Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line two 8-inch spring form cake pans with rounds of parchment paper. You can also grease the sides of the cake pans.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients (gluten-free flour, granulated sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda) and stir together until everything is well-combined.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the avocado oil, eggs, full-fat coconut milk and vanilla extract (the wet ingredients). Note: if your house is fairly chilly and the coconut milk has separated, transfer it to a jar and microwave it for 30-60 seconds or until it is easy to stir together.
4. Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix until a smooth cake batter forms.
5. Divide the vanilla cake batter between the two prepared cake pans. Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 23 to 28 minutes, or until the cake has set up and is slightly golden brown around the edges. The exact bake time depends on the flour you use, the elevation you life at, and the temperature of the cake batter going into the oven. If you're at high altitude like me, you'll need to bake closer to 28-30 minutes.
6. Once the cakes are out of the oven, allow them to cool completely to room temperature. If you have a wire rack or a cooling rack, cool the cakes on top of it.
7. Release the cakes from their molds and transfer one of them, rounded side down, to a serving dish or a cake stand. Apply a generous layer of frosting on top of the first layer. Aim for about ½ inch thick. If you’d like, you can layer chopped strawberries or mashed raspberries here for a fruit layer.
8. Place the second cake layer rounded side down on top of the frosting (or use a sharp knife to cut the rounded part of the cake off so that it sits flat). Frost the rest of the cake to your desired level of frosting. You can do as I do and engulf the whole thing in frosting, or take a naked cake approach and apply a light layer of frosting.
9. Decorate the cake to your heart’s desire! This is not my forte, so I keep it plain and simple.
10. Serve and enjoy!

Dairy-Free Vanilla Buttercream:

1. Beat the butter until creamy using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a handheld mixer.
2. Add half of the powdered sugar, the coconut milk, vanilla extract and sea salt to the mixer. Beat on low speed until the sweetener has mixed in, then on high speed for 2 minutes. Check the frosting for consistency and flavor and add more powdered sugar to your liking.