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No matter the occasion, Healthy Vanilla Birthday Cake with Chocolate Frosting is a great choice. This delicious recipe uses almond flour, maple syrup, and coconut oil to create a unique and delicious flavor that everyone will love.
The birthday cake to end all birthday cakes
Who says birthday cakes must be reserved for actual birthdays?! One of the funniest realizations I’ve discovered in adulthood is the fact that you don’t need to be celebrating to enjoy a good ole’ slice of birthday cake.
Simply moving along in our day-to-day is reason enough to sit down on the couch with a heaping serving of your favorite flavor.
For me, that’s always classic vanilla with a decadent chocolate frosting. Mmmmm.
I recently had a craving for that exact thing and headed to my local grocery store, as I didn’t really feel like baking. I wanted my cake right then and there! After a few minutes peeking at the different ingredients, I totally changed my mind and decided that I would make a healthy cake from scratch. For the sake of health, my craving could wait!
I got to baking, and sure enough, this healthy vanilla birthday cake with chocolate frosting was born. This is the birthday cake of birthday cakes. It’s delicious and healthy and made with ingredients that are nutrient-dense and taste great!
Whether you’re celebrating a friend’s birthday or want to acknowledge the freedom of adulthood with a cake just because, you’ve got to give this recipe a go!
Ingredients used to make healthy vanilla birthday cake
Since this recipe consists of both a cake and a homemade frosting, we will be using different ingredients for both parts. The first nine will be dedicated to the cake, leaving the coconut cream and chocolate chips for the frosting! Yummm.
- Almond flour
- Arrowroot powder (or tapioca starch)
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Eggs
- Melted coconut oil
- Maple syrup
- Vanilla
- Lemon juice
- Coconut cream
- Chocolate chips
Tools needed to make this recipe
Making a cake is always a bit more involved than making a simple cookie or brownie recipe, but the end result always makes the labor so worth it!
This recipe is very straightforward and easy to follow. It will be even simpler if you gather the necessary tools before you begin! Here’s everything you’ll need to make your yummy, healthy birthday cake.
- Double boiler
- Stirring utensil
- Three 6 inch cake pans or two 8 inch
- Large mixing bowl
- Small mixing bowl
- Hand mixer or whisk
- Frosting utensil
How to make healthy vanilla birthday cake with chocolate frosting
To make healthy vanilla cake and chocolate frosting, we’ll be using two sets of directions. We’ll start by making the frosting, as it needs ample time to chill in the refrigerator. While it chills, we will work on the cake! Let’s dive in.
Frosting:
In a double boiler (a saucepan filled with water with a glass bowl on top filled with chocolate chips), melt the chocolate and coconut cream. The coconut cream is the hard white part at the top of the can. Discard the remaining liquid, or save it to use in smoothies.
Once the chocolate and cream are melted, let the bowl rest on the counter for 15 minutes. Then, place it in the fridge for 2 hours.
Cake:
To make the cake, begin by preheating the oven to 325F and greasing three 6 inch cake pans. You can use two 8 inch pans instead, but they’ll need to cook a little bit longer.
Next, in a large bowl, combine the almond flour, arrowroot, baking soda, and salt. In a smaller bowl, whisk the eggs, melted coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla, and lemon juice.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and stir until combined. Divide evenly amongst the cake pans.
Next, place the pans in the oven and bake uncovered for 28 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Once fully cooked, remove from the oven and let cool.
Meanwhile, remove the frosting from the fridge. If it’s too hard to blend, let it sit for 15 minutes at room temperature. If it’s soft, whisk it with a hand mixer until fluffy. Don’t have a hand mixer? You can use a hand whisk!
When the frosting is ready, add it to the cake, followed by a layer of sprinkles. Enjoy!
A healthier vanilla cake recipe
In most cake recipes, you’re more than likely to see ingredients like flour, butter, granulated sugar, and vegetable oil. It’s safe to say that cakes with including ingredients are pretty much lacking major nutrients.
I always try to make my baked goods with health in the forefront of my mind. After all, my blog is all about living whole! For this cake, I used a handful of ingredients that serve as nutrient-rich swaps and help to make this recipe a bit healthier. Here are some of the things that I used.
Almond flour
Rather than using all-purpose flour, I pretty much always use almond. It’s filled with a larger list of nutrients and is simply a better choice health wise. It’s also a fantastic source of protein!
