Homemade Funfetti Cake

I’ve always been a massive funfetti fan. Long before I started baking this homemade funfetti cake from scratch, I totally grew up on the Pillsbury Funfetti box mix (which I still love making into cake mix cookies). It’s been a challenge to recreate a from-scratch cake worthy of replacing the mix, but I’m happy to say, mission accomplished. This is the BEST funfetti cake recipe! You could also call this a sprinkle cake or a confetti cake, named after the sprinkles baked into the batter.

This iconic birthday cake is wonderfully moist, full of flavor, and tender, with butter, sour cream, and milk in the fluffy vanilla cake crumb. There’s no shortage of fun colors, and it’s easy to use different-colored sprinkles to fit a theme or holiday! I topped this original cake with my favorite vanilla buttercream frosting. The result is a just-sweet-enough and delicious cake that steals the show at every party.

Ingredients in Funfetti Cake

These are the ingredients you’ll need to make this easy birthday cake and buttercream frosting. The full recipe amounts are in the recipe card after the post.

• Sprinkles – There’s a little more than 1/2 cup of sprinkles added to the cake. Add flour to the sprinkles to keep them from sinking to the bottom of the cake. I recommend using rainbow jimmies. Other kinds of sprinkles, like nonpareils, tend to bleed color into the batter.
• All-purpose flour – I say this for every homemade cake recipe, but measuring flour correctly is super important in baking! Weigh the flour using a scale if possible, or use the spoon-and-level method. Most of the flour will go to the cake batter, plus half a tablespoon for coating the sprinkles.
• Baking powder and baking soda – The combination of baking soda and baking powder gives a better-textured cake. Baking powder is ideal in vanilla cake recipes, but baking soda helps lighten up the texture.
• Salt – You’ll only need half a teaspoon of salt for this cake, but don’t skip it or your cake will taste bland.
• Eggs – Separate the yolks from the whites. Whipped egg whites lighten up the cake while adding structure so the sprinkles stay afloat.
• Unsalted butter – Bring your butter to room temperature for the cake and for the frosting.
• Sugar – For that classically sweet vanilla cake flavor, I recommend granulated sugar.
• Vegetable oil – Just a few tablespoons for added moisture in the cake crumb.
• Vanilla extract – Funfetti cake is one of the rare occasions when I’ll accept artificial vanilla as a substitute for extract! You could also use a combination of half vanilla, half almond extract for a more authentic “birthday cake” flavor.
• Milk – Brought to room temperature.
• Sour cream – Sour cream adds moisture to the cake and thickens the batter. Like the other fridge ingredients, it should also be at room temperature.
• Powdered sugar – Powdered sugar gives the frosting a smooth, creamy consistency. Make your own by pulsing regular sugar in a high-powered blender until it’s a fine powder.
• Heavy whipping cream – Full-fat whipping cream or heavy cream (not pouring cream) yields the creamiest frosting. You could also use milk.

What Kind of Sprinkles to Use

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

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 while you whip up a batch of frosting. Here are the steps.

1. Mix the dry ingredients. First, toss the sprinkles with a half-tablespoon of flour and set them aside. Whisk the remaining flour with the baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2. Separate the eggs. Separate the eggs and add the whites to a mixing bowl, setting aside the yolks for later. Make sure no yolks make it into the egg whites. Otherwise, they won’t whip properly.
3. Combine the wet ingredients. Next, cream the butter, sugar, oil, and vanilla together in a separate bowl. Do this for 2-3 minutes, until lighter in color and fluffy. Don’t skimp on the creaming time! Afterward, add the egg yolks to the batter, one at a time.
4. Mix the batter. Add the dry ingredients to the batter in thirds, alternating with the milk until the batter is well-combined. Scrape down the bowl as you go, and take care not to overmix.
5. Whip and add the egg whites. Now, whip the egg whites in a clean metal bowl until they form a soft peak that flops over when you lift the whisk attachment. Gently fold the whipped egg whites into your cake batter in two halves, folding the sprinkles in with the second half.
6. Bake the cake. Pour the batter into a greased 9×13-inch pan and bake your funfetti sheet cake at 325ºF for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely before you add the frosting.

Frosting the Cake

This creamy vanilla frosting takes less than 10 minutes. The trick here is to bring your butter to room temperature first. Otherwise, you’ll need to spend extra time whipping the butter at the beginning. If you’d like, you can fold extra sprinkles right into the frosting or add them on top (or both!).

1. Make the frosting. When the cake has cooled, beat the butter in a mixing bowl until smooth. Mix in half the powdered sugar, then the vanilla and heavy cream, followed by the remaining powdered sugar. Add more heavy cream and mix until you have the right frosting consistency.
2. Decorate the cake. Lastly, spread the fluffy frosting evenly over the funfetti cake. Finish with sprinkles right before serving, if you’d like.

You can also frost this funfetti cake with chocolate buttercream, strawberry frosting, or cream cheese frosting.

Can I Make Funfetti Cupcakes Instead?

Yes! To make funfetti cupcakes, you’ll need to halve the recipe. Increase the baking temperature to 350ºF, and reduce the baking time to 15-18 minutes. I recommend checking out my homemade funfetti cupcakes recipe for details.

If you’re looking for more pan sizes, I also have recipes for a 9-inch funfetti layer cake and an easy funfetti bundt cake.

Cake Toppings and Serving Suggestions

There are plenty of ways to decorate a funfetti cake, but these are some of my favorite ideas that you can try:

• Color the frosting. Add a few drops of gel icing color to the buttercream.
• Add a drizzle. Drizzle over hot fudge sauce, strawberry sauce, or salted caramel sauce.
• Chocolate chips or chopped nuts. Sprinkle the top of the cake with semi-sweet chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, or chopped pecans.
• Chocolate curls. Add shaved chocolate curls in dark or white chocolate.
• Cake and ice cream. Serve slices of funfetti cake with vanilla ice cream. I also love these ice cream cone cupcakes for a birthday party!

Proper Storage

• Store the cake airtight. 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.
• Freeze. This funfetti cake is freezer-friendly. 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.

More Funfetti Recipes

Funfetti Cheesecake

No Bake Funfetti Cheesecake

Funfetti Millionaire Cake

Cake Batter Chocolate Chip Cookies