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Funfetti Celebration Cake {gluten & dairy free}

April 28, 2014 by Kayley 95 Comments

Funfetti Celebration Cake - gluten & dairy free | thekitchenmccabe.com

Birthday time is not an easy time to be gluten and dairy free.  Especially when it comes to the cake. But sprinkles make all things better, don’t they? I adapted my funfetti cupcake recipe to be gluten and dairy free for those with allergies who still want a classic birthday cake. If you are not gluten or dairy free, I would recommend sticking with this recipe here.

Funfetti Celebration Cake - gluten & dairy free | thekitchenmccabe.comFunfetti Celebration Cake - gluten & dairy free | thekitchenmccabe.com

This colorful celebration cake consists of layers of tender white cake riddled with sprinkles, layered with a fluffy, sweet non-butter buttercream frosting. Do keep in mind, as with all gluten-free versions of things normally made with flour: the texture will be a bit different. There really isn’t any getting around that.

This cake really is at its best if it is eaten on the same day it is made. Because of it’s gluten-free, dairy-free qualities, is doesn’t really sit well for long, so try and make it as close to the time is will be eaten as possible. I can’t believe I’m saying that. But it really is best in this instance. The frosting, however, can be made ahead of time. Just make sure to store it in an airtight container.

Funfetti Celebration Cake - gluten & dairy free | thekitchenmccabe.comFunfetti Celebration Cake - gluten & dairy free | thekitchenmccabe.com

I used a gluten free flour blend that contains white rice flour, brown rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, and xanthan gum. Make sure the blend you use has xanthan or guar gum, as that will give it some of the binding properties needed to hold the cake together that you lose when you take out the gluten.

Funfetti Celebration Cake - gluten & dairy free | thekitchenmccabe.comFunfetti Celebration Cake - gluten & dairy free | thekitchenmccabe.com

Funfetti Celebration Cake {gluten & dairy free}
 
Print
Makes 1 tall 6" cake. For a larger cake, double the recipe and bake in 9" round pans(may need to be done in 3 pans). Cake is best served on the same day it is baked.
Ingredients
  • 1¾ C. Gluten-free Flour Blend(must contain xanthan gum)
  • 2 tsp Baking Powder
  • 1 C. Coconut Milk(canned)
  • 1 tsp Vanilla
  • 4 egg whites, room temperature
  • 7 tablespoons Coconut Oil, solid
  • ⅔ C. Granulated sugar
  • ¼ C. + 1 tablespoon Colorful Cake Sprinkles(preferably the long type, not the small balls)
  • FOR THE FROSTING:
  • ½ C. Shortening
  • ½ C. Margarine or dairy-free butter spread, softened
  • 1 t. Vanilla Extract(clear, if possible)
  • Food coloring, if desired
  • 1½ lb. Powdered Sugar
  • 3-4 tablespoons Coconut Milk(canned)
  • Sprinkles, for topping
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease and flour(using GF flour blend) 2 6" round cake pans.
  2. Whisk flour and baking powder together in a small bowl.
  3. Combine ¾ C. coconut milk and vanilla in another small bowl.
  4. In a medium bowl, beat egg whites on high speed of electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
  5. In another bowl, beat the coconut oil and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy.
  6. Beat in remaining ¼ C. coconut milk until smooth.
  7. On medium speed, add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with milk mixture in two additions, mixing until smooth.
  8. Whisk in one-third of the egg whites to lighten the batter. Fold in remaining egg whites using a rubber spatula.
  9. Add in the sprinkles and fold in until just distributed.
  10. Divide the batter evenly between prepared cake pans.
  11. Bake 30=35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean.
  12. Remove pans from oven to a wire rack to cool. After about 10 minutes, remove the cakes from the pans and let cool on wire rack.
  13. When the cakes have cooled, level the tops with a serrated knife and then slice each cake in half horizontally to make 4 layers.
  14. Place one layer of cake on a cake stand and spread about ½" of frosting evenly on top of it. Top the frosting with another cake layer. Repeat until the cake is assembled, ending with the last layer of cake, bottom side up.
  15. Cover the cake in frosting and smooth the sides and top with a spatula(or butter knife). Place remaining frosting in a piping bag fitted with a large star tip and pipe stars across the top of the cake, covering the whole surface.
  16. Using your hand, pat handfuls of sprinkles onto the bottom half of the cake.
  17. Sprinkle the top of the cake with cake sprinkles.
  18. Serve the same day made.
  19. For the Frosting:
  20. Place the shortening and softened dairy-free butter in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using a paddle attachment, beat together until smooth and well blended. Mix in the vanilla and food color of choice. Add in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing on low speed until all the sugar is incorporated. Scrape down the bowl once. Add 3 tablespoons of coconut milk and slowly mix in. Turn the speed up to medium/high and beat the frosting until smooth and light, adding more coconut milk to thin, if needed. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
3.2.2925

