4.8 from 18 reviews

Moist Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cake (no dye!)

Name: Moist Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cake (no dye!)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 135 min
Ingredients: ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons (85g) beet purée (see note); Softened butter, for the pan; ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons (80g) organic granulated sugar; ¼ cup (50 g) sunflower oil or other neutral vegetable oil; 1 large egg; ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon (63 g) well-shaken cultured buttermilk; 2 teaspoons (8 g) strained fresh lemon juice; ¾ teaspoon (3 g) neutral vinegar (such as apple cider or rice); ½ tsp (2 g) vanilla extract; ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons (57 g) ivory teff flour*; ¼ cup (35 g) sweet rice flour (such as Bob’s Red Mill or Mochiko)*; ¼ cup (27 g) GF oat flour (such as Bob’s Red Mill)*; 2 tablespoons (12 g) Dutch-process cocoa powder ((or natural cocoa for a brighter color but more dense texture)); ¾ teaspoon baking powder; ⅛ teaspoon baking soda; ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt; 1 recipe cream cheese frosting; ~1 ½ teaspoons beet powder, sifted if lumpy (divided use)

By Alanna Taylor-Tobin on Feb 6, 2019 (updated May 8, 2024) / 48 Comments Jump to Recipe

Gluten-based red velvet cakes *wish* they could be as tender, and pillowy as this gluten-free version! This gluten-free red velvet cake gets its burgundy hue and moist crumb from pureed beets in the cake, while beet powder tints the ombré cream cheese frosting pretty shades of pink.

A blend of gluten-free flours (teff, oat, and sweet rice) create a plush, moist crumb you'll never know is gluten-free. This cake is moist, chocolatey, tangy, and oh so addictive. And it better be – I tested the recipe 10 times to get it just right.

Gluten Free Red Velvet Cake on a plate without Food Coloring — This GF red velvet cake gets a burgundy hue from pureed beets.

Do you love red velvet cake but the thought of adding a whole bottle of red food coloring to a recipe gives you the icks? SAME.

That's why I came up with this all-natural gluten-free red velvet cake. It uses pureed beets for a burgundy hue. A touch of cocoa powder and lemon give it a rich yet bright flavor. And a blend of flours (teff, oat, and sweet rice) create a plush, moist crumb.

Top it with less-sweet cream cheese frosting (adapted from my cookbook), optionally tinted with beet powder for a pretty-in-pink cake recipe to brighten your day.

slices of cake are on a white platter bathed in golden sunlight

The Search for All-Natural Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cake

Several years ago, my niece requested red velvet cake for her birthday. Determined to skip the bottle of red food coloring, I researched natural ways to tint the classically colorful cake. I found a blog called SophistiMom (which sadly doesn't seem to exist anymore, although I did find another blogger's variation on that original recipe) that blended pureed cooked beets into the batter. Keeping the batter as acidic as possible preserved its rich burgundy hue.

I whipped up a batch, brought it to the party, and took a taste. Earthy cocoa-beet cake melded with bright cream cheese frosting.

I was hooked!

I recently converted the recipe to be gluten-free using a blend of gluten-free flours –teff, oat, and sweet rice. But this forgiving cake works well with other flours if you don't have these on hand, so see below for substitution suggestions.

Beets for Gluten Free Red Velvet Cake Recipe — Beet puree gives this GF red velvet cake its burgundy hue – naturally!

Red Velvet Cake without Food Coloring

Today's red velvet cakes are usually colored bright crimson thanks to artificial red food dye. But beets actually played a roll in the traditional cake.

See, red velvet cake is thought to have originated during the Victorian era. The term "velvet cake" referred to any cake with a soft, tender crumb. The red velvet cake got its color from natural cocoa powder which, when combined with acidic ingredients like vinegar and buttermilk, turned the cake's crumb reddish-brown.

During World War II rations, beets were often used as fillers in cake batters, and cakes were further tinted with the water from boiled beets. If the thought of adding beets to a cake gives you the little weirdsies, just think of how delicious other veggies are when added to cakes, including carrot cake, pumpkin bread, and zucchini bread.

Like these other veggies, here beets add moisture, fiber, and natural sweetness. Plus they color the cake a beautiful burgundy, no dye required!

The key to keeping the color of natural red velvet cake bright is acidic batter. Buttermilk, lemon juice, and a splash of vinegar all add acidity. For the leavening, acidic baking powder is preferable to basic baking soda, though a small amount of baking soda adds big lift.

Can you taste the beets in this cake?

