Y’all, this Funfetti Cake is where it’s at – a moist and fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth white cake that’s jazzed up with fun, colorful sprinkles in every single bite! It’s like a delicious trip down memory lane, an easy-to-make recipe that the whole fam is gonna be all over. Whether it’s a birthday bash or just a Tuesday night, this cake is all about making those moments a little sweeter and a lot more fun. Get ready to fall head over heels for this sprinkle-filled delight!
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Even though I grew up baking alongside my Big Mama there was still a lot to learn once I started up in my own kitchen. I didn’t have much understanding of the science behind baking or the foundational techniques that make home baking simple and fun. It took a lot of trial and error, time, and cookbook studying to get where I am today. And y’all, I’ve enjoyed every bit of it!
Funfetti Cake is just one delicious recipe of many included in this unique and masterful cookbook. Tender, sweet, and colorful, Kristin’s funfetti cake is better than anything you can find at the grocery store, trust me.
Do yourself a favor, get yourself a copy of Bettie’s Better Baking Book and a slice of this cake while you’re at it!
Perks and Highlights of Funfetti Cake
Cuisine Inspiration: All-American with a sprinkle of joy and a dollop of childhood nostalgia. We’re talking about a cake that throws confetti in the air like it just don’t care!
Primary Cooking Method: Baking, sweetie! We’re taking the warmth and coziness of the oven and mixing it with the party vibes of a million little sprinkles.
Dietary Info: This is a full-on, no-holds-barred, sugary delight. It’s vegetarian-friendly and guaranteed to satisfy sweet teeth of all ages!
Key Flavor: Sweet as a wink and fun as a tickle fight. It’s vanilla, with a playful punch of rainbow-tastic joy.
Skill Level: From kitchen newbies to whisk-wielding wizards, this recipe is designed for anyone with a love for cake, color, and celebrations!
Special Perks:
- Sprinkle Spectacle: – This cake doesn’t just bring flavor; it brings the FUN with a capital F, U, and N. Those sprinkles aren’t just decoration; they’re a mood!
- Moist and Magnificent: – Say goodbye to dry, boring cakes. This beauty is moist, tender, and willing to be the life of the party.
- Buttercream Dream: – Smothered in a silky-smooth buttercream that’s just waiting to be licked off the spatula (we won’t judge!).
- Party in a Cake: – Birthdays, anniversaries, Tuesdays… there’s no occasion this cake can’t turn into a shindig.
- Baker’s Delight: – Simple enough for beginners, with enough pizzazz for seasoned pros to add their flair. It’s a canvas for your creativity!
So, preheat those ovens, put on your party hats, and let’s get this sprinkle-soiree started! With this Funfetti Cake, every day is worth celebrating!
What Is Funfetti Cake?
Funfetti cake is simply a traditional white that’s been jazzed up with a bit of extra vanilla and a whole lot of sprinkles. The added bit of flavor and colorful jimmies make for a cake that is always the life of the party, just like me!
The base of this recipe is a white cake also featured in Bettie’s Better Baking Cookbook. It’s light, fluffy, and so darn buttery. For a more detailed breakdown of how white cake is made, check out Kristin’s White Cake recipe here.
To create the funfetti variation of this cake, we’re adding an additional tablespoon of vanilla and your choice of sprinkles. The result is a moist white cake with a little more flavor and a fun crunch. Oh and you can’t forget those gorgeous colors!
This cake can be made into two 8-9” layer cakes, a single sheet cake, cupcakes, or even a Bundt cake. No matter what you choose, be sure to thoroughly grease and lightly flour your pans. I’d even recommend a parchment paper lining, if applicable. Last thing you want is for your precious cake to stick to the pan.
What Kind of Frosting?
Traditionally, Funfetti cake is coated in vanilla buttercream. But, this is your party y’all, so don’t go letting me tell you what to frost this cake with. You can use whatever you’d like!
But, if you’re looking for a recommendation or two, check the list below. Just be sure to save a handful or two of sprinkles to dress up the top!
Tips
- Pick the right sprinkles. I prefer to use the long, skinny rainbow sprinkles you find in the baking aisle of just about any grocery store. The texture and colors are perfect for this cake. But, on occasion, I have used the circular confetti sprinkles and those are great too!
- Prevent color bleeding. Sometimes, the color coating on the sprinkles can bleed into the cake. Not so fun. To prevent this, I’d recommend very gently folding in the sprinkles. If you overmix the batter after adding them, it might change color.
- Wait to frost it. If you don’t wait until the cake is completely cool, the frosting will run right off. Be patient! You need a healthy layer of frosting for those extra sprinkles to sit on.
Storage
Just like with any cake masterpiece, Funfetti Cake keeps its magic best when it’s chilling at room temperature. Just pop your cake on a cute plate or a fancy cake stand and cover it up with a cake lid or even a flipped bowl – it’s all about keeping those crumbs safe from floating air bits and making sure your frosting stays as moist and perfect as when you first spread it on. Keep that beauty covered on your countertop, steering clear of any heat or direct sunlight, and it’ll stay fabulous for 4-5 days.
