Gluten-free Air Fryer Victoria Sandwich Bundt Layer Cake
Money-saving Victoria Sandwich cake, baked in a basket air fryer, gluten-free & as a filled layer cake like the British classic bake!
Equipment
- Bundt Tin
- Baking spray, lining paste, or butter to grease (see note in instructions, or make Lining Paste)
- Scales or measuring cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Hand/stand mixer
- Sieve
- Timer or Phone Timer
- Cocktail sticks
- Cooling rack
- Bowl for whipping cream (optional)
- Piping bag & nozzle (optional, or food bag)
- Small measuring jug (optional, if piping cream)
Ingredients
- 113 grams Butter (4 oz, ½ cup/ 1 stick, unsalted, soft & cubed)*
- 113 grams Castor Sugar (4 oz, ½ rounded cup of super/extra fine sugar, Domino’s etc. *See note above)
- 3 Eggs (Medium to large, US Large - XLarge eggs)
- 113 grams Gluten-free Self-raising Flour (4 oz, level 1 cup. For Plain/All Purpose Flour, add extra 1½ tsp baking powder)*
- 1¾ tsp Baking Powder
- ⅓ tsp Xanthan Gum (approx. 1 gram*)
- 1½ tsp Vanilla Extract (read about Homemade Vanilla Extract)
- ¼ tsp Almond Extract (optional)
- 1-2 tbsp Milk (or water)
Filling Options:
- 180+ ml Double Cream (Minimum 6 fl oz, ¾ cup Heavy/Whipping cream unwhipped,
- 227 grams Clotted Cream (8 oz includes spare for serving on the side)
- 3 tbsp Strawberry Jam (60g, 2oz, or raspberry)
- 100 grams Fresh Berries: strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries (optional), see notes*
- OVEN: 180c/160c Fan Oven/350f/Gas Mark 4
Instructions
Prepare The Cake Batter
- Cube the 113 grams Butter small, about 1cm (⅓”) for quicker softening & easier combining.
- Pre-heat your air fryer or regular oven, if your air fryer needs this step. Set to: 180°c/160°c Fan oven/350°f/Gas Mark 4. **If using a new or powerful air fryer, I recommend using the lower fan oven temperature.
- Add the softened butter & 113 grams Castor Sugar (Extra/Super fine sugar) to a mixing bowl & briefly mix by hand. Then use an electric mixer to ‘cream’ the butter & sugar until paler and spreadable.
- Add the 1½ tsp Vanilla Extract, a ¼ tsp Almond Extract & then the 3 Eggs , one at time, mixing in-between each addition. (Learn how to make your own vanilla extract).
- Sieve over the 113 grams Gluten-free Self-raising Flour, ⅓ tsp Xanthan Gum, (if using) & the 1¾ tsp Baking Powder. (**If using Plain/All Purpose Flour, add an extra 1½ tsp baking powder). Sieve high and then add in 1-2 tbsp Milk. Start to mix by hand before using the mixer on low to mix just until combined. Don’t over-mix. it will be a thick batter.
Grease The Bundt
- Well grease the bundt tin/pan with cake release spray, butter & flour or homemade cake lining paste (cake goop). For lining paste, brush in upward strokes and apply 2 generous layers (see video & step-by-step instructions for more on this).
Baking The Cake
- Carefully spoon the batter into the greased bundt tin. Then level off the top best you can.
- Pop into the air fryer basket, or into the centre of a larger open-front air fryer or regular oven.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until risen, set and a deep golden brown colour. A cocktail stick will come out clean of crumbs and the cake will be starting to come away from the sides of the bundt tin. **For small basket air fryers, I recommend baking for 18-20 minutes, when it will look ready, but not be cooked all the way through the centre. Now place foil on top of the cake and weigh it down carefully with a metal spoon for example. **DO NOT let the foil move about in an air fryer as it can be a fire risk. Continue baking for 6-8 more minutes and test with a cocktail stick until ready.
- Cool in the tin, on top of a cooling rack for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, place a cake stand, plate or a cooling rack with a little paper, on top of the cake. Hold everything together and flip over. Lift off the tin and leave the cake to cool for at least 30 minutes.
