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    Home » Recipes » All Recipes

    Published: Nov 29, 2018 · Modified: May 21, 2020 by alexandra · This post may contain affiliate links

    Mini Funfetti Cake with Chocolate Cake Batter Buttercream {gluten-free}

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    Funfetti Cake. From Scratch. Made Mini. And it's gluten-free. P.S. There's Chocolate Cake Batter Buttercream involved. Just sayin' this recipe

    I swear summer was just starting and now I'm sitting by the fireplace, sniffling from a cold, and sharing a cake recipe I was supposed to post in September. If you were waiting for the recipe after I taunted y'all on Instagram with this picture, I'm sorry for being a slacker. Also, I'm sorta sorry that this recipe isn't at all seasonal (where are the Christmas cookies?!), but at the same time, I'm not. Funfetti cake doesn't have a season in my mind, so here we are, end of November, and I'm posting about vanilla cake with chocolate buttercream and rainbow sprinkles. If nothing else I'll keep you guys on your toes.

    Funfetti Cake. From Scratch. Made Mini. And it's gluten-free. P.S. There's Chocolate Cake Batter Buttercream involved. Just sayin'

    Interestingly enough, if there's one thing I feel like I've really had success with in the world of gluten-free baked goods, it's cake. Of the handful I've made, every one of them has hit the nail ON THE HEAD (especially this one). This cake is no exception; it's a from-scratch funfetti cake (not the most common thing, even in the world of non-gluten-free foods), and it's just the perfect balance of dense and moist. Plus it's in mini form and it's got ALL THE SPRINKLES ➝ can't not be cute.

    Funfetti Cake. From Scratch. Made Mini. And it's gluten-free. P.S. There's Chocolate Cake Batter Buttercream involved. Just sayin'

    As for the frosting -  you know me and my chocolate obsession, which is why I went the non-traditional route here with chocolate.  It starts out as a cream cheese buttercream - because I love how cream cheese takes away from the overwhelming sugary-sweetness of frosting - but with some cocoa powder and almond extract in the mix for a little chocolate-cake-batter kinda flavor. Personally I think the vanilla-chocolate combo is a classic anyway when it comes to cakes, and there's just something about the combination with those rainbow sprinkles that makes me nostalgic.

    Funfetti Cake. From Scratch. Made Mini. And it's gluten-free. P.S. There's Chocolate Cake Batter Buttercream involved. Just sayin'

    As to my choice of decoration with this one, I'm really not sure what I was doing here, but I think it kinda works? Regardless, it's cake and it tastes good, so if you don't like the way it looks after you frost it, just cut into it and eat it. Problem solved.

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    Mini Funfetti Cake with Chocolate Cake Batter Buttercream {gluten-free}

    Funfetti Cake. From Scratch. Made Mini. And it's gluten-free. P.S. There's Chocolate Cake Batter Buttercream involved. Just sayin'
    Print Recipe
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    Funfetti Cake. From Scratch. Made Mini. And it's gluten-free. P.S. There's Chocolate Cake Batter Buttercream involved. Just sayin'

    • Author: alexandra
    • Prep Time: 1 hr
    • Cook Time: 30 min
    • Total Time: 1 hr 30 min
    • Yield: one 4"-round layer cake 1x
    • Category: desserts
    • Method: baking

    Ingredients

    Scale

    Mini Funfetti Cake

    • 5 ounces (1 cup plus 3 tablespoons, spoon and level) gluten-free baking flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Baking Flour)
    • 3 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot powder
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your flour contains it)
    • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
    • ¼ teaspoon  salt
    • 2 ½ ounces (5 tablespoons) butter, room temperature
    • 5 ¼ ounces (¾ cup) granulated sugar
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ¼ teaspoon almond extract
    • 3 egg whites
    • 5 ⅔ ounces (⅔ cup) buttermilk
    • 2 ounces (⅓ cup) rainbow jimmies (sprinkles)

