This 5-ingredient party-perfect vanilla cake recipe is healthy disguised as decadent underneath a luscious layer of sugar-free chocolate fudge frosting!
Do you remember these?
I didn’t think so. I even forget they exist sometimes.
They are the perfect example of how sometimes my favorite recipes get lost in the recipe archives and no one ever sees them or makes them or falls in love with their softfluffyvanilla goodness. Tra-gic.
But now that I am writing about those cupcakes, I actually remember making them quite well…
I remember standing on my kitchen island trying to get an overhead shot because that’s back when I actually thought you could make AND photograph food in the kitchen. HA! Now I know you must take the food to the light instead of the other way around. And the kitchen appliances. And the vacuum cleaner. And a roll of paper towels. And if there was a way to install a small sink by the window, that’d be great too.
I remember the tricky task of cleaning that purple frosting out of the blender trying not to let the blades and my fingers bump into one another. I also now know that the food processor is much better suited for making purple sweet potato frosting. Or vanilla sweet potato frosting. Or any color of sweet potato frosting.
I remember being amazed at how fluffy and delightfully dome-topped they turned out for being made of like 43% fruit.
Despite all those good times I never made a video for them. So that’s been on my to-do list for approximately forever.
But I get the question quite often “How can I turn these {insert flavor here} cupcakes into a full-sized cake?” in regards to my various date-sweetened cupcakes. So for birthday purposes and I-don’t-have-a-cupcake-pan purposes, we are transforming that easy vanilla cupcake recipe from small and round to square and sliceable. And sprinkled-topped, because why not?
Cupcakes → cake
It’s not a tricky transition, but there are a few important things I must tell you so you don’t end up with a crater in the center of your cake. A.k.a. failure of the cake-catastrophic kind.
Pan size. An 8-inch (round or square) pan works best for this cake. Anything smaller and it will be too thick -> not cook through in the center. Anything larger and it will be too thin -> look weird.
Multiply by 1 1/2. The original cupcake recipe just makes a half dozen, so in order to fill up a cake pan you need to do some ingredient multiplication. Don’t worry I broke out the calculator and took care of it for both of us.
Baking time. It does require a little more oven time than the cupcakes–about 30-35 minutes at 350F. Lightly touch the center of the cake and when it feels firm and not squishy/batter-y at all, it’s done.
No non-dairy milk. The original cupcake recipe uses 1/4 cup non-dairy milk, but you will not need that in this version. Which cuts the ingredient list down to a mere FIVE!
Don’t over-blend. Actually I feel like it’s more appropriate to say DON’T OVER-BLEND! After you add the oat flour, just blend for the briefest of blitzes. If there is some flour left on the sides just stir it in by hand. Over-blending will make for gummy slices of sadness, not cake.
Sprinkles. Okay this doesn’t actually affect the cake structure at all, but I just felt like they deserved a spot on this list. I used these. Feel free to make and use these. Or top it with fresh berries or fruit!
The Frosting
While I love purple foods a lot, I love chocolate frosting A LOT. So I overhauled my favorite fruity chocolate fudge frosting to make it thicker and creamier and just give it more…oomph! The result is so fudgy you could put it on top of anything and it would instantly become dessert. Oatmeal. Smoothie bowls. Muffins. Celery. Anything.
Sticking with the simple and made-in-the-blender theme here, the frosting happens with 4 ingredients + a high-speed blender + 30 seconds. Medjool dates for sweetness and thickness. Water because otherwise nothing is going to move (or you could use non-dairy milk, but it’s not necessary). Cacao (or cocoa) powder because chocolate. And the newcomer to this frosting party: almond butter. Stepping up the richness game of date-based frosting since right now.
You could use cashew butter instead, I was out *sniffle*. Or even peanut butter if you want it to taste like someone plastered the top of your cake with peanut butter cups. And why wouldn’t you?
The frosting will become firmer in the refrigerator, but still spreadable. Although I find if you put it in a jar and pop it in the fridge overnight it tends to decrease in volume and increase in spoon marks by morning.
