Let me start out by saying that I seriously can’t believe how freaking fantastic this healthier birthday cake is. It’s gluten-free, grain-free, easily dairy-free, and so good that everyone will think you got it from some fancy bakery. BUT NOPE, you’ve made this cake from scratch, with love.
I first made this healthy birthday cake 5 years ago on a whim — it turned out beautifully and tasted exactly like funfetti cake, so I retested it three more times, just to make sure it was absolutely perfect for you. And it is!
This is truly the perfect dessert for birthdays or any special celebration. I can’t wait for you to make it — don’t forget to come back and rate the recipe when you do!
What makes this birthday cake healthier?
While this birthday cake recipe is meant to be a more indulgent treat for special occasions, I made a few swaps from traditional birthday cake to make it a bit healthier (but still absolutely delicious).
- Instead of using refined sweeteners like white sugar, we’re simply sweetening the cake batter with pure maple syrup. Avoid that sugar headache! You can also try using my paleo powdered sugar in the frosting instead of regular, organic powdered sugar.
- This cake is gluten & grain free thanks to almond and coconut flour.
- It’s packed with healthy fats from the tahini, coconut flour and almond flour.
Healthy birthday cake ingredients
This healthy birthday cake is gluten free, grain free and easily made dairy free with a simple adjustment. You won’t need too many specialty ingredients either! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Eggs: you’ll need 4 eggs in this birthday cake recipe to give it the proper texture.
- Maple syrup: this healthy birthday cake is naturally sweetened just with pure maple syrup!
- Tahini: I love baking with tahini because it adds the perfect texture and moisture without creating a different flavor.
- Coconut oil: we’re using some coconut oil to add moisture to the cake. You can also sub ghee, melted butter or melted vegan butter.
- Flours: we’re using a mix of fine, blanched almond flour and coconut flour to get the perfect cake texture.
- Baking staples: you’ll need baking soda to ensure proper baking, plus salt, vanilla extract, and almond extract for that true birthday cake flavor.
- Sprinkles: feel free to use any sprinkles you’d like (even fun holiday ones!) I love this brand of natural sprinkles.
- For the frosting: that luscious buttercream frosting is made with salted butter, powdered sugar, and, as needed, a little milk (I like to use unsweetened almond milk).
Can I make it vegan or dairy free?
- To make vegan: I haven’t tried making this healthy cake recipe, but if you want to try you can use 4 flax eggs (4 tablespoons flaxseed meal + 12 tablespoons water). Let me know in the comments how it works out!
- To make dairy-free: simply use a vegan buttery stick in the frosting. If you have a favorite dairy free or vegan frosting you can feel free to use that, too!
Want to make it refined sugar-free?
You’re welcome to try my paleo powdered sugar in the frosting! Just note that the color may be darker because it uses coconut sugar instead of white sugar.
A note on alternative flours
Please stick to the recipe as written when it comes to flour. Using a different flour (like all purpose flour or whole wheat flour) will create a much different texture and will not turn out the same!
Tips for making this healthy birthday cake
- Pick the right tools. You need a few essential kitchen tools for this cake recipe including: 6 inch cake pans, parchment paper, an offset spatula for the frosting, a good set of mixing bowls and a nice cake stand.
- Use room temp ingredients. Remember to use eggs that are at room temperature and that your coconut oil has cooled after melting it. This will prevent the eggs from coagulating in the batter.
- Pack the almond flour. You’ll want to pack your almond flour but DO NOT pack your coconut flour.
- Cool before frosting. Make sure you follow the directions as written, and wait until the cakes are completely cool before frosting them. Cool the cakes on a wire rack, and then feel free to cool them in the refrigerator before frosting.
The trick for beautiful frosting
Frosting a whole cake can seem daunting, but with these couple of tips you’ll have a beautifully frosted birthday cake in no time:
- Cool before frosting. Make sure you follow the directions as written and wait until the cake layers are completely cool before frosting them. After they are frosted, I recommend storing the cake in the fridge for optimal freshness.
- Do a crumb coat. Do a crumb coat for the frosting first by frosting the layers as you normally would and then coat the outside of the cake with a very thin layer of frosting then place in the fridge for 10-15 minutes before you finish frosting. This is so that the crumbs stick to this layer of frosting and not your main layer.
Storing & freezing tips
- To store: you can actually make this gluten free birthday cake recipe 1-2 days ahead of time! I like to make the cakes ahead of time and keep them in the fridge for easy assemble, but you can also store it after you’ve frosted the cake, too! I recommend storing the cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- To freeze: feel free to freeze this dairy free birthday cake either frosted or unfrosted for up to 2 months. I recommend freezing it unfrosted and in individual layers for best results. First, wrap each individual layer in plastic wrap, then aluminium foil and then place the cakes in a zip-top freezer bag. When you’re ready to serve it, simply thaw it in the refrigerator overnight and then let the cake come to room temperature before serving.