    Chocolate Cake Batter Buttercream

    • 4 ounces (8 tablespoons) salted butter, room temperature
    • 4 ounces cream cheese
    • 8 ounces (2 cups) confectioner’s sugar
    • 1 ½ ounces (7 tablespoons) cocoa powder, divided
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ¼ teaspoon almond extract
    • heavy pinch of salt
    • 1 tablespoon heavy cream
    •  rainbow jimmies (sprinkles), for decorating

    Instructions

    Mini Funfetti Cake

    1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Butter two 4”x 2” round cake pans and line bottoms with parchment rounds.
    2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch/arrowroot, baking powder, xanthan gum (if using), baking soda, and salt.
    3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using a bowl and handheld electric mixer, cream together the butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and almond extract on medium-high until light and fluffy (at least 3 minutes). Scrape down bowl and beater as needed.
    4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg whites and buttermilk.
    5. Beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, add ¼ of the dry mixture to the butter/sugar mixture, alternating with ⅓ of the liquid ingredients, mixing on low speed and continuing until all parts have been added. Once all ingredients are combined, increased speed to medium and beat for one more minute to fully incorporate. Fold a few times by hand to finish.
    6. Divide batter evenly between the two prepared pans and smooth tops with a spatula - pans will be about ¾ of the way full. Place in preheated oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, until tops are golden-brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
    7. Allow cakes to cool in pans completely. Once cool, remove from pans, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze while preparing frosting.

    Chocolate Cake Batter Buttercream

    1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the wire whip attachment, or using a bowl and handheld electric mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese on medium-high speed until fluffy. Add confectioner's sugar, slowly mixing in until incorporated and wiping down bowl/beater as needed. Add 3 tablespoons cocoa powder, vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt and mix in. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until smooth and creamy.
    2. Stir with a spatula briefly to get rid of any air bubbles before using. Use this frosting to frost between the cake layers and frost the crumb coating (see assembly and decorating instructions below) before continuing.
    3. Once initial layer of frosting has been added to cake, divide remainder into two equal portions. Add the remaining 4 tablespoons cocoa powder to one half of the frosting, along with the heavy cream. Mix in with a spatula until fully incorporated. 

    Assembling and Decorating:

    1. Remove cakes from freezer and use a large serrated knife to slice the domed tops off of each so that surface is level.
    2. Place one cake layer on a cardboard cake round set on top of a rotating cake stand. Use an offset spatula or palette knife to spread a layer of frosting over the top. Add second cake layer and cover entire cake with a thin layer of frosting to seal in crumbs. Place in the refrigerator to chill briefly while prepping remaining frosting (see step 3 in buttercream instructions above).
    3. Remove cake from refrigerator and add a very large dollop of lighter frosting color to top of cake. Use offset spatula/palette knife to spread into a flat layer and push excess frosting over edges, working until top of cake is fairly smooth and neat. This frosting should cover the top half of the cake.
    4. Add darker frosting color to bottom half of cake and spread to cover. Use offset spatula/palette knife or bench scraper to smooth out sides of cake while removing excess frosting and gently blending the two colors to achieve an ombré effect. Be careful not to overwork frosting and lose the distinction between the shades.
    5. Use offset spatula/palette knife or bench scraper to smooth out any excess frosting around top of cake. Once done, frosting should be smooth all around.
    6. Decorate cake with remaining frosting, sprinkles, and leftover cake crumbs as desired.*

    Notes

    *I used a French star tip (Ateco 864) for the frosting garnish

    Cake Recipe Adapted From: Gluten-Free on a Shoestring

    Have you made this recipe?

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    1. Mon says

      February 20, 2021 at 9:20 am

      I can use all-purpose flour and add the xanthan gum to it?

      Reply
      • alexandra says

        February 20, 2021 at 1:50 pm

        If you're using regular all-purpose flour (not gluten-free), you won't need xanthan gum. If you're using a gluten-free blend that does not contain xanthan gum, then you can add it.

        Reply

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    Hey There! Thanks for stopping by! Here's what you can expect to find on Bright-Eyed Baker: lots of baked goods and other sweets made from scratch (many of which are gluten-free), plus the occasional savory recipe or mixed drink. My goal is to show you that from-scratch baking - gluten-free or not! - doesn't have to be intimidating. Learn more about me.

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