Gluten-Free Almond Vanilla Cake

Bring a burst of color and sweetness into the new year with this festive and vibrant Gluten-Free Almond Vanilla cake. Combining the delicate, tender bite of cake with the perfectly sweet flavor of your favorite cookies, this sprinkle-adorned confection is an instant celebration.

Bring the fun to the party with this decadent almond-scented cake crowned in a cloud of sugar cookie buttercream frosting. There’s no need to reach for the cake mix with this easy homemade Funfetti cake recipe. Easily swap out the colors of the sprinkles and serve this up with your strawberry vanilla margarita for Valentine’s Day or grinder salad for the Super Bowl.

Jump to:

• While You’ll Love This Recipe
• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Equipment
• Storage for the Almond Vanilla Cake
• Top Tips
• FAQ
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

While You’ll Love This Recipe

• Simple Ingredients - This sprinkle cake recipe combines pantry staples like gluten-free flour, sugar, and almond extract with fresh basics like sour cream. There’s nothing complicated about any of the ingredients. Unlike a boxed mix, you know everything that goes into this colorful creation. 
• Easy Process - There’s nothing complicated about any step of this cake recipe. This is also a great recipe to get the kids into the kitchen and have them help with.
• Texture - This cake is so tender and moist that no one will even realize it’s gluten-free. It will be love at first bite as soon as you sink your fork into its depths.

Ingredients

• Gluten-Free Flour - Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour is my go-to flour. It makes it easy to measure without having to add any additional ingredients. In addition to that, it also gives the best flavor and texture to baked goods. 
• Baking Soda/Baking Powder
• Salt
• Eggs
• Butter - You’ll need butter for both the cake itself and also the sugar cookie buttercream frosting. 
• Sugar - Besides the white sugar in the cake, you’ll need powdered sugar for the buttercream frosting. 
• Vanilla Extract - Vanilla extract will instantly bring incredible depth of flavor to both the cake and the frosting. Make sure that you are using a high-quality vanilla for the most flavor like Singing Dog Vanilla. 
• Almond Extract - OliveNation almond extract will instantly bring that sweet, nutty, familiar flavor that scents your favorite sugar cookies. 
• Sour Cream - In addition to adding a little tang to the cake this also keeps it tender and moist. 
• Milk 
• Sprinkles
• Heavy Cream - You’ll need either heavy cream or milk to make your buttercream frosting extra silky and fluffy. 

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 ℉. Lightly great two 8” cake pans and line their bottoms with 8” parchment paper rounds.
• Next add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to a bowl and mix to combine.
• Then add the butter to a mixing bowl and mix on medium-high for about two minutes until it’s light and fluffy.
• After that add the sugar to the butter and mix for three minutes until creamy.
• Next, add both extracts and one egg at a time. Mix for ten seconds between each egg.
• Slowly add half of the dry ingredients, mixing on medium-low until combined. After that add half of the sour cream and half of the milk, mixing to combine. 
• Finally, add the remaining dry ingredients along with the rest of the sour cream and milk and mix until just combined.
• Use a spatula to gently fold in the sprinkles.
• Divide the batter between the two prepared cake pans.
• Allow the cakes to bake for 28-38 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let them cool completely before frosting. 
• Next, make your frosting. Add the room temperature butter to a mixing bowl with the mixer fit with a paddle attachment. Mix for two minutes until light and fluffy.
• Then add a cup of powdered sugar at a time mixing on low. After the second cup add half of the milk or heavy cream. Finally, add the remaining powdered sugar and milk and mix on medium-high until you’ve achieved your desired consistency.
• Let’s assemble the cake! Place a cake on either a cake stand or plate and spread some of the frosting across the top. Stack the second cake on top and frost the entire cake. Decorate the edge of the cake to create a border. I used a 1M tip. Add the sprinkles to the center of the cake.

Equipment

• 2 8” cake pans
• 8” parchment paper rounds
• Measuring cups/spoons
• Mixing bowls
• Mixer
• Pastry bag
• Spatula
• Offset spatula

Storage for the Almond Vanilla Cake

• The cakes can be baked in advance. Allow them to cool completely and then wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and keep them refrigerated. They will last 5-7 days refrigerated.
• The cakes can also be frozen. After wrapping them in plastic wrap, place them into freezer-safe bags. They will last up to three months in the freezer. To defrost them, place them in the refrigerator and let them gently defrost overnight.
• Once the cake has been frosted place the cake in an airtight container. For the longest shelf life keep it refrigerated and it will last up to five days. It can also be kept at room temperature and will last for 3-4 days.

Top Tips

• Make sure that all of your ingredients for both the cake and the frosting are at room temperature. This will allow everything to come together smoothly without over-mixing. This includes the eggs, milk, and sour cream.
• Using a parchment paper round to line your cake pans will make it easy to release them from the pans and also make for easier clean up.
• Be gentle when folding in the sprinkles so they don’t break up and so you don’t overwork the cake batter.
• Have fun making this cake year-round. Swap out the color of the sprinkles to fit the holiday or even your favorite sports teams. 

FAQ

Can this sugar cookie cake be made dairy-free?

Yes, you can use plant-based milk such as almond milk, sour cream, and butter in this recipe. The measurements will be the same.

Can sugar cookie cake be made into cupcakes?

Yes! You can divide the batter into prepared cupcake tins. Just adjust the bake time. 

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