Tools you’ll need to make this cake
Get all of my go-to kitchen tools here!
More birthday cake themed recipes
- Grain Free Birthday Cake Cookies
- Healthy Birthday Cake Bread
- Birthday Cake Rice Krispie Treats
- Birthday Cake Cookie Dough Energy Bites
- Baby’s First Healthy Smash Cake (the perfect first birthday cake!)
Get all of my cake recipes here!
I hope you love this delicious, healthy birthday cake recipe! If you make it be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!
The
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Healthy Birthday Cake (gluten-free!)
The BEST healthy birthday cake you'll ever make that's naturally sweetened and easily made dairy free. This gluten free birthday cake recipe is filled with fun sprinkles and topped with an incredible, vegan-friendly vanilla buttercream. The perfect way to celebrate birthdays and holidays!
Ingredients
- Wet ingredients:
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup (312g) pure maple syrup
- ½ cup (115g) tahini
- ½ cup (112g) melted and cooled coconut oil (or sub ghee or melted butter)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons almond extract
- Dry Ingredients:
- 2 cups (224g) packed super fine blanched almond flour (I use bob’s red mill)
- ½ cup (56g) coconut flour (do not pack)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (96g) sprinkles
- For the frosting:
- 1 cup (226g) salted butter (or vegan buttery stick such as Earth Balance), at room temperature
- 2 ½ -3 cups (283g) powdered sugar **
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Optional: 2 teaspoons unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- ⅓ cup (60g) sprinkles
Instructions
- Prep your pans: Line the bottom of three 6-inch round cake pans or two 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper rounds. Spray parchment paper and sides of the pans with nonstick cooking spray. YOU SHOULD USE PARCHMENT PAPER or the cake is likely to stick. Please do not forget.
- Mix the wet ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, maple syrup and tahini until smooth. Slowly whisk in the melted and cooled coconut oil until it’s well incorporated. Then stir in the vanilla and almond extract. The mixture should be smooth and well combined. Note: It is important that your eggs are at room temperature otherwise the coconut oil will coagulate. The coconut oil should be melted but not HOT, but rather closer to room temp.
- Add the dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk the almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well with a rubber spatula until smooth. Next, stir in the sprinkles until combined into the batter.
- Bake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Divide batter evenly between pans and spread out with a spatula to smooth the tops. Allow batter to sit in pans while your oven preheats. Bake for 18-28 minutes in the two 8-inch pans or 25-35 minutes for three 6-inch pans. Cakes are done when a tester comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached. Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting or removing from the pans. The cake should be room temperature when you frost it. This is very important. Cakes can be made a day ahead if you’d like.
- Make your frosting: In the bowl of an electric mixer, add the softened butter (or vegan butter) and whip on high until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract and beat for 2-3 minutes more. You may need to add in a teaspoon or two of milk to thin the frosting out, but it depends on how you like it. Finally fold the sprinkles into the frosting with a spatula so that they don’t break up.
- Frost the cake: place about 1-2 tablespoons down onto the cake stand and spread out. Invert cake onto the cake stand, add about ½ heaping cup frosting between each layer, repeat with each cake, then frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting. If the cake is slightly ‘naked’ on the outside, that’s okay, it’s going to be delicious! Sprinkle with some additional sprinkles on top to make it look pretty.
- Cake will stay good at room temp for a day or so, then should be placed in the fridge. Cake will stay good for 5-7 days in the fridge, and should be covered to ensure freshness.
Recipe Notes
To store: I recommend storing the cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
To freeze: feel free to freeze this birthday cake either frosted or unfrosted for up to 2 months. I recommend freezing it unfrosted and in individual layers for best results. First, wrap each individual layer in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil and then place the cakes in a zip-top freezer bag. When you’re ready to serve it, simply thaw it in the refrigerator overnight and then let the cake come to room temperature before serving.
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on September 16th, 2020, and republished on September 18th, 2025.
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I made this but I think I may have put in too much almond extract as it tasted like marzipan. Can I just leave out the almond extract? Or put in more vanilla?
Feel free to reduce the almond extract or just use vanilla next time!
Hi! If made into cupcakes, how many cupcakes would it make?
Hi! It should fill a regular muffin / cupcake tin, so 12 🙂
Love your recipes! Could you also make these into cup cakes and/or cake balls? Would you need to make any major changes?
I’m not a great cake baker and have failed many times with layers not working or while I’m icing it ruins the cake.
Thank you!
Yes, feel free to bake this into cupcakes! I haven’t tested them as cake balls, but I don’t see why not 🙂
Made this for my granddaughters 2nd birthday. I did two 8” round pans. Really delicious and being “healthier” I felt good letting her enjoy a nice big slice! Frosting makes just barely enough for a thin coating, so might make a tiny bit more next time.
