Gluten Free Pound Cake Everyone Will Love Recipe

I finally perfected my Eggnog Bundt Cake With Rum Glaze during a late-night experiment that swapped one classic ingredient for something unexpectedly simple and changed the whole formula.

I always meant to make a poundcake that actually slices clean, and this Gluten Free Pound Cake is the one I kept coming back to. I used unsalted butter and vanilla extract to make it rich without being sickly sweet, and the crumb is closer to the original than I expected.

If you poke around Gluten Free Treats you’ll see recipes that promise a lot, but this one delivers. It isnt flawless, i burn the edges sometimes, yet when it works you get a dense buttery slice that people keep coming back for.

Ingredients

• Unsalted butter gives rich tender crumb, fat for flavor and moisture, it’s luxurious.
• Granulated sugar sweetens heavily, helps browning and texture, but adds lots of carbs.
• And eggs bind and lift the cake, provide protein and a silkiness few things match.
• Gluten free all purpose flour blend gives structure, varies by brand so results change.
• Almond flour adds nutty flavor, boosts protein and healthy fats, makes crumb tender.
• Sour cream adds tang, moisture and richness, helps keep cake soft longer.
• Lemon zest gives bright citrus lift, cuts richness, tiny bit goes a long way.
• Xanthan gum adds chew and elasticity for crumb, use only if blend lacks it.

Ingredient Quantities

• 1 1/2 cups (340 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temp
• 2 cups (280 g) gluten free all purpose flour blend (preferably a 1 to 1 blend)
• 1/2 cup (56 g) almond flour or finely ground almond meal
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 cup (240 g) sour cream or full fat Greek yogurt, room temp
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest (about 1 medium lemon), optional
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum, only if your flour blend does not contain it, optional
• 2 tablespoons milk or almond milk, optional

How to Make this

1. Preheat oven to 325 F (163 C) and grease a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan well, line with parchment leaving an overhang so you can lift the cake out later.

2. Let butter, eggs, and sour cream or Greek yogurt come to room temp for at least 30 minutes, and weigh your ingredients if you can for best results.

3. Whisk together the dry stuff: gluten free all purpose flour blend, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and xanthan gum only if your flour blend does not already contain it. Give it a good whisk so there are no clumps.

4. Cream the softened butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Scrape the bowl down once or twice.

5. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, scrape the bowl, then mix in the vanilla extract and lemon zest if using. Don’t rush this step or you’ll get a curdled looking batter.

6. Add the dry mixture and the sour cream in alternating additions, starting and ending with the dry mix: dry in three parts and sour cream in two parts, mixing only until just combined after each addition. If batter seems too stiff, stir in up to 2 tablespoons milk or almond milk to loosen it. Try not to overmix or the cake will be tough.

7. Spoon batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, then tap the pan on the counter a few times to pop big air bubbles.

8. Bake at 325 F (163 C) for about 60 to 75 minutes, until golden and a skewer or toothpick inserted near the center comes out with a few moist crumbs but not wet batter. If the top browns too fast, tent loosely with foil after 30 to 40 minutes.

9. Let cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 to 20 minutes, lift out using the parchment, then cool completely before slicing, at least another 45 minutes. Store tightly wrapped at room temp for a few days or freeze slices for longer.

Equipment Needed

1. 9 by 5 inch loaf pan, well greased and lined with parchment so you can lift the cake out easily
2. Parchment paper (leave an overhang when lining the pan)
3. Digital kitchen scale (best for accuracy) or measuring cups and spoons if you dont have a scale
4. Large mixing bowl and a medium bowl for the dry ingredients
5. Hand mixer or stand mixer (to cream butter and sugar)
6. Whisk (for the dry mix, to remove clumps)
7. Rubber spatula or silicone scraper (for scraping the bowl and folding)
8. Microplane or fine zester (for lemon zest)
9. Wire cooling rack and a skewer or toothpick to test doneness
10. Oven thermometer (optional, handy if your oven runs hot or cold)