Now, if you’re thinking ahead and wanna freeze your Funfetti Cake for later, here’s the move: wrap it up real tight in two layers of plastic wrap, then give it a cozy aluminum foil blanket. I say, go for wrapping up big slices or pieces – it just makes life easier. Tuck it into a freezer-safe zip-top bag (or a container that’s good for the freezer) and slide it into the freezer. It’ll keep its cool there for 2-3 months. When you’re ready for that cake magic again, let it thaw in the fridge overnight and then let it come back to room temp before you dive in.
More Classic Cake Recipes
Don’t let the fun end here! Keep the party going with a few of GBC’s favorite, flavor-packed cake recipes!
Here are just a few to start:
- White Cake
- German Chocolate Cake
- Funfetti Crumble Cake
- Lemon Layer Cake
- How to Make Ombre Cake
- Chocolate Birthday Cake with Chocolate Frosting
- Southern Caramel Cake
- Texas Sheet Cake
How to Make an Ombre’ Cake
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Ingredients
For the Cake
- 3 cups cake flour 345 grams
- 2 tsp baking powder 7 grams
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt 2 grams
- 8 oz unsalted butter, softened 226 grams/ 2 sticks
- 2 cups granulated sugar 400 grams
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 2/3 cup egg whites about 5 large egg whites/ 160 grams
- 3/4 cup whole milk 170 grams
- 3/4 cup sour cream 180 grams
For the Buttercream
- 2 cups unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 tsp salt
- 6 cups confectioners' sugar
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 different food colors
Instructions
- At least 30 minutes before mixing, take the butter, eggs, milk and sour cream out of the refrigerator to come to room temperature. Separate the eggs. Measure out the rest of the ingredients.
- Position the oven rack to the center position. Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C. Prepare your baking pan(s) with non-stick spray and parchment paper or with paper liners if making cupcakes.
To make the cake
- Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the salt, whisk together, and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, combine the butter and sugar. Cream together on medium speed until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl halfway through mixing. The mixture should be very pale yellow after mixing.
- With the mixer running on medium/low speed add the vanilla and almond extracts. Next, slowly add in the egg whites while the mixer continues running. Scrape down the sides of the bowl periodically as you slowly incorporate the egg whites.
- Mix the milk and sour cream together. Alternate adding the dry ingredients into the bowl in three additions with the milk/sour cream mixture in two additions, starting and stopping with the dry ingredients. Mix on medium speed in between each addition until fully incorporated.
- Transfer the batter into the prepared pan(s). Bake at 350°F/175°C. A sheet cake will take about 35-45 minutes. Layer cakes will take 22-26 minutes, and cupcakes will take 18-25 minutes. Pull out of the oven when the cake is firm but springs back when gently pressed in on the center, or when a cake tester comes out clean.
- Cool the cakes in their pan completely on a cooling rack before turning out of the pan and frosting.
For the Frosting
- In your stand mixer, beat butter and salt at medium low speed.
- Next turn the mixer down to low and slowly add confectioner’s sugar in small portions until all is added then turn the speed to medium high to combine.
- Add heavy cream then vanilla extract and mix until nice and fluffy.
- Equally divide buttercream into three separate bowls but add ⅓ more buttercream to one bowl and set aside.
- To the remaining bowls, tint with food coloring to match the other two colored layers of cake.
To assemble
- Begin by placing the lighter (or darker) layer of cake on a cake decorating turntable then filling with plain white buttercream. Repeat with all layers ending with the darker layer (or the lighter layer if you started with the darker layer) then apply a thin coating of the plain buttercream to the outside of the entire cake to create a crumb coat. Place the cake in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes or until the icing is set.
- Now for the ombre effect: Carefully add icing in corresponding colors to the layers on the sides of the cake with an offset spatula. Add the top layer’s colored buttercream to the top of the cake as well. This process doesn’t have to be perfect.
- Once all colors are on the cake, you can begin smoothing out the icing. Using your offset spatula, hold it perpendicular to the turntable and go around the sides of the cake while spinning your turntable. Continue to do this until the sides of your cake are as smooth as you would like. Make sure you also use your spatula to smooth the top of your cake as well.
- Have fun with this. Pipe designs on the top of your cake or use sprinkles to add more color then serve and enjoy.
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How would I adjust it to make a 2 layer 5
Inch cake?
This recipe can be made in 2 9 inch round cake pans.
This sprinkle cake is delicious! It’s the first homemade cake I’ve made and everyone loved it! Moist, flavorful, and beautiful. My oven seemed to cook at the upper end of the bake time (26-27 minutes) but they turned out perfectly. Thanks for a wonderful recipe! Will definitely be using it again.
Recipe is only for a 2 layer cake but picture has 3 layers. Do you have recipe for 3 layers?
Hey there, there are instructions for how to make it for 2 layer, 3 layer, sheet cake and also cupcakes.
Not only did this cake turn out beautifully, it was hands down delicious! Was the perfect centerpiece for my husband’s birthday; my whole family loved it!
This is such a fun party cake! Not sure who likes it more…the kids or adults.
This cake is so absolutely gorgeous!! My nephew’s birthday is coming up and I can’t wait to make this for him!!
Oh my gosh!! This was so moist and fluffy!! We loved it. The colors are bright and fun. My kid loved this and the recipe was easy to follow. We will make this again!
This looks like such a fun cake! I can’t wait to make it for my family!