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.
My friend is allergic to any and all nuts. What can I use instead of the almond flour?
Hi there, I’m so sorry, but the almond flour is key to the texture, moisture and fluffiness of the cake. It simply will not work without it! You can make this recipe instead if she can have coconut and just add sprinkles. https://thevegan8.com/vegan-gluten-free-vanilla-chocolate-chip-cake/
I’ve made this recipe many many times, and it is a family favorite! This weekend, I’m making a birthday cake for a chocolate chip lover. Although I know you have a chocolate chip cake recipe, I really like this cake batter, and I’m wondering if you think it would work for me to replace the sprinkles in this cake with mini chips.
This looks amazing! I can’t wait to try it! Has anyone made this in 9″ pans? If so, I’d love to know how it turned out and any cooking tips about using that size. I’d also like to know if the recipe can be doubled without altering the amounts. Thank you!
Hi! The cake will be very short in 9 inch pans, so I really don’t recommend it. I’m confused at what you mean about doubling without altering the amounts? Doubling the recipe will be doing just that, doubling the amount. You could double the recipe but would need to use possibly two 8 inch square pans or a large 9×13 pan, not sure.
Do you think I could substitute almond milk for coconut milk? I have a friend allergic to coconut. Or do you have another possible substitute.
Hi! Sorry for just seeing this. No, definitely don’t do almond milk, your cake will end up much more dense. The lite coconut milk helps make the cake light and fluffy. You could try a creamy cashew milk instead. It will change the texture somewhat, but let me know if you try it.
This cake is a family favorite that we’ve had for many occasions. However, one of our family members has a coconut allergy, so I always use cashew milk. I don’t know what it would be like with the originally recommended coconut milk, but the cake is awesome made with cashew milk. I’ve also tried both the sprinkles Brandi recommends and other vegan sprinkles purchased on Amazon. Brandi’s recommended sprinkles were infinitely better!
Would this be considered something similar to a sponge cake? If not, which one of your cakes is similar to a sponge cake?
Thanks!
I live at 6,500 feet. Can anyone give me high altitude adjustments? Has anyone tried this recipe at high altitude?
I’m so sorry Sally, I don’t have any experience with high altitude baking. I think King Arthur has a guide online you can try googling, but with both vegan and gluten-free, it’s really going to be a challenge! I wish I could be of more help.
do you weight the ingredients in the measuring cup or place on the scale?
No, you don’t need to use measuring cups at all. Simply place the bowl on the scale, hit zero and then add the first flour. Hit the zero or tare button after each ingredient so you are measuring each with it starting at zero. Scales vary in how long they stay on before auto shutting off, so make sure to turn it off periodically if you don’t have all the ingredients ready to weigh right away, to avoid it auto shutting off in the middle of adding an ingredient.
Hi Brandi,
I plan to make this cake for my mom’s birthday on Monday and I ordered the vanilla powder you recommended for future use, but it will not get here in time for me to use. Would using a clear vanilla extract work? I know they are imitation, but I’m just thinking of keeping the frosting as white as possible. Let me know!
Hi Ruth! Oh yes, clear vanilla is totally fine! Also, just wanted to mention that the buttercream above does have a coconut taste, so if you dislike coconut, I’d make my regular buttercream frosting instead. Let me know after you make the cake! Happy birthday to your Mom!
Thanks Brandi, I will! Another quick question. Do you weigh the 460g of coconut butter cold and then melt? Or do you melt it first and then weigh out 460 grams of the melted coconut butter? Want to make sure I get this right so that my frosting is not a mess. Thank you!
Hi Ruth, melt the coconut butter just enough so that it can be thoroughly warmed and smooth as you stir it. You don’t want to overheat it, but warm enough to where you can stir it and it will melt quickly to become a smooth runny consistency, then weigh it. Unless, if you already have a separate container of coconut butter that has already been mixed, you might be able to scrape it out from the container and measure it firm that way. If you are using a fresh jar from the store, you need to remove the lid and heat it briefly first. Hope that helps!
Hi
I wanted to surprise my daughter with cupcakes for Valentine’s Day. She is obsessed with sprinkles and I can’t wait to make a treat we can actually enjoy together!!!