Such a great birthday treat!
Looks delicious! I love funfetti and a healthy little treat. Can I make these as cupcakes ?
The best! And yes, absolutely.
Hey Monique,
Can I make this cake in two 8 inch pans? What could we use instead of sprinklers? Thanks
Yes, that should work! Feel free to omit the sprinkles if you want.
Awesome, thanks! Can use the same amount of ingredients if using two 8-inch pans?
Yes!
Can you make cupcakes out of this recipe?
Yes! I would suggest 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes – maybe longer.
I would love to make this cake but am allergic to almonds. Could I substitute a regular Gluten-free flour baking blend for it?
Hi! Unfortunately, I’ve only made this recipe as is so I can’t offer a sub for the flour here. Sorry!
I was wondering if besan flour could work instead of almond as we have an ALL nut allergy in our house 🤔
I haven’t tested it, so I’m not 100% sure. Sorry about that!
I made this for my son’s first birthday. I only added 2/3 cup maple syrup as I didn’t want it too sweet. I did find the batter was quite thick, so I probably should’ve also reduced the flours slightly too. However it tasted nice and looked very impressive decorated with berries, mint and macarons. I would’ve found the recipe easier to follow if some of the measurements (like the flours and butter) were in grams.
Love that! Because of the gluten-free flours the batter will be thicker than with regular, all-purpose flour. We’re working on manually adding weight measurements to all of our baking recipes 🙂 Thank you for your patience!
Hello – the recipe sounds wonderful for me. but my husband is a brittle diabetic and the maple syrup, powdered sugar and sprinkles are all a no-go. He rarely gets to eat any treats and I’d really like to recreate this for his bday! Can you advise how I could modify this using a healthy sugar substitute?
Hi! I do my best to use unrefined sugars in many of my recipes, but some (like my cakes) are meant to be more of an indulgent treat. I don’t bake with alternative sweeteners (like stevia, etc.) so I can’t recommend making those swaps in this recipe. A good place to look for lower sugar treats is in my low carb dessert category here!
I made this cake with no substitutions and it is very good! I rarely eat anything sweet anymore so to me it was REALLY sweet but the recipe baked and performed beautifully. The tahini adds a hit of flavor that’s fairly obvious so if you don’t like that this may not be the cake for you but I’d make it again!!
Amazing! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe and it turned out delicious for you, Rachel 🙂
I’m hoping to make this cake for my sons 4th birthday as it sounds delicious and healthy however the 3 cups of powdered sugar for the frosting sounds like a lot of sugar. Will it turn out if I use only say 1 cup or are there any other substitutes please?
Hi Danielle – The reason for the 3 cups is because you need a larger amount of frosting to frost this cake. If you would be interested in an alternative to the powered sugar, you can try my paleo powered sugar. Hope you enjoy!
Amazing! I made this cake for my sons birthday and it was such a hit. One of the best cakes I have ever had. Thank you for yet another great recipe!
So happy to hear this! Glad this recipe was a hit!
I made this tonight – the ONLY sub I made was butter (instead of coconut oil) and I used Cashew butter instead of tahini. I was worried my cashew butter was too dry, but it obviously wasn’t, as the biggest problem I had with the cake was that it was gooey & runny even after almost 45 minutes in the oven. I finally thought it was just an issue of what it was like when hot & took them out. When I inverted the pans, the bottom half of each layer was almost raw.
I ended up sliding them upside down on a sheet pan and trying to put them back in the oven to “toast” for 15 more minutes. It still didn’t work GREAT.
My friend and I ended up eating part of it. Gooey & way too mushy, but we both said the FLAVOR was delicious, and actually it might have been too sweet!
I might try it again, but I’m baffled why it was so terrible in texture.
Hi! Hmm that’s so strange, sorry to hear that! It sounds like something went wrong because it should definitely have baked up properly. You used super fine blanched almond flour, not almond meal?
I’m coming back and fixing this because turns out my oven was broken. 🤦♀️ Mea culpa! RIGHT in the middle of baking this was apparently when my bottom element shorted out. I didn’t figure it out until a few days later, after none of the (all conveniently new) recipes I was trying were working.
So for the other readers seeing this… the problem was not the recipe (or the cashew butter!), it was a broken oven.
I told everyone I needed to come back and update my review so here I am! 😁
Hi! Do you think this would work well as a smash cake for a first birthday party? Curious if it is soft enough for baby to dig in? Thanks – love your recipes!
Hi! I’d recommend trying my Baby’s First Healthy Smash Cake recipe instead!
Omg perfect! Thanks so much!
I’m baking this cake but with 2 9 inch cake pans instead of 6 inch (couldn’t find in stores). Do you know temp and duration? Will batter fill both pans? Baking today so would love to hear from you soon.