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Filed Under: Cakes, Dairy Free, Desserts, Gluten Free

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Comments

  1. Matt Robinson says

    April 28, 2014 at 8:01 PM

    What an amazing looking birthday cake. Absolutely beautiful. Love your honesty about preparing it close to eating time. Makes total sense and this is a work of art. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Kayley says

      April 28, 2014 at 8:44 PM

      Thank you so much, Matt! It’s impossible to get the same results without gluten and dairy that you would using them. So every little tip helps, I guess, haha.

      Reply
  2. Serene @ House of Yumm says

    April 29, 2014 at 3:08 AM

    Kayley this cake is absolutely stunning!!! So beautiful. And yes, sprinkles make everything better! Love that you were able to make this dairy and gluten free! Was this for your birthday?? If so happy birthday 🙂 Pinning this one for sure!

    Reply
    • Kayley says

      April 29, 2014 at 5:07 PM

      Thank you so much, Serene! It wasn’t my birthday(dreading the next, actually), but I developed the recipe for a friend who’s children are all gluten and dairy free and needed a birthday cake that they could actually eat! =)

      Reply
  3. Rachelle u. says

    April 29, 2014 at 4:35 AM

    I just really can’t say THANK YOU enough!!! You have saved the day in more then one way!!!

    Reply
    • Kayley says

      April 29, 2014 at 5:09 PM

      Rachelle, you are so welcome! I’m glad it could be helpful to you. I seriously respect anyone who has to make such major adjustments in their cooking to cater to allergies. That’s a tough gig. xoxo

      Reply
  4. Isadora @ she likes food says

    April 29, 2014 at 5:21 PM

    Your pictures are so beautiful! Makes me wish I had a big slice of that right now! I love that it is both gluten free and dairy free. My husband and I both have birthdays coming up and I was beginning to wonder what I was going to make, but you have solved that problem for me! 🙂

    Reply
    • Kayley says

      April 29, 2014 at 5:26 PM

      Thank you so much, Isadora! I’m so glad that it will be useful to you! Happy upcoming birthday to both of you =)

      Reply
  5. marie says

    April 29, 2014 at 5:22 PM

    what do you mean by coconut milk? the canned one used for pina colada or can it be just any milk?

    Reply
    • Kayley says

      April 29, 2014 at 5:24 PM

      Marie, the canned variety will work the best =)

      Reply
    • felicia boyd says

      March 27, 2016 at 5:43 PM

      I want to make cakes too! Is this the milk you are talking about? http://amzn.to/1RyBMay

      Reply
  6. Gluten Free Society says

    June 15, 2014 at 11:45 AM

    Instead we suffer from it, by storing too much fat and rarely, if ever, burning it.

    The Japanese speaking searchers spent 43% of their 391 thousand searches looking for specific
    gluten free foods. Now we hear, wheat for man, oats for the horse and such.

    Reply
  7. The Mrs. says

    August 13, 2014 at 6:08 PM

    If I use your original recipe, but bake it in 9″ pans will there be enough to make into a 2 layer cake? Making this today for my son’s birthday!