Happy sprinkle-topped, chocolate-spread, slice-and-(maybe)-share cake making to you!
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This 5-ingredient party-perfect vanilla cake recipe is healthy disguised as decadent underneath a luscious layer of sugar-free chocolate fudge frosting!
Ingredients
Vanilla Cake
- 18 pitted medjool dates ((about 1 1/2 cups packed))
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 3/4 cups oat flour
- 1 1/2 tbsps baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla bean powder ((or vanilla extract))
Chocolate Fudge Frosting
- 12 pitted medjool dates ((about 1 cup packed))
- 2/3 cup water
- 1/2 cup almond butter
- 2–3 tbsp cacao powder ((or cocoa powder))
- Optional: pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- In a high speed blender, combine the water and medjool dates. Blend until smooth.
- Add the rest of the cake ingredients. Blend very briefly until just combined. Do not over-blend or the cake will come out gummy.
- Pour the batter into an 8-inch square or round pan that is either greased or lined with parchment paper. Spread evenly.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350F.
- Cool completely before frosting.
- For the frosting, combine all the ingredients in a high speed blender. Blend until very smooth and creamy. Use as is, or refrigerate for a few hours to thicken.
- Spread a generous layer of the chocolate fudge frosting on the cake. Top with sprinkles or fruit or whatever you like. Enjoy!
Other frosting options…
–Purple and made of potatoes
-Same as above but not purple
–Chocolate with a protein powder boost
-Creamy and caramel
–Filling turned frosting
–Chocolate and extra fluffy
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1. Omg that fluffy cake texture!!
2. THAT spoon frosting shot. I stared for at least a minute because swoooooon.
3. THAT TEXTURE THOUGH.
Cake perfection <3 and pretty sure sprinkles are definitely structural important to this cake 😉
Ha omg I took so many spoon shots and some of them were hilarious! One legit looked like a seal coming out of the frosting lol😂 The whole thing just might fall apart without the sprinkles, who knows. Thanks girly!
The frosting looks so irresistible and addictive!
And the cake looks so moist and fluffy! Yum!
Yep you called it on all of the above!! And together…mmmmm😋
Soooo I feel pretty lucky because this recipe is totally two AMAZING looking gems in one post! First of all, this cake looks SO fluffy and springy (texture, not the season, haha) I’m dying for a piece. Then add a chocolate frosting on top that includes almond butter, AKA literally my favorite food on this planet, and I am SOLD! On a real note though, the recipe for this cake looks so simple, in the best way. Fluffy, moist cake with just 5 healthy ingredients?! I’m seriously really impressed, but I shouldn’t be surprised considering who I’m talking to!! This looks absolutely divine, and the full-size cake is so fun. Love love love!
I totally though of you on this one actually–super easy short ingredient list and date-packed 😀 I didn’t even think of the almond butter in the frosting part, but it is soooo luscious I can’t imagine who wouldn’t love it and want to swim in it. Except maybe chocolate haters, but those don’t actually exist anyways 😉 Thanks Sara!
I love this birthday cake! It just screams fun! Such a cute idea and love the photos.
