Vegan Gluten-Free Funfetti Birthday Cake. This classic birthday cake is a kid’s dream. It is sweet, moist, light, fluffy and is sure to impress both kids and adults at any party. Both vegan and gluten-free so anybody can enjoy it!
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VEGAN GLUTEN-FREE FUNFETTI BIRTHDAY CAKE
Sprinkles are always super fun. This Vegan Gluten-free Funfetti Birthday Cake has got to be one of my favorite cakes I’ve made. Not only because of the classic birthday cake flavor I created, but the texture is fabulous. Gluten-free cakes tend to have nasty textures, but this one is fantastic.
I love a classic vegan vanilla cake but this funfetti cake is so fun and the perfect excuse to break out the sprinkles! I don’t really use sprinkles, maybe once a year, if even that. They are not healthy, but since it is such a rare, rare thing I would use, I don’t stress over those small things in life. Besides, it’s cake, not exactly health food to begin with.
This cake is everything a birthday cake should be. It is perfectly moist, sweet, light, tender, fluffy and doesn’t taste healthy or vegan or gluten-free, period.
It’s also cause for a mini-celebration as I recently hit over 100k followers, a little over 102k as of this morning. I never in a million years thought that many people would be interested in my blog and recipes, so thank you so much for the support.
My daughter helped me decorate some with the sprinkles, so that’s why they are a bit messy, lol. She was going just about insane waiting for me to finish the photos so we could slice it. I tested this cake both in 6 inch pans and 8 inch, which you will see in the photos. The 6 inch of course made the cake layers taller, but they didn’t cook through as well, so 8 inch is better and a more traditional size of layers.
Remember these Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes? Remember I said I was going to turn it into a cake? Well, when I got that request for a funfetti one around the same time, I knew it would be the perfect time to do it. I can’t even tell you how amazing it turned out! It took some adjusting of the ratios but it all worked out perfectly after a few trials.
VEGAN VANILLA BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
THIS FROSTING. Y’all, this Vegan Vanilla Buttercream Frosting is to-die-for. It’s silky smooth, creamy, buttery, perfectly sweet and so easy to make, without using oil or butter. I used a combo of my Vegan Strawberry Coconut Butter “Buttercream” Frosting and Cashew Vanilla Frosting as inspiration. I’m not a huge fan of the flavor of coconut, yet I LOVE this frosting. The coconut flavor is very mild and it tastes freaking amazing. I rarely use powdered white sugar, but I added a small amount to help lend to that classic buttercream frosting taste and help with the structure. Remember, I want this cake to taste as close to traditional funfetti cake as possible, just healthier.
HOW TO MAKE A VEGAN FUNFETTI CAKE
For this super easy Vegan Gluten-free Funfetti Cake, you will need:
- blanched almond flour
- white rice flour
- potato starch
- baking powder
- lite canned coconut milk
- maple syrup
- vanilla extract
- vegan sprinkles
Since most sprinkles at the stores are not vegan, I found this Etsy shop called Sweetapolita, where this lady makes the MOST beautiful sprinkles I’ve ever seen in my life and she has a ton of vegan options.
EASY VEGAN FUNFETTI CAKE IN 1 BOWL
Seriously, this cake is ridiculously easy. The cake recipe is just 8 ingredients (+ salt) and the Vanilla Buttercream Frosting is just 6 ingredients. The cake is all done in just 1 bowl too! If you have a go-to frosting you typically use for cake, then by all means, use it, but I’d highly encourage to try this one.
OTHER VEGAN GLUTEN-FREE CAKE RECIPES
- Vanilla White Wedding Cake
- Easy Vegan Lemon Cake (6 Ingredients!)
- Cinnamon Caramel Bundt Cake
- Vegan Lemon Cake
- Chocolate Peppermint Cake
- Gluten-free Vanilla Cake
- Vanilla Chocolate Chip Cake
- Gluten-free Vegan Cranberry Bundt Cake
- Cinnamon Cream Cheese Bundt Cakes
- Best Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes (not gluten-free)
Update: I’ve recently just made these as cupcakes and they are SO GOOD and fast. Listed in the directions now. I did a mini version of the frosting, but added yogurt too and turned it into a glaze more than a frosting. So good!