    Reply
    • Kayley says

      August 19, 2014 at 6:15 PM

      I’m so sorry I missed this when you posted it! I know it’s too late, but I would suggest X’ing the recipe by 1 1/2 to fill up two 9″ pans. Happy belated birthday to your son!

      Reply
      • Kathy says

        January 20, 2017 at 12:49 PM

        Will this recipe work to make as a 9X13 cake and not have layers and just frost the top?

        Reply
  8. Shelly says

    August 18, 2014 at 5:25 PM

    I have gluten free flour that doesn’t contain xantham gum but I do have xantham gum separately. Any idea how much I should add?
    Thanks

    Reply
    • Kayley says

      August 19, 2014 at 6:06 PM

      Hi Shelly! Try 1/2 t. xanthan gum to every 1 cup of flour blend you use =)

      Reply
  9. Maria says

    August 22, 2014 at 2:39 PM

    Although my cake will end up looking nothing close to this beauty, I can’t wait to try it out 🙂

    Reply
  10. Deanna says

    September 22, 2014 at 2:34 AM

    Do you know if using egg replacer will work with this recipe?

    Reply
    • Kayley says

      September 22, 2014 at 5:20 PM

      Hi Deanna! It probably wouldn’t work too well, as the cake gets much of it’s volume specifically from the beaten egg whites.

      Reply
  11. Courtney says

    September 29, 2014 at 5:44 PM

    Im looking to bake these cupcakes for friend of mine who is gluten free at work. Do you know the baking time for cupcakes?

    Reply
    • Kayley says

      September 29, 2014 at 11:07 PM

      Hi Courtney! I would bake them 17-20 minutes, but start checking them for done-ness around 15 minutes =)

      Reply
  12. Krystyna says

    September 29, 2014 at 10:07 PM

    Will this recipe work if I only substitute the dairy fee ingredients and use regular flour, etc?

    Reply
    • Kayley says

      September 29, 2014 at 11:06 PM

      Hi Krystyna! It will work just fine if you sub the gf flour for regular flour. Same amounts =)

      Reply
  13. Jessica says

    November 9, 2014 at 7:19 PM

    Hi, do you think since I am only making this dairy free it will be ok to serve the next day as I definitely will not have time to make it same day… Thanks!

    Reply
    • Kayley says

      November 10, 2014 at 4:34 AM

      Hi Jessica!
      You could always bake it, wrap it in plastic wrap and freeze it immediately. Then thaw it the next day and frost it. Then it would be fresher than if you’d make it the day before =)

      Reply
  14. Breanna says

    December 4, 2014 at 11:30 AM

    This cake looks absolutely beautiful!! I’ve been looking for a good gluten-free/dairy-free funfetti recipe for ages, so I’m so glad to find yours! 🙂 Any chance you’d have any recommendations on how to swap out the eggs to make the cake 100% vegan? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Kayley says

      December 4, 2014 at 5:27 PM

      Thanks Breanna! I wish I could help you out, but this cake gets it’s texture almost entirely from whipped egg whites. I don’t do a lot of vegan baking, unfortunately. So sorry!

      Reply
    • Julia says

      November 4, 2015 at 10:51 PM

      Hi there try aquafaba for a vegan egg white replacer.

      Reply
      • Ashlee says

        January 18, 2020 at 5:20 PM

        I used aquafaba to replace and it worked beautifully!

        Reply
  15. Ashley says

    January 23, 2015 at 4:49 PM

    I love this cake and am so excited to bake this for my birthday! Question though, if I wanted to achieve the same beautiful mint color what kind of dye would I use?

    Reply
    • Kayley says

      January 25, 2015 at 8:33 PM

      Hi Ashley! Happy upcoming birthday! I used a gel food color in a turquoise color and just used a little bit. You can find gel colors at craft stores and specialty baking stores =)

      Reply
  16. Melissa says

    February 7, 2015 at 7:24 PM

    Thanks so much for adapting this for GF/DF. I have been looking, as has my daughter. We are going to try making some cute decorations this weekend for Valentine’s Day! Without this we wouldn’t have know what to do! Thanks for making our day that much more fun!