Arrowroot powder
This ingredient is a healthy alternative to cornstarch that contains a long list of nutrients. It provides potassium, B vitamins, and even iron. It works as a thickening agent in baked goods.
Maple syrup
When on the hunt for an all-natural sweetener, I always say that maple syrup is the way to go. It’s perfectly sweet but also void of the chemicals present in granulated sugar!
Coconut oil
Coconut oil is a healthy fat that I like to use in place of heavily processed alternatives (like canola, olive, or almond oil).
Vanilla cake substitution options
Within this recipe, there are a few ingredients that make easy swaps. Here are some ideas that you may wish to implement!
- Eggs: For a vegan cake, you may be able to swap eggs with unsweetened applesauce or flax eggs! I haven’t tested this and this may change the taste a bit, but it will still be yummy!
- Coconut oil: Coconut oil can be replaced with any similar high fat oil.
- Maple syrup: Instead of maple syrup, you can use honey.
- Add-ons: Get creative with your toppings! In addition to sprinkles, you can add chopped candies, mini M&Ms, etc. You can even put some whipped cream around the edges!
Have your cake and eat it too
With all of my cake recipes, there are more than enough variations to go around! There is truly a recipe for everyone. If you liked this healthy vanilla birthday cake with chocolate frosting, you’ll enjoy my other recipes too!
- Paleo Chocolate Cake
- Healthy Carrot Cake (Gluten Free)
- Paleo Strawberry Shortcake
- Healthy Gingerbread Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Recipe by Erin Morrissey and Photos by Quarter Soul Crisis
Healthy Vanilla Birthday Cake with Chocolate Frosting
No matter the occasion, Healthy Vanilla Birthday Cake with Chocolate Frosting is a great choice. This delicious recipe uses almond flour, maple syrup, and coconut oil to create a unique and delicious flavor that everyone will love.
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1/4 cup arrowroot powder (or tapioca starch)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Frosting:
- 1 can coconut cream
- 1 (12oz) bag chocolate chips
Instructions
- Make the frosting first. In a double boiler (a saucepan filled with water with a glass bowl on top filled with chocolate chips), melt your chocolate and coconut cream. The coconut cream is just the hard white part at the top of the can. Discard the remaining liquid or use in smoothies.
- Once melted completely, let bowl rest on counter for 15 minutes. Then place in fridge for 2 hours.
- Preheat your oven to 325F and grease 3 6-inch cake pans. You can most likely use two 8 inch, just cook for a little bit longer.
- In a large bowl, combine your almond flour, arrowroot, baking soda, and salt.
- In a smaller bowl, whisk eggs, melted coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla, and lemon juice.
- Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until combined. Divide evenly amongst three cake pans.
- Bake uncovered for 28-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
- Let cool completely. Meanwhile, take frosting out of fridge. If it is too hard to blend, let sit for 15 minutes at room temp. If it’s soft, whisk with hand mixer until fluffy. If you don’t have hand mixer, whisk well with a hand whisk.
- Ice completely cooled cake and top with sprinkles.
There may be affiliate links in this post! By purchasing a product I recommend, I may receive a small compensation. However, I only recommend products I absolutely love and use myself. Thank you for supporting Erin Lives Whole, it helps keep this blog afloat 🙂
Rohit Saini says
Hi,
What a combo vanilla cake with chocolate frosting. You made a very unique cake. And the recipe is not too hard to make. I will definitely make this cake. Thanks for sharing ideas like this…
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Rohit, so glad you enjoyed it!
Helena Elias says
Hi there,
I’m making the cake now and didn’t have arrowroot powder so sub’d can’t ham gum and my batter turned into a gummy ball that feels slimy…
Is my batter ruined? What is the texture supposed to be like?
Thank you!
Helena
Erin says
Hi Helena, unfortunately Xantham gum is not a good replacement. I am sorry! Hope you can make it again soon with the powder.
Andrew says
I love your recipe and prepare vanilla cake on my birthday by my own and serve my family member and spread sweetness.
https://www.floweraura.com/birthday/cakes
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Andrew, so happy you loved it!!
Nikole says
Decided to make this for my birthday and it was an absolute hit! No one even knew it was healthy, it was that good!! The cake flavor is so yummy and moist and the frosting was so rich. Don’t walk, run and make this.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Nikole, so glad you loved it! Happy belated birthday!! 🙂
Katie says
Literally one of the best cake recipes I’ve ever made. I made mine into a spin off of an almond joy and I don’t regret eating multiple slices in one sitting. I don’t eat a lot of added sugar so I replaced all of the maple syrup and half the coconut oil with unsweetened apple sauce. I also used 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and ~ 1/2 teaspoon of coconut and almond extract. Can’t wait to eat this for breakfast tomorrow morning🤤🤤
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Katie, so glad you liked it and made it your own!!