Not really. The frosting tastes just like plain cream cheese frosting – even the one with a whole teaspoon of beet powder stirred in. In the cake, the beet flavor blends with the cocoa, vanilla, and flavorful flours to create an earthy-tasting base. If you're looking for it, you get the beet flavor in the finish, but most people wouldn't be able to guess the secret ingredient if you didn't give them a hint. The beet does add natural sweetness and moisture, meaning that less sugar and oil are needed to produce a tender crumb.

Gluten Free Red Velvet Cake Ingredients in bowl — **Ingredients:** oil, lemon juice, vinegar, buttermilk, vanilla, egg, beet puree, sugar, gluten-free flours (teff, oat, and sweet rice) cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt

Ingredients & Substitution Suggestions

Gluten-Free Flours

Gluten-based red velvet cakes *wish* they could be as moist, tender, and pillowy as this gluten-free version! A trio of flours gives this GF red velvet cake a gorgeous, plush crumb. However, if you prefer, you can swap out any or all of the flours and use the same weight of gluten-free all-purpose flour such as Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 (in the blue bag), 120 g total.

Learn more about combining gluten-free flours in my guide to baking with gluten-free flours or in my cookbook, Alternative Baker.

Teff flour adds protein which builds a sturdy batter that traps air and rises beautifully. Teff has a lovely earthy flavor the compliments the cocoa and beets. flour Sub by weight almond flour or millet flour.
Sweet rice flour adds stickiness that helps the cake hold together beautifully. Sub by weight cassava flour or gluten-free all-purpose flour such as Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1.
Oat flour fluffs up the batter and keeps it moist. Sub sorghum flour, almond flour, or more teff flour.

Other Ingredients

A handful of other ingredients combine to make the red velvet cake batter.

Pureed red beets add color, moisture, and natural sweetness. To make it, boil fresh beets until fork-tender, let them cool, then peel and puree them in a food processor or blender until smooth. Or start with storebought cooked beets for ease. The puree can be made ahead and refrigerated or frozen.
Oil adds moisture and keeps the cake tender, even when chilled. Choose a neutral oil that's liquid at room temp, such as sunflower, grapeseed, or mild olive oil.
Lemon juice and vinegar add acidity which not only adds brightness to the flavor, but keeps the color bright, too.
Buttermilk moistens the batter, adding more tangy acidity. If you don't have any (or for dairy-free) use plant yogurt or dairy yogurt thinned with plant milk or regular milk.
Vanilla and salt deepen the flavors.
Egg adds loft. For egg allergies, try subbing 3 tablespoons aquafaba (the liquid from canned chickpeas) or 1/4 cup Just Egg. I've tested these egg subs in this teff flour chocolate cake.
Sugar adds moisture and sweetness. For refined sugar-free, sub by weight coconut sugar or maple sugar (though the color will be less bright with coconut sugar).
Cocoa powder adds rich flavor and contributes to the burgundy hue. I prefer the flavor and texture of the cake made with dutch-process cocoa, although when made with natural cocoa powder, which is more acidic, the cake is more bright red in color. The choice is yours!
Baking soda and baking powder lift the cake. A higher proportion of baking powder, which is more acidic, keeps the colors brighter. I tested this cake without baking soda for an even brighter color, but I preferred the texture with a touch of baking soda, which makes it more floofy and light.

Gluten Free Red Velvet Cake Batter — Beautifully burgundy red velvet cake batter, ready to bake!

How to Make All-Natural GF Red Velvet Cake

This recipe makes a small-batch cake, shown here as a 6-inch layer cake, or an 8- or 9-inch single-layer cake. Double the recipe for more cake!

The beet puree takes about an hour to make, with just a few minutes of active time. Boil the beets until fork-tender, 20-30 minutes, let them cool, then peel and puree in a blender or food processor.
The cake batter comes together quickly with just 1 bowl and a whisk. Just combine the wet ingredients, sift in the dry ingredients, spread the cake batter in greased pan lined with parchment, and bake for 35-40 minutes.
To assemble, cool the cake, split it into 2 layers, and top with cream cheese frosting. See below for how to make the pretty pink ombre frosting shown here!

Gluten Free Red Velvet Cake Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients — **Cream cheese frosting ingredients:** cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, lemon juice, beet powder, vanilla, and salt

Pink Cream Cheese Frosting Ombre

I love cream cheese frosting so much, I don't know why other frostings bother existing. In fact, prior to tasting a really good red velvet cake, I theorized that the only reason people liked the things were because they're usually piled high with cream cheese frosting. But for this über-flavorful version, the frosting is simply the icing on the cake.