I’m wondering if dark muffin pans would need an adjustment to the baking time.
Thanks! They look So perfect!
Can I eliminate the sprinkles and still have the cake turn out ?
yes
My little one is allergic to wheat and egg, so I made this cake for his 2nd birthday. It was delicious! Didn’t try the frosting since I just used regular buttercream but the cake was perfect and everyone was super impressed. Thank you so much! I’m keeping this one bookmarked for future occasions.
That is so amazing to hear!!
I loved the taste of this cake but it was much too gummy to eat a full piece. I had to substitute the potato starch with tapioca starch so I wonder if that’s the culprit or if its supposed to be gummy..i’m not a fan of the gummy baked goods so maybe it’s just my taste?
Hi Suzanne, yes, that is exactly why it turned out gummy. Potato starch cannot be subbed for other starches here. It makes this cake very fluffy, whereas tapioca starch makes things more gluey (only works in smaller amounts). They will yield completely different results. I do not like gummy baked goods one bit, so use potato starch next time and you’ll notice a big difference. This is why the recipe states in bold that it cannot be subbed. In some recipes, starches can be subbed, particularly with cookies or in small amounts, but absolutely cannot in this particular recipe.
I made this recipe exactly as directed & the whole family enjoyed it very much! It was pretty sweet so it tasted great without any frosting also. I only had trouble when I tried to put THREE layers instead of just two… the middle one gave out and it looked like I had an earthquake! Ha! Ha! Still enjoyable! Thanks for a great recipe!
That is so wonderful to hear everybody loved it Sherryl! Oh wow, 3 layers, never tried that before with this recipe, haha! Sometimes the weight just can get too heavy, so make sure there’s a good layer of buttercream in between, that really helps.
we made the cake and cupcakes. they taste amazing! you can cut back on some of the frosting sugar, we did 2 cups instead of 2 1/2. we made the cake for a birthday and the cupcakes for a celebration. we havent tried the no oil version yet, but we will at some point. the kids loved them both as well. its nice to have a treat to make like this. it doesnt feel like we are missing anything. thank you for helping make our wfpb journey a little easier.
Hi Brandi! What type of food coloring do you recommend for the butter cream frosting? I really don’t want the artificial dyes. However, I do want vibrant colors and it needs to set up well after piping. I will be using a lot of green and blue and some red. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
I’m so very sorry I missed this before Terri! I use the colors from Trucolor .org
This is THE BEST cake recipe and the vegan sprinkles make it so fun! This is now a family favorite. We make it anytime there’s an excuse for cake! Vegan 8 has done it again!
Is it possible to use regular Thai Kitchen Coconut Milk (not lite) and arrowroot starch instead of potato starch? That’s all I have a home.
Hi Melissa, no, I’m sorry, potato starch is crucial to this recipe for fluffiness. It behaves differently than any other starch, particularly when combined with almond flour. Arrowroot unfortunately will not work here at all and would make the cake rather gummy. Full fat coconut milk has 3 times the amount of fat as lite, so it would make the cake way too moist and dense. You can try diluting it though by adding all the milk contents from the can to a blender and 2 cans of water and blend and then measure. But you will still need the potato starch. It is (at least in my area) not in stores currently due to the pandemic, I haven’t been able to find it anywhere, so I’ve ordered online. It would be best to order online if you can’t find it locally. You can find it on Amazon.
I absolutely LOVE this recipe! I used it for my birthday in April and then used it for my sister’s birthday to make a unicorn cake this week! My whole family devoured it and some didn’t know it was vegan and gluten free until we told them!
I’m so happy to hear how much you love this recipe Mary, thank you! Your unicorn cake you shared on IG was absolutely stunning! Glad to hear everybody loved it as well!
Based on the many five-star reviews I didn’t think I could go wrong. I am very disappointed that the cake turned out super flat and didn’t rise much at all…your picture of the finished product is definitely deceiving. I followed the instructions perfectly. I hope it tastes better than it looks.
