Birthdays are a huge thing in our house, we love celebrating each other. And, who doesn’t love a Gluten Free Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting birthday cake?
Gluten Free Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
My Gluten Free Vanilla Cake recipe is made with six ingredients total. Yes! You’ve got that right. You can have an amazing gluten-free dessert for birthday celebrations that turns out perfectly every time.
Easy Gluten-Free Cake
Better yet, mixing the batter for this cake is as easy as using a cake mix. The difference? Homemade Birthday Cake tastes so much better, and it’s healthy too!
People fell hard for my Chocolate Birthday Cake, and then asked for a Vanilla Birthday Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting, so I had to make another fabulously healthy dessert for y’all.
Happy Birthday Cake
This easy Gluten-Free Birthday Cake recipe is so simple that my boys used to throw it together when they were in grade school.
I love it when readers show me their little ones making my cake recipes over on Instagram.
Homemade Birthday Cake Recipe
Yup, my cake recipes from scratch are so easy an elementary school student can make them, and this homemade birthday cake recipe is one of my faves!
Gluten Free Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients
- ¾ cup coconut flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 9 large eggs
- ½ cup salted butter, melted
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Pulse coconut flour and baking soda in a food processor
- Pulse in eggs, butter, maple syrup, and vanilla
- Grease two 6 inch springform pans
- Pour batter into prepared cake pans
- Place cake pans on a baking sheet, then bake at 350°F for 25-35 minutes
- Cool and frost with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Serve
Birthday Cake Recipe
For this birthday cake recipe, all you do is throw the coconut flour and baking soda in the food processor, then pulse in the wet ingredients –eggs, butter, maple syrup, and vanilla. That’s it!
To learn more about the main ingredient, coconut flour, check out my Ultimate Guide to Coconut Flour.
How to Make a Cake Tall
After that, transfer the batter to two greased 6-inch pans. If you want your cakes to be tall like mine, be sure to use the 6-inch pans.
If you use an 8-inch pan the batter will not fill the pan properly, in turn, your cake will be sad 😟 and flat.
Bake Cake
If you need to know how to bake cake, well, that’s even simpler. Place your cake pans with the batter on a baking sheet, put it in the oven and you’re off to the races.
Frosting Cake
Now let’s talk about frosting cake. There’s one basic step that ensures the results of frosting the cake will be gorgeous.
Let the cake cool for two hours minimum after it comes out of the oven. I have the best results frosting the cake when I bake the cake the night before, and then let it cool overnight at room temperature.

Make-Ahead Birthday Cake Recipe
When we throw a birthday bash that requires a lot of set-up, I make Vanilla Birthday Cake a couple of days ahead of time.
I bake the cakes and cool them in the pans overnight. The next morning, I remove them from the pans and then wrap them individually in foil. I store the Gluten Free Vanilla Cake in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
I frost the cake with my homemade frosting the day of the birthday party.
Chocolate Frosting
My homemade chocolate frosting recipe really takes the cake here, no pun intended. I am one of those people who likes a little cake with my frosting.
Homemade Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Use a double batch of Chocolate Buttercream Frosting for this birthday cake. That’s what you see in the photo.
I serve my cakes on cake stands because they have a big wow-factor and look incredibly special this way. More on the best cake stands below!
Dairy-Free Frosting Recipes
If you don’t eat dairy, try my Dairy-Free Chocolate Frosting recipe for an all-out dairy-free birthday cake celebration.

Happy Birthday Wishes
Did you know I launched Elana’s Pantry in 2006? This year is our fifteenth birthday! I love this community so much.
We are a motley crew when it comes to food allergies and I work to create recipes that meet the needs of each person here.
Food Allergies
I want you to be able to break bread, and cake, with friends and loved ones. If a recipe doesn’t meet your food allergy needs, experiment and use substitutions to customize it for you.
That includes substitutions for this Gluten Free Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting recipe.
Substitutions
I wish I had a crystal ball when it comes to knowing how to make perfect recipes. Unfortunately, I don’t. This means I test each recipe dozens of times.
So, the only way to know if a substitution works is to try! Don’t be afraid to experiment.
Cake Stand
Here are some of my favorite cake stands! Use them to create a breath-taking presentation when you make Vanilla Birthday Cake with Chocolate Frosting or any of the cake recipes from scratch below:
Cake Recipes
Although these cakes may not be labeled as birthday cakes, I’ve received several comments that they have become family favorites for birthday celebrations.
Low-Carb Strawberry Shortcake
Most strawberry shortcake recipes from scratch are complicated. My homemade Low-Carb Strawberry Shortcake recipe is incredibly easy to put together.
I love it because the vanilla cake is made with six ingredients total. My family loves it too and tells me it’s one of the best cake recipes with fruit they’ve ever had.
Cinnamon Coffee Cake
Homemade Coffee Cake is one of my favorite comfort foods, and my gluten-free coffee cake is super healthy.