So sorry for the delay! I’d start testing the cake after around 20 minutes in the oven. How did it come out?
This came out amazing. It was so simple to make. I only had half the required tahini, substituted butter for the difference. Everything else was as directed.
The icing was more than enough! Wish I had taken a photo…nest time!
Glad to hear that worked well and that you loved it! Thanks so much for the review, too 🙂
Made this for my daughter’s 1st birthday and it was AMAZING! Thank you for sharing such a yummy recipe! 🙂
Awesome!! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
Absolutely delicious! About how many calories are in each serving?
So glad you loved it! We didn’t calculate it for this recipe (sorry!) but you can paste the ingredients into an online nutrition calculator 🙂
the cake mix was unfortunatly similar to cookie dough in consistency and it crumbled when it was cooked. I didn’t have almond flour and used more coconut flour instead, but everything else was the same as in the recipe. did the added use of coconut flour instead of almond flour cause this recipe to not fully work?
Hi, Izzie! Almond flour and coconut flour are not at all interchangeable. Coconut flour is much more absorbent of liquid, which is why the batter was so dry. I’d recommend sticking to the recipe and using almond flour 🙂
Hi! Can I use a loaf pan to make this? If so, how much time and do I need to half the recipe?
Hi! I’d recommend this recipe instead 🙂
Hi! This recipe look so fun! Im gonna make this for my 22nd coming up! Im wondering, can I use regular flour instead of almond and coconut? Thanks!
Happy almost bday! TBH I haven’t tested this with regular flour so I’m not totally sure. Let me know if you try it!
I love it! My entire family was blown away. If i want to make the cake using the least amount of maple syrup possible (trying to cut my sugar intake), how much maple syrup would you recommend without it being totally bland?
I made this for my sons birthday and it was incredible. I want to make it again, but I can’t find sprinkles! Could I omit or use chocolate chips instead???
Yes either of those would be totally fine and delicious! Glad you loved it 🙂
OK You might roll your eyes when you see that I turned the cake into cupcakes but I just didn’t have it in me for all the layers. Still…cupCAKES were dynamite! I love the power of maple syrup to healthify any dessert. I feel confident giving my daughter these cupcakes for her birthday breakfast.
Thank you to Monique for putting together another AMAZE recipe. Seriously, I haven’t had a single dud. I always feel confident buying the ingredients necessary for her dishes because I know they’re going to be successful.
Omg no that’s an AMAZING idea!! So happy you loved them. Happy birthday to your daughter, too 🙂
This was truly a delicious cake!!! I added guava filling to it and I’m still drooling over how amazing it was. I also got many compliments from my family and guests for the cake. Thank you Lindsay 🙂
I’m sorry for getting your name wrong, Monique! I think I blacked out when I wrote Lindsay lol I work with many Lindsay haha sorry!!!
Hahaha no worries at all! So happy you loved it. That guava filling sounds AMAZING omg!
I’ll be making this cake next weekend for my 1yo and 3yo birthday! Do you think doubling the recipe would work fine, or should I make the recipe twice in order to double? Thank you!
Fun! Totally fine to double the recipe, but the bake time will vary if you change the pans to different sized ones 🙂
Can I make this in a standard brownie pan instead?
I think that should work fine! Just be sure to bake them until a tester comes out clean with just a few crumbs attached 🙂
this is my boyfriends favorite cake! it was his only request for his birthday 🙂
I can’t rave about this cake recipe enough, it is INCREDIBLE. I made it for my nephew’s birthday and the adults couldn’t believe it was made with healthier ingredients, we all devoured it! So moist and honestly next time I won’t even frost it because it is so sweet and delicious on its own! Hands down my favorite recipe of yours that I’ve made so far. I used caramel extract instead of the almond extract, insanely perfect birthday cake!
Also, I swapped the tahini with almond butter and it worked out perfectly!
Another amazing healthier cake from Monique! This was so so good! I’m a chocolate frosting girl so I used your chocolate frosting recipe from your paleo chocolate cake. Loved it!!
Oh great idea to use chocolate frosting! So glad you loved it 🙂
Hi there, I’m keen to make this for my four year old’s birthday party tomorrow but we live regionally and don’t have any almond flour. Could I substitute it 1:1 with all purpose flour? Thanks so much!
Hi, Ella! Sorry for the delay. I haven’t tried all purpose flour in here so am not sure how it would come out. Hope you guys had a great birthday party!
Hi Monique! Absolutely love all your recipes. Any chance I could make this in a 9×13 pan? Thanks so much!
Hi, Jackie! So sorry for the delay. Definitely! The bake time may change so just pay attention!
can i sub maple syrup with raw cane sugar (same amount?) and salted butter for the frosting with ghee? Looks amazing!
I wouldn’t use raw cane sugar, but you could try. And yes ghee should work fine for the frosting, though the flavor will likely change a bit.