The Best Gluten Free Strawberry Pudding Cake Recipe

This is The Best Gluten Free Strawberry Pudding Cake Recipe you will turn to anytime you want a bright and flavorful strawberry cream cake!

Topped with a fluffy and decadent frosting that is filled with all of the bursting strawberry flavor you expect from this easy recipe without any sugar OR gluten!

It has a tender crumb although you are not using any specialty gluten-free flour blend or gluten free all purpose flour but coconut flour and a keto pudding mix.

The fresh strawberry flavor not only makes an appearance in the cake itself, but also in the Sugar Free Strawberry Buttercream Frosting too with the help from Simply Delish Strawberry Pudding Mixes!

With gluten-free cakes, adding a box of pudding mix to the cake and the frosting really creates a tender cake that is loaded with strawberry flavor like in regular cake recipes.

The pudding mix in the frosting helps to make the best frosting that is smooth, holds up well outside of the fridge for special occasions plus adds a pretty pink color without food coloring!

Keep reading as I walk you through making this cake, making the frosting then giving tips, substitutions and answering frequently asked questions.

I also give you a list of all the other desserts I have made with Simply Delish Puddings and Jels so you can add to your order and get free shipping!

Here is what you will need to make the best Gluten-Free Strawberry Cake!

• Bob’s Red Mill Coconut Flour
• Heavy Cream (or Coconut Milk)
• Sugar Free Liquid Sweetener (sugar free maple syrup or sugar free honey substitute)
• Coconut Oil; melted
• Large Eggs
• Baking Powder
• Baking Soda
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Sea Salt
• Vanilla Extract
• 1 Package of Simply Delish Strawberry Pudding

Let’s start by making the Simple Gluten Free Strawberry Cake Recipe

Preheat to 350 degrees F and grease one 8-inch cake pan.

I prefer to take the time to cut out a piece of round parchment paper to fit into the bottom of the pan.

I will grease the pan, add parchment, then grease that!

You will thank me later when your cake slides right out later after cooling!

Now in a large bowl of an electric stand mixer with the whisk attachment, or a hand mixer add in the melted coconut oil and liquid sweetener you chose.

For this one I chose to use sugar free honey substitute or my homemade Keto Honey Substitute.

Whip them together very well to incorporate air into them.

Each step incorporates air into the batter and results in a very light cake in the end.

Now add in the eggs one at a time mixing well after each.

Finish adding the rest of the liquid ingredients to the egg mixture

Let it mix on low as you measure the dry ingredients in a small bowl.

It is important to mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl before adding them to the wet ingredients because coconut flour tends to clump and its difficult to get out clumps with the mixer.

Add the coconut flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and one package of Simply Delish Strawberry Pudding mix to the bowl and whisk until it is clump free.

While the mixer is on low speed, slowly add 1/3rd of the flour mixture to the large mixing bowl.

After the last third of the dry ingredients has been added, stop the mixer and scrape down the sides.

This is very important so you will get all of the ingredients properly mixed.

Now you will mix the cake batter at medium speed to incorporate more air.

Then turn the mixer off and let the batter sit for a good one minute or two to thicken up.

Add the cake batter to the pre-greased prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick or cake tester tests clean out of the middle.

If your oven runs hot, set it for about 20 minutes then check with a toothpick in the center.

When you use round cake pans it is important to make sure the center is cooked.

If for some reason the top of the cake is getting too brown before the center is fully cooked, put a loose piece of aluminum foil over the top.

This can work as a helpful tip in any cake baking situation where the top is getting too brown but it needs to bake a little longer.

You can always put it back in for a few minutes after the cake bakes but you cannot “UN-bake” something if it has baked to long!

Let the cake cool in the pan for a few minutes before flipping over to a wire rack to cool completely.

Letting this cake cool to room temperature before putting it in the fridge overnight helps to prevent sogginess and creates the perfect cake texture you want!

What you need to make the Sugar Free Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

• 1 Package of Simply Delish Strawberry Pudding
• Cream Cheese
• Butter (or vegan butter for dairy free)
• Confectioners Erythritol
• Stevia

Now for the best part, the Fluffy Strawberry Buttercream Frosting!

This frosting is so dreamy and fluffy, it is like a cloud!

The key to a fluffy buttercream frosting that mimics whipped cream is to beat butter with the bit of softened coconut oil and cream cheese very well.

When you cream the butter, you are adding volume into it and that helps to maintain the air in the final product.

I recommend using the whisk attachment for this also.

If you do not want to use the little bit of coconut oil, just substitute 1 additional tablespoon of butter when you add in the 8 tablespoons of butter.

Start off on low speed to incorporate the three ingredients together, then I crank it up on high speed to really get it going.

Let it go for a good solid minute before stopping to scrape the sides.

Now with the mixer on low, add in the second package of Simply Delish Strawberry Pudding mix, confectioners erythritol(or other powdered sugar) plus the 1 tsp vanilla, and liquid stevia.

For the best result , whip this up very well until it has almost doubled in volume.

Now you will need to melt the sugar free white chocolate chips in a small saucepan over very low heat.

The trick here is to make sure you stand and watch over it the whole time because white chocolate tends to burn very easily and there is no saving it if you burn it.

I take a little whisk and push the sugar free white chocolate chips around every few seconds.

This gets even heating and helps prevent it from sticking.

