I love to celebrate and mark occasions. It doesn’t matter the occasion – a holiday, a personal celebration, a graduation, a birthday – if there’s something to be happy about, I want to find a way to celebrate it. I spend a whole month celebrating Halloween (I call it “Halloween Month” and I decorate on October 1st. I also have separate decorations for fall!). I make special recipes for Jewish holidays like Shavuot (check out my vegan cheesecake – sure, I may have created for Shavuot, but I definitely eat that year-round and for OTHER celebrations). And I try to mark yearly occasions as well, such as the adopt-iversary of my dog, Charlie, and the anniversary of my partner and I moving in together.
So, when the one year anniversary of my creation of The Jewish Vegan came around, I knew I needed to mark the occasion. I created my account on Instagram exactly one year ago today, so I consider July 15th to be @thejewishvegan‘s birthday! Starting The Jewish Vegan really started a new chapter in my life, so it only felt right to celebrate in some way. And what better way to celebrate a birthday than with cake?
I wanted to create the happiest cake I could think of, so I went with Funfetti! All of the different colors with the added sprinkles on top just felt right. If you’re looking for just a vanilla cake, you can leave out the Color Kitchen Confetti and Sprinkles.
This cake turned out remarkably soft and the frosting turned out quite a bit less sweet than a traditional buttercream. While I did use both vegan butter and powdered sugar to create the frosting, I went a bit lighter on the sugar than normal. The frosting is a bit less stiff than a normal buttercream as well, but held up the second layer of cake just fine and, after a bit of time in the fridge, held up even better. If you’d like a stiffer frosting, you can add up to a cup more powdered sugar.
This recipe is also very simple to make, even though I did add it under the “been working on my skills” section. The reason for this is that making the batter is very easy: mix together the dry and wet ingredients separately and then combine and pop in the oven. The frosting is pretty simple as well. It really just involves creaming the butter and sugar together.
However, the more difficult part that requires some learning is assembling the cake and frosting. Making the top of a cake level is a bit more difficult than one would think, but I really encourage you to give it a try! It’s really satisfying to see the double layer of cakes (and this cake tastes so good that if it ends up a bit lopsided, I don’t think anyone will really mind). Figuring out the right amount of frosting and pressure to apply at any one time also takes a bit of practice, but I’m sure you’ve got it!
If you’ve got a celebration coming up, I highly recommend giving this cake recipe a try. I would love the hear how this recipe turns out for you and if you make any changes. Let me know in the comments or message me at @thejewishvegan on Instagram. And, as always, if you have any questions don’t hesitate to reach out. Now, let’s get started!
Funfetti Cake & Vanilla Frosting
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 5 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 4 cups sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp salt
Wet Ingredients
- 4 cups vegan milk
- 1 cup oil
- 4 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 4 tbsp vanilla extract
Vanilla Frosting Ingredients
- 1 cup vegan butter, at room temperature I used Earth Balance
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Optional
- 1 package vegan confetti I used Color Kitchen brand
- 1 package vegan sprinkles I used Color Kitchen brand
Instructions
Funfetti Cakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line with parchment paper and then grease two 9" baking pan.* Set aside.
- In one bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients. If you are using the confetti (rather than making just a vanilla cake), add at least 2 tbsp of confetti to the dry ingredients.
- In another bowl, whisk together all of the wet ingredients.
- Once the oven has preheated, add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold together until just combined. The batter will still be a little lumpy - that's okay! You don't want to overmix the batter or the cake will turn out dense rather than soft.
- Split the batter between the two pans evenly and place the pans in the oven.
- Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the cake.
- Once the cakes are done, let them cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then, transfer them to a wire cooling rack and allow them to cool completely.
Vanilla Frosting
- Add the butter to a bowl or stand mixer. Cream using the stand mixer or a hand mixer for 2-3 minutes, or until smooth and creamy.
- Sift the powdered sugar into the bowl and mix in to the butter until smooth and creamy.
- Add the vanilla and mix until fully incorporated.
- If not using immediately, place in the fridge until about 10-15 minutes before you are ready to use it. Let it sit out at room temperature if it's been in the fridge before using.
Assembling Your Funfetti Cake
- When your cakes are fully cooled, use a serrated knife to cut off the rounded tops. Start from the very top, cutting off a bit at a time. You want your cakes to be level across the top.
- Place the first layer of cake on a plate of cake stand. Add about ⅓ of the frosting to the top of the cake and spread evenly across the top using a spoon or knife.
- Gently place the second cake layer on top of the frosting layer. Add another 1/3 of the frosting to the top of this layer. You can use the knife to make a design on top if you'd like or make the frosting completely even across the top.
- Use a knife to spread the last third around the sides of the cake in a thing layer. You will run the knife gently but close to the edge of the cake to create the see-through look.
- If you are using sprinkles, press them gently into the frosting wherever you would like them (on the top and sides).
Notes
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