe. If you’d like, you can go all Bob and swap the arrowroot as well. The taste and texture will absolutely change though, so just know that going in. Like, you’re not making the cake in the picture…

Does this taste like regular cake?

Nope, in fact, I’m told it tastes BETTER than regular cake. Now, it’s important to know that tiger nut flour (tuber, not a tree nut) has a nutty, earthy taste. There’s also a slight textural thing about it and if you eat enough tiger nut products, you’ll be able to easily identify it in gluten free baked goods.

As long as you don’t find tiger nuts offensive, you’re going to love this cake. The texture is amazing, the flavour is on point, and it’s not a difficult recipe to follow.

Can I use baking soda instead of baking powder?

I’m so glad you asked because no, when you make this great recipe, you can’t use baking soda in place of baking powder. At least, not as a 1:1 exchange. This article goes deeper into the topic, so read it if you’d like to nerd out.

If you were to use that much baking soda, not only would the flavor of the cake be ruined (we’re talking toss it in the trash levels of bad), but you won’t have proper rise. Additionally, for baking soda to work well, it needs to be paired with an acid (lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, etc.), and since this is also a low histamine cake recipe, that’s not how it’s designed.

So, stick with baking powder for this awesome vegan gluten free cake recipe. You can also make homemade baking powder if needed.

How can I turn this into a lemon cake?

If your sweet tooth demands lemon, who are we to deny it? The good news is that we can pretty easily convert this vegan gluten free cake recipes into a lemon cake with a few tweaks.

Decide if you want to keep the ginger and turmeric. They can stay because they won’t clash with lemon, but it’s a personal choice.
Swap the maple sugar for organic cane sugar (caster sugar if you can) if you really want the lemon flavour to POP. You can keep the maple, but it will mute the lemon a little bit.
Follow the full recipe and directions, but make the following additions.
Add 2 – 3 TBSP organic lemon zest to the cake batter when you add the wet ingredients.
Add 2 TBSP organic lemon juice with the wet ingredients.
After the cake bakes, allow it to cool for 5 minutes. Then, brush on organic food grade lemon oil. DO NOT use lemon extract. It’s not the same thing and will ruin the cake. It must be the oil. Brush that all over the top of your cake and allow it to cool completely.
Take a bite so your sweet tooth is satisfied because now you have an awesome lemon cake.

Is this a good cake to serve at a birthday party?

This is absolutely one of the best vegan gluten free cakes you can serve at a birthday party (or other celebration) if you know you have guests that follow a gluten-free diet, vegan diet, low histamine diet, and GERD diet. Like, we’re talking a mixed bag of guests at this shin dig of yours.

However, if you want something that’s a little more approachable like a chocolate cake or vanilla cake, etc. (and you don’t need low histamine, refined sugar free, GERD, and all their friends), grab my Gluten Free + Top 9 Free Pastry, Frosting, and Pastry Cookbook instead.

You’ll find delicious recipes from my award winning bakery, amazing vegan cake recipes that will please a crowd (and not have them thinking, dang I don’t like vegan cake), and the kind of gluten free vegan cakes that make people without food allergies come back for seconds (and thirds).

I’ve been serving free-from cakes to tens of thousands of people nationwide, and I’m telling you, I’ve hit paydirt. So, take your pick, then bake up an awesome cake to share at your celebration.

Will this gluten free cake recipe turn out well even though there’s no xanthan gum?

Yes!! Great news, well, not great, but you get the idea. I personally have a severe, life threatening corn allergy. That means a LOT of ingredients are off the table, including most xanthan gum.

I’ve been able to own and operate an award winning GF + free-from bakery, all without added xanthan gum. Now, I did tinker with guar gum at one point, but when I did side by side comparisons (even with a freeze and thaw test), the guar gum didn’t have a meaningful impact.

Here’s why: I don’t call for all purpose flour. Instead, I make a custom gluten free flour blend for all of my recipes. This means there’s balance from the start, and you don’t need dough conditioners and enhancers and additives to boost the results.

So, as long as you follow the recipe as-is, yes, it will turn out beautifully, even without xanthan gum, guar gum, and all their friends.

Do you have a vegan gluten free chocolate cake recipe?

I do, in fact there are several amazing gluten free vegan chocolate cake recipe options. You’ll find all of them in my Free-From Cake, Pastry, and Frosting Cookbook. There’s the chocolate cake recipe from my award winning bakery, decadent chocolate cakes, special versions of chocolate cake for people with less common allergies, and even an ultra low sugar mega delicious chocolate cake recipe.

Do I need to cool this cake on a cooling rack?

Whilst you could do this, I cool cake like this one directly in the sheet pan that it baked in. Also, if you try to flip this cake out onto a wire rack, given the size and delicate nature, it will break and you’ll have really tasty cake crumbs all over your kitchen counter.

Could I make round cakes with this corn free cake recipe?

By design, this vegan gluten free cake recipe is all about “the path of least resistance”, and that’s because it’s also a low histamine cake. Without an additional acid (such as apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, or vegan buttermilk), there will be limited cake rise because we’re also egg free and gluten free by design.

If you were to pop this gluten-free cake recipe into a round cake pan, you’re looking at a different cooking time, but also the potential for limited cake rise (especially in the center of the cake).

On the other hand, if you were to make six inch cakes or use eight inch cake pans, but keep the cake batter level low (as if you were still using a sheet pan), then you can absolutely change the cake pan shape and still have success.

Ultimately, success is directly tied to how much cake batter is in the pan. If you’re hoping to have a round cake that’s tall, you’ll need to bake up 5 or 6 short layers, then stack them after they’ve cooled.

This particular cake pan set is one that I often use when I want to have short layers, and the pan sizes forces you to not accidentally over-fill. Whilst you’d have a smaller cake in general, you also don’t run the risk of accidentally messing up your layers.

Is non-dairy milk the same thing as dairy free milk?

Non-dairy (also written as nondairy) used to imply that there could be a very small amount of cow’s milk dairy in a product. Dairy free on the other hand means zero dairy. Period.

Whilst the regulation has changed over the years, the US FDA generally has the viewpoint that “non dairy” could contain up to 0.5% of dairy milk derivatives such as caseinate. Dairy-free always meant zero milk or milk derivatives.

At the time of publishing in 2026, what I can tell you is this: many brands are using the terms as if they’re interchangeable. This can be confusing to a lot of people because you’re not sure what they’re referring to.

When in doubt, anyone with a milk allergy should always contact a company to better understand their ingredients and manufacturing process.