Freezing layers: Freeze the unfrosted until you're ready to frost. Wrap each cooled layer well in plastic wrap and slide the layers in freezer bags to prevent freezer burn. Set the frozen layers on a cooling rack at room temperature for about 1- 1.5 hours to defrost before frosting as normal. Or frost while frozen, then let it cool at room temperature for 1.5-2 hours before slicing. The frosting will firm up quickly, which makes it super easy to get a smooth frosting look, but more difficult to add sprinkles to the outside.
Storing frosted: You can freeze the cake whole or sliced. Place the whole cake in the freezer for 1 hour until the outside is completely firm before wrapping it well in plastic wrap. Store it like this for up to 4 days, letting it sit at room temperature for 3 hours before slicing and serving. Alternatively, store any leftover slices in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before eating.
Moist & Fluffy Gluten-Free Confetti Cake
yields: 1 6-inch layer cake
This gluten-free sprinkle cake is so moist and fluffy, with a tender buttery crumb! The vanilla cake batter is filled with rainbow sprinkles and has a homemade vanilla buttercream in between the layers. This is the perfect gluten-free birthday cake, and is absolutely delicious.
Ingredients
Gluten-Free Funfetti Cake
- 90 g (½ cup + 1 tablespoon) Bob's Red Mill sweet rice flour, different from "white rice flour" or "brown rice flour"
- 64 g (½ cup) Bob’s Red Mill sorghum flour
- 63 g (½ cup + 1 tablespoon) Bob’s Red Mill tapioca flour
- 37 g (¼ cup) Bob’s Red Mill millet flour
- ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (206 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, yolk and white separated, room temperature
- 2 large whites, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract, leave out for nut-free version
- ½ cup (120 g) whole milk, room temperature
- ⅓ cup (80 g) sour cream, room temperature
- ½ cup rainbow sprinkles, see note about kind
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- 1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4½ cups (540 g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 3-5 tablespoons heavy cream or whole milk
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Brush three 6-inch cake pans lightly with vegetable oil or cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the sweet rice flour, sorghum flour, tapioca starch, millet flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- Using a hand mixer, whisk the egg whites in a medium bowl, starting on low speed and increasing to high speed until soft peak form. When the beater is pulled out a peak should rise and the very tip should fall. Set aside. (See note about skipping this step.)
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar over medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- With the mixer on low speed, add eggs yolk and vanilla and almond extracts, mixing until combined. Keeping the speed on low, slowly add the dry ingredients in three batches, adding the sour cream and milk in between, mixing until just combined.
- Using a rubber spatula, fold in ⅓ of the whipped egg whites to loosen the batter. Then carefully fold in the remaining whipped egg whites until almost combined. Fold in the sprinkles just until evenly distributed.
- Divide the batter among the prepared baking pans and use an offset spatula to spread evenly. Pick each cake pan up 1-2 inches and drop it on the counter a few times to release any large air bubbles. Bake for 29-33 minutes until the cake springs back when gently pressed in the middle and a toothpick comes out dry or with a few moist crumbs. This cake will seem very light and airy in texture when gently pressed, so take care not to overbake it.
- Remove from oven. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then overturn the cake onto a wire rack to cool completely. To do this, I place a large wire rack or sheet pan over the baking pan and, holding it together, carefully flip the cake to release. Peel off the parchment paper, then place a wire rack over the top, and carefully flip right side up.
- Once cool, make the buttercream. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter over medium speed. With the mixer on low, slowly add the powdered sugar to the butter, in 3 batches, beating until incorporated. Add the vanilla extract and salt and mix until smooth. Add the milk or cream, starting with just 2 tablespoons and adding additional milk or cream as needed, until frosting is smooth and spreadable. Fold in a few drops of gel food coloring, if desired.
- Frost the cake. For a layer cake, spread ½ cup of frosting between each layer. spread a very thin layer of frosting on the top and side. This is the crumb coat to keep the crumbs off your final pretty frosting layer. Chill the cake for 15 minutes. Spread remaining frosting all over the cake, smoothing it using an offset spatula. Top with sprinkles. Slice and serve (see note)
Notes
Flour substitutions:
I prefer to make my own gluten-free flour blend, which allows me to maximize flavor, texture, while using whole grain flours. For this cake, I started with the blend of flours I use in my gluten-free vanilla cake recipe: sorghum flour, sweet rice flour, tapioca flour, and millet flour. After troubleshooting recipes, I've discovered variations in the coarseness of grind is one of the biggest pitfalls people have when baking gluten-free because it can affect how the flour retains moisture and bakes up. For all of these, I recommend Bob's Red Mill flours.SORGHUM FLOUR
Sorghum flour is a wholesome whole grain flour. With slightly sweet notes, sorghum flour adds flavor depth and helps creates a very moist crumb.
- Sub in by weight: you can substitute gluten-free oat flour or Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 all-purpose gluten-free flour blend.
SWEET RICE FLOUR
Made from sticky rice, sweet rice flour is distinctively different than white rice or brown rice flour, and despite its name, it's not sweet. Sweet rice flour is the same flour used to make mochi, and as such, its stickiness helps to bind the cake together, creating chewiness like a classic cake recipe. I don't recommend substituting the sweet rice flour as I find it's essential to the recipe.TAPIOCA FLOUR/STARCH
Tapioca flour adds chewiness and helps mimic the fluffiness of a classic cake. It adds just a bit more softness and loftiness to the crumb.
- Sub in by weight: If you need to sub it out, I would recommend arrowroot starch, potato starch, Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 all-purpose gluten-free flour blend, or using equal parts more sorghum flour and sweet rice flour, by weight.
MILLET FLOUR
Millet flour is a neutral flour here to balance the others out so the cake isn't too moist or gummy.- Sub in by weight: I tested a version that replaced the millet flour with 12g more each of sorghum flour, sweet rice flour, and tapioca flour. This version is a suitable substitute (though I personally prefer the version with millet). You could also try subbing in light chestnut flour, brown or white rice flour, or Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 all-purpose gluten-free flour blend.
Sprinkles
The best sprinkles to use for funfetti cake are rainbow jimmies (the long skinny ones). Read more about the best types of sprinkles in the post above.- Carnival rainbow jimmies: these are my go-to favorites and are naturally gluten-free.
- Rainbow sprinkles: I also have tested successfully with these sprinkles that are specifically labeled gluten-free.
Whipped Egg Whites
I tested a version of this gluten-free funfetti cake without whipping the egg whites, and while it was a suitable alternative, it was a bit less soft and fluffy than the version with whipped egg whites. So if you're rushed for time, go ahead and skip the whipping, adding the egg whites with the yolk. But, for the softest fluffiest crumb, take the time to whip and fold in the whites.Slicing
This is a butter cake, so it’s best served at room temperature. For pretty slices, chill the cake for just 15-20 minutes before slicing, to firm up the frosting for easy slicing. Store leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature.Storage