After the sugar free white chocolate chips have begun to melt, stir it with the whisk or spoon.

You want it to stream slowly when you pull it up out of the pan.

If it is too solid, then keep stirring over the medium heat until it gets melty enough to stream.

Out of the whole recipe, this part is the most finicky.

Once it is melted enough to stream from your spoon, add it to the mixer with the rest of the frosting.

Now turn it up to high speed and get it all incorporated into the mixture.

Now you are ready to frost your cake as long as it has cooled completely.

Using an offset spatula, plop the frosting in sections and spread to connect and distribute to the sides and top.

You can also turn a ziploc bag into a piping bag easily by snipping a tiny bit from one corner if you want to use the side frosting for decorating!

A plain old knife to frost will work also!

Make a design swirling with a spoon to make peaks.

How to best store your prepared Keto Gluten Free Strawberry Cake.

Always store in an airtight container.

Since the frosting uses cream cheese, you want to it in the fridge if you are going to keep more than a few days.

I have mine on the counter for a few days before putting it in the fridge, if it lasts that long!

Once you put it in the fridge, the frosting will harden.

Just remember you need to let it sit at room temperature a few minutes to thaw to return the soft and fluffy frosting texture from before!

It can also be frozen and saved for later.

Freeze in a single layer on a sheet cake pan for an hour so it can be wrapped.

Then once its flash frozen, you can cover it with plastic wrap, then put in a freezer ziploc bag.

This is good if you want to make a cake ahead for an upcoming celebration.

You can also cut into individual slices and prepare for freezing like I did here with my Keto Coconut Cream Pie!

Tips, Substitutions and FAQs

• Make cupcakes when you portion into greased muffin paper lined tins. Leave an empty well between each to help the cake rise. Proceed with all of the rest of the directions as stated and bake for 20 minutes.
• Add extra flavor to the frosting by adding fresh strawberry puree. You don’t have to wait until strawberry season for fresh strawberries, frozen works just as well because you need to stew them. Strawberries have to much moisture normally so you need to stew them a bit by cooking them into a jam like consistency before adding up to 1/4 cup to your frosting recipe. 
• Throw all of the ingredients into a food processor if you want to make the batter quickly!
• This cake would be perfect for many special occasions from birthday parties, baby showers, or celebrations including Easter! The light pink fits right in to pastels of the egg decorations!
• Turn it into a gluten free vanilla cake when you use Simply Delish Sugar Free Vanilla Pudding instead of the strawberry flavor.
• If you want to reduce the fat and increase protein, substitute 2 egg whites for each egg yolk. Whip the egg whites in a medium bowl first then fold in at the end. 
• Turn it into a Strawberry Almond Cake Recipe when you add 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract to the cake batter. Garnish with sliced almonds on top. Only add almond extract to the cake or it will be too overpowering.
• Remember that coconut flour cannot be substituted with any other flour like almond flour or oat flour. Check out my other recipes for cakes that use almond flour if you only have that.

Is this frosting a strawberry cream cheese frosting because it contains cream cheese?

No actually. It only contains a bit of cream cheese for stabilization, not for flavor. The tangy flavor of the cream cheese is masked by the pudding addition and sweetener. If you WANT to have a strong cream cheese flavor just add in a few extra tablespoons to the cream cheese step. You may need a little unsweetened almond milk or coconut milk to thin to spreading consistency though.

Can I use an egg replacer for the eggs to make this an Easy Vegan Strawberry Cake recipe?

I would not recommend replacing the eggs in this recipe as the coconut flour is so finicky about the correct amount of moisture. I have calibrated this recipe to have the liquid amounts match the coconut flour amount. If you do try it, be aware of how the moisture content is before using.

Is it necessary to use the Simply Delish brand of pudding or would another sugar free one work?

You could use a Jello brand sugar free pudding in substitution if you want. You must read the ounces though and match with the Simply Delish 1.7 ounces per package. 

Can I make this homemade strawberry cake dairy free?

Yes you can. The only substitutions you would need to make is to use vegan cream cheese (Kite Hill brand is good) and vegan butter like Earth Balance in the frosting. The cake itself is easy to substitute in non-dairy milk for the heavy cream. 

Can I make this into a 2 layer strawberry cake?

Yes! To make two cake layers you will need to make each layer separately versus doubling the recipe. Coconut flour can be finicky, so when you make two separate single batches it turns out right! Make sure to grease and line both 8-inch cake pans. Add a strawberry reduction between the top layer and bottom layer to add extra strawberry flavor!

Would a gluten free flour like King Arthur Measure for Measure work as a replacement for coconut flour?

No, there are no substitutes for coconut flour. You would need to find a recipe that uses only almond flour for that to work or a flourless cake recipe if you cannot have or do not have coconut flour on hand.

Can I use something like coconut sugar instead of the liquid sweetener called for?

No, this will not work. When you want to substitute a sweetener you need to match the consistency. Liquid with liquid, granulated with granulated.

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Here are some other recipes you can try next time with Simply Delish Puddings!

Keto Pudding Chocolate Chip Cookies

Keto Coconut Cream Pie

Keto Strawberry Ice Cream (No Churn Option)

Keto Strawberry Scones

Keto Bananas Foster Chocolate Chip Blondies

Keto 3 Musketeers Candy Bar

This post and recipe was updated on 02/13/2024 with additional pictures and helpful information including answers to frequently asked questions.