Trader Joe’s Just Dropped a Gluten-Free Take on a Fan-Favorite Dessert

The Chantilly Cream Vanilla Bean Mini Sheet Cake is one of my all-time favorite desserts—not just at Trader Joe’s, but in general. The other flavors are also incredible, including the seasonal Lemon Mini Sheet Cake that’s currently back for spring. The cake is always moist, and the icing-to-cake ratio is utter perfection. So, when I switched to a gluten-free diet for health reasons, these popular sheet cakes crossed my mind. Oh, how I’d miss them. Joe himself must have read my mind, because within a matter of months the new Yellow Mini Sheet Cake hit stores.

It didn’t take me long at all to pick up one of these bad boys for myself considering I shop at TJ’s about once a week. But it didn’t last long in my household. Here’s my review of Trader Joe’s first gluten-free sheet cake, though I hope it’s not the supermarket chain’s last.

It’s Made With a Gluten-Free Flour Blend

How did Joe pull this off? With the help of expert bakers of course. If you keep up on how Trader Joe’s innovates its products, it’s all about choosing the right suppliers, using carefully selected ingredients, and testing the heck out of multiple variations until it’s just right. According to the TJ’s website, it took more than 10 iterations of this cake over several months of development to nail the recipe. We thank them for their time and devotion, because the hard work paid off.

What’s in gluten-free flour you ask? It depends, but usually some combination of grain-based flours and plant-based starches. In this case, white flour is replaced with rice flour, potato starch, cornstarch, and tapioca starch.

And Frosted With Chocolate Buttercream

Some might say the chocolate frosting is the least exciting part about this cake, considering icing is usually gluten free, but it’s clear a lot of research went into the entire dessert—not just the cake itself. In line with the other mini sheet cakes, this one is generously topped with a thick layer of rich buttercream frosting. The chocolate complements the yellow cake without dominating the flavor profile, and they don’t skimp on the frosting either.

It’s also not too sweet, which commonly happens with gluten-free desserts. They usually contain more sugar to compensate, but this one actually contains less sugar (and calories, fat, and sodium) compared to the cult-favorite TJ’s vanilla flavor.

Gluten-Free Desserts Sometimes Disappoint, But Not This One

I’ll be honest: I’m always a little skeptical when someone says “you can’t tell it’s gluten free.” Almost every gluten-free dessert I’ve tried, even the good ones, taste the tiniest bit different or the texture isn’t quite right. I’m not saying they’re not edible—I’m saying they’re not identical to their gluten-containing counterparts. So, I always go into trying new gluten-free desserts with my expectations in check, because a lot of the time you can tell.

But this one blew me away, and I’d go so far as to say, “If I didn’t tell you this was gluten free, you wouldn’t suspect it.” And two of my gluten-eating family members said the same thing. The cake is sweet and moist and tasty, but I have to give the most props to the spongey texture of this dessert, which Trader Joe’s somehow got exactly right. While some gluten-free cakes fall apart and leave you with a pile of crumbs on your plate, this cake keeps its shape without being overly dense.

Don’t just take my word for it. Shoppers over on the Trader Joe’s subreddit had a few thoughts, which largely echoed my own. “It doesn’t taste gluten free at all,” one poster said. “This is a top tier cake, and I usually don’t like gluten-free products,” another person commented. “This is the best of their mini sheet cakes, by a lot,” boldly claimed a third shopper. The consensus is that as far gluten-free cakes go, this is among the best of the best. But it’s not just good for a gluten-free option—it’s good period.

Save Yourself the Trouble and Buy This (If You Can)

I’ve tried quite a few of the gluten-free offerings at Trader Joe’s, including the Glazed Chocolate Donut Holes, Soft-Baked Snickerdoodles, Chocolate Chunk Cookies, Super Chocolatey Chocolate Chunk Cookie Dough, and others. Of them all, this one takes the cake—pun intended. 

For $5.99, you get 14 ounces of cake and frosting, which works out to about six servings. The regular mini sheet cakes are priced at $5.49, so there is a $0.50 difference, but that’s miniscule considering some gluten-free products cost double. For $1 a serving—and for a gluten-free cake that tastes homemade — I’d say this cake is well worth it.

Just note that this product flies off shelves. It sold out repeatedly when it first came out, but even now, it’s not always in stock. We don’t think it’s seasonal—just high in demand. So don’t hesitate to throw one in your cart if your local TJ’s carries it.