Birthday cake

The one and only birthday cake! The one and only, because it’ll be the only one on here. Read below why..

My youngest’s birthday is coming up. He has been putting in requests for his birthday cake for a while now (he started two months ago… smart boy) and I have been making notes; multiple layers, vanilla not chocolate (?), frosting and sprinkles.. lots of sprinkles. I have been test baking for a while now and I was back in the kitchen again today to make these birthday cake wishes come alive.

I am not much of a baker I have to admit. Cookies, yes of course all the time. Brownies, bring it on. But the big stuff!? Multi layered cakes with the perfect frosting, icing, buttercream, fondant… HELP! I think it is partly because I don’t have a lot of patience and I am not precise enough. Also we live in a hot climate so frosting is extra hard to keep from melting in front of your eyes. And the third reason is I am always on the look out for a healthier twist, which is a way bigger challenge I can tell you. BUT.. I think I got this! After numerous attempts, retries and proof baking I am so happy with the (healthyish) result and most importantly so is my son. The ultimate and only birthday cake recipe on this blog.

What does this birthday cake consists of?

The layers of this birthday cake are vegan and made with healthier ingredients (but it is still a birthday cake..so we are indulging a little bit). No eggs are used; to keep the cake moist with the perfect crumb, plant-based milk is mixed with apple cider vinegar. Then coconut oil is mixed in with an electric mixer to make it frothy to keep as much air in as possible.

I used a simple frosting for the cake using vegan butter. I blended Xylitol (a sugar-free sweetener) in a blender into a powder-like consistency. And the birthday boy requested green frosting so I added a few drops of natural food coloring.

How I make this birthday cake?

activate the apple cider vinegar mixture

I start by whisking almond milk and apple cider vinegar together. I set it aside for a couple of minutes. You will notice the two ingredients start to react.

mix dry ingredients

I mix all the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl and set that aside as well.

mix all wet ingredients

To the apple cider vinegar mix I add the oil and vanilla. With an electric mixer I mix everything for 1-2 minutes until frothy.

make the cake batter

Next step is to add the flour mixture to it. Either change to paddles (if your mixer has that option) or continue by hand and use a wooden spoon and slowly combine until incorporated into a smooth batter. Lastly I add the rainbow sprinkles and fold them in carefully so the colors don’t bleed (I use ‘jimmies’, not nonpareils, for better ‘non-bleeding’ results)

bake the cake

Now it is time to pour the batter in the already prepared cake pans. My cake pans have removal bottoms which makes it easier to take the cakes out after they are baked.

I bake the cakes on the middle rack of the oven for 30-35 minutes. I check if they are done by inserted a tooth pick in the center of the cake. If it comes out clean with just a few dry crumbs attached, they are ready.

I let them cool off for 5-10 minutes before removing them from the cake pans so they can cool off completely on a cooling rack.

make the frosting

In the meantime I make the frosting. Which is super simple. Mix all ingredients except for the milk. Add milk ½ tablespoon at a time until you have reached a rich creamy consistency. Because I live in a hot climate I chill it in the fridge for 5-10 minutes before I frost the cake.

frost the cake

For a 2 layer cake I start with a generous layer of frosting on the first cake and place the second cake on top of it. If I notice the frosting is getting soft and melty already, I place the frosting back in the fridge together with the double layered cake for 5 minutes.

Now I frost the sides and the top of the cake with a thin layer of frosting. Again, if I notice the frosting is getting soft, I place the cake back in the fridge for 5 minutes.

put some sprinkles on it!

Then it is time to add the sprinkles. For the outside I use nonpareils, because my kids like the crunchy sound when they bite into them. But ‘jimmies’ work as well.

To avoid a huge mess I place the cake in a high rimmed baking tray. I start with the sides. I tilt the tray a bit to apply the sprinkles on the cake in an angle. Once the cake has sprinkles all around, I finish off the cake by adding sprinkles to the top.

single layer, double layer, 3-layered or cup cakes…

These instructions are for a 2 layered cake. The recipe below though is for one single layer. So double the recipe (of both cake and frosting) for a double layered cake. Or even triple it if you want to outdo yourself and create a 3-layer-cake. The original recipe is also enough to make 12 cupcakes. Fill all cups ¾ up with batter and bake for 15-20 minutes. Add the frosting to a piping bag and frost the cupcakes once they have cooled off. Sprinkle with nonpareils or ‘jimmie’ sprinkles.

This is one festive cake! A put-a-smile-on-your-face cake! My little one loves it and I am sure yours will too. It is

so festive – not too hard – versatile – healthy for a birthday cake – colorful – and extremely delicious!