I totally felt like I needed to throw a party after I made it, should’ve timed this better around someone in my life’s bday haha! Thanks Nisha😊
Okay, but HOW cute are those vanilla cupcakes?? Something about the magical purple swirl frosting on top just makes me happy. 🙂 I haven’t exactly forgotten about these so much as not quite realized they ever existed! So thank you for calling them to our attention. Now, onto more recent beauties… you KNOW I’ve been staring dreamily at your incredible cake since I saw their gorgeous video. There’s nothing quite like seeing chocolate frosting being spoon into a jar… 😍 In. Slow. Mo. 😍 Also, too bad there aren’t any photos of your daring photography acrobatics!! Imagine the athletic nostalgia that would set once you gazed upon those pics. 😜 And yep, the light rules all. Haha. Now what can I do to get a slice or entire pan of these? xoxo
That’s how I felt when you whipped out that adorable funfetti cupcake on IG for my bday–like where has this cuteness been hiding in the BB archives? Mmm yes the frosting kinda stole the show in that video, but chocolate just has a magical slow-mo way that the camera loves 🙂 I would send nothing less than the entire pan to you my dear! xoxo
Oh, I totally remember these cupcakes and what better way to celebrate them again than to turn it into a cake covered in chocolate frosting?! Yes, please! I just love how creamy smooth you got that frosting as well, you would never know by the pictures that it is made from dates. I know what you mean, lighting is everything…the food screams for that light, haha! Gotta have it to show off the yummy food. Of course, I love that you added sprinkles because to me, sprinkles just liven up any dessert and evoke a happy mood. Plus, I really love the little mini crunch you get from them when you take a bite. It’s the little things, lol.
On another note, I think I started drooling immediately when I read your line about the peanut butter cups on top of the cake from using peanut butter…oh heck yes. I don’t do peanut butter very often since neither the hubby or daughter eat it and it tends to upset my tummy a bit, but regardless of all of that I absolutely LOVE it and it is so darn delicious with chocolate….borderline addiction! Ok, so thank you once again…I’m now in the mood for cake!
I mean purple frosting is fun and all…but chocolate. I feel like that frosting is the ultimate date gateway food haha, just as fudgy as can be and not even a hint at the funky-textured fruit inside. There are so many ways to make healthy frosting though it’s amazing–especially of the chocolate variety. And I am totally with you on the sprinkles = happiness thing (except when you take too long and the house is so hot the color starts to melt right off of them during the photoshoot lol). I made some chocolate peanut butter crunch bars a few weeks back and have not been able to get them out of my head no matter how many non-peanut butter chocolate things I eat since. So yes, there is definitely something magical/dangerously good about that pair 😀 Always in the mood for cake!
lol about the photography — nodding with you on every little point 😅 also about resurrecting old recipes. I’m so confused about how that happens that a recipe made and remade on rerun gets completely forgotten?! Oh, and the disappearing overnight chocolate frosting… that was me 🙊😜
lol I thought I heard someone opening the fridge in the middle of the night…because midnight frosting stealing by the finger full totally justifies all that air travel 😀
Yum!!!! Trying it this weekend!
Can you taste the almond butter on the frosting? I’m not a big fan, but if its more chocolatey and the butter is just there for the texture I wouldn’t mind.
Do you think about adapting this to a choc cake version? Would it work? Loveee your work so much nat!
Hi Ella! The frosting is very chocolatey, I don’t taste the almond butter in there at all. But you can use a different nut/seed butter if you prefer the taste of something else, or just leave it out and know that the frosting will be a little softer/thinner. For a chocolate version, you can sub 1/2 cup of cocoa powder for 1/2 cup of the flour OR just take this chocolate cupcake recipe (https://www.feastingonfruit.com/healthy-chocolate-cupcakes/), multiply all the ingredients by 1 1/2 and bake it like this cake. Happy baking 🙂
Hi! So my question is sort of related to this one, in a sense that I’m curious about the recipe and whether it needs to be altered for my intended purposes. I’m hoping to make this cake for my son’s first birthday! The plan is to do a 3-tier, 7 1/4 inch, round cake. Would I need to alter this recipe for this purpose or just evenly divide the batter between the three cake pans?
Hi Emily! So you would probably need to double the amounts in order to get three cakes and then just divide the batter between the pans. But I will warn you this cake is more dense than your usual layer cake because it is date sweetened so it’s not the best for stacking as it gets too heavy and the frosting will squish out the sides. So you may want to go with a more traditional cake if you want layers. Sorry but just wanted you to know before you waste time/ingredients. Good luck!
