Gluten-free coronation traybake cake recipe – yes it tastes every bit as good as it looks! Of course, it’s gluten-free and Coeliac-friendly too.
Gluten-free coronation traybake cake recipe, anyone? Here’s my final bake in my mini coronation series here on the blog – a coconut sponge topped with vanilla buttercream and fresh berries in a union jack formation. Super easy to bake and 100% beginner-friendly!
I’m a big fan of this recipe because it’ll easily be a centre-piece of any coronation celebration, yet it’s so incredibly simple to bake and decorate. No assembly, piping or fancy finishing required!
If you’re looking for some of the other coronation recipes I’ve posted so far this year, or some of the other classics I made for the Jubilee, then here you go:
Otherwise, here’s everything you’ll need for this recipe:
Gluten-free coronation traybake cake recipe: What you’ll need…
- Butter: Salted or unsalted is totally fine (I use unsalted), but whichever you go for, make sure it’s softened first.
- Caster sugar: Sugar isn’t just for sweetness – it helps to achieve a lovely crisp exterior and ensures the sponge forms a perfect crumb.
- Eggs: Medium or large (UK size) eggs are fine for this recipe. I used large.
- Vanilla extract: The better quality your vanilla extract is, the better it will taste!
- Gluten-free self-raising flour: This is a simple gluten-free flour blend I buy in the supermarket free from aisle. If you can’t find this where you live, you can always make your own using my flour blend recipe here.
- Xanthan gum: This is a binder commonly used in gluten-free baking. You’ll find it down the free from aisle in supermarkets, though it’s not super important if you leave it out of this recipe as the flour blend has a little in it already.
- Desiccated coconut: Not all baking powder is gluten-free so make sure you read the ingredients list first!
- Icing sugar: This is a staple in almost any frosting or icing. In the US it’s known as confectioner’s sugar.
- Fresh berries: I used strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. Frozen berries can be used if defrosted and not too wet afterwards – the cake will definitely not benefit from having excess water on top of it!
Well now you know what you’ll need for my gluten-free coronation traybake cake recipe, you should probably know what it tastes like!
The sponge is golden, light and fluffy, not to mention super moist thanks to the desiccated coconut, which gives it a subtle coconut flavour that works so well with the fresh berries.
It’s topped with a whipped, sweet vanilla buttercream and tons of fresh berries which all marry together so well. In short, nobody will dislike this cake!
Just ensure you keep any leftovers in the fridge, otherwise the fresh fruit will begin spoil within 1 day or so.
Gluten-free coronation traybake cake recipe: Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this recipe gluten-free? Is it suitable for Coeliacs?
It is gluten-free, though nobody would know just by tasting it – trust me!
Bear in mind that minimising cross-contamination is hugely important if you’re Coeliac or making this for someone who is. Here’s some tips from Coeliac UK on minimising the risk of cross contamination.
Also, make sure that all ingredients used don’t have any gluten-containing ingredients. Then make sure that they also don’t have a ‘may contain’ warning for gluten, wheat, rye, barley, oats (which aren’t gf), spelt and khorasan wheat (aka Kamut).
Here’s some more info from Coeliac UK on identifying safe gluten-free products.
How do I make this recipe dairy-free?
Easily, with one simple swap!
- Use Stork hard margarine instead of butter. Please don’t try to use spreadable margarine (the kind you’d spread on toast) for the buttercream!
- ALSO, if you need to use any milk to loosen the icing (I never need to, especially when using hard margarine instead of butter) use dairy-free milk
Can I make your gluten-free coronation traybake cake recipe vegan?
Yep! If you follow the instructions above to make this recipe dairy free, then all you’ve got left to contend with is the eggs.
Here’s a few ideas you can use as egg replacements, so each of these = 1 egg.
- 3 tablespoons of aquafaba (whisked until frothy) – water from a can of chickpeas. Keep the chickpeas for a future dinner!
- 1 tbsp of ground flaxseed and 3 tbsp of water
- Egg replacement powder – I’d recommend using Orgran as it’s gluten free.
- 1 tablespoon of chia/flax seeds mixed with 2 tablespoons of water and left for 10 minutes in the fridge.
- 3 tablespoons of applesauce.
I haven’t tested all of these egg alternatives so let me know how you get on in the comments below.
Is this recipe low FODMAP?
Yes! One slice is a safe serving size for the elimination phase of the low FODMAP diet. Just ensure you use lactose-free milk if you need to loosen the buttercream a little (though I find I never need to do this!).
Do I need any special equipment to bake your gluten-free coronation traybake cake?
Just a simple 33x23cm (13x9in) rectangular baking tin will do.
Can I use gluten-free flours like almond flour or coconut flour to make this recipe?