Vegan Gluten-Free Funfetti Birthday Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1 1/2 cups (168g) blanched almond flour (See below NOTE)
- 1 1/2 cups (240g) white rice flour, I use Bob's Red Mill (brown rice flour does not work here, the white is crucial for structure and taste)
- 3/4 cup (120g) potato starch, not potato flour (THIS CANNOT BE SUBBED or the texture will be ruined)
- 4 teaspoons double-acting baking powder
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 1/4 cups (400g) pure maple syrup
- 1 1/4 cups (300g) canned "lite" coconut milk, shaken first (highly recommend Thai Kitchen for best results, it's 100% creamy and never chunky)
- 2 tablespoons (30g) vanilla extract
- 8 tablespoons (80g) vegan sprinkles
VANILLA BUTTERCREAM (This has a slight coconut taste. Use my regular buttercream below if you want it traditional.)
- 2 cups (460g) melted liquid coconut butter (this is simply pureed coconut)I highly recommend buying this instead of making your own, as it is much smoother. I recommend Maranatha brand or Dastony from Whole Foods. Make sure the only ingredient is coconut.
- 1 cup (240g) plant milk (I used "lite" coconut milk)
- 1 cup (320g) pure grade A maple syrup (grade B will make the frosting darker)
- 6 tablespoons (96g) RAW cashew butter (NO added oil)
- 8 tablespoons (60g) vegan powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla powder (I use this white powder instead of extract to keep the frosting whiter.)
- Use this frosting if you prefer a traditional style buttercream
NOTE
- Always use a scale for accuracy when baking, following MY gram weights listed. You never need cups, just the scale and bowl and make sure to zero out in between each ingredient.
- I use this scale.
Instructions
- This cake is best made the day of the party so it is moist and has the best structure, but will still be delicious if made the night before, just leave covered well at room temperature. The frosting can be made the day before, just remove it from the fridge an hour or so before needing to frost the cake.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and lightly spray two 8 inch round cake pans (with 2 inch tall sides) and line with a round piece of parchment paper just on the bottoms. I used coconut oil nonstick spray. OR, to make as cupcakes, line 20 paper liners in a muffin pan.
- To a very large bowl, weigh each flour (zeroing out in between) and add to the bowl the almond flour, rice flour and potato starch. If you absolutely must use measuring cups, scoop the flours out with the cup and lightly pat down each flour making sure there are no gaps, then level off. Add the baking powder and salt and whisk really well.
- To the same bowl, add the syrup, milk and vanilla. Whisk again for at least a minute until it becomes completely smooth and thickens a bit. It is a thin batter, not a thick one. Stir in the sprinkles. Pour the batter evenly among the 2 pans. Give it a jiggle to smooth out.
- Bake both cakes on the same rack with a couple inches in between them for best results for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out totally clean. For cupcakes, they are done in 20-22 minutes. You don't want any wet batter. Should be clean, a couple of DRY crumbs are ok. Leave in the pan for 30 minutes (10 for cupcakes), no exceptions, or it can crack if removed too early. Place a piece of parchment paper on a cooling rack and invert it over the cake pan and flip the cake over and release. Leave to fully cool 1 hour.
FOR THE FROSTING
- Make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature. Otherwise, the coconut butter can harden if your other ingredients are cold. If your coconut butter is hardened, melt it to a complete runny liquid, like an oil consistency. Heat it in the microwave for 15-30 seconds and stir to get it thoroughly mixed and smooth, be very careful not to burn it.
- Add it to the food processor and quickly add the remaining ingredients. Process until completely smooth. It will be VERY runny at this step, but will firm up in the freezer. Pour into a bowl and place in the freezer for 20-30 mins until it's firm enough to whip.
- If it gets too hard, just let it sit at room temperature until it softens back up. Whip just a few minutes until fluffy. Spread a thick layer onto the top of the bottom cake, place the next cake on top and frost the top and sides as desired.
Notes
- It's crucial to use a superfine blanched almond flour because it is what makes the cake so moist and light and fluffy.
- I tested this cake both in 6 inch pans and 8 inch, which you will see in the photos. The 6 inch of course made the cake layers taller, but they didn't cook through as well, so 8 inch pans yield a much better texture and a more traditional size of layers.
- Nutrition stats do not include frosting since different frostings are suggested. Nutrition based off of 12 slices. per cake slice (without frosting) based off 12 slices.
Super easy cake to do. I have done it for my daughter’s 2nd birthday and it was beautiful and tasty, smooth, perfectly sweet and what else, just PERFECT! I LOVED the frosting so much! Thank you for creating this recipe! :O) Can’t wait to try other cakes!
Thank you so much Catherine for the amazing review! So happy the cake and the frosting were such hits!!
