“Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday Dear Green Monster, Happy Birthday to you.” Is today your birthday? Every day is somebody’s birthday. Birthdays are days when we celebrate somebody we love and let them know how glad we are that they were born.
If you’re planning a big birthday bash, we can help. Check out How to Throw an Epic Vegan Birthday Party for tips, advice, and creative ideas. Of course, one of the most important things you need, whether it’s a party of 2 or 200, is a birthday cake. And yes, you can buy a cake in the store, but it’s so much more special to make one yourself. You get to choose the ingredients, so the cake can be Dairy-free, egg-free, and have no unhealthy ingredients such as artificial colorings and flavors.
Don’t like baking? No problem. Try making a raw or no-bake cake. Take a look through our most Popular No-Bake Desserts and these 10 No-Bake Raw Vegan Cakes. Everyone loves a creamy ice cream cake – Why Choose Between Cake and Ice Cream When These 15 Recipes Let You Have Both.
Making a birthday cake isn’t much different than making any other cake though you might want to decorate it differently and that’s most of the fun. You’ll love these 10 Exquisite Vegan Birthday Cakes and these 20 Grand Vegan Birthday Cakes That Will Blow Your Mind. We have even more – here are 15 decadent birthday cake recipes to make for someone’s most special day of the year.
1. Matcha Pistachio Tres Leches Cake
This Matcha Pistachio Tres Leches Cake is four layers of pure decadence. Light, fluffy vanilla cake is flavored with earthy matcha and homemade pistachio milk. It’s coated with a rich frosting made from coconut yogurt and homemade vegan condensed milk. Make this show-stopping cake and someone will definitely have a happy birthday.
2. Chocolate Teff Cake With Chocolate Hazelnut Frosting
This Chocolate Teff Cake With Chocolate Hazelnut Frosting has a secret: bananas. That’s the secret to this chocolate cake’s dense texture. The bananas make the cake more moist and sturdy. This indulgent dessert is great on its own, but the chocolate hazelnut frosting and roasted hazelnuts on top make it just that much more special. This is perfect for a birthday cake for that chocolate and hazelnut lover in your life.
3. Oil-Free Black Forest Cake
Black Forest cakes are just about as indulgent a dessert as you can get but this Oil-Free Black Forest Cake combines indulgent with healthy. It’s made with layers of chocolate-cherry cake, with thickened coconut cream, and cherry chia jam sandwiched in between. You won’t believe this decadent cake is wheat-free, refined sugar-free, and oil-free. All you’ll taste is delicious!
4. Samoa Layer Cake
If you like Samoa cookies, you’ll love this Samoa Layer Cake. It’s a moist, chocolatey cake coated with a layer of walnut frosting and a layer of rich and fudgy date chocolate caramel. By taking one bite of this cake, you experience the amazing combination of nutty coconut, chocolate, and caramel. Plus, it’s gluten-free, so it’s like a birthday present covered in frosting.
5. Walnut Carrot Cake With a Maple Cashew Frosting
If you love carrot cake, this Walnut Carrot Cake With a Maple Cashew Frosting may very well be the best you’ll ever taste. The moist cake is made with Spelt flour and has walnuts and coconut flakes folded in for crunchy and chewy texture. Then it’s topped with a creamy maple-cashew frosting and a sprinkle of raw walnuts and cacao nibs. This is the perfect birthday cake for the carrot cake lover.
6. Pomegranate and Molasses Upside Down Cake
The birthday boy or girl is special and their cake should be too so why not make this Pomegranate and Molasses Upside Down Cakefor them? The rich cake is flavored with warm spices and sweet molasses. The bottom layer of tart pomegranate seeds becomes the unique top of the cake and then a creamy chocolate sauce gets drizzled all over it. This cake will be the life of the birthday party!
7. Chocolate Carrot Cake With Walnut-Date Frosting
Can’t decide whether to make a chocolate cake or a carrot cake? Make both with this Chocolate Carrot Cake With Walnut Date-Frosting. This cake is gluten-free and has only dates for sweetness but it’s decadent and delicious. A thick layer of rich, fudgy walnut-date frosting coats the moist, chocolatey cake that lets you enjoy two favorite cakes in one.
8. Four Layer Raw Rainbow Ice Cream Cake
Raspberries, avocados, blueberries, and saffron lend their colors and flavors to this show-stopping Four Layer Raw Rainbow Ice Cream Cake. The pastels make it look like something out of a fairytale! As if this cake wasn’t amazing enough, it’s topped with coconut-crusted vanilla bliss balls. You and this cake will live happily ever after.
9. Raw Raspberry and Chocolate Cheesecake
Raspberries and chocolate are a match made in heaven and this Raw Raspberry and Chocolate Cheesecake will have your taste buds singing with joy. This decadent chocolate cake sits atop a crust of dates, raw cashews, and hazelnuts. The chocolate filling is smooth and creamy while raspberries add a fruity note that prevents it from being overly rich. Decorate the top with fresh raspberries and you’ve got a photo-worthy cake that’ll impress everyone!
10. Brown Butter Cardamom Cake With Chai Buttercream Frosting
Maybe the birthday girl or guy is a little different, more adventurous, and a run-of-the-mill cake just won’t do. That’s when you unveil this Brown Butter Cardamom Cake With Chai Buttercream Frosting. This dense, chai-spiced cake has a rich buttercream frosting made with black tea leaves and warm spices that is simply irresistible. People will be talking about this cake for months!
11. German Chocolate Cake
There’s chocolate cake and then there’s this German Chocolate Cake. We’re talking a rich chocolate cake that is covered in a rich chocolatey frosting and then topped with a nutty coconut layer. It’s like layer after layer of decadence. This gorgeous dessert is the ultimate birthday cake and is sure to be a hit with everyone!
12. Chocolate Beet Cake
Beets are nature’s candy, and this Chocolate Beet Cake is a sweet offering on someone’s birthday. This chocolate cake includes pureed beets which add a layer of earthiness to its rich flavor. Dark red pomegranate seeds and a raspberry glaze add more layers of color and flavor to this beautiful dessert.
13. Chocolate Cake With a Crunchy Rice Crispy Base
This Chocolate Cake With a Crunchy Rice Crispy Base is all kinds of special. The rich and creamy chocolate cake sits on a crispy, gluten-free crust. To really take the presentation to the next level, top this decadent dessert with roasted cashews, and then drizzle it with caramel sauce. This stand-out cake will have everyone talking!
14. Apple Pumpkin Cheesecake With Glazed Peanut Butter Popcorn
Birthdays should be fun and festive, and even the food should have a bit of whimsy. This Apple Pumpkin Cheesecake With Glazed Peanut Butter Popcorn does just that. The pumpkin cheesecake has a layer of spiced apples that is warm and delicious, but the best part is the popcorn glazed with peanut butter that decorates this cake.
15. Chocolate Coconut Chip Cake
The birthday girl or guy is sweet enough, so you don’t need a cake that’s filled with sweeteners. This Chocolate Coconut Chip Cake is sweetened naturally. In fact, this cake is so good for you; you could eat it for breakfast with some fresh fruit on top. With or without the frosting – that’s up to you.
Birthdays are special, so they deserve to have the most special cake possible. Make any of these cakes for anybody and they’ll definitely have a happy, happy birthday.
Lead image source: Samoa Layer Cake
