Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake with Swiss Meringue Buttercream Icing

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Ingredients

for the GF cake

½ cup (125g) salted butter, at room temperature (Use a good quality European butter if possible; for dairy-free, sub your favorite butter substitute; if you use unsalted butter, add 1/4-1/2 t. salt to the dry ingredients.)

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature (I use organic eggs from farm-raised chickens; egg quality makes a difference in your baked goods.)

1 cup (115 g) Gigi’s Everyday GF Flour Blend, Gum-Free or similar gum-free blend

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (I like Nielsen Massey extracts.)

¼ cup milk (Use any dairy or dairy-free milk you like to use in baking.)

for the Swiss Meringue Buttercream Icing

5 large (150 grams) egg whites

1 1/4 cups (250 grams) granulated sugar

3 sticks (340 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon fine salt

 

Directions

for the GF cake

  1. Preheat your oven to 350F.

  2. Use a 6-section muffin pan for big, fluffy jumbo cupcakes or a 12-section muffin pan for smaller ones. Grease your pan lightly, or line with parchment liners.

  3. Whip butter and sugar together until light and fluffy; a stand mixer is great, but you can do this by hand, as well).

  4. Add eggs, beating well.

  5. Sift in flour, baking powder and soda. (I like sifting these in with a large wire mesh sieve.)

  6. Stir until incorporated, then stir in vanilla and milk.

  7. Divide batter evenly between sections of your desired pan.

  8. For a 6-section pan, which is what I use when I make these, I use 3 scoops of batter from a #40 cookie scoop, which is 1 ½ T. batter per scoop. That’s a grand total 4 ½ T. batter per cupcake. (For twice as many cupcakes, use 2 ¼ T. batter for each one.)

  9. Bake 6 larger cupcakes 15-18 minutes. Bake 12 smaller cupcakes 12-15 minutes. Check them at the lower time to make sure they do not over-bake.

  10. Remove from oven, cool in pan 15 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.

  11. Once completely cooled, frost as desired. (See my notes for frosting suggestions.)

Adapted from Gluten Free Gigi

for the Swiss Meringue Buttercream Icing

  1. Wipe the bowl of an electric mixer with paper towel and lemon juice or vinegar to remove any trace of grease. Make a double boiler by placing the mixer bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water.

  2. Add the egg whites and sugar to the bowl, whisking constantly but gently, until temperature reaches 140°F, or until the sugar has completely dissolved and the egg whites are hot.

  3. Attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and begin to whip until the meringue is thick, glossy, and the bottom of the bowl no longer feels warm, about 7 to 10 minutes.

  4. Switch over to paddle attachment and, with mixer on low speed, add the butter cubes, one at a time, until incorporated. Continue beating until it has reached a silky smooth texture. If the buttercream curdles simply keep mixing and it will come back to smooth. If the buttercream is too thin and runny, refrigerate for about 15 minutes before continuing mixing with paddle attachment until it comes together. Add the vanilla and salt, continuing to beat on low speed until well combined.

  5. Add additional flavors, purees, or mix-ins as desired.

Note | Keep in airtight container in refrigerator for up to one week or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Let come to room temperature and rewhip in the mixer with the paddle attachment before using.

Adapted from Handle the Heat