Nut-Free Carrot Cake
This Nut-Free Carrot Cake recipe made with coconut flour is another cake recipe from scratch that’s healthy and super easy to assemble. Throwing a party is enough work, why make the cake difficult?
Mug Cake
My Mug Cake is the perfect single-sized treat. It’s made with five ingredients total –almond flour, cacao powder, an egg, maple syrup, and baking soda.
Make this when you’re craving dessert, but either don’t want to take time to bake a full cake or want to allow everyone to add their own toppings. This would be so much fun with a group of friends.
Strawberry Cupcakes
Back when the boys were growing up, this strawberry cupcakes recipe was the perfect nut-free treat for school!
The recipe is an exclusive from my book Gluten-Free Cupcakes, but I’ve also shared the recipe here on the website with our Elana’s Pantry community.
Get the Book! Gluten-Free Cupcakes
Speaking of cupcakes Gluten-Free Cupcakes is a great investment if you’re looking for birthday cake style recipes.
And I have a Vegan Chocolate Cupcake recipe in the book for all of my egg-free, dairy-free readers!
Gluten-Free Orange Cake with Almond Flour
Because I loved chocolate-covered orange peel growing up, I’ve always wanted to smother Orange Cake in my Chocolate Buttercream Frosting recipe, the same frosting used here in my Vanilla Birthday Cake recipe. I’ve had many readers try this and they all tell me it’s incredible!
Cake Recipes from Scratch
Vanilla Birthday Cake with Chocolate Frosting is one of my favorite cake recipes from scratch. Leave a comment and let me know what your favorite is!
This post is an oldie but goodie from the archives. I first shared this Vanilla Birthday Cake with Chocolate Frosting in September 2016.















Teresa says
Hi will it be OK to add food coloring? Need to make a rainbow cake…….
Elana says
Teresa, I hvaen’t tried that so not sure :-)
Sarah says
Yes but be careful to NOT add liquid food coloring. The gel based food coloring doesn’t make the cake batter too runny. Too much liquid food coloring can ruin the consistency of a cake!
Karen says
Instead of food coloring, I have used a little strawberry or raspberry juice. Worked good. Karen
heather says
you can also try beets–it’s a beautiful color and subtle earthy flavor.
Connie says
Hi Heather, can I use beets juice for red velvet cake? If so, how much do I use (1/2 teaspoon)? Do I still add in 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract or reduce to 1/2 teaspoon or totally omitted it? Thanks
Nancy says
Wondering if I could use honey in place of the maple syrup. I’m going to try it.
Elana says
Nancy, thanks for your comment. I haven’t tried that so not sure :-)
aimee reeder says
“this cake was delicious”! “loved it!”
Elana says
Thanks Aimee! I’m so glad that you loved this cake :-)
Samantha says
It was alright, but tasted pretty eggy. Do you have any suggestions?
Elana says
Samantha, thanks for your comment. Coconut flour recipes don’t taste eggy to us but can have an eggy taste to some people. You might want to try one of my almond flour recipes like this one:
https://elanaspantry.com/banana-cream-pie-cupcakes/
Enjoy!
Elana
Megan V says
I used unrefined coconut oil in place of the butter which helps to add sweetness (without actually being sweet) and balances that flavour. I also added the seeds from a whole vanilla bean and mine came out very flavourful and not eggy. Hope that helps!
Lisa says
can I make the cake in one pan instead of two.
Elana says
Lisa, I haven’t tried that so not sure :-)
Helena says
Hello :)
This cake was heavenly!
Instead of using chocolate frosting though, I used strawberry jam to sandwich the cake and to keep it simple. What I was trying to achieve was a Victoria Sponge which most Brits will be familiar with.
If I wanted to use this cake as the basis for a chocolate sponge, how much cacao powder should I add to the mixture? Presumably I need to reduce the coconut flour quantities so that it doesn’t turn out too dry? I will make it into a birthday cake for my husband and make a buttercream with passion fruit….
Thanks so much! Helena
Elana says
Helena, I’m so happy to hear this cake was heavenly! Here’s a link to my chocolate cake for you:
https://elanaspantry.com/paleo-birthday-cake/
Enjoy!
Elana
Tracie Chandler says
Hi Elana. I LOVE your recipes. Thank you for all the great information and inspiration you share on your site.
I made this cake to honor my amazing Grandmother on her 100th birthday! It was a HUGE hit with everyone in my family. We have a lot of people with hypoglycemia and other food related special requirements. This cake was very special and met all of the requirements of my family.
For the sweetner, I mixed in some Stevia liquid syrup and some coconut sugar with the maple syrup. I did it in a rectangle pyrex pan and smothered it with whipped cream and strawberries. It had to cook a liitle longer using this pan, but it puffed up nicely and had a great texture.
This cake will be a new family favorite for years to come!
Elana says
Tracie, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUR GRANDMOTHER! That is so awesome! I’m so happy that I could be part of your family’s celebration and thrilled to hear the cake was a HUGE hit :-)
Amy says
Hi do you have to use 9 eggs for this recipe can you lower them at all for a smaller cake?
Elana says
Amy, here’s a link to my Paleo Cupcake recipe for you which uses less eggs:
https://elanaspantry.com/paleo-vanilla-cupcakes/
Enjoy!
Elana
Laura Dembowski says
Hi Elena! I made this with olive oil instead of butter and it turned out fabulous. One of my first tries at Paleo baking and it is my new go to cake recipe. Thank you for such an awesome recipe!
Elana says
Laura, you’re very welcome! I’m so glad to hear this cake is fabulous and is your new go to cake recipe :-)
Dana says
hello!!
Was there anyone who made this cake with coconut oil instead, replacing the butter? I noticed that Elana used coconut oil in her chocolate cake recipe.
Elana says
Dana, thanks so much for your comment. I hope someone who has experimented with this substitution will let you know :-)
Megan v says
I made this with coconut oil and it turned out fabulous! As with all coconut oil creations it is a little slippery to the touch (ie after taking it oout of the pan I had some oil on my hand) but the cake itself is very moist and fluffy
Elana says
Thanks Megan!
Elaine says
How much coconut oil did you use?
Thanks