Healthy Birthday Cake
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The best healthy birthday cake that’s made with a combo of oat and almond flour and naturally sweetened with maple syrup. It’s fluffy, moist, gluten-free and a great healthier option for a birthday party or any celebration!
In honor of Liv’s second birthday, I wanted to share a healthy birthday cake recipe! I shared a smash cake recipe last year but I wanted to share a cake recipe that kids (and adults!) of all ages could enjoy!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- This recipe is almost as easy as making cake from a box… almost!
- It’s made with just 10 simple ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry!
- It’s a great base recipe that can be customized with mix-ins and frostings.
- This cake is gluten-free, dairy-free and refined sugar free but still absolutely delicious!
Birthday Cake Made Healthier
In most traditional birthday cake recipes you’ll see white flour, white sugar and butter or vegetable oil, but in true EBF fashion I decided to make an upgraded birthday cake that’s gluten-free, dairy-free and free of refined sugars thanks to a few substitutions.
- almond and oat flour – to make this cake gluten-free I swapped white flour for almond and oat flour. The combo of the two results in super fluffy, light cake!
- maple syrup – I swapped white, refined sugar for my favorite natural sweetener, maple syrup.
- coconut oil – instead of using vegetable oil or butter we’re using coconut oil, which adds healthy fats and isn’t as processed as some of the alternatives.
Here’s What You Need
- eggs – make sure your eggs are at room temperature before baking this cake. I won’t get into the science behind it but it’s key for a fluffy cake! Also, if your eggs are cold the coconut oil will harden up when combined. I haven’t tested this recipe with a vegan substitute like flax eggs, so I’m not sure how the cake will turn out. If you decide to try a vegan version let me know in the comments below!
- pure maple syrup – the natural sweetener in this cake. I haven’t tried other sweeteners, but I bet any liquid sweetener would work as a substitute.
- dairy-free milk – any dairy-free milk works but I used unsweetened almond milk (make your own almond milk or use store-bought).
- coconut oil – make sure your coconut oil is in the liquid state. You can heat on the stovetop or microwave for a few seconds until melted if necessary. Feel free to sub with any oil of choice or melted butter.
- vanilla extract and almond extract – delicious flavor enhancers that round out this cake and adds that true birthday cake flavor.
- blanched almond flour – I recommend using blanched almond flour because the skins have been removed so you’re left with a fine-texture, light colored flour that works perfectly for cake.
- oat flour – you can make your own oat flour by grinding rolled oats in a food processor or you can buy oat flour from the store.
- baking soda – to help the cake rise.
- salt – to bring the flavors of the cake together.
- rainbow sprinkles – I used supernatural rainbow sprinkles. They’re free of artificial dyes and are gluten-free and vegan.
tip! I added sprinkles to this cake but chocolate chips would be delicious as well!
How to Make Healthy Birthday Cake
In a large bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients – the eggs, maple syrup, milk, coconut oil, vanilla extract and almond extract. Make sure the mixture is fully combined and smooth throughout before moving on to the next step.
In a medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients – almond flour, oat flour, baking soda and salt. Mix well.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well with a rubber spatula until just combined and smooth. Try not to over-mix or your cake will be too dense. Gently stir the sprinkles into the batter.
Spray your cake pans with cooking spray or coat with coconut oil and then pour the cake batter into the baking dishes. Bake at 350ºF for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. You’ll know the cakes are done when you insert a toothpick into the center and it comes out clean.
Allow the cakes to cool in the pan for 15 minutes and then carefully remove each cake and place it on a wire rack to cool completely. Once the cake has cooled to room temperature, frost, top with more sprinkles and enjoy!
Using Different Size Cake Pans or a Cupcake Tin
- 8 inch pans: This batter will make enough to fill two 8 inch cake pans. If using two 8 inch pans, bake for 20 minutes until golden brown on top and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- 4-inch pans: If you want to make a mini cake using three 4-inch cake pans, you’ll bake for 20-25 minutes and you will have batter leftover! I used this recipe for my daughter’s birthday cake and was able to make three 4-inch layers for the cake and 5 cupcakes with the leftover batter.
- Cupcakes: You’ll want to bake these for 15-20 minutes in paper liners. The recipe makes about 17 cupcakes.
- Square pan: I haven’t tested it, but I bet you could also make this cake in an 8×8 or 9×9 inch square pan. I’m not sure about the bake time, but I’m guessing 20-30 minutes.
Healthy Birthday Cake Variations
As I mentioned, this cake is a great base recipe that can be customized with different mix-ins and frostings! I used rainbow sprinkles as a mix-in and for topping and frosted the cake with my healthier cream cheese frosting, but the options are endless. Here are some ideas:
- switch up the frosting – for a real deal frosting my vanilla buttercream frosting, strawberry buttercream frosting or chocolate buttercream frosting would all be delicious. For a lighter option, try my healthy chocolate frosting or peanut butter Greek yogurt frosting. If going the store-bought route, my favorite healthier store-bought frosting is Simple Mills vanilla frosting.
- swap the sprinkles – instead of sprinkles chocolate chips would be a delicious mix-in and topping! I bet mixing in fresh or frozen blueberries for a fruit-themed cake would also be delicious.
Can You Make This Cake Ahead of Time?
Yes! This cake can be made 1-3 days in advance. To make ahead of time, let the cake layers cool completely and store them in the fridge, covered until you’re ready to assemble and serve. Alternatively, you can frost and decorate the cake and store it covered in the fridge until ready to serve!
How to Store Leftovers
Store any leftover cake in an airtight container on the counter for 1-2 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days. I haven’t tried freezing this cake, but I would imagine it would freeze just fine either frosted or unfrosted. If you’re making this cake ahead of time for a special occasion and want to store it in the freezer, I would store the individual layers separately in an airtight container or bag (I love my Stasher bags). The day before you’re ready to serve, let the layers thaw in the fridge then assemble and decorate as desired!