Oh my gosh, I LOVE funfetti! I’m going to make myself some of these as an un-birthday gift to myself (because why not?). I love that you use simple, natural, plant-based ingredients to make all sorts of cool stuff. Thanks for inspiring people to live healthier while enjoying the process.
Wow!!! Just made this as cupcakes. I haven’t made the icing yet and we’ve already had 4 cupcakes!! Yikes. Delicious. Thank you for such a perfect recipe.
Thank you so much Shannon! So glad you loved these so much! Thank you for the feedback!
Hi, thank you so much for your reply!:) well I have fed her coconut and used coconut flour for a pancake recipe for her but never given her nuts. And I’ve heard lots of scary stories about nut allergies and the paranoid Mother in me is so afraid to try😩 But yes I suppose I could check with her doctor as I’d love to make her your vanilla cake recipe as her smash cake 🙂
Hi Brandi! This looks amazing just like all your other recipes! Was actually looking for something relatively healthier for my daughters first birthday and was thinking of making this for her as a smash cake for her to eat. Would you recommend it? From your experience and in your opinion do you think all the ingredients involved (maybe minus sprinkles) are safe for a one year old baby?:) sorry if the question sounds ridiculous! 8?3 only fed her breast milk and fruits/vegetables/carbs since she was born. Never salt and never sugar too. Please get back to me:) thanks Brandi!
Hi Shaz! Unless she is allergic to nuts or coconut, I don’t see why it wouldn’t be safe! I’m not a doctor but I served a vanilla cake with sugar to my daughter at her 1 year old party. I know other readers who have made this cake for a smash cake but to be totally sure, I would ask her doctor since there is almonds and coconut in it. I have no idea if she would be allergic to those (you never know) so I can’t say for certain and have that responsibility on me if she is, I’m sure you can understand that. 🙂 Have you ever fed her anything with nuts or coconut?
Also, could I use corn starch in stead of potato starch?
I’ve been searching for the perfect dairy free funfetti cake recipe for my one year olds birthday smash cake and this seems to be it! I haven’t made it yet, but since my daughter is okay with gluten I wanted to make this cake with regular flour. So QUESTION! Can I simply substitute regular unbleached white flour in place of the almond flour AND rice flour, or are one or both of those crucial to the outcome of the cake? Thank you in advance! <3Hannah
Just made these as cupcakes and substituted tapioca flour for the potato starch and they are delicious without frosting. I weighed all my flours. I’m going to try freezing the cupcakes. I also used a corn free recipe for baking powder. I’m so happy I found this recipe. Whole Foods has corn free sprinkles, just FYI.
Yay! So happy to hear that Janet, thank you so much for the awesome review!
Hi there !!! This cake tastes delicious !! I’m super impressed with how it turned out so thank you for the recipe 🙂
One thing I encountered though was that my cake crumbled when I cut into it. It tasted great and stayed moist.. but would fall apart. I didn’t weigh my ingredients as I don’t have a scale. Is this why?
Thank you kindy for your help !!
Hi Mina! I’m so glad you loved it! Hmm, that’s odd! I’ve had hundreds of remakes and I’ve made it many times myself and never had it fall apart. Yes, my guess would be the measurements are off. Gluten-free baking can be VERY finicky. Even off a couple of tablespoons can throw off the recipe, this is why I encourage weighing ingredients so much. We all measure a bit differently with cups…some may pack more or less, so even a couple of tablespoons can affect the texture. A scale can be found either online or really, any store these days, even Walmart for around $10 or so. Very inexpensive and so very worth the investment.
Other than that, my next question would be if you subbed any ingredient? The milk (used lite coconut?) or the flours? You used white rice flour, correct?
Hi. I don’t like cashews. Is there anything else I can substitute for the cashew butter?
For the icing? There is not a sub for the cashew butter in the icing without sacrificing the taste. All other nut butters will turn it brown and really change the color. But you do not taste cashews in the frosting. If you would like a much more simple vanilla icing, you can make this one instead.
https://thevegan8.com/best-vegan-vanilla-maple-cupcakes/
Oh, no! I realized you said don’t use Bob’s Almond Blanched Flower until after I put it in the oven. Do you have any recommendations on another brand? Also, could you use regular flower?
Honeyville, King Arthur, Nuts.com blanched almond flour are all great. If in Texas, I love the HEB brand sold from the HEB stores. Hopefully your cake turns out fluffy and not gritty! No, it cannot be done with regular flour as it would totally change the result and make it very dry. The cake relies on almond flour for the moisture.
Hello again!