My version uses about one-fourth of the sugar that most cream cheese frosting recipes use, so it's balanced and just sweet enough.

My friend and assistant Bebe had the clever idea to tint the frosting pink with beet powder (which can be ordered here) and pipe it in an ombré pattern. This is actually far easier to do than it may appear as long as you've got a piping bag and a large star tip on hand.

Here's how to do it:

Naturally colored cream cheese frosting — Divide the frosting into 4 bowls and add different amounts of beet powder to each bowl for different shades of pink.

2 Gluten Free Red Velvet Cakes on plates with Beet Ombre Frosting — Layer the frosting in the bag, starting with the plain white frosting and ending with the darkest hue. Pipe dots over each cake half, following the curves of the cake.

If you're looking for a dairy-free option, try this technique with my vegan cream cheese frosting or paleo cream cheese frosting recipes.

Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Red Velvet Cake

For those who don't do dairy, swap the buttermilk in the recipe for DF yogurt thinned with plant milk and top the cake with vegan cream cheese frosting or paleo cream cheese frosting.

side shot of Red Velvet Cake Recipe (gluten-free, dye-free) on cake stand — This recipe makes a petite 6-inch layer cake.

Gluten Free Red Velvet Cupcakes & Red Velvet Sheet Cake

This recipe makes a petite 6-inch cake with 2 layers, perfect for about 8 servings of cake, with a high frosting to cake ratio because, as we've discussed, CREAM CHEESE FROSTING.

But you could easily double the recipe and bake this cake in a 9-inch square pan for a small red velvet sheet cake. A single batch of frosting should be plenty for a single layer cake. To feed a crowd, triple the cake recipe and double the frosting, and prepare in a 9x12-inch pan.

For red velvet cupcakes, fill 6-8 muffin cups two-thirds of the way with batter and decrease the baking time as needed.

Gluten Free Red Velvet Cake without Food Coloring being served — This recipe makes a small-batch cake: 1 (6-inch) layer cake, or a single-layer 8-inch cake, for 6-8 servings. Double the recipe for more cake!

Red Velvet Cake for Everyone

I tested this recipe 10 times to get it just right! Every batch got devoured with no crumbs left behind. But this final version boasts all the things I want in a gluten-free red velvet cake: burgundy hue, fluffy and tender crumb, and mellow chocolate flavor.

I streamlined the recipe as much as possible, using oil instead of butter so that the cake can be made with just one bowl and a whisk. While some recipes call for grating raw beets, I find this an unpleasant and messy task. I prefer to boil the beets, let them cool, and puree them in a food processor.

I've given all measurements in weight as well, so you can simply weigh the ingredients right into the mixing bowl.

Do you love or hate red velvet cake?

Let me know in the comments! And please let me know if you give this gluten-free red velvet cake a go. It would make a super sweet gift for a Valentine or Galentine, washed down with a nice sparkling rosé. I know I'd feel quite loved if someone made one for me.

slices of delicious Red Velvet Cake Recipe (gluten-free, dye-free) on plates

*Bojon appétit! For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest, purchase my gluten-free cookbook Alternative Baker, or subscribe to receive new posts via email. And if you make this gluten-free red velvet cake, I’d love to see. Tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet.*

4.78 from 18 reviews

Moist Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cake (no dye!)

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This all-natural gluten free red velvet cake gets its burgundy hue from pureed beets + beet cream cheese frosting piped in a pretty pink ombré.

Alanna Taylor-Tobin

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 45

Cooling Time: 1

Total: 2 15

Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

¼ cup + 2 tablespoons (85g) beet purée (see note)
Softened butter, for the pan
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons (80g) organic granulated sugar
¼ cup (50 g) sunflower oil or other neutral vegetable oil
1 large egg
¼ cup + 1 tablespoon (63 g) well-shaken cultured buttermilk
2 teaspoons (8 g) strained fresh lemon juice
¾ teaspoon (3 g) neutral vinegar (such as apple cider or rice)
½ tsp (2 g) vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients

¼ cup + 2 tablespoons (57 g) ivory teff flour*
¼ cup (35 g) sweet rice flour (such as Bob’s Red Mill or Mochiko)*
¼ cup (27 g) GF oat flour (such as Bob’s Red Mill)*
2 tablespoons (12 g) Dutch-process cocoa powder (or natural cocoa for a brighter color but more dense texture)
¾ teaspoon baking powder
⅛ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

Frosting:

Instructions

Prepare Things

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350ºF. Grease a 6-inch round cake pan with softened butter and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper cut to fit.