More Cake Recipes to Try
- Vegan Coffee Cake
- Healthy Vanilla Cake
- Almond Flour Cupcakes
- Flourless Chocolate Cake
- Healthy Chocolate Cake
The Most Popular Dessert Recipes
- Birthday Cake Cookies
- 5-Ingredient Vegan Graham Cracker Blondies
- Healthy Monster Cookies
- Pavlova
- Healthier Magic Cookie Bars
Be sure to check out all of the dessert recipes here on EBF!
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Healthy Birthday Cake
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- ¾ cup pure maple syrup
- ½ cup dairy-free milk, I used unsweetened almond milk
- ⅓ cup melted coconut oil
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla
- 2 teaspoons almond extract
- 1 ½ cups blanched almond flour, packed
- 1 cup oat flour, packed
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup rainbow sprinkles, plus more for topping
Frosting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray three 6-inch cake pans with cooking spray or coconut oil and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together your eggs, maple syrup, milk, coconut oil, vanilla extract and almond extract until fully combined and smooth. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add your almond flour, oat flour, baking soda and salt and mix well. Set aside.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well with a rubber spatula until just combined and smooth. Stir sprinkles into the batter.
- Pour batter into prepared cake pans and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown on top and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool for about 15 minutes. Remove cake from pans and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once cake is at room temperature frost it with your favorite frosting and top with additional sprinkles if you prefer.
- Cut cake and serve.
- Store cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the fridge for about 5 days.
Video
Notes
- 8 inch pans: This batter will make enough to fill two 8-inch cake pans. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown on top and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- 4-inch pans: If you want to make a mini cake using three 4-inch cake pans, you’ll bake for 20-25 minutes and you will have batter leftover! I used this recipe for my daughter’s birthday cake and was able to fill the three 4-inch pans and make 5 cupcakes with the leftover batter.
- Cupcakes: You’ll want to bake these for 15-20 minutes in paper liners. The recipe makes 17 cupcakes.
- Square pan: I haven’t tested it, but I bet you could also make this cake in an 8×8 or 9×9 inch square pan. I’m not sure about the bake time, but I’m guessing 20-30 minutes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like This Recipe? Rate & Comment Below!
I used coconut flour instead of oat flour because I can’t have oats. It turned out soo yummy and everyone else thought so too. Definitely a keeper.
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Miriam! Love that you used coconut flour—so happy it worked out and that everyone loved it. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review. It means the world to me.
I love the idea of this cake! Is it okay to omit the sprinkles/would you recommend using anything else as a substitute if you did omit them?
Yes, totally! You can skip the sprinkles without substituting them. You could also swap them with another mix-in like chocolate chips. Let me know if you end up making this cake and how it turns out for you. 🙂
My baby has an egg allergy, his first birthday is in 2 days! I really want to make this cake for him on his special day, do you think I should use an egg replacer or a banana for this recipe?
Hi Cameron – I haven’t tried an egg replacement for this recipe, but I’d maybe try flax eggs? The cake might not rise as much, but I bet it would still work. Let me know if you try it and how the recipe turns out! And happy birthday to your baby!! 🙂
Hi! Have you tried using whipped cream as filling with fresh berries?
Hi Cindy – Do you mean as frosting or as filling in the middle of the cake?
Do you almond flour subs? We have a nut allergy in our. family. I didn’t see in your blog post anything about flour subs.
Hi Aubrey, great question! Almond flour is key to this recipe’s texture, so swapping it can be tricky. You could try all-purpose or a gluten-free 1:1 flour blend, but the texture and moisture might change, and liquid ratios may need adjusting. I haven’t tested this myself, but let me know if you do. I’d love to hear how it turns out!
Hi! Can I use 2% milk instead of dairy free?
Definitely! If you don’t need this recipe to be dairy-free you can certainly use regular milk.
I used almond flour instead of coconut flour and the batter consistency was more like cookie dough so I made cookies instead. Did the coconut flour soak up too much liquid?
Hi Macey – Yes, you cannot use coconut flour as a 1:1 sub for any other flour because it will soak up much more liquid and the recipe will need to be adjusted. I give flour substitutions in the blog post above if needed.
hi.. can I substitute the almond flour with all purpose flour or whole wheat flour?
Hi Semina! I haven’t tested it so I’m not 100% sure how the cake would turn out but we do have this healthy vanilla cake you could try that’s made with whole wheat flour and can be made with all-purpose flour as well. ! Let me know how it turns out 🙂
Loved the cake. was just wondering if the frosting was included in the nutrition information for 1 slice or it was just the cake specifically?
I am so glad you are enjoying this cake, James. The nutritional information is for 1 slice without the frosting.
My daughter and I love this cake recipe so much, and I feel better knowing the ingredients are relatively healthy! I’ve only had this in the cake form, but would like to make cupcakes for my daughter’s birthday. How far in advance can they be made and any recommendations on storage for optimal freshness? Thank you!
Hi MVK! I can’t wait to hear how this recipe turns out as cupcakes for you, I am so glad you are both loving this recipe. This recipe can be made 1-3 days in advance. To make ahead of time, let the cake layers (or in your case cupcakes) cool completely and store them in the fridge, covered until you’re ready to assemble and serve. Alternatively, you can frost and decorate and store it covered in the fridge until ready to serve! Enjoy!
Any chance you know the measurement in grams for the almond and oat flour? I only have a kitchen scale and no measuring cups.
Thank you!
Hi Carolina – So sorry, but I haven’t made this recipe measuring out the ingredients on a kitchen scale. I would recommend using a kitchen converter, I really like this one!