Certainly not using this recipe. This recipe uses a gluten-free flour blend which is easily available in supermarkets here in the UK.
If you can’t find it where you live, you can always make your own using my gluten-free flour recipe.
The reason you can’t use flours like almond or coconut in this recipe is because gluten-free flour is a blend of lots of different gluten-free flours and starches.
So to ditch a carefully made blend and try to substitute them all for ONE flour… it’s just not going to work!
Do I need weighing scales to make your gluten-free coronation traybake cake recipe?
In short… yes, yes and yes! And I wouldn’t advise attempting any of my recipes without them. One of the worst things you can do in any recipe is alter the quantities by mistake or on purpose.
(unless you know what you’re doing of course)
Why? Well, you’re sort of just gambling with the recipe and praying that it turns out ok, don’t you think? And I’ve generally already done the hard work there for you, so you don’t have to do the guesswork with measurements!
A lot of work went into fine tuning ratios and quantities so I wouldn’t mess around with them unless you really know your stuff. I’d recommending using digital cooking scales like these so you know you’re getting an accurate measurement and replicating my recipe as accurately as poss.
Gluten-free coronation traybake cake recipe: Tips for perfection!
- Follow the recipe and add the ingredients in stages – that way, you can ensure everything is properly incorporated before adding the next ingredients. Don’t use the all-in-one method for this one as it’s a large amount of ingredients!
- Don’t forget that you can ‘lazy line’ your baking tin. Simply scrunch up a large piece of baking paper and press it into the shape of the tin, then use pegs to hold it in place. Pour in the cake batter, then remove the pegs and bake – no greasing or paper cutting required!
- Poke the cake with a skewer or cocktail stick in the middle to check if it’s done or not. If it comes out clean, then it’s done – if not, pop it in for a bit longer.
- Wait until your cake has fully cooled before icing it. Otherwise the buttercream icing will melt and just drip off… remember, there’s soft butter in there!
- Use a long, sharp knife to slice. This will help you get nice equal slices – it’s a very long cake after all.
Gluten-free Coronation Traybake Cake Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
For the sponge cake
- 400 g butter softened
- 350 g caster sugar
- 6 eggs I used large
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 390 g gluten-free self-raising flour
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
- 50 g desiccated coconut or swap for 10g more self-raising flour
For the icing
- 200 g butter softened
- 400 g icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 handful raspberries
- 2 handfuls strawberries sliced 3mm thick
- 2 handfuls blueberries
Instructions
For the sponge cake
- Preheat the oven to 160C Fan / 180C. Prepare a rectangular 13×9 inch (33x23cm) baking tin by greasing and lining with non-stick baking paper – the paper should overhang the edges to make it easier to lift out the cake once it's cooled.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Cream until light and fluffy – I use an electric hand whisk for this part.
- Add the eggs one-by-one, whisking in between each, then add the vanilla extract and mix in.
- Fold in the flour, coconut and xanthan gum to the mixture using a silicone spatula (this is a big mixture so make sure there's no lumps left!)
- Spoon/pour the mixture evenly into the prepare baking tin. Bake in the oven for around 55 minutes until fully cooked and golden. Poke the middle with a skewer if you're not sure whether it's done or not – if it comes out clean then it's done.
- Allow to cool in the tin.
For the buttercream
- Whilst the cake is cooling make the icing. Ensure the butter is soft and at room temperature. I find it takes a good hour out of the fridge to soften, but never let it go too soft! Place the butter into a stand mixer and mix on a medium speed for about 5 minutes until the butter has gone a lot more pale in colour. Of course, you can do this in a (clean) large mixing bowl with an electric hand whisk too.
- Add the icing sugar in 2-3 stages and beat for about 3 minutes between each addition. Start your mixer slowly to save your kitchen from an icing sugar explosion, but then increase the speed to medium / high for each of your 3 minute mixing intervals.
- Add the vanilla extract and mix once more – it should now be done. Ensure it's the right thickness – it should be if you've beaten it for long enough. However, if it's too thick you can add a tiny amount of milk. And if too thin, sieve in a little extra icing sugar – this might be the case for dairy-free buttercream using hard margarine.
- To finish the cake, transfer the cake to a serving board. Simply spread the buttercream onto the cooled sponge and arrange the berries into a union jack formation, as shown in the photographs. Slice and enjoy!
Nutrition
Thanks for reading all about my gluten-free coronation traybake cake recipe! If you make it, I’d love to see how it turned out so don’t forget to take a snap of your creations and tag me on Instagram!
Any questions about the recipe? Please do let me know by following me on Instagram or TikTok and leaving me a comment on a recent post!
Thanks for reading,
Becky xxx
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