Homemade Funfetti Cake

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This moist and tender Homemade Funfetti Cake is full of rainbow sprinkles and topped with a tasty vanilla buttercream frosting! It’s a classic birthday cake recipe made completely from scratch!

Homemade Funfetti Sheet Cake

I’ve always been a massive funfetti cake fan. I totally grew up on the box mix, making it for just about any occasion I could before I started baking from scratch. It’s been quite a chore to find a from-scratch version that was worthy of replacing that mix, but I dare say this cake does it!

First of all, this classic birthday cake is wonderfully moist and tender. Between the butter, sour cream and milk, there’s plenty of moisture and flavor to go around. There’s also a little more than 1/2 cup of sprinkles in this baby. There’s no shortage of fun color, and you could easily replace the mix of colors to fit a theme or holiday! I topped the cake with my favorite vanilla buttercream. The result is a delicious cake that you won’t be able to resist!

What is the Difference Between Funfetti and Confetti Cake?

This is not technically considered a funfetti cake, since that’s the Pillsbury brand name for the box mix. However, this is a homemade version! You could also call it a sprinkle cake or a confetti cake, as it gets its name from the sprinkles cooked into the batter.

Recipe Ingredients

This birthday cake comes together with a few super simple ingredients, both for the cake and the buttercream frosting.

For the Sprinkle Cake

• Sprinkles: Add some flour to the sprinkles to keep them from sinking to the bottom of the cake. I recommend using jimmies.
• All-Purpose Flour: You’ll need some for the cake batter and some for coating the sprinkles.
• Baking Powder: To help your cake rise.
• Baking Soda: The combination of baking soda and baking powder gives a better textured cake. Baking powder is more ideal in a vanilla cake, but the baking soda helps lighten up the texture.
• Salt: You’ll only need half a teaspoon of salt for this cake.
• Eggs: Separate the yolks from the whites. Whipped egg whites help lighten up the cake as well, plus they add more structure to help the sprinkles stay afloat.
• Unsalted Butter: Bring your butter to room temperature.
• Sugar: For that classically sweet vanilla cake flavor.
• Vegetable Oil: Just a few tablespoons for added moisture.
• Vanilla Extract: For flavor.
• Milk: Room temperature.
• Sour Cream: Sour cream is used to keep moisture in the cake, but also to thicken up the batter so that the sprinkles don’t sink when baking.

For the Vanilla Buttercream

• Unsalted Butter: Room temperature.
• Powdered Sugar: A frosting necessity! Needed for volume and consistency.
• Vanilla Extract: For flavor.
• Heavy Whipping Cream: For a creamy consistency.
• Salt: To taste.
• Sprinkles: You can mix them right into the frosting or sprinkle them on top – or both!

What Kind of Sprinkles to Use

When it comes to the sprinkles baked into the cake, I like to use jimmies. They usually don’t bleed as much, and they don’t leave a crunch in the cake like some other sprinkles do. All types of sprinkles will work as a topping though, so feel free to mix it up there!

How to Make Funfetti Cake from Scratch

Even though this cake looks super fun and fancy, it’s such a breeze to make! You can throw it together in no time and let your oven do the rest.

1. Prepare for Baking: Prepare a 9×13 inch baking pan with baking spray and preheat the oven to 325°F. Toss the sprinkles with half a tablespoon of flour and set aside.
2. Combine Dry Ingredients: Combine the remaining flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
3. Separate Eggs: Add the egg whites to a large mixer bowl and set aside. Set aside the egg yolks for later use.
4. Cream Butter, Sugar, Oil & Vanilla: Add the butter, sugar, oil and vanilla extract to a large mixer bowl and cream together until light in color and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Do not skimp on the creaming time. You should be able to see a visible change in the color and texture of the mixture when it’s ready.
5. Add Egg Yolks: Add the egg yolks one at a time, mixing until combined after each. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated.
6. Begin Adding Dry Ingredients: Add about a third of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until mostly combined.
7. Add Some Milk: Add half of the milk and mix until well combined. The batter might look a little curdled, but that’s ok.
8. Finish Adding Dry Ingredients & Milk: Add another third of the dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated. Add the other half of the milk and mix until well combined. Then, add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated. Do not overmix the batter. Set aside.
9. Whip Egg Whites: Grab the egg whites and whip on high speed with the whisk attachment until soft peaks form.
10. Add Egg Whites & Sprinkles: Gently fold about half of the whipped egg whites into the cake batter until mostly combined. Add the remaining egg whites and the sprinkles and gently fold together until well combined.
11. Bake: Spread the batter evenly in the prepared baking pan and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
12. Let Cool: Remove the cake from the oven and set it aside to cool.

How to Make the Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

This creamy vanilla frosting is a 10-minute endeavor that comes together with no fuss.

1. Beat Butter: When the cake has cooled, add the butter to a mixer bowl and beat until smooth.
2. Add Some Powdered Sugar: Add about half of the powdered sugar and mix until well combined and smooth.
3. Add Vanilla & Water: Add the vanilla extract and 1-2 tablespoons of water or cream and mix until well combined.
4. Add Remaining Powdered Sugar: Add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until well combined and smooth.
5. Adjust Consistency & Taste: Add additional water or cream as needed to get the right consistency for the frosting. Add salt to taste.
6. Top Cake: Spread the buttercream evenly over the cake. Add sprinkles, if desired.

Tips for the Best Funfetti Cake

To ensure the success of your sprinkle cake, follow these additional guidelines and suggestions.

• Cream Butter & Sugar Mixture Well: To help make this cake extra light and fluffy, it uses the creaming method. Creaming the butter, sugar, oil and vanilla adds air to the batter that expands while baking, giving you that light cake texture that we all know and love. Be sure not to skimp on the full 2-3 minutes of creaming. You should notice the mixture actually get lighter in color and get a fluffy texture to it, rather than looking smooth and grainy. However, if it starts to look a little curdled, you may have over creamed.
• Don’t Overmix Batter: Overmixing this batter can result in too dense of a cake. As soon as all of the ingredients are well incorporated, stop mixing.
• Gentle with the egg whites: You want to whip them until soft peaks form. To tell, lift the whisk out of the bowl and turn it over. If the egg whites stay on the whisk and the “tip” when it’s turned over gently falls to the side, they are at soft peaks. If it stands up straight, that’s stiff peaks. If the egg whites start to look dry, they’ve been over whipped. Be sure to fold them in gently, so that they don’t deflate. If you over mix after adding the whipped egg whites, they can deflate.

Serving Suggestions

This Homemade Funfetti Cake is a classic cake for special occasions, and there are plenty of ways to make it an unforgettable treat. Check out these simple serving ideas!

• Add Color to Frosting: To make your cake even more colorful, feel free to add a few drops of gel icing color to the buttercream.
• Serve with Ice Cream: Who doesn’t love eating a piece of cake with a creamy scoop of ice cream? This cake already has sprinkles, so it just makes sense!

How to Store Homemade Cake

If you’re storing your cake for a day or less, there’s no need to refrigerate it. Just keep it in an airtight container on the counter. If you want your cake to last a little longer, store it in the fridge instead. Just be sure to serve it at room temperature for the ideal texture and flavor.

Can I Freeze Extras?

This cake is freezer-friendly, so you can also store your leftovers there. Make sure the cake is in an airtight, freezer-safe container or wrapped well and store it for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen cake in the fridge before enjoying. If you’d like, you can bring it to room temperature on the counter once it’s been thawed.

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Enjoy!

More Funfetti Recipes

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Funfetti Bundt Cake
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Homemade Funfetti Cupcakes