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birthday cake

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)
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Cooling off time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
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.