Preparing For Assembly
- While the cake is cooling, or ahead of time, you can whip the 180+ ml Double Cream (if using), with an electric mixer till thick and with peaks. Spoon into a piping bag with an open star-tipped nozzle.
- Alternatively use 227 grams Clotted Cream, just removing from the fridge 10 mins before using.
- If using strawberries for the filling, find ones the same size or cut to about the same size. This will make layering the cake easier.
Dividing The Cake
- Once the cake is cooled (you can leave till next day), place on top of a cake stand or something to elevate it. Get 4 cocktail sticks and a long sharp knife. Insert one stick, half-way up the cake, and half-way through. Add 3 more sticks in positions that above, look like 3, 6, 9 & 12 O’clock positions.
- Rest the knife blade on top of 2 of the sticks, with the blade pointing towards the cake. Start small cutting motions to cut about 1cm (⅓”) into the cake. Then rotate the cake till cut all the way around the outer edge. Repeat this time sawing further into the centre of the cake till cut all the way through. Lift the top cake layer and trim the cake layers if needed.
Assembling The Cake
- Take the top layer, turn upside-down and spread on the 3 tbsp Strawberry Jam/preserve (using more if needed). Pipe the whipped cream on top of the base layer, or use 2 small spoons to spread on the clotted cream.
- Add the fresh berries to the cream layer, trying to make same height to be level. Place this base layer in the fridge for 30-60 minutes. For the clotted cream 30 minutes is fine.
- Then carefully lift the top layer, on top of the fruit and cream layer. Don’t press down. You can place back in the fridge for 20-30 minutes to set further. This is recommended for the whipped cream.
Serving & Storing
- You can dust on a fine layer of icing/powdered sugar for serving if you wish. Then cut into 8 slices. Serve with tea or coffee and with more berries & cream if you want.
- Store the cake under a cake dome or in a metal cake or cookie tin at room temperature for up to 7 days1. You can place in the fridge, where it will firm up, but it will cause condensation and make the texture of a Victoria Sandwich cake change and be more dense. Best out at room temperature or somewhere not too warm.
- Undecorated & uncut bundt cake can be frozen when well wrapped in cling film/plastic wrap, then some foil or paper, & finally in a labelled bag or air-tight container. Place at the back of the freezer and it will be fine for up to 3 months2.
Notes
Unsalted Butter - always use unsalted for best results. Top Tip - cube small to soften quicker.
Eggs - medium to large UK eggs, large to extra-large US sized and make sure the eggs are at room temperature.
Caster Sugar - this sugar is very important for the texture, so the best US substitute is Extra/Super Fine sugar. Or you can lightly process granulated sugar. See my sugar comparison image before the step-by-step instructions above.
Flavourings - Vanilla extract is better than flavouring/essence. It is costly but, so it is much better making your own vanilla extract. Or, you can make alcohol-free extracts to save even more. I also add a touch of almond extract to enhance flavour.
Flour - for the gluten-free flour I have used and recommend Doves Farm gluten-free range Freee Foods. You can use their Plain flour or their Self-raising flour. For their Plain flour (or any other All Purpose gluten-free flour), remember to add the 2 amounts of baking powder listed. And if making for someone who needs gluten-free, make sure the baking powder is gluten-free too. I use Dr Oetker. You can make a regular, gluten cake by using normal self-raising or plain (A.P.) flour.
Xanthan Gum - this is the binding agent in gluten-free baking. There is some in the gluten-free flour, but a little more is needed for this cake. Again I use Freee Foods brand, that can be easily found in larger supermarkets, (with the gluten-free flour). Alternative is Guar Gum.
Cream Filling - whipped cream (from double/heavy/whipping cream) is traditional to a Victoria Sandwich cake. But I have also tried with clotted cream. This saves you whipping & piping the cream and sets better.
Berry Filling - use fresh strawberries, raspberries or blueberries as the perfect accompaniment to cream layer cake.
