This Gluten Free Funfetti Cake has everything you want in a classic vanilla cake – a tender texture, moist crumbs, soft & pillowy cake layers and a buttery-vanilla flavor. Mix in the colorful rainbow sprinkles to complete the iconic look, then frost in a classic vanilla buttercream frosting.

Homemade Gluten Free Funfetti Cake

Ingredients

• GF Flour + Xanthan Gum: Use your favorite gluten-free flour blend here. My go-to store bought flour is the Gluten Free Plain White Flour because it’s affordable and easy to find where I live. Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 baking flour (blue bag) is a great option, though I don’t love their GF all purpose blend (red bag).
• Butter + Oil: Butter provides a rich and buttery flavor, but it can create dense cake in large amounts. Oil, on the other hand, is great at creating a moist crumb thanks to the high fat content. Too much oil though can leave you with a greasy cake. Use a combination of butter and oil to get the right balance of both flavor and texture.
• Milk + Yoghurt: These provide hydration and acid. The moisture creates a soft, moist crumb and the acid works with the baking soda to help leaven the cakes (rise up in the oven).
• Baking Powder + Baking Soda: Baking powder is great at adding height to baked goods, but too much leaves an unpleasant after taste. Add baking soda to the mix to interact with the acidic yoghurt & milk for extra lift and a delicious tang.
• Eggs: Eggs provide moisture and structure. I’d like to make an egg-free version of this cake at some point, but I need to do a lot more testing before I can provide a reliable alternative.
• Vanilla + Salt: Our flavor enhancers!
• Rainbow Sprinkles: For best (most vibrant) results that won’t dissolve or fade in the oven, use American-style ‘rainbow sprinkles also known as ‘Jimmies’. Make sure to use gluten free sprinkles!

bite-Sized Recipe Steps

Combine Wet & Dry Ingredients

Finally, add the dry ingredients and milk to the cake batter in alternating intervals, mixing in between each addition like so:

• flour, milk, flour, milk, flour

Once combined, fold in the sprinkles and mix well to evenly combine.

Bake & Cool

• Divide the batter between prepared cake pans.
• Bake for about 27-30 minutes.
• Run a knife along the outside of the pans to loosen the cake from the sides then flip & cool on a cooling rack before frosting.

Frost & Enjoy

I stuck with a basic vanilla buttercream frosting to keep it simple and classic.

For a less sweet alternative, I recommend doubling my Whipped Mascarpone Frosting.

My favorite frosting variation that I tried while testing this recipe was a buttercream + mascarpone combination. I basically followed the frosting recipe instructed below, but swapped out 1/2 cup butter with 1/2 cup mascarpone. The end result was an extra silky vanilla buttercream.

More Gluten Free Cake Recipes

• Gluten Free Victoria Sponge Cake Recipe
• Gluten Free Strawberry Cake
• Gluten Free Carrot Cake
• Gluten Free Chocolate Cake
• Gluten Free Vegan Vanilla Cake (Eggless Cake)
• Gluten Free Banana Cake & Cream Cheese Frosting
• Gluten Free Lemon Cake with Blueberry Filling
• Gluten Free Swiss Roll with Strawberries & Cream
• Gluten Free No Bake Cheesecake

Enjoy!

Let me know if you try this Gluten-Free Funfetti Cake recipe! I’d love to hear what you made with it and how it turned out! Please leave a comment and review with your thoughts and suggestions for me and future readers.

Yield: 12-16 slices

Gluten Free Funfetti Cake

5.0 Stars (2 Reviews)

Prep Time 40 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Additional Time 1 hour

Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes

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It's everything you want in a classic vanilla cake - soft, tender & moist with an extra colorful helping of rainbow sprinkles!

Ingredients

• 3 cups gluten free all purpose flour blend (420g)
• 1 tsp xanthan gum
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup butter, room temperature (226g)
• 2 cups white granulated sugar (400g)
• ⅓ cup vegetable oil or another neutral flavored oil (80ml)
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• ¾ cup plain yogurt (180ml)
• 1 cup whole milk (240ml)
• 3/4 cup rainbow sprinkles, ensure gluten free (135g)

Vanilla Buttercream

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• 1 1/2 cup butter, room temperature (340)
• 5 cups powdered sugar (625g)
• 1/3 cup whipping cream (80ml)
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

Need help converting to weights? Check out my cups to grams Conversion Guide.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°C (177°C). Grease and line the bottoms of three 8 inch round cake pans. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl: whisk & sift together flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
3. In a different large mixing bowl with a handheld mixer or in a stand mixer with a fitted paddle attachment: Beat butter and sugar on a medium-high speed for about 3-5 minutes until fully combined into a fluffy, pale mixture. Make sure to stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl every so often.
4. Add the oil and mix on a medium speed until combined. Then add eggs one at a time, thoroughly mixing after each addition.
5. Add the yoghurt and vanilla extract.
6. Next, add the flour mixture and milk in alternating intervals like so: flour, milk, flour, milk, flour. Gently mix batter in between each addition. Make sure to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed. Fold in the sprinkles.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans then spread out in an even layer. Bake for 27-30 minutes. To check for doneness, insert a knife or tooth pick into the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean it's done.
8. Run a knife along the edge of the cake pans to loosen the cake from the sides then flip over onto a wire rack to finish cooling. Make sure to fully cool the cake layers before frosting.

Frosting

1. Add the butter to a large mixing bowl, either using a handheld mixer or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until the mixture is smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. 
2. Add sugar, vanilla and cream to the bowl and mix on a low speed until mostly combined then increase speed and mix on high for 2 minutes on thick and creamy. Add more sugar if the frosting is too sticky and add more cream if it's too thick/dry.
3. Place one cake layer on a cake stand or serving plate. Add about 1 cup of frosting and spread over the top in an even layer. Repeat with the second layer, spreading about 1 cup frosting over the top of the cake. Add the last layer then frost the top and sides of the cake. Add more sprinkles if you like.
4. Slice and serve right away or save for later. You can leave this cake, covered at room temperature for a few days, but it depends on your kitchen temperature so you may prefer keeping it in the fridge (up to 5 days). If stored in the fridge, I recommend you let it sit at room temp for about 30 minutes before serving for best flavor.

Notes

• Make sure to use room temperature ingredients.
• Yoghurt substitute: Swap yoghurt for sour cream OR leave out the yoghurt and regular milk and use 1 1/2 cup buttermilk instead. Add an extra 2-3 minutes to the overall bake time.
• DIY Buttermilk: Use regular dairy milk OR dairy-free milk. Measure out 1 1/2 cup (360ml) milk, remove 2 Tbsp milk and add 2 Tbsp lemon juice, apple cider vinegar or white vinegar. Let sit for 5-10 minutes until curdled before using.
• Sprinkles: Use American-style 'Jimmies' if you want a vibrant color. Naturally colored sprinkles will likely fade and lose color in the batter. If you're in the UK, I recommend these Get Baked Sprinkles.
• Cupcakes: This will make about 2 1/2 dozen cupcakes. Line & grease cupcake pan and fill each cup about 2/3 full. Bake at 350°C (177°C) for 18-20 minutes.

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

© A Saucy Kitchen, Sarah Nevins

Course: Desserts Cuisine: American