Is a (layered) cake too challenging? Make cupcakes! Use this birthday cake batter or my banana bread recipe is great to make sprinkled cupcakes too! Into healthy treats? This is my favorite healthy treat; passionfruit lime bars. I have been baking up a storm lately; new cake and treat recipes will follow soon. Brownie cake among others!. Stay tuned friends!

Birthday cake

This double layered birthday cake is healthyish yet delicious, easy to make and definitely puts a smile on your kids face. My kids gave it two thumbs up! YAY!

Too challenging? Make a single layer cake or cupcakes. Here to impress the crowd? Make it a 3-layer-cake!

_{(recipe yields 1 cake or 12 cupcakes with frosting. Recipe x2 for a double layered cake double)}

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Cooling off time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course Cake

Servings 12 slices

Calories 299 kcal

Equipment

• 2x 8-inch cake pan (preferrably with removable bottom)

Ingredients

  

Cake (enough for 1 layer; double recipe for two 8-inch cakes to make a double-layered cake)

• 245 gr almond milk (1 cup)(or other milk of choice)
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 190 gr all purpose flour (=1½ cup)(you could use gluten free all purpose flour just check if it contains xanthum gum if not add ½tsp of it to the flour)
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¾ tsp sea salt
• 185 gr organic raw cane sugar (¾ cup)(or sub coconut sugar, Stevia, Splenda or Truvia Baking Blend)
• 54 gr coconut oil (¼cup)(or use avocado oil or other type of vegetable oil)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• ½ cup (vegan) rainbow sprinkles (use 'jimmies' not nonpareils)

Frosting

• 113 gr (vegan) butter or margarine (1stick or ½ cup)(softened, not melted!)
• 1½ tsp pure vanilla extract
• 250 gr confectioner's sugar or a sugar free equivalent* (2 cups)(sifted)(*see Notes)
• 3 drops natural food coloring (optional, I used blue which turned green because our butter is yellow)
• 1-2 tbsp almond milk

Decorating

• ½-¾ cup nonpareils sprinkles (to decorate the outside of the cake)

Instructions

 

Cake

• Preheat the oven to 355F/180C and lightly grease an 8-inch cake pan.
• Start by whisking almond milk and apple cider vinegar together. Set it aside for a couple of minutes. You will notice the two ingredients start to react.
• Mix all the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl and set that aside as well.
• To the apple cider vinegar mix I add the oil and vanilla. With an electric mixer I mix everything for 1-2 minutes until frothy.
• Add the flour mixture to it. Either change to paddles of your mixer or you can also just use a wooden spoon. Slowly combine until incorporated into a smooth batter.
• Add the rainbow sprinkles and fold them in carefully so the colors don't bleed (I use 'jimmies' not nonpareils for better 'non-bleeding' results)
• Pour the batter in prepared cake pans.
• Bake the cake on the middle rack of the oven. After 30-35 minutes check if they are done by inserted a tooth pick in the center of the cake. If it comes out clean with just a few dry crumbs attached they are ready.

  Let the cake cool off for 5-10 minutes before removing them from the cake pan and let it cool off completely on a cooling rack.

Frosting

• In the meantime make the frosting. Mix all ingredients except for the milk. Now add milk ½ tablespoon at a time until you have reached a rich creamy consistency. Optionally chill the frosting in the fridge for 5-10 minutes before I frost the cake.
• (For a 2 layer cake) start with a generous layer of frosting on the first cake and place the second cake on top of it. If you notice the frosting is getting soft and melty already, place the frosting back in the fridge together with the double layered cake for 5 minutes. 
• Now frost the sides and the top of the cake with a thin layer of frosting. Again, if you notice the frosting is getting soft, place the cake back in the fridge for 5 minutes. 
• It is time to add the sprinkles. For the outside I used nonpareils, but 'jimmies' work as well.

  To avoid a huge mess, place the cake in a high rimmed baking tray or something similar. Start with the sides; tilt the tray a bit to apply the sprinkles on the cake in an angle. Either apply straight from the container on the cake or apple small amounts on your hand and press against the cake.

  Once the cake has sprinkles all around, finish off the cake by adding sprinkles to the top.

Notes

*Blend Xylitol or Sucanat in a blender (your blender might start to smoke, that is ok). It’ll turn into a powdered substance within seconds. If you want to store it, add 1-2 tsp or arrowroot/cornstarch to prevent it from clumping.

 

Nutritional information:

the information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?

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