Sorry you had trouble Kris, not sure why your cake would be so flat. I’ve not heard any other readers experience this. Are you sure you used an 8 inch pan and not a 9 inch? Also, if yours was really flat, that also could be due to the almond flour brand. Brands vary greatly and some make cakes quite flat/dense and some yield nice fluff. The cakes do not rise SUPER high, but they do rise and when stacked and frosted, the cake looks beautiful. I noted in the post that the cake was tested in different pans, but have added it to the Notes section on the recipe card as well.
Hi Brandi, I am SO excited to make this for my son’s first birthday coming up. We have been cooking from your book and absolutely love all of your recipes. My question is how you would modify this to make a smaller “smash cake” for a first birthday. Would you recommend making the same amount of batter and distributing it among the smaller baking tins? Would you recommend doing a certain size, anywhere between a 4-7″ double or triple layer cake? Thank you so much!
Hi Chelsea! So very happy to hear you have been loving my book, yay! Since this makes a 2 layer 8 inch cake, you could half the recipe and bake it into a 2 layer 6 inch cake if you like! That is what I would suggest. Just make sure not to remove the cake until it’s a clean toothpick!
Awesome thank you! Would you adjust the baking time at all given the smaller size?
This is the first time I’ve ever rated a recipe online and I’ve tried a lot of different vegan online recipes before! My journey in gluten free and allergy friendly baking started ten years ago when my son was born. I have tasted a LOT of desserts and cakes. This cake is AMAZING! Do not let the scale and weighing of ingredients scare you off from trying it. I found it actually easier to do than measuring with cups and spoons and produced less dishes too! All went in one large bowl on the scale and like Brandi said to do, I just zeroed it out in between adding ingredients. I couldn’t get the recommended almond flour brand fast enough for my daughter’s birthday so I ordered the Anthony’s blanched almond flour from Amazon and it had a ton of positive reviews so I took a chance! Everything else I purchased exactly as recommended by Brandi including the Thai Kitchen brand lite canned coconut milk. I used Costco’s Grade A maple syrup, Bob’s white rice flour and Bob’s potato starch. I used Whole Foods brand artificial dye free rainbow sprinkles. I made from the batter a tray of mini cupcakes and two small round cakes for my niece and son to help frost. Both cupcakes and cake were a DELIGHT! Because I was short on time, I bought Miss Jones’ organic vanilla frosting and added dye free pink frosting to go with it but next time I will try Brandi’s frosting recipe too 🙂 back to the cake, this cake was incredible. It had this subtle almond and vanilla flavor that reminded me of a NY bakery. My father who avoids my baking and cooking and anything gluten free or vegan at all costs was raving about this cake all evening. He had three slices and took some to go!!! I couldn’t believe it. Brandi was right that the same day cake was fluffy and moist and heavenly. Today we all ate leftovers for breakfast and it wasn’t as fluffy and perfect as yesterday but still delicious!!! So I would definitely make day of like she recommended. Novice bakers – don’t be nervous, try it! You will now have a go-to birthday and celebration cake recipe!! Thank you so much, Brandi!! 🙂
I meant I added dye free pink coloring from Whole Foods 365 store brand to the frosting 🙂
What height in inches are these 2 layers before you put them together?
I’m not exactly sure, maybe 1 1/2 inches each!
What vegan sprinkles do you use?
Hi Mary! I order mine from Sweetapolita here: She sells many vegan options. https://sweetapolitashop.com/search?type=product&q=vegan+sprinkles
Can you substitute rice flour with whole wheat gf flour ???
Hi Michelle, no I definitely wouldn’t use whole wheat flour, you would end up with a very chewy, grainy taste and texture to the cake. You can try white all purpose flour though, use the same weight I have listed in grams. No need to compare it to cups, just follow the weights. 240 grams. I would try that.
Would this recipe work with a different starch? And would you have any tips on making it lemon flavored?
Hi Heather! No, I’m sorry, it must be potato starch in this case. Potato starch makes the cake very fluffy, whereas using cornstarch or tapioca would make it much more dense and chewy. Potato starch bakes up very differently in cakes. You can find it at many grocery stores or on amazon.
Any idea how many cupcakes this recipe will make?
Yes, it’s listed under step 2.