Maggie says
Made this for my friends birthday and she loved it! Used apple sauce instead of eggs to make it vegan and turned out great! Also used 2 6inch round cake pans instead of 3 and worked well. So easy and delicious!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Maggie, I am so happy she enjoyed her cake and you made it your own! Happy belated to her!
Lily says
I only want to make one layer should I cut the recipe in half?
Erin says
Hi Lily, yes that would be fine. Let me know how it comes out!
Lacey says
Make this cake! It was delicious!! I made 12 cupcakes instead of a cake. It doesn’t even need frosting, so yummy!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Lacey, so glad you enjoyed it and great idea!!
Emily says
Easily the best healthy cake I’ve ever made! Some of them are super obviously a healthy version, but this one wasn’t at all. Especially the frosting. So yummy!!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Emily, thanks for sharing! SO glad you loved it!
grace says
Made this cake for no reason and it was insanely perfect. so easy to make, but tastes so special. Love love love, THANK YOU!!!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Grace, I am so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Julia says
I made this recipe for my sisters birthday party and it was a hit! Super yummy and healthy!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Julia, thanks for sharing and hope she had a nice birthday!
Kam says
It was the first time I actually attempted to make a birthday cake for my husband from scratch and it was incredible! Super easy recipe and it tastes fantastic. Instead of three layers, I went for two as I only have one big cake pan. My husband loved it and I wouldn’t mind making it again. The almond flour, coconut chocolate frosting, and vanilla work incredibly well together, giving the cake just the right amount in sweetness. Thanks Erin!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Kim, I am so happy you enjoyed it!! Thanks for sharing and happy belated birthday to him!
G says
Hi Erin! If I were making these into cupcakes what would you recommend the bake time be? I also remember you posting about a cookie dough layer on Instagram do you have a recipe you used for that? Thanks in advance :p
Erin says
Hi G, I would reduce the baking time by about 10 minutes, but keep checking and once a toothpick inserted comes out clean you should be good. Also, yes! I just added my healthy cookie dough balls and bars. Here are both links: https://www.erinliveswhole.com/healthy-cookie-dough-balls/ and https://www.erinliveswhole.com/healthy-cookie-dough-bars/
Taya says
Hi! I don’t have coconut oil but I do have both butter and olive oil… which one do you think would work better in this recipe? I know that olive oil can taste quite strong, so that’s why I’m a little hesitant to use it.
Thank you! I’m making this cake for my Mom for her birthday 🙂
Erin says
Hi Taya, butter would be a perfect substitution. Let me know how your cake comes out and happy birthday to her!
Ronak Mehta says
I tried out cake with the above recipe. The cake was very soft and tasty. Thank you.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Ronak, SO happy to hear that. Thanks for sharing!
Hannah cillo says
Erin, I don’t have tapioca starch or arrowroot powder. What can i substitute instead?
Thanks
Erin says
Hi Hannah, cornstarch will work! Let me know how it comes out!
Brooke says
Hi. How do I store this? In the fridge or on the counter? Thanks!
Matilda Hillman says
I was wondering if you ever thought of changing the structure of your blog? Its very well written; I love what youve got to say. But maybe you could a little more in the way of content so people could connect with it better. Youve got an awful lot of text for only having one or two images. Maybe you could space it out better?
★★★★★
Erin says
Thanks for the comment! My blog is going to be undergoing a major change and will have a brand new design as of November. User experience is important to me, so we have just begun changing it all up!
Katerina says
I am loving the sound of this birthday cake – so much healthier than anything you could buy in a store! And it looks absolutely delicious! Thanks so much for sharing your recipe.
Erin says
Hi Katerina! Thanks for the kind words. I hope you make the cake soon for a birthday or just because. Let me know your thoughts after you bake it!! 🙂
Kate says
Can you use the whole can of coconut cream or do you have to put into the fridge the night before and use only the solid parts ?
Erin says
coconut cream would be great!
Katie Sanford says
This cake is delicious! Clean ingredient and so simple to make. It is moist and so flavorful. Highly recommend!!!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Katie, I’m so happy you love the cake. Thanks for the kind words!!