    Reply
  17. Chelsey says

    February 12, 2015 at 8:43 PM

    Can you taste the coconut from the coconut milk?

    Reply
    • Kayley says

      February 12, 2015 at 10:15 PM

      I don’t find it to be particularly notable, but if you’re sensitive to it, you might.

      Reply
  18. Holly says

    March 23, 2015 at 9:00 PM

    I have a surprise party for my mom on Saturday and don’t have any time to make the cake that day. Would it still be ok if I were to make the cake Tuesday, wrap it in plastic wrap and then foil to hold it until Saturday? I plan on doing my baking Tuesday and my decorating on Thursday, as that is the only time I have to do anything before the party

    Reply
  19. Marika says

    April 20, 2015 at 6:02 AM

    Hi,

    With the coconut milk, does the C stand for cup or can? If it is can, how big is the can??

    I am planning to make this for my friend’s birthday! It looks amazing!!

    Thank you in advance!

    Reply
    • Kayley says

      April 20, 2015 at 4:45 PM

      Hi Marika! The C. stands for Cup =) happy baking!

      Reply
  20. Elizabeth says

    July 7, 2015 at 11:34 PM

    Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for making this recipe!!! I can not wait to try it for my birthday party! You definitely saved the day because I have one friend that is gf and another that dairy free. I did not think it was possible to have a cake that would work for all my friends! Thank you again! God bless you!
    Smiles,
    Elizabeth

    Reply
    • Kayley says

      July 16, 2015 at 5:33 AM

      I’m so glad this cake is something everyone can have! Have a happy birthday, Elizabeth!

      Reply
  21. Ginny says

    August 2, 2015 at 2:54 AM

    Not a baker at all and made this as cupcakes.. so good! Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
    • Kayley says

      August 10, 2015 at 4:00 PM

      You are welcome! So glad you liked them =)

      Reply
  22. Jessica says

    November 12, 2015 at 1:41 AM

    What colour food dye did you use?

    Reply
    • Kayley says

      November 18, 2015 at 11:46 PM

      I believe it was an Aqua blue =)

      Reply
  23. Elizabeth says

    January 16, 2016 at 1:02 PM

    Thank you for this recipe – I make a homemade funfetti cake for my husband’s birthday every year but was diagnosed with celiac last month. I need to figure out how to make one GF! Anyway – I do not have any flour blends that contain Xanthan gum, as I either make my own blends, or the ones I do have (Cup4Cup, etc) don’t have it. Do you have any idea how much Xanthan gum to add to a Xanthan gum-free mix to make it work? I definitely know it’s an essential ingredient. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Leigh-Anne says

      February 10, 2017 at 12:24 PM

      Hi Elizabeth

      I read in another person’s comment, where she replied to the same question, to use 1t per each c of flour 😉 I had the same question!

      Reply
  24. Anne says

    March 14, 2016 at 3:02 PM

    What icing tip did you use for the top? Thank you!

    Reply
    • Kayley says

      March 16, 2016 at 4:12 PM

      Hi Anne! I use a French star pastry tip. Here’s a link to the one I use:

      Reply
  25. Nico says

    May 7, 2016 at 6:54 PM

    I love this stunning cake and would like to make for Mother’s Day tomorrow. Can you tell me what tip number you used for the stars on top? Thanks so much!

    Reply
    • Kayley says

      May 7, 2016 at 11:59 PM

      Hi Nico!
      I used a French star tip….I think it’s #869 🙂

      Reply
      • Nico says

        May 8, 2016 at 7:12 AM

        Great, thanks!

        Reply
  26. Haidyn Ogg says

    May 7, 2016 at 9:33 PM

    Can you use another dairy free milk (e.g almond) instead of the coconut milk? (I just used all the coconut milk for ice cream!)