Bundt Tin - as this is for a small basket air fryer, the cake is baked in a bundt tin that is a bit smaller than a regular ‘Kugelhopf Pan’, measuring 6.5″ (17cm) wide. A similar standard pan is about 8.6″ (22cm) wide. You can read more and learn how to make in the bigger tin, in the equipment section above.
Air Fryer Or Oven? - this recipe is for a small basket air fryer, 3.5 litre, about 3.7 quarts but easily can be made in bigger open-front air fryer or regular oven.
Recipe Yield - using the same size and shape tin, this recipe yields 8 slices. They look small but are deep layers and with a nice amount of filling.
Other Victoria Sandwich cake recipes - you can see other Victoria Sandwich cake images below, or jump to the Victoria Sandwich cake recipes page.
1, 2 - see references below.
Nutritional Information – I am not a qualified nutritionist and all values are approximate. These are based on using ingredients as listed in the recipe card, (all clotted cream & blueberries) & where 1 serving is 1 slice from a yield of 8 slices. Make bigger or smaller slices, use different clream and these values will change. Values are calculated via MyFitnessPal.com.
Caster Sugar - this sugar is very important for the texture, so the best US substitute is Extra/Super Fine sugar. Or you can lightly process granulated sugar. See my sugar comparison image before the step-by-step instructions above.
Flavourings - Vanilla extract is better than flavouring/essence. It is costly but, so it is much better making your own vanilla extract. Or, you can make alcohol-free extracts to save even more. I also add a touch of almond extract to enhance flavour.
Flour - for the gluten-free flour I have used and recommend Doves Farm gluten-free range Freee Foods. You can use their Plain flour or their Self-raising flour. For their Plain flour (or any other All Purpose gluten-free flour), remember to add the 2 amounts of baking powder listed. And if making for someone who needs gluten-free, make sure the baking powder is gluten-free too. I use Dr Oetker. You can make a regular, gluten cake by using normal self-raising or plain (A.P.) flour.
Xanthan Gum - this is the binding agent in gluten-free baking. There is some in the gluten-free flour, but a little more is needed for this cake. Again I use Freee Foods brand, that can be easily found in larger supermarkets, (with the gluten-free flour). Alternative is Guar Gum.
Cream Filling - whipped cream (from double/heavy/whipping cream) is traditional to a Victoria Sandwich cake. But I have also tried with clotted cream. This saves you whipping & piping the cream and sets better.
Berry Filling - use fresh strawberries, raspberries or blueberries as the perfect accompaniment to cream layer cake.
Bundt Tin - as this is for a small basket air fryer, the cake is baked in a bundt tin that is a bit smaller than a regular ‘Kugelhopf Pan’, measuring 6.5″ (17cm) wide. A similar standard pan is about 8.6″ (22cm) wide. You can read more and learn how to make in the bigger tin, in the equipment section above.
Air Fryer Or Oven? - this recipe is for a small basket air fryer, 3.5 litre, about 3.7 quarts but easily can be made in bigger open-front air fryer or regular oven.
Recipe Yield - using the same size and shape tin, this recipe yields 8 slices. They look small but are deep layers and with a nice amount of filling.
Other Victoria Sandwich cake recipes - you can see other Victoria Sandwich cake images below, or jump to the Victoria Sandwich cake recipes page.
1, 2 - see references below.
Nutritional Information – I am not a qualified nutritionist and all values are approximate. These are based on using ingredients as listed in the recipe card, (all clotted cream & blueberries) & where 1 serving is 1 slice from a yield of 8 slices. Make bigger or smaller slices, use different clream and these values will change. Values are calculated via MyFitnessPal.com.
Nutrition Facts
Gluten-free Air Fryer Victoria Sandwich Bundt Layer Cake
Serving Size
1 slice
Amount per Serving
Calories
388
% Daily Value*
Fat
17
g
26
%
Saturated Fat
10
g
63
%
Monounsaturated Fat
3
g
Cholesterol
100
mg
33
%
Sodium
251
mg
11
%
Potassium
19
mg
1
%
Carbohydrates
55
g
18
%
Fiber
1
g
4
%
Sugar
42
g
47
%
Protein
4
g
8
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.