I totally remember those cupcakes!!! Mmmmmm, but this frosting definitely has that purple frosting beat. Oh, man. It looks SO rich and dreamy and since I can’t eat the cake, just give me a spoon and some frosting and I’ll be set 😉 No, but really, this cake is crazy simple yet looks so fluffy and perfect! Thanks for taking care of the math for all of us…math isn’t really my strong suit. Hehe! I loved the video for this recipe, Natalie! Oh! And adding almond butter to the frosting is genius! xo
One jar of the purple frosting (because sweet potato makes it feel healthy somehow), one jar of the chocolate, one giant spoon…who needs cake anyways? 😉
Umm…these look insanely easy Natalie!! I love that it’s an entire cake with so few ingredients and mostly date-based!! It looks nice and fluffy too! I need to try this for my kids becasue they love vanilla cake! Plus, it’s so easy not to try…maybe memorial day weekend! I totally get you about needing all kitchen things next to your window ha! I’m looking for new homes, and instead of looking at my dream home, i’m looking at which would be great for food photography and my overall setup buahaha!
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Memorial Day definitely counts as a reason to cake in my book! I actually just realized today that that is this weekend so I have zero plans, but there will probably be baking of some sort because when is there not. Lol house priorities though 😀 Thanks Anjali, and happy almost weekend!
Hello! This cake looos amazing, I just wondered whether it was suitable to make two layers and stack it? I know sometimes the texture of certain cakes makes stacking impossible!
Hi Tiffany! I have stacked this cake before (as you can see here: https://www.feastingonfruit.com/vegan-cotton-candy-ice-cream-cake/) but the texture/weight is not ideal for it to be honest since it is date based. If you do stack it, I reccomend making two small layers (6 inch rounds is what I did for the ice cream cake) as opposed to full size (8-9 inch) layers😊
Has anyone used almond meal in place of the oat flour ?
I have not tried it personally. I do think it would work, but you may need the help of a starch like tapioca or arrowroot to help bind, and possibly increase the amount of flour somewhat as well. Good luck!
Hi Natalie,
This cake looks great! I was wondering, can you substitute the almond (or peanut/cashew) butter for pecan butter or coconut butter?
Thanks! 🙂
Hi May! Yes pecan butter will be fine, but coconut butter may change things. It can be very finicky and get strangely chunky mixed with other ingredients, so if you go with that one you will have to blend really well and make sure all the ingredients are at room temp. Good luck!
Can I replace some of the date + water with applesauce?
You can try it although they will not be as sweet as dates are much sweeter than applesauce, so be careful of that 🙂
Do you know how it would affect the texture?
I really can’t say without trying it myself unfortunately, you will have to experiment.
This is my first time making a recipe from your blog and the cake is delicious! But man, that frosting, it was so hard to get it to come together. I used a Nutribullet, but it was rough going. Next time, I will soak the dates in hot water for a while. These were very soft dates, but still gave me trouble.
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Hi Tom! Yes this frosting would be very tricky in a nutribullet. You really need a high speed blender with a tamper to get it smooth without having to add lots of milk and make it too thin. Soaking the dates may help, but I would probably suggest pairing the cake with a different frosting instead (like coconut whipped cream or a coconut butter frosting) Hope that helps!
I just made this as I was craving something sweet and when in doubt – I come to FOF for sugar-free recipes. This was sooo dang good. Extremely fluffy and I paired it with your raspberry and coconut butter frosting. Can’t wait to surprise the kiddo with “cake” for breakfast 🙂 <3
This is why I love you Nat, you really have given me so many delicious options to feed my cake-loving kidlet healthy, delicious desserts. I also get to be the cool mom who gives him CAKE for breakfast <3 Another winner!
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OMG I love the idea of pairing this with the berry frosting, I wish I could steal a piece😋 I am so so happy you liked it and I hope it’s kid approved too! Haha cake for breakfast definitely qualifies as “cool mom” status–love it😂 I really appreciate the kind words Jovana❤️ Happy monday!
Hi, can i mix the dates + water with dates+raisins+ water?
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Sure, that will work too!
I just made this This is delicious! I was worried about it being gummy but I didn’t over mix and the texture is great! The icing is the best part! Will make again!