    Reply
    • Kayley says

      May 8, 2016 at 12:00 AM

      Yes! You can definitely switch out the milk for another type 🙂

      Reply
  27. Katie says

    May 25, 2016 at 1:53 PM

    Hi I just want to make a small cake. I have one tall 6” pan – if i pour all mixture into this pan and split in two afterwards will that work ??!
    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Kayley says

      June 1, 2016 at 10:41 AM

      Hi Katie, I would bake it in two separate batches…if you bake it all in one pan it will be too dense and may not cook through in the middle =)

      Reply
  28. Rose says

    June 1, 2016 at 7:28 PM

    Hi Kayley, My sister made this cake for my best friend’s baby’s 1 year smash cake and not only did it come out beautiful, it also tasted amazing. He is severely allergic to dairy so my sister tweaked the recipe a bit. I would love to send you a picture. How can I send it to you?

    Reply
    • Kayley says

      June 9, 2016 at 7:57 AM

      Hi Rose! I’m so glad that your friends little one liked the cake! I would love to see a picture! You can email me at [email protected]

      Reply
  29. Cadence Buchanan says

    July 12, 2016 at 1:08 PM

    I really want to make this recipe. However I live at high altitude. How would I adjust my recipe so that it comes out the way it should?

    Reply
  30. Aly says

    July 17, 2016 at 10:17 AM

    I really want to make this for a friend’s 40th birthday……..there are a bunch of people coming to the party so I was thinking cupcakes or sheet cake…….will either of those options work?

    Thank you! This looks so amazing!

    Reply
  31. Danielle says

    August 26, 2016 at 2:43 PM

    I made this cake for my best friend’s birthday. It turned out beautiful. It has been a real challenge to find tasty gluten free and dairy free recipes. This was definitely a win. I will be adding this to my repertoire. If you are interested I would love to share some photos of the finish cake.

    Thank you!

    Reply
  32. Kerry says

    September 4, 2016 at 8:17 PM

    Thank you so much for this, I’m making a cake for my daughters friend and they are gluten & dairy free. Looks like I’ll be up early for baking the morning of the party ?

    Reply
  33. Steph says

    November 20, 2016 at 3:03 PM

    Why did mine turn out like pancake cookies?

    Reply
  34. Maria R Fiore says

    April 23, 2017 at 7:19 PM

    I made this cake and it did not rise very much. I folded the egg whites in very gently but maybe I still over-folded them to much.

    Also, was I supposed to use both portions of the canned coconut milk – cream included or just the clearer part? I mixed the canned content together and used it that way, but I’d like to know for the next time I make it.

    Either way, its moist and delicious. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Kayley says

      April 29, 2017 at 3:36 PM

      I use the whole can mixed together. Sorry yours didn’t rise much! I’ve never had that problem so it may have been overfolding or other levening agents being expired. =)

      Reply
  35. Elizabeth says

    April 27, 2017 at 2:33 PM

    Hi there!

    I am planning to make this for my boyfriend’s birthday later in May. I was wondering if I can swap the solid Coconut oil for a liquid vegetable oil or possibly a solid margarine alternative. Thanks and this looks fabulous!

    Reply
    • Kayley says

      April 29, 2017 at 2:51 PM

      Coconut oil should work great!

      Reply
  36. martyn says

    May 12, 2017 at 1:23 PM

    Hi Kayley,
    My little 2 year old girl has been diagnosed as a celiac . I’m struggling to find a flour mix with xanthan gum in it. I do however have it on its own. How much do i need to add to the recipe to make it work.
    Her little eyes lit up when i showed her the cake that daddy is going to attempt, so i cant let her down ha ha.
    Thanks in advance

    Reply
  37. Glicel says

    June 24, 2017 at 4:04 PM

    Hi Kayley,
    Which brand of baking blend do you use?

    Reply
  38. Britny says

    September 26, 2017 at 5:34 PM

    Can this recipe be made into cupcakes?

    Reply
    • Kayley says

      October 16, 2017 at 2:41 PM

      definitely!

      Reply

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