Vegan Vanilla Dinosaur Birthday Cake
This Vegan Vanilla Dinosaur Birthday Cake is the perfect thing to make for any child's birthday. Rich in vanilla flavor, fluffy, and completely moist, this birthday cake is one of the tastiest things to enjoy on such a special occasion.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 726kcal
Ingredients
VANILLA CAKE:
- 3 cups organic all purpose flour
- ½ cup vegan butter, softened at room temp.
- 1 ½ cups organic cane sugar
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch
- 2 tsps baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 ¾ cups Almond milk (You can use your fave plant-based milk)
- 1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- ½ cup vegetable oil (See Notes!)
- 2 Tbsps vanilla extract
VANILLA BUTTERCREAM:
- 5 cups organic powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 cup vegan butter, softened at room temp.
- 2 tsps vanilla extract
- 3-4 Tbsps Almond milk (You can use your fave plant-based milk)
- few drops green food coloring, vegan-friendly (See Notes for details)
Instructions
TO MAKE THE DAIRY-FREE 'BUTTERMILK':
- In a bowl or measuring cup, add the milk and apple cider vinegar together, mixing until combined. Allow it to sit for 5-10 minutes so that the ingredients "activate" and the mixture thickens a bit.
TO MAKE THE VANILLA CAKE:
- Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease (with butter) AND line with parchment paper the bottoms of TWO 8-inch cake pans or THREE 6-inch cake pans.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, arrowroot, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until combined.
- In another bowl, beat together the softened butter and sugar on medium-high speed until everything becomes pale and smooth, about 2-3 minutes.
- Reduce the mixer's speed and add in the dairy-free buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and mix until just combined.
- Now add in the dry ingredients and continue to mix until the batter is just combined and smooth.
- NOTE: If the batter looks extremely thick, add extra milk, 1 tablespoon at a time until it’s somewhat pourable but not runny or thin at all.
- Divide the batter evenly into each of the cake pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick or butter knife comes out clean when tested in the centers.
- Remove cakes from the oven and let them rest in the pan for 10 minutes or so before removing the cakes and placing them onto a cooling rack to fully cool. NOTE: Let them cool for at least 1-2 hours in a cool place.
TO MAKE THE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING:
- Simply beat the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer (or using a hand-mixer) on medium-high speed, until smooth and pale. Add in the powdered sugar, vanilla, green food coloring, and milk, continuing to mix on medium-speed until you reach the desired consistency----smooth and fluffy. At this point, you can make the green color as dark or light as you'd like based on the amount of drops added. NOTE: Add more milk (1 tablespoon at a time if too thick) or powdered sugar (for more thickness).
ASSEMBLY:
- Place the first cake layer on your cake stand and evenly cover the top with buttercream. Now, top with 2nd layer and add more buttercream atop that layer, spreading it over the tops and sides of cake, evenly and thinly.
- Once fully frosted, add small little designs of the buttercream using a piping bag + tip and top with dinosaur cake toppers and/or toys, if desired. Chill for 5 minutes to ensure that buttercream sets.
- When ready to serve, remove from the refrigerator. Slice and enjoy!
- Bon Appetit!
Notes
- STORAGE: Keep cake leftovers stored for up to 4 days in the fridge. Keep it in an airtight container to keep the cake from drying out. You can also freeze the cake tightly wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 3 months. Before serving, defrost the cake.
- FLOUR: If you don’t have cake flour, you can always just use all-purpose flour entirely instead.
- GF OPTION: If you want to make this cake Gluten-Free, you can simply substitute flours with Bob's Red Mill's 1-to-1 Baking Flour. Just add an additional ¾ cup or so if needed; To use other GF flours such as coconut, almond, etc. just be sure to add 1 teaspoon of Xanthan gum.
- VEGAN VANILLA CUPCAKES: This exact recipe (without adjustments to measurements) yields about 30 cupcakes. Simply bake for 18-20 minutes instead, until centers come out clean.
- OIL VS. BUTTER: Instead of vegetable oil, you can also use melted vegan butter or Coconut oil, if preferred.
Nutrition
Calories: 726kcal | Carbohydrates: 154g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 47g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 18g | Monounsaturated Fat: 19g | Trans Fat: 6g | Sodium: 660mg | Potassium: 78mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 38g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Calcium: 140mg | Iron: 2mg