I’m excited to bake this cake for my sons birthday! For the buttercream frosting, I got Whole Foods 365 brand cashew butter which just has cashew and safflower oil. Is this “raw”? It’s brown so I wasn’t sure if this would make the frosting dark. I also may have to use vanilla essence instead of the powder and not sure if this will change the color of the frosting? Lastly, since I plan to make the frosting the day before the big event, should I just leave it in the freezer or should I transfer it to the refrigerator? Thanks again for all your help with this!
Hi Bella! Yay, how exciting for your son! Unfortunately, that sounds like it is roasted and that’s why it’s brown. The flavor with added oil is not very good to be honest. I’ve had it before and ruined the flavor in my recipe. Also, it will make the frosting a darker color. The only ingredient should be raw cashews and it would say raw on the jar. Since raw cashew (oil-free) is rather hard to find, I always make my own. Simply add 2 cups raw, unsalted cashews to a food processor and process for anywhere from 5-10 minutes. You will have to scrape the sides several times in the beginning to break up the clumps and the sides, but keep going and it will eventually turn into a thick nut butter. But then you want to keep going and going until it is super duper smooth and soft and falls off of a spoon easily, like a buttercream frosting. Then it’s done. I have seen raw cashew butter only at Whole Foods, the Dastony brand and that’s the only good one that doesn’t have oil I’ve found. Plus, it’s too easy to make.
I think you will be fine with the vanilla since it’s a small amount. Just store it in the fridge and the day of let it soften a bit to whip it 🙂
This cake is AMAZING!!! First off, so incredibly easy to make. I needed to make 6 cakes for my daughter’s birthday party; even waiting until the morning of the party, I was able to get them all done because they are THAT easy. Brandi makes these recipes in such a way that even the non baker can’t screw it up. They turned out beautifully. I was hesitant to even tell people it was gluten free and vegan because of those “labels,” but everyone assumed it would be some sort of “health” cake coming from me. I told them not to be afraid despite the labels. It. Was. A. HIT!!!! Everyone absolutely LOVED it. They couldn’t believe it was gluten free, vegan, AND oil free. Everyone asked for the recipe, and when I say everyone, I mean EVERYONE. If you’re looking for an easy, crowd pleasing recipe, this is it! Make it… you and your guests won’t be disappointed!
Oh, thank you so much Kelsey! This review is so fantastic and you really made my day! So very happy that EVERYONE loved it so much, thank you!!
I am allergic to almonds! Anaphylactic. It sounds like a yummy cake but not one that I could consume. Any alternatives?
Hi Lucy! I would make this other cake recipe of mine and sub in funfetti sprinkles instead of the chocolate chips. This is another really popular cake with readers and it has no nuts. Just coconut.
https://thevegan8.com/2016/06/29/vegan-gluten-free-vanilla-chocolate-chip-cake/
Hello Brandi, I am interested in making a jellyroll cake. Do you think this batter would work for that? Or do you think it wouldn’t roll well? Do you think a different cake recipe of yours would work better, or maybe even a pancake batter? I would appreciate your thoughts! Thank you!
Hi Hannah! I don’t think this would roll well to be honest. It holds together well but it is light and fluffy and not nearly as firm as a traditional jelly roll cake that has white flour and eggs. The only one I think would work because it is bound pretty well, is my bread recipe, since I created it to be much more firm, since it’s a bread. I of course don’t know how it will work, but you could try it?? Hopefully it will not fall apart if you roll it while warm!
https://thevegan8.com/2016/03/11/cinnamon-applesauce-quick-bread-vegan-gluten-free/
You probably wouldn’t need buy maybe half the recipe? Not sure. Let me know if you try it, I’m now really curious if it would work myself, haha!
Since you mentioned a pancake batter, this spelt flour recipe holds pretty well too because it also has flax. It is not very sweet though since it is pancakes, so I would add white sugar or coconut sugar, but keep in mind the more coconut sugar added, the darker the color.
https://thevegan8.com/2016/02/01/fluffy-vegan-spelt-blueberry-pancakes/
I just made these for my daughter’s birthday party this afternoon. I made 23 cupcakes with the batter, baked at 350 for 20 minutes. I tasted one without frosting – after 30 minutes cooling in the cupcake pan, but before being fully cooled – and it was fantastic! I’m so excited to share these with the kids today. Thank you so much for posting this recipe!
I just wanted to note: I used whole fat canned coconut milk because it was all I could find, and it worked just fine.
That is so wonderful to hear Karen!! Yes, they are good even without frosting! I hope all of the kids enjoy them. Thank you for the awesome feedback!
