A fluffy, tender gluten-free funfetti cake recipe that makes the best gluten-free birthday cake. I’ve included instructions for making a three-layer cake and tips on what sprinkles to use.
Looking for a smaller gluten-free birthday cake recipe for your little one? I’ve included gluten free smash cake instructions below.
If you love funfetti, you'll want to try this Funfetti Ice Cream.
Gluten-Free Funfetti Cake
This gluten-free birthday cake recipe is a spin off my gluten free vanilla cake. You guys have been asking for the best gluten-free birthday cake recipe and here it is!
It’s light, tender, and it’s simple to make. No need to ever buy a gluten-free funfetti cake mix at the store again.
Please read through this entire post. It’s chalked full of tips for making the best gluten-free funfetti cake.
Tips for making gluten-free funfetti cake
There are a couple of tips and tricks to getting the right texture with this gluten-free funfetti cake recipe. First, you have to follow the recipe. So many people comment on recipe posts saying that they made a ton of substitutions and the recipe didn’t turn out. If you make a substitution, you are doing so on your own.
Other than the dairy substitute, I haven’t tried other substitutes in this recipe.
Second, you want to mix at the right time and not over-mix. When you are beating the oil, sugar, and eggs you’ll want to beat it for the time listed. This adds air which in turn helps the cake rise. Beating any longer will cause the batter to stiffen.
Last but not least, you want to use the right kind of sprinkles and you want to fold the sprinkles in. This will prevent the coloring from the sprinkles bleeding into the batter and ruining your cake color.
How to make Gluten-Free Birthday Cake
- In a medium mixing bowl combine oil and sugar.
- Add eggs and beat with an electric mixer at medium speed for one minute.
- Add flour, salt, baking powder, dairy-free milk, and vanilla; beat at medium speed for one minute.
- Gently fold the sprinkles in. See the note in the recipe card about which sprinkles to use.
- Spoon batter evenly into cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the centers springs back when touched and cakes are lightly browned.
- Let cool in the pan on rack for five minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans onto rack and cool completely before frosting.
These numbered steps match the numbered photos above and are for illustration purposes only. Please see the printable recipe card below.
How to make Gluten-Free Smash Cake
To make a gluten-free smash cake, cut the recipe in half. Pour the gluten-free funfetti cake batter into two six-inch cake pans, instead of two eight- or nine-inch cake pans. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the center is set.
Cool cakes completely before frosting. When you’re ready to frost your gluten-free smash cake, cut the frosting recipe in half and frost the tops of each layer, stack one layer on top of the other, then frost the sides.
What causes a cake to crack on top?
You might see cracks if your temperature is too high, or your gluten-free birthday cake is placed in the oven too high. The heat of baking activates the baking powder and causes it to release carbon dioxide, which forms bubbles and raises the cake. If your oven is too hot, that process is sped up. Make sure to place your cake in the center, and regularly check your oven’s temperature.
Another reason is if you are at a high altitude. If you are baking this gluten-free funfetti cake at a high altitude consider cutting the baking powder in half.
Why did my cake sink?
There are several reason why gluten-free cakes sink, one is from over beating the batter and adding too much air. Also, cakes often will sink when there is too much moisture.
It’s common in humid climates where added moisture can collect naturally in ingredients such as flour. When this occurs, the center of the gluten-free birthday cake rises rapidly and then falls during baking.
In higher elevations, the leavening agent works twice as hard and may cause the batter to rise rapidly and sink before it’s had a chance to set up. All these tips are relevant to most cake recipes, not just this gluten-free funfetti cake recipe.
Some of my favorite gluten-free cake recipes for birthdays:
- Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake
- Gluten-Free Chocolate Bundt Cake
- Grain-Free Hummingbird Cake
- Gluten-Free Lemon Cake
If you are looking for cupcake recipes, just search cupcakes in the search bar on the right.
If you made this gluten-free birthday cake recipe I want to hear from you! Please leave a star rating and a comment below letting me know what you thought.
