This Red, White and Blue Pound Cake is the perfect fun treat for the Summer! Gluten-Free and Vegan, this patriotic dessert is perfect for bringing to parties!
Who doesn't love holidays?? I know I do! I embrace any holiday as it comes by. One of my favorite ways to embrace holidays is to make themed desserts. They are just so fun and festive and perfect for celebrations! Fourth of July is coming up for us here in the US and I just couldn't not make something fun for this festive holiday. This Red, White and Blue Pound Cake is both gluten-free and vegan but you would never guess it. Perfect in every way, you won't want to sleep on this one!
For some other great Summer desserts, check out these Homemade Lime Popsicles this Three Ingredient Banana Pudding in a Jar, these Red, White and Blue Sugar Cookies with Sprinkles and this Fruit Salad with Whipped Cream.
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What Makes This Recipe so Great?
- Gluten-Free and Vegan- This poundcake is gluten-free and vegan but you wouldn't know it! It is delicious and moist!
- Perfect Summer Dessert- This is the perfect summer dessert because it is light, fluffy, and moist! Perfect for when it is hot outside and you want something light.
- Perfect Shareable Dessert- This is the perfect shareable dessert to bring to any event! Just slice it up and serve it and everyone can enjoy it!
- Fun and Festive- This pound cake is the perfect way to festively celebrate any holiday!
Ingredient Notes
- Gluten-Free Flour- The base of this recipe is gluten-free flour. I used Trader Joe's brand of Gluten-Free 1:1 flour and it turned out perfect! Most 1:1 Gluten-Free flours should work, just make sure your flour mix includes xantham gum, if not, you will have to add it.
- Vegan Sour Cream- Part of what makes this poundcake so light and fluffy is the addition of the Vegan Sour Cream. It adds a nice tang and flavor to the dish as well as helps to keep the cake moist.
- Almond Extract- A little bit goes a long way, but the almond extract is key. It adds a slight sweetness and nutty flavor.
- Flax Egg-The flax egg will replace the egg in the recipe and act as the binder. Without it, your cake will fall apart.
- Sprinkles-Sprinkles are not always vegan. Most of them contain shellac in them which contains an insect ingredient. There are plenty of vegan sprinkle brands out there, I love getting mine from Sprouts.
See the recipe card for the full ingredient list and quantities.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
- In a small glass mixing bowl, combine the gluten-free flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a large glass bowl, beat together the melted butter and sugar until combined.
- Add the sour cream, almond extract, and lemon juice. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until a thick batter forms.
- Stir in the vegan sprinkles until the sprinkles are spread throughout the batter.
- Pour the batter into the loaf pan making sure to remove all the air bubbles by tapping the loaf pan gently on the counter.
- Bake for 75 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center, comes out clean.
- Allow the pound cake to cool completely before removing it from the loaf pan, slice, and enjoy!
Hint: Feel free to change up the flavor of the pound cake by adding different extract. I love making a lemon or an orange flavored pound cake!
Substitutions
- Vegan Sour Cream - You can swap the vegan sour cream with vegan cream cheese or vegan greek yogurt.
- Gluten-Free Flour - Feel free to use your favorite gluten-free flour blend. If yours does not have xanthan gum, make sure to add some to your recipe.
- Flax Eggs - If you don't have flax eggs on hand, you can swap the flax eggs with aquafaba which is the liquid from a can of chickpeas. 1 flax egg equals 3 tablespoons aquafaba.
Variations
- Mardi Gras - Switch up the sprinkles with purple, yellow and green to make this a fun Mardi Gras dessert!
- Christmas - Swap the blue for green to turn pound cake into the perfect Christmas Sprinkle cake
- Pride - Swap the red and blue sprinkles for rainbow sprinkles to make a pride-friendly dessert for Pride month!
FAQ's
It is really important to add moisture when working with gluten-free flour. The vegan sour cream helps to keep this gluten-free pound cake moist.
Xanthan gum to provides elasticity and stickiness to the doughs and batters in gluten-free baking. Since gluten is not present, there needs to be something that acts as the binding agent for the flour and helps hold onto some moisture. Most 1:1 gluten-free flours contain xanthan gum in their mixture, however if your's does not, add ½ teaspoon of xanthan gum to the recipe.
I use a 1:1 gluten-free flour in this recipe and I find that it works best and is the most readily available in the grocery store.
Equipment
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. See below for the equipment you will need to make this recipe.
