This scrumptious gluten free Victoria sponge cake is also dairy-free and egg-free! A light and fluffy dessert, soft and moist. One of the best gluten free vegan summer dessert ideas you can find! So grab your apron and let's get baking!
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What's Victoria sponge cake?
Victoria sponge cake is a classic British dessert. This soft, light and fluffy cake consists of two layers of sponge filled with whipped cream and jam (or fresh berries). Named after Queen Victoria, who favored this delicacy during her reign in the 19th century, the Victoria sponge cake is very popular during afternoon tea gatherings or celebrations in UK.
Ingredients
To make a gluten free vegan Victoria sponge cake you will need simple ingredients, many of which you probably already have at home!
Brown rice flour, it works great in this recipe because it is light and has a neutral flavor.
Almond flour (always check it is labeled gluten free, if needed), or simply finely grind blanched almonds in a food processor or a blender.
Potato starch, or other gluten free starch like corn, rice or tapioca. It works as a binding agent and makes the texture of the cakes soft and airy.
Sugar, caster sugar is best for this recipe, but brown one will work too.
Aquafaba (whipped), the cooking liquid of chickpeas or other legumes, that works as an egg substitute. You can find more about it in this article.
Margarine or vegan butter, melted and at room temperature
Gluten free, plant based milk, rice or soy milk work best in this recipe for their neutral flavor. You could also opt for nut milks, like almond or cashew. Whichever you pick, it is important the milk is not "dense", but has a light consistency.
Vanilla extract and grated lemon zest for flavor.
Coconut milk, not the beverage, but the creamy one in cans. It will need to sit in the fridge at least for 24 hours, before whipping and using for the filling.
Alternatively you can use vegan whipped cream (usually soy-based).
Strawberry jam or fresh strawberries for filling and decoration
All the quantities in the card below
How to make gluten free Victoria sponge cake
This Victoria sandwich cake uses my recipe for fluffy gluten-free sponge cake made with aquafaba. You will simply need to double the doses.
- First of all, make sure the coconut cream can sits in the fridge for at least 24 hours before serving the cake
- Grease two pans or line them with parchment paper and set aside
- Pre-heat oven at 180° C / 350 F
- Beat the aquafaba until stiff peaks form
- In a bowl, weigh and mix flours, starch, sugar, baking powder, salt and grated lemon zest and mix well
- Add the milk and melted margarine and mix with a hand mixer for 1 minute, making sure all the dry ingredients are well incorporated.
- Divide the batter in two parts (pour half of it in another bowl)
- With a spatula incorporate half of the the whipped aquafaba into one batter and the other half into the other, with soft gentle movements (do not use the hand mixer). You will get a liquid batter, it's ok.
- Pour each batter into the two prepared pans
- Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean
- Let cool down completely before removing from pan
- Whip the refrigerated coconut milk until creamy and - if using fresh strawberries - thoroughly wash and rinse them before using
- Spread a generous layer of coconut cream on one cake, top it with sliced strawberries or jam and the other cake
- Dust with powdered sugar and enjoy!
Tips and Substitutions
If you need to make a nut free cake, you can replace the almond flour with half starch and half brown rice flour. The end result will be denser cakes though.
I would not suggest doing this. By baking two separate cakes you make sure both cakes cook and rise properly.
Aquafaba is a great egg substitute for texture and softness, but in this cake it won't replace the structure offered by eggs.
It is best to refrigerate it and let it rest outside the fridge 10 minutes before whipping it.
Freezing it will make it too hard to whip and should you let it "warm" too much, it will melt and you won't be able to whip it.
As for most gluten free baked goodies, they are best made and served fresh to enjoy them soft and moist.
Store it in an airtight container (or covered with cling film) and it's best kept in the fridge, to keep the freshness of strawberries and whipped coconut cream.
Baking in grams
I cook and bake in grams as they are more accurate (than cups) when measuring ingredients. This is especially important when it comes to gluten free and vegan recipes.
Also, I weigh both dry and wet ingredients in grams and most of the time I share one- or two-bowl recipes, to make everything easier for you.
A simple affordable kitchen scale is definitely a useful and worthy investment for your gluten free cooking.
So you will simply need to place the bowl on the scale and weigh ingredients as you go!
Want more easy gluten free vegan dessert ideas? Check these out!
Strawberry Cake
Key Lime Pie (also soy free!)
Soft Peach Cake
If you make this recipe or have questions, leave me a comment down here! And a 5 star rating if you have loved it would help me grow the blog 😉
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Ciao!
Sonia
📖 Full Recipe
Gluten free Victoria Sponge Cake (Dairy free, Eggless)
Equipment
- 2 8 or 9 inch baking pans
- parchment paper
- electric whisk
- rubber spatula
- kitchen scale
Ingredients
- 200 grams (1+½ CUP) gluten free brown rice flour
- 200 grams (2 CUPS) almond flour or almond meal
- 200 grams (1 CUP + 4 tbsp) potato starch (or other gluten free starch)
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 100 grams (½ CUP) caster sugar
- 100 grams (7 tbsp) vegan butter/margarine, melted, room temperature
- 200 grams (1 CUP) aquafaba (cooking liquid of chickpeas or other legumes)
- 300 grams (1+½ CUP) gluten free, plant based milk (best if neutral flavored, like soy, rice or also almond, cashew)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
- 1 can coconut cream (not the beverage)
- 500 grams (3-4 CUPS) fresh strawberries (or strawberry jam)
- powdered sugar
Instructions
- Make sure the coconut cream can sits in the fridge for at least 24 hours, before whipping and serving the cake
- Grease two pans or line them with parchment paper and set aside
- Pre-heat oven at 180° C / 350 F
- Beat the aquafaba until stiff peaks form and set aside
- In a bowl, weigh and mix flours, starch, sugar, baking powder, salt, grated lemon zest and mix until well combined
- Add the milk and melted margarine and mix with a hand mixer for 1 minute, making sure all the dry ingredients are well incorporated (check the bottom for remaining flour)
- Divide the batter in two parts (pour half of it in another bowl)
- With a rubber spatula incorporate half of the the whipped aquafaba into one batter and the other half into the other, with soft gentle movements, from top to bottom (do not use the hand mixer). You will get a liquid batter, it's ok.
- Pour each batter into the two prepared pans
- Bake for 25 minutes, or until nicely golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean
- Let cool down completely before removing from pan
- Remove the coconut cream can from the fridge and let sit for 10-15 minutes
- Transfer the solid part of the refrigerated coconut cream (not the liquids that may have separated from the cream) and place it in a medium bowl
- With a hand mixer, whip the refrigerated coconut milk until creamy and - if using fresh strawberries - thoroughly wash and rinse them before using
- Set one of the two cakes on a serving plate, spread a generous layer of coconut, top it with sliced strawberries or jam and gently place the second cake on top
- If desired, decorate with more strawberries and dust with powdered sugar
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