FAQ

Gluten Free Pound Cake Everyone Will Love Recipe Substitutions and Variations

Gluten Free Pound Cake Everyone Will Love

I love a good pound cake, it’s simple, buttery and perfect with coffee or berries. This version keeps the classic texture but makes it gluten free so everyone can enjoy. It’s not fancy, just great cake.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups (340 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temp
• 2 cups (280 g) gluten free all purpose flour blend (preferably a 1 to 1 blend)
• 1/2 cup (56 g) almond flour or finely ground almond meal
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 cup (240 g) sour cream or full fat Greek yogurt, room temp
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest (about 1 medium lemon), optional
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum, only if your flour blend does not contain it, optional
• 2 tablespoons milk or almond milk, optional

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Grease and flour a 9×5 inch loaf pan with gluten free flour or line with parchment and leave a bit hanging over the sides for easy lift out.
2. In a large bowl, cream the softened butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. This takes 3 to 5 minutes with a hand mixer, a little longer by hand. Scrape the bowl so everything mixes evenly.
3. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Don’t rush it, each egg needs time to incorporate.
4. In another bowl whisk the gluten free all purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and xanthan gum if using.
5. Add the dry mix to the butter mixture in three additions, alternating with the sour cream (start and end with the dry mix). Mix on low, just until combined. Stir in vanilla and lemon zest. If the batter seems very thick, stir in up to 2 tablespoons milk to loosen a bit.
6. Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan, smooth the top. Tap the pan gently on the counter to remove big air bubbles.
7. Bake 60 to 75 minutes until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs but not raw batter. If the top browns too fast tent loosely with foil.
8. Cool in pan 15 minutes, then lift out using parchment and finish cooling on a wire rack. The cake tastes best at room temp and actually slices neater after it’s fully cool.
9. Optional: dust with powdered sugar, serve with berries or a simple lemon glaze.

Quick tips
– Room temperature eggs and butter give the best rise and texture, don’t skip that.
– If your GF flour already has xanthan gum, do not add more or the cake can be gummy.
– To test doneness, a thermometer in the center should read about 205°F when done for a moist crumb.

Substitutions

• Unsalted butter: swap with equal amount solid coconut oil for dairy free results, expect a faint coconut flavor; or use vegan/butter sticks 1 to 1 for a straight dairy free swap.
• Granulated sugar: use light brown sugar 1 to 1 for a slightly deeper, caramel note; coconut sugar works 1 to 1 too but the cake will be darker and less sweet.
• 4 large eggs: replace each egg with 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed plus 3 tablespoons water (mix and let sit 5 minutes) for a vegan substitute, so for 4 eggs use 4 tbsp flax + 12 tbsp water.
• Almond flour: if you need nut free, use an equal weight of extra gluten free all purpose flour (so about 56 g) and add 1 to 2 tablespoons extra butter or oil to make up for lost fat, or try sunflower seed flour 1 to 1 but be aware it can react with baking soda and slightly discolor with lemon.

Pro Tips

1) Weigh your stuff, dont eyeball cups. Cups lie, grams dont. Weighing the flour and butter will give you a consistent crumb every time and stop the cake from being too dense or too dry.

2) Forgot to bring things to room temp? No panic. Put eggs in a bowl of warm tap water for 10 minutes, and soften butter by cutting it into small cubes or grating it instead of nuking it, because melted butter changes the texture. If butter gets too soft chill it a few minutes.

3) Mix gently and stop the second the streaks disappear. Overmixing is the usual culprit for a heavy loaf, even with gluten free blends. If the batter looks a bit curdled don’t freak out, keep going slowly and fold the last bits with a spatula so you dont overwork it.

4) Watch your oven not the clock. Use an oven thermometer, and if the top is getting too brown tent loosely with foil after 30 to 40 minutes. Test in the center with a long skewer, a few moist crumbs is perfect. Cool in the pan 15 to 20 minutes then lift out to finish cooling, and wrap tightly once cold to keep it moist or freeze slices for later.