Gluten Free Birthday Cake
A fluffy, tender gluten-free funfetti cake recipe that makes the best gluten-free birthday cake. I’ve included instructions for making a three-layer cake and tips on what sprinkles to use. Gluten-free smash cake instructions and dairy-free options included.
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 cup (8 oz.) vegetable oil (or oil of choice)
- 1 ¼ cups (265g) granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs (220g.), room temperature
- 3 cups (425g.) all purpose gluten-free flour blend (I used Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour, NOT the Bob's All Purpose GF Flour)
- ½ teaspoon (3 g.) salt
- 3 teaspoons (12g.) baking powder
- 1 cup (8 oz.) milk (or dairy-free milk of choice)
- 1 teaspoon (2.5g.) gluten-free vanilla extract
- ½ cup colored sprinkles
For the frosting:
- ½ cup (115g) butter (or dairy-free butter)
- 1 ½ teaspoons (4g) gluten-free vanilla extract
- 4 ½ cups (450g) powdered sugar
- ¼ cup (40-60g) milk (or dairy-free milk)
Instructions
- For the cakes: Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Position rack in center of oven. Grease two 8" or 9" pans with oil; set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl combine oil and sugar.
- Add eggs and beat with an electric mixer at medium speed for one minute. Add flour, salt, baking powder, milk, and vanilla; beat at medium speed for one minute.
- Gently fold the sprinkles into the batter.
- Spoon batter evenly into cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the centers springs back when touched and cakes are lightly browned.
- Let cool in the pan on rack for five minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans onto rack and cool completely before frosting.
- For the frosting: In a medium mixing bowl, beat butter and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Slowly beat in milk. Beat in additional milk if needed, to obtain desired consistency.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days, or in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Notes
- Use sprinkles or round sequin sprinkles, do NOT use nonpareil sprinkles or they may bleed through the batter.
- This gluten-free birthday cake may also be made in three 9" pans. Decrease the baking time and start checking the cakes for doneness around 25 minutes.
- This recipe works best with Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour. It DOES NOT work with the Bob's Red Mill all-purpose gluten free flour.
- When working with or measuring gluten-free flour, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level. Do not scoop your measuring cup into the gluten-free flour. The best method really is to weight it but I don't have the ingredient weights for all my recipes yet.
- Dairy-Free Option: you can use dairy-free milk and dairy-free butter in this cake recipe.
- Let cakes cool completely before frosting.
- Gluten-Free Smash Cake: To make a gluten-free smash cake, cut the recipe in half. Pour the gluten-free funfetti cake batter into two six-inch cake pans, instead of two eight- or nine-inch cake pans. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the center is set. Cool cakes completely before frosting. When you’re ready to frost your gluten-free smash cake, cut the frosting recipe in half and frost the tops of each layer, stack one layer on top of the other, then frost the sides.
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
Tag @glutenfreepalate on Instagram and hashtag it #glutenfreepalatebaker so we can see all the deliciousness!
Sue
Hi is the 8oz oil fluid ounces or lbs and ounces weight?...
chrystal
Liquid ounces.
Best,
Chrystal
Sue Etherington
I have made your chocolate cakes dozens of time but thought this would be lovely for a birthday cake for my niece. I live inmthe UK and struggled to find what sprinkles to use. Nothing told me if it was nonpariel or not. So I bought two different types. Baked exactly as you said even set a minute timer! But whilst the cake rose and looked fine, there was not a single sprinkle or mark of colour to be seen! I was so disappointed. I've tried web searches and sprinkles and nonpariel seem interchangeable. Am I fated to never rep,I ate this pretty cake?? It tasted good though.
chrystal
Hi Sue,
I am not sure what you mean by that there was not a single sprinkle or mark of colour? If you added colored sprinkles, you should have seen sprinkles. For the type of sprinkles, the first "note" in the recipe card says "Use sprinkles or round sequin sprinkles, do NOT use nonpareil sprinkles or they may bleed through the batter."
I hope that helps.
