This Chocolate Sprinkle Cake is a soft gluten free chocolate cake filled with rainbow sprinkles surrounded by layers of chocolate fudge frosting. It's the perfect twist on a funfetti cake for all you chocolate lovers! Best yet, it's also eggless, nut free and easily dairy free (vegan)!
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease two 8 inch cake pans with vegetable oil, line with parchment paper and then lightly grease again with vegetable oil.
In a large bowl whisk together the gluten free flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cocoa powders.
Make 3 wells in the dry ingredients.
In the first well, pour the vegetable oil.
In the second well, pour the white vinegar.
In the third well, pour the vanilla.
Pour the cold water over everything and whisk together until just combined. If it starts getting thick, use a spatula instead of a whisk.
Add in the 1 cup of rainbow sprinkles and mix to combine with a spatula.
Divide the batter evenly between the two 8 inch pans and smooth the tops with a butter knife.
Bake in the center rack of the oven for 48 minutes until the cake springs back at you when gently poked.
Remove from the oven and let the cake cool completely in pans. Once cool, remove from pans and transfer to a cooling rack.
Once cool, slice each cake in half horizontally to create 4 thinner layers of cake. If the tops of your cakes have domes, you can very carefully slice them off to make the tops flat.
Make the frosting
Make the fudge frosting while the cakes are baking: In a large bowl of an electric mixer or using a hand held mixer, beat the softened butter until it is smooth and creamy. About 2-3 minutes.
Add in the vanilla and beat until combined.
Whisk both cocoa powders together in a small bowl.
With the mixer on low speed, slowly add in the half the confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powders and water and beat until combined and smooth and creamy.
Add in the second half of the ingredients and beat until smooth.
Assemble the cake
Divide frosting into 5 equal servings.
Place one layer of cake on the cake stand. Take ⅕ of the frosting and frost the top. Place another layer of cake on top and repeat. Do this process 3 times.
Frost a thin layer of frosting on the top of the cake and sides of the cake. Use a cake scraper or an icing spatula to scrape excess frosting off the sides of the cake. Pop in the fridge uncovered for 15-20 min to harden.
Frost a 1 inch high ring around the bottom edge of the cake. Press the sprinkles into the wet frosting so they stick. They shouldn’t stick to anything else since the other frosting is hard from being in the fridge.
Chill the cake again for another 15 minutes.
Make the ganache
Place chocolate chips in a heat safe bowl. Place heavy cream in a pan on the stove over medium heat. Whisk constantly until the edges begin to simmer. Immediately pour on top of chips and do NOT mix! Let sit 1-2 min then whisk until fully combined and smooth.
Make the drip and decorate
Take the cake out of the fridge. Spoon almost all of the liquid ganache on top of the cake. Take an icing spatula and push the ganache around to the edges of the cake so it drips down the sides. Work quickly since the cold cake will harden the ganache fast.
Put the rest of the fudge frosting into a piping bag and pipe swirls all around the edge of the outside of the top of the cake.
Place rainbow sprinkles on the fudge swirl.
Video
Notes
Storing: Store extra slices wrapped in foil in the fridge for up to 2 days. Warm in the microwave for 5-10 seconds.Freezing: Freeze extra slices wrapped in foil in a zip top bag for up to 30 days. Place in fridge overnight to thaw and then microwave for 5-10 seconds. For vegan: Use a non dairy gluten free flour, vegan baking sticks, vegan chocolate chips and sprinkles and only use a vegan heavy cream, or use my vegan ganache recipe from my strawberry red velvet cake.