- 9x5 Inch Loaf Pan
- Glass Mixing Bowl
- Spatula
- Whisk
- Parchment Paper
Storage
The pound cake will keep for several days at room temperature, make sure to wrap it in plastic wrap and cover it. It will store for one week when refrigerated.
This cake can be frozen for up to 3 months. After it is cooled, wrap it securely with aluminum foil first and then cover it with plastic wrap. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving.
Top tips
- To test if your cake is finished, insert a toothpick into your cake and check it for moist crumbs. If you have wet batter on your toothpick, your cake will need to bake longer, but if there are a few moist crumbs then it’s time to pull that cake out of the oven! The cake will continue to bake while it cools, so if you pull out a completely clean toothpick from your cake, it’s already at risk of being over-baked and dry.
- I love serving this pound cake with fresh strawberries or blueberries. It adds a burst of brightness to the cake and adds the extra red and blue colors!
- To make the flax egg, combine 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed with 2 tablespoons of water and let sit for 5 minutes until thickened.
- Gently mix in the sprinkles - Carefully mix the sprinkles into the batter. You don't want the sprinkles breaking up. That is why I recommend folding them in with a rubber spatula.
Other Great Dessert Recipes!
- Easy Edible Brownie Batter
- The Best Peach Cobbler Pound Cake
- Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies
- No Bake Strawberry Crunch Cheesecake
- Banana Pudding Lasagna
Red, White and Blue Pound Cake (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
Equipment
- 1 9x5 inch loaf pan
- 2 glass mixing bowls
- 1 spatula
- 1 parchment paper
- 1 whisk
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ Cups Gluten-Free Flour
- 1 Cup Vegan Butter
- 2 teaspoons Lemon Juice
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Almond Extract
- 1 Cup Vegan Sour Cream
- 1 Cup White Sugar
- 1 Cup Red and Blue Sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
- In a small glass mixing bowl, combine the gluten-free flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a large glass bowl, beat together the melted butter and sugar until combined.
- Add the sour cream, almond extract, and lemon juice. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until a thick batter forms.
- Add the sprinkles to the bowl and mix well.
- Pour the batter into the loaf pan making sure to remove all the air bubbles by tapping the loaf pan gently on the counter.
- Bake for 75 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center, comes out clean.
- Allow the pound cake to cool completely before removing it from the loaf pan, slice, and enjoy!
Notes
- To test if your cake is finished, insert a toothpick into your cake and check it for moist crumbs. If you have wet batter on your toothpick, your cake will need to bake longer, but if there are a few moist crumbs then it’s time to pull that cake out of the oven! The cake will continue to bake while it cools, so if you pull out a completely clean toothpick from your cake, it’s already at risk of being over-baked and dry.
- I love serving this pound cake with fresh strawberries or blueberries. It adds a burst of brightness to the cake and adds the extra red and blue colors!
- To make the flax egg, combine 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed with 2 tablespoons of water and let sit for 5 minutes until thickened.
- Gently mix in the sprinkles - Carefully mix the sprinkles into the batter. You don't want the sprinkles breaking up. That is why I recommend folding them in with a rubber spatula.
Nutrition
Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
Heather says
What a perfect cake for the 4th of July! Love the almond extract… brings so much flavor!
veenaazmanov says
Looks so colorful and sounds like an easy recipe. Perfect for gifting too.
LaKita says
This pound cake is so simple, fun, and delicious! Perfect to make and share for gatherings this summer.
Leslie says
I love a good, festive recipe and I love even more when it's gluten-free AND vegan! LOVE this!
Natalie says
Oh, Kayla, I love your pound cake! It's vegan, gluten-free, and kid-friendly with those colors... What else can I wish for! I'd give it a 10 if I could, thanks!
Sharon says
This is a fun dessert that is perfect for summer! I love that it is made gluten-free with a simple gluten-free flour swap.
Amanda Mason says
This is the best vegan pound cake I've ever made! So good! I think the key is the vegan sour cream. That added so much more moisture than the normal version!
Amanda says
Loved this cake! The colors are so fun for summer, especially with the 4th of July coming up, and it came out nice and moist.
Katie Crenshaw says
This cake turns out so cute and tastes delicious! I served it with some fresh strawberries, blueberries, and whipped cream. Everyone loved it.
Freya says
I made this for my mums birthday, and she’s gluten intolerant. She said it was the best cake she’d ever had!