Does anyone know what size cake pan to use for this? A few times it says a 9 inch pan, and other times the recipe indicates an 8 inch pan. The cake looks really beautiful! I am excited to try it. Thank you!
Hi Hannah! So sorry for the confusion…I just fixed my post. I tested the cake in both 8 and 9 inch round cake pans and both will work, but I felt that the 9 inch version, while delicious, was just a tad too short, so prefer the look of the 8 inch, so that is why I put that in the recipe printout. Either will work, but your cake layers will be shorter in the 9 inch. Let me know when you make it! It’s been a big hit with readers and most of them have made it in the 8 inch pans! 🙂
Hello Brandi! Thank you for clearing up the cake size question.
I made the cake yesterday and it was amazing! My family really enjoyed it. I used agave instead of maple syrup, because around here maple syrup is so expensive (we call it liquid gold!), and it worked fine. I also used a different white frosting. Thank you so much for this recipe! It is hard to find a gluten-free and oil-free cake which is this good. In fact, this is the best I have come across!
Yay! Love to hear that it was such a hit and it is the best you’ve made! Thank you so much Hannah for getting back to me with the lovely review!
I am so glad I found this recipe! I just made it for my sister’s birthday; she’s vegan and her boyfriend is gluten-intolerant, so it couldn’t have been more perfect. I followed the recipe to the letter (do use the scale, and if you don’t have one, you should get one!) and it turned out perfectly. It was easy to make and was very well-received. Thanks for perfecting a great recipe and sharing it with us all!
Wonderful to hear Rachael!! So glad it was such a hit, love hearing this review and that it worked out perfectly!
I know you said to weigh the ingredients, but has anyone made this without weighing the ingredients? Would it totally ruin it? I don’t have a kitchen scale, and I really want to make this. It looks amazing!
Hi Sarah! You can still make it without a scale. When measuring your flours, use your measuring cup to scoop the flours and lightly pat down to make sure there are no gaps, then level off. That should give you close enough to the result. Let me know what you think of it!!
Hi Brandi,
Would almond milk work (instead of coconut milk) in the cake batter?
Hi Dee! I have not tried this with almond milk so I can’t say how it would affect the texture or taste. Coconut milk has more fat in it and lends a wonderful butter flavor to the cake, so I know almond milk would not yield the same, however I’m not sure how big of a difference it would make. I would try it and report back!
Can I use regular vanilla extract rather than the vanilla powder? Thanks!!!
Yes, definitely!
Can you use regular flour instead of almond flour?? We don’t have that over here (not that I can find anyway)
Hi Khalisha! No, unfortunately that would completely change the outcome of the recipe. Almond flour is crucial to the moisture and texture of the cake. If you cannot find any, then I would make this cake instead. It is very popular with readers and does not use any almond flour. You can simply swap out the chocolate chips for funfetti sprinkles instead. You can still make this icing here though, but it does make enough for a double layer cake, so keep that in mind. Hope that helps!
Oops, here is the link to my other vanilla cake: https://thevegan8.com/2016/06/29/vegan-gluten-free-vanilla-chocolate-chip-cake/
I don’t have a sensitivity to gluten, so is there any other flour that can be used?
Hi Cheri! You are in luck, because I am testing a regular all-purpose flour version this week because I’ve had so many requests for one made with regular flour. I’m going to be making a new post with this new recipe but will add it to this when it’s ready as well. If you like, I can email you when it’s ready? It’s best to not change this existing recipe with regular flour because it changes the whole liquids and everything since it is written based off using almond flour for the moisture, no oil, etc.
Hello! Did you ever end up testing on all purpose flour? I’d be really interested to know how that went.
This cake looks amazing! I’m wondering if I could swap out the almond flour for coconut flour? I’m allergic to almonds.
Hi Bec! Unfortunately, that will not work. Almond flour is crucial to the recipe for texture and moisture. Since there is no oil, it gives the cake it’s needed moisture and wonderful texture. Coconut flour has the opposite effect, making things rather dry. Since you are allergic, instead, make this other vanilla cake on my blog and swap out the chocolate chips for funfetti sprinkles. You can still use this vanilla buttercream frosting, but if you are only making a single cake, just half the frosting recipe for that vanilla chocolate chip cake here: https://thevegan8.com/2016/06/29/vegan-gluten-free-vanilla-chocolate-chip-cake/
Do you think this would work with the Simple Truth blanched almond flour? You suggested that one in another recipe, and I know I can get it locally. Thanks!!
Yes, definitely!
Thank you!!