Introducing the tastiest and easiest healthy birthday cake in all the land! Made with almond and oat flour, Greek yogurt, and sweetened naturally with maple syrup, it's unbelievably moist and fluffy with barely any refined sugar. Slather on my reader-fave healthy cream cheese frosting, cover it with rainbow sprinkles, and prepare for everyone to ask for the recipe! (P.S. It has 6g protein per slice, just sayin'.)
While my obsession with better-for-you cake recipes runs deep, I've always felt let down by traditional birthday cake. Why is it somehow so sweet yet the cake itself is so...meh? I mean I'd rather have a brownie any day.
So I set out to create my perfect bday cake. It's perfectly sweet without being cloying and absolutely LOADED with irresistible flavor from my best-kept baking secret: almond extract.
While most healthy cakes are forgettable (ahem, a vehicle for frosting), this cake IS the main event. I guarantee kiddos and adults alike will be asking for seconds!
Did I mention this would be downright adorable as a baby's first birthday cake? It's giving healthy smash cake vibes and I'm here for it.
Let's bake!
Tidbits from testing
If you know me at all, you know I don't just choose healthier swaps; I choose ingredients because they *actually* make the recipe better.
- I will die on the hill that almond > vanilla for birthday cake. It's that nostalgic bakery flavor you can't quite put your finger on, ya know? I developed this recipe with plenty of almond extract to makes the cake 100% memorable. It was clear in testing that ½ tablespoon is ideal--any more and it starts to overwhelm the cake.
- The magic is in the flour duo. I tested this with all almond, all oat, and every combo in between. Oat lends structure and classic cake texture, while almond adds unparalleled richness, flavor and moisture. Together they create a cake that's fluffy enough to feel like the real deal (and somehow gluten-free).
- This isn't good for being "healthy." It's just GOOD. I pride myself on creating incredible baked goods that happen to be nourishing and this cake is proof. Vanilla Greek yogurt is my secret weapon for that super moist, soft crumb so you can use less oil and get some protein, too.
- I use extra virgin olive oil on purpose. While most cakes call for neutral oil, I rely on the subtle fruity, rich flavor of good olive oil to shine. Contrary to popular belief, it doesn't mask the flavors, it accentuates them! And who wouldn't love the heart healthy benefits here?
Life's too short to save cake for birthdays. Pretty please chow down on this beaut on a random Tuesday. I sure will be!
Pretty please let me know in the comments when you face plant into this! Your star ratings and reviews mean THE WORLD.
Sprinkles for president!
Print
Crazy Good Healthy Birthday Cake (with Greek Yogurt!)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 16 pieces 1x
- Category: cakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Introducing the tastiest and easiest healthy birthday cake in all the land! Made with almond and oat flour, Greek yogurt, and lightly sweetened with maple syrup, it's unbelievably moist and fluffy with hardly any refined sugar. Slather on my reader-fave healthy cream cheese frosting, cover it with rainbow sprinkles, and prepare for everyone to ask for the recipe! (P.S. It has 6g protein per slice, just sayin'.)
Do not skip the almond extract, it MAKES this cake! I'd say the sprinkles inside the cake are optional--they just make it more fun and colorful.
To make a layer cake, you can pour the batter into three 6-inch round cake pans and bake for 20-25 minutes. You could also divide the batter into two 8-inch round cake pans.
Ingredients
- 2 cups super fine blanched almond flour, packed (263g)
- ⅓ cup oat flour (36g)
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- ½ cup vanilla Greek yogurt (I use a 5.3oz container of Siggi's vanilla)
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tbsp good extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract*
- 1 ½ tsp almond extract
- 3 tbsp rainbow sprinkles, plus more for topping
- healthy cream cheese frosting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8x8 inch baking dish with parchment paper. Remove cream cheese from foil for the frosting and set on a plate near the oven to soften (ideally do this 1-2 hours before!).
- Place almond flour (be sure it's really packed in there), oat flour (spooned and leveled), baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Add Greek yogurt, maple syrup, eggs, olive oil, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Whisk until almost combined, but with a few flour streaks. Add sprinkles and fold in with a spatula, mixing just until combined. Don't over-mix.
- Pour batter into lined baking dish. Bake for about 34-35 minutes, or until top is golden and a toothpick comes out clean. While cake bakes, make the healthy cream cheese frosting.
- Cool cake in pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes then carefully remove from pan (I run a knife along the edges) and cool completely. Once cake is cooled, top with frosting and sprinkle on sprinkles. Slice and devour!
- Storage: store frosted cake covered in the refrigerator. Unfrosted cake can be stored tightly wrapped at room temperature for up to 2 days. Frosted cake needs to be refrigerated within two hours.
Notes
*I really recommend vanilla Greek yogurt here, but if you're using plain yogurt, add an extra 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1 tbsp maple syrup. To make the cake dairy free, sub a thick dairy free Greek yogurt like Forager.
Weighing the flour makes this foolproof. I use this food scale.
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