Make the Cake Batter

In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, egg, beet puree, buttermilk, lemon juice, vinegar, and vanilla.
Place a strainer over the bowl and add the teff, sweet rice, and oat flours with the cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Sift the flours into the beet mixture and whisk or stir to combine.

Bake the Cake

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the cake springs back to the touch and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with moist crumbs, 35-45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly, then invert onto a wire rack, peel away the parchment, and let cool completely. The cake can be stored covered at room temperature for 1 or 2 days.

Make the Frosting

Make the cream cheese frosting as directed. Divide into 4 bowls. Leave one bowl white. To the second bowl, add a big pinch of beet powder. To the third bowl add ¼ teaspoon beet powder. And to the fourth bowl add 1 teaspoon beet powder. Stir each bowl well, adding more color if you like (the color continues to intensify as the frosting sits).

Assemble

Cut the cake into two even layers using a serrated knife. Place the bottom half on a serving plate, cut-side up. Place the top half on a rimless plate or cutting board cut-side down. Layer the frosting into a large piping bag fitted with a large star tip, starting with the white frosting and ending with the most vibrant frosting. Pipe a line of frosting on the bottom cake layer, following the curve of the cake. Repeat with the top cake layer. Return to the bottom cake, and pipe another row of frosting next to the first. Repeat with the upper layer. Continue until both layers are covered in frosting; you should have just enough frosting to cover both layers, though if your frosting is extra fluffy, you’ll have a bit left over.
Carefully place the top cake layer over the bottom cake layer. The cake is best served at room temperature, though it’s easier to cut when cold. Optionally chill the cake until firm, then cut it into wedges using a large chef’s knife dipped in hot water and wiped clean between cuts, then let the slices come to room temperature before serving. Store leftover cake refrigerated airtight for up to 3 days; serve at room temperature.

Notes

To make the beet puree: Scrub 2 raw medium-sized red beets, place in a small saucepan covered by an inch of water, and boil until tender when pierced with a knife, 20-30 minutes or so. Drain, let cool to room temperature, peel, then cut into large pieces and puree in a food processor until smooth. You’ll probably have enough puree for a few cakes. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to several months.

*Substitutions:

For teff flour, sub by weight almond flour or millet flour.
For sweet rice flour, sub by weight cassava flour or GF AP flour such as Bob's Red Mill.
For oat flour, sub by weight almond flour or sorghum flour.
If you only have natural cocoa powder, it will work here, but the cake will have a more acidic, beet-forward flavor and the cake may be more dense.
If you can’t find cultured buttermilk, try using kefir in its place, or plain runny yogurt (dairy or plant) thinned with a bit of milk (regular or plant) or water to the consistency of heavy cream.

Pan sizes: Double the recipe to make a 9-inch round layer cake or 9-inch square sheet cake, increasing the baking time as needed. Try tripling the recipe for a 9x12-inch sheet cake, increasing the baking time as needed (a double batch of frosting should be sufficient here). For cupcakes, fill 6-8 lined cupcake cups two-thirds of the way with batter and decrease the baking time as needed.

Do-ahead: The cake can be made 1 or 2 days ahead and stored covered at room temperature. The cream cheese frosting can be made up to several days ahead, colored or not, and stored covered in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature and stir well before using.

Look for beet powder at health food stores with the herbs and spices, or order it here. (Extra beet powder is delicious with steamed milk and honey for a sweet beet latte!) If you don't have any on hand, simply top the cake with plain cream cheese frosting – it will still be delicious!

I’ve given the measurements in grams which means that if you have a scale, you can weigh everything right into the bowl, zeroing out the scale between ingredients.

Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Red Velvet Cake

For those who don't do dairy, swap the buttermilk in the recipe for DF yogurt thinned with plant milk and top the cake with vegan cream cheese frosting or paleo cream cheese frosting.

Nutritional values are based on one of eight servings.

Nutrition

Calories: 332kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 3gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 23mgSodium: 151mgPotassium: 120mgFiber: 1gSugar: 21gVitamin A: 1250IUVitamin C: 0.8mgCalcium: 44mgIron: 0.9mg

Making this? I'd love to see!Tag your snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet!

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Comments

4.78 from 18 votes (11 ratings without comment)

Moist Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cake (no dye!)

The Search for All-Natural Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cake

Red Velvet Cake without Food Coloring

Can you taste the beets in this cake?