Vegan Funfetti Birthday Cake With Strawberry Buttercream
Rainbow sprinkles and juicy strawberries combine to make the ultimate birthday cake in this recipe from the Orchids + Sweet Tea: Plant-Forward Recipes with Jamaican Flavor & Southern Charm cookbook.
What you need:
For the cake: Vegan butter, for greasing pans 1½ cups flour ¾ cup sugar 1½ teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt 1 cup unsweetened vegan milk 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar ¼ cup vegetable oil 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ½ cup vegan rainbow sprinkles.
For the strawberry buttercream: ½ cup vegan butter, room temperature 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted, divided 2 tablespoons strawberry preserves 1 tablespoon unsweetened almond milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ⅛ teaspoon salt.
1 cup vegan rainbow sprinkles, for topping Sliced or halved strawberries, for topping
What you do:
- For the cake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease two 9-inch round cake pans with vegan butter, then line with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine milk and apple cider vinegar and let sit for one minute.
- In a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat milk and vinegar mixture with vegetable oil and vanilla extract until combined and slightly foamy. Turn off mixer and change attachment to paddle. With mixer running on low speed, add dry ingredients and continue to mix until well incorporated and smooth, 3 to 4 minutes. Fold in sprinkles.
- Pour batter evenly into prepared pans. Place on top rack of oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a knife inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool for at least 30 minutes.
- Carefully turn cakes upside down, allowing cakes to slide out, and then place on a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
- For the buttercream frosting, in a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Turn mixer to low and add 2 cups of powdered sugar, strawberry preserves, almond milk, and vanilla extract; continue mixing until well combined. Add remaining powdered sugar and salt and mix again for 1 minute before increasing speed to medium-high and mixing until smooth.
- Place one cake layer on a plate. Spread frosting evenly over top. Place second layer on top and frost evenly on top and sides of layer cake. Sprinkle with sprinkles and top with strawberries before serving.
