Vegan Birthday Cake [Funfetti Cake]

completed vegan birthday cake on a white surface

5 from 32 votes

Make the ultimate vegan birthday cake/party cake with this easy funfetti cake recipe – it’s tender, moist, fluffy, loaded with sprinkles, and finished with creamy vegan vanilla buttercream! + several flavor and topping variations!

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegan

Servings: - 6 servings

Calories: 892kcal

Author: Toni Okamoto

Equipment

Ingredients

2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar
2 cups of plant-based milk (soy works best for buttermilk)
3 cups of all-purpose flour
1 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of baking soda
1 teaspoon of baking powder
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
½ cup of unsweetened applesauce
⅔ cup of oil
½ cup vegan birthday sprinkles
1 batch of vegan vanilla frosting (or storebought)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottoms of two 8-inch pans with oil and parchment paper and set aside.
In a small bowl, add the plant-based milk and apple cider vinegar. Mix well and set aside for 5 minutes until it curdles and becomes like buttermilk.
In a large bowl, add the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and mix well. Add the buttermilk, vanilla, applesauce, and oil. Mix until fully incorporated. Fold the sprinkles, but do not overmix.
Evenly distribute the batter into the two prepared cake pans.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a knife or toothpick comes out just clean.
When ready, remove the cakes from the oven and let them cool for 5 minutes. Carefully remove them from the pans and place them on a cooling rack.
Once completely cool, frost, and layer the cakes. Add more sprinkles on the top to decorate and serve!

Notes

Use room temperature ingredients: Like the vegan milk and dairy-free butter, so they mix easier into the batter without overworking the gluten.

Measure the flour correctly: Fluff it up in its bag, spoon it into the measuring cup, and level it with a knife (rather than scooping the cup into the flour bag). This way, you avoid using too much and ending up with dense, dry vegan funfetti cake.

Don’t over-mix the batter: Otherwise, gluten becomes overworked and affects the density/ rise of the vegan birthday cake. Mix the batter just enough to incorporate the ingredients– a few small lumps are fine.

Nutrition