Gluten-Free Vegan Red Velvet Cake

Name: Gluten-Free Vegan Red Velvet Cake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 200 ml (4/5 cup) unsweetened almond milk ((or any other plant-based milk) ); 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar ((ensure gluten-free if necessary)); 60 g (1/4 cup) coconut oil ((or sub olive or vegetable oil)); 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar ((ensure gluten-free if necessary)); 8 tablespoons maple syrup ((or sub any other sweetener_); 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; Pinch of salt; 150 g (1 1/4 cup) ground almonds* (almond meal); 150 g (1 1/4 cup) gluten-free flour blend ((or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)); 2 heaped teaspoons baking power ((ensure gluten-free if necessary)); 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda); 1 tablespoon cocoa powder; Optional: 3 teaspoons beetroot powder (adds red colour but not completely necessary for the recipe to work); 400 g (14oz) tin of full-fat coconut milk**; Juice of 1/2 lemon; 2 tablespoons maple syrup ((or sub any other sweetener)); 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Last updated - December 18, 2018; Published - June 10, 2017 By Rhian Williams 39 Comments

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This Gluten-Free Vegan Red Velvet Cake is so much healthier than the traditional version, but every bit as delicious.

Red velvet cake has always been one of my favourite sweet treats, and so this Gluten-Free Vegan Red Velvet Cake has been on my list of recipe ideas for the blog for ages. I’m glad I finally got round to making it, and I really hope you’ll love it as much as I do.

Just like a normal red velvet cake, this one is made up of a moist, fluffy and vividly red sponge that boasts a lovely balance of sweet, salty, sour and chocolatey flavours, and is finished off with a sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting.

But, it’s entirely vegan, gluten-free and refined sugar free, and uses completely natural ingredients, so there’s no artificial red food colouring involved. Let me show you how!

I used my favourite vegan, gluten-free and refined sugar free sponge as a base for this layer cake – I love its taste and texture, and what’s more, it requires just one bowl and uses easily accessible ingredients. The coconut oil gives the sponge a rich, buttery flavour whilst ground almonds add a nutty sweetness and fluffiness.

The recipe is also easily customisable, as you can use any liquid sweetener you like, and substitute the coconut oil with olive or vegetable oil if you wish.

Traditional red velvet cake is made with buttermilk, so I made a simple vegan buttermilk by mixing almond milk with vinegar and letting it sit for about 10 minutes. This trick works with any kind of non-dairy milk, as the vinegar curdles the milk so that it resembles real buttermilk.

To create a brilliant red hue, I added a few teaspoons of beetroot powder, which you can buy in most local health stores, as well as online. I love how it adds a lovely colour but is completely natural, and it also has a very subtly sweet flavour. But if you can’t get hold of it, it’s not a problem if you leave it out – you’ll just end up with a slightly differently coloured cake, but the taste will be the same and still delicious!

I also love the cream cheese frosting on this cake. It’s so simple to make vegan cream cheese at home – just mix some coconut cream or coconut yogurt with a little lemon juice, which brings out a tartness perfectly reminiscent of cream cheese.

I then topped it off with freeze-dried raspberries and cacao nibs, but you can use whatever you want to decorate it. Let me know in the comments below if you come up with any fun decorations! 🙂

This Gluten-Free Vegan Red Velvet Cake would be so good for birthday parties and other such gatherings. Looking for more cake inspiration? You might like my:

If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.

Helpful tools to make this Gluten-Free Vegan Red Velvet Cake:

For the cake:

glass mixing bowl

measuring jug

18 cm / 7 inch sandwich baking tin

baking paper

cooling rack

For the frosting:

electric whisk

palette knife for frosting