YAY!! I am so happy it was a success, yes not over-mixing is important with oat flour recipes especially. Thanks for the feedback, and enjoy the rest😊
Hi Natalie! I was wondering if i could use a different nut butter for the frosting. Also what length and width does the pan need to be for this cake?
Sure, just about any nut or seed butter will work here! And my pan was 8×8″ square 🙂
This cake was bomb.com. One of the best I have ever had, vegan or not!! Can’t believe the ingredients are so simple! You’re a genius! I seriously love all of your recipes <3 Only adjustment I made was subbing a bit of black tahini in place of the almond butter as that was all I had on hand. Still amazing!
YAY! I am so happy you liked it Felicia, and wow black tahini sounds awesome in the mix and I bet a pretty neat color too. Thanks for the wonderful feedback, enjoy the rest 🙂
Natalie you definitely have a gift. You are as brilliant with a pen as you are with a pan. Your creativity with food and words is truly amazing! Who would think eating healthy could be so easy and delicious. Thank you for blessing us with your gift.
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Wow thank you for the very kind words Ben, that means a lot to me❤️
I finally decided on this as my son’s 1st birthday cake after months of trying out recipes! It was great. 🙂 Thank you! All the adults enjoyed it, too.
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That makes me so incredibly happy to hear🤗🤗 I bet it was adorable, and I am glad the non one-year-olds enjoyed it too haha! Thanks for the feedback Erin❤️
I think it was. 😉 There’s a picture of him eating this cake (although you can’t actually see the cake) in my latest post!
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Hehe that is the cutest “feedback” I’ve ever seen☺️ Also could we uh maybe arrange a cake swap…I cannot resist chocolate on chocolate ha! Thank you so so much for the shoutout, you are awesome❤️
i made this — frosting was amazing but cake, sadly, came out gummy even though i was careful to not overblend. i did 2-3 quick blitzes, and tried to stir in the rest by hand but it still came out super gummy. i had to throw the cake away. do you know why that happens exactly? and can i just stir it by hand rather than using blender?
In general low fat oat flour cakes can become gummy VERY easily, so it’s really not my favorite anymore. I’d recommend this vanilla cake recipe instead: https://www.feastingonfruit.com/vegan-vanilla-cupcakes/
Thank you so much for this scrumptious cake recipe! I made it for Valentine’s for my husband and me. It is sooo good, no one would ever think it could be healthy, too. My non-vegan husband also loved it. I had a piece for breakfast this morning, and it is even better the next day. This will become my go-to cake recipe.
P.S. I mixed the batter quite a lot and it did not come out gummy. I did sub some leftover coconut milk for some of the water, though, and was careful to cook it completely.
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Woohoo!! I am so happy you loved it, and what a perfect little chocolatey treat to share for valentines☺️☺️ I prefer it chilled the next day too, although cake for breakfast at any temp and I’m not complaining haha!
Hi, which is the best sub for oat flour? I have whole wheat pastry flour, spelt, millet?
Thank you and cant wait to bake these!
Spelt is probably the most similar, but any of those should work here actually!
Would a food processor work in place of a blender?
Sure! Just be careful when blending the dates + water I have had the water spray out everywhere when using a food processor before😬 SO maybe start with just half the water, and then add the rest after it’s been blending for a little while!
I just tried making this. And it’s sooo good… Oat flour never fails in giving pleasing texture… The frosting was not really mind blowing when tasted alone (could be because of the cacao brand I used. That made readjust other ingredients, here and there. Went too much on the dates and balanced with a bit more salt and choco protein powder), but when combined with the cake, it feels like you’re eating the unhealthy choco cake version 😀 it’s springy and have rich frosting. Thanks for the recipe, Natalie
I am SO happy you loved it Alya!! I totally agree, both the cake and frosting taste “healthy” by themselves, but together that classic decadent cake vibe really comes through😋😋 Thanks for the feedback and happy weekend!