Best,
Chrystal
Sue Etherington
Chrystal I put the full amount of sprinkles in, bought here in UK, stirred gently through and there was nothing, no colour nothing. The bottom was pretty sweet! I had to make your chocolate cake at 4.30 in the morning ! Do we have different one perhaps. As for them being nonperil or not I have no idea as they don't say. I would love to get this to work. X
chrystal
Hi Sue,
Where I'm confused is how you added sprinkles but there was no color. If you added colored sprinkles, there should have been been colored sprinkles throughout the batter.
Best,
Chrystal
Sue Etherington
Hi Again. I promise you I did add the sprinkles but there was nothing in colour within the cooked cake. Can you tell me what non parpariel sprinkles are please.
chrystal
Hi Sue,
Maybe there was something wrong with the sprinkles? If you google non parpariel sprinkles you will see brands and photos.
Best,
Chrystal
Tammi
Any ideas why when I try to make a smash cake the center takes so long to cook? Kind of dries out the cake to have to bake it so long for the center to be done. Thanks!
Wendy Stoltz
Hi Tammi,
Did you cut the cake recipe in half?
Susie
I had this happen too. Didn’t cut the recipe (just tossed the extras) and did 4 4 inch pans. I’m at 25 minutes now and still gooey in the center and crispy on the outsides…
Wendy Stoltz
I'm sorry to hear that you're experiencing difficulties with your gluten-free birthday cake Susie. Gooey centers and crispy outsides can be a challenging issue to deal with in baking. I do suspect it may be your oven cooking too high and also changing the pan size. Here are some potential reasons for the problem and suggestions to help improve your cake:
Pan size: Using 4-inch pans can significantly impact baking times and result in unevenly baked cakes. Smaller pans mean the batter is deeper, which takes longer to cook through. Consider using larger pans or adjusting the baking time accordingly.
Oven temperature: Ensure that your oven is properly calibrated. An oven that runs too hot or too cold can cause uneven baking. You may need to invest in an oven thermometer to accurately gauge the temperature.
Overfilled pans: Make sure you're not overfilling the pans with batter. Leave some room for the cake to rise during baking.
Too much batter in each pan: If you're dividing the batter between the four pans, ensure that the batter is distributed evenly. Too much batter in one pan can lead to uneven baking.
Check for doneness: Use a toothpick or a cake tester to check for doneness. Insert it into the center of the cake; if it comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs (not gooey batter), the cake is done.
Aluminum foil wraps: You can try using aluminum foil wraps around the outside of the pans to prevent the edges from getting too crispy while the center cooks.
Baking strips: Consider using baking strips, which are soaked in water and wrapped around the outside of the pans, to promote even baking.
Lower temperature, longer bake time: If the outside is getting crispy while the center remains gooey, you can try lowering the oven temperature slightly and extending the baking time. This should give the cake more time to bake evenly.
Remember that gluten-free cakes can be more delicate and require some adjustments to get the perfect result. Don't get discouraged, and keep experimenting with different techniques until you achieve the desired outcome. Baking is a wonderful journey of learning and improving your skills. Best of luck with your gluten-free birthday cake!
Megan Lehmkuhl
What if I wanted to use a loaf pan?
Wendy Stoltz
Hi Megan,
You can. Please note that the baking time may vary slightly, so it's important to keep an eye on the cake as it bakes and adjust the time accordingly. Additionally, the texture of the cake may be slightly different when using a loaf pan compared to round pans.
Susie P
I made this cake into a 1 year old smash cake using 4, 4 inch cakes using a springform pan that was lined with parchment paper (sprayed with Pam too). I likely overfilled the pans with batter (should do 60% versus 75% full), but I used a cake leveler so it didn't matter they were overfilled. Total bake time was 30 minutes or even a minute or two more. The cake tasted like a dense almond cake even though it doesn't have almond flour or flavoring. It might benefit from a vanilla snack pack (GF) or two to add moisture.
Wendy Stoltz
Thanks for sharing your changes Susie.