Vegan and Gluten Free Birthday Cake

My little baby turned one this past weekend, and I wanted him to have a delicious and beautiful cake! Because of the cold winter temperatures and eating more and more solid foods, he began to develop a mild case of eczema. I decided to limit his exposure to dairy and eggs: two things that are known to cause eczema flares. This vegan cake also uses less sugar, but not only did he LOVE it, so did his dad! I've gotten SO many requests on Instagram for this recipe, so here it is. It's perfect for any occasion and baby-led weaning approved too!

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SIZE: Makes one 2-layer stacked 6-inch cake | SERVES: 6 | PREP TIME: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS

For the cake

• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar

• 1 cup + 2 tbsp plant milk

• 1 1/2 cups + 1 tbsp 1:1 gluten free flour (can sub all purpose flour if not gf)

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar

• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 3/4 tsp salt

• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp oil

• 1 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract

For the frosting

• 3 to 3 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar (depending on your sweetness preference)

• 1 cup Vegan Butter

• 1/4 tsp Salt

• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

INSTRUCTIONS

For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 ºF. Spray your baking pan with oil then place a parchment paper circle to cover the bottom of the pan so it won't stick.

In a bowl add the plant milk and vinegar and set aside for 5-10 minutes.

In another bowl, combine and mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Add the oil and vanilla extract into the milk/vinegar mixture and stir. Add to the dry ingredients and whisk until the batter is smooth.

Divide in half and pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake for approx 30 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and a toothpick comes out of the center clean.

Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Gently remove the cake and the parchment paper and let cool completely. Wrap and chill in the freezer before decorating. This step is important, as the cake will break apart and be very difficult to work with if not chilled. I chilled mine overnight.

For the frosting: Add butter and half the powdered sugar to a bowl. Using a mixer (paddle attachment if you have one), mix on low/scrape the sides of the bowl until completely incorporated. Add the second half of the powdered sugar, and mix again on low/stir until completely incorporated. Add your vanilla extract and salt. Mix on low until completely incorporated. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of your bowl.

Adjust the consistency by adding more powdered sugar to stiffen until desired consistency is reached.

Making a semi-naked cake: You will want to put your first layer down, then place a layer of frosting on top, add berries or anything else you want to have between your cake layers. Then place your second layer. Taking a knife, frost the outside of the cake. Then use a bench scraper like the one here to scrape the sides of the cake until you are able to have some of your layers peeking out!