Soft, light, and fluffy, these sweet confetti cupcakes are modified from my popular funfetti cake recipe! These cupcakes are packed full of colorful sprinkles and made with a simple white cake base, then topped off with a sweet vanilla buttercream (and, of course, sprinkles!).
Taking a quick break from all of the Christmas Cookie recipes I’ve been sharing recently to share these fun confetti cupcakes!
Tomorrow is my birthday (I’ll be 28!) and while I’m definitely not making my own birthday cake (Zach’s making me a cake completely from scratch, I can’t wait to see how it turns out and tell you about it), I still thought celebrating a little bit early with some cupcakes and sprinkles wouldn’t be a bad idea.
I really don’t share nearly as many cake/cupcake recipes on this page as I do cookies, because cakes take me so, so much time to get right (but when they’re right, they’re perfect — have you tried my favorite chocolate cake or my pineapple upside-down cake?)
This recipe is a slightly modified, scaled-down version of my very popular funfetti cake, and the recipe makes about 15 cupcakes. Since traditional muffin tins only have room for 12 cupcakes, I like to make 12 regular-sized cupcakes and then use the remaining batter to make adorable mini cupcakes — you’ll be able to get about 8-10 mini cupcakes out of the leftovers, and I included baking instructions in the recipe notes.
This confetti cupcake recipe requires an extra step of whipping your egg whites to stiff peaks before folding them into your cupcake batter. This step is so important, and it is going to give you the lightest and fluffiest cupcakes possible.
Whipping egg whites isn’t hard, just make sure that you have a completely grease-free bowl (don’t use a plastic one) and beaters before you begin whipping the egg whites to stiff peaks. If you’ve made my whipped cream recipe before, you’re already familiar with stiff peaks, but if not, it just means that when you pull the beater out of the egg white mixture, the egg whites hold a stiff “peak” and don’t fold or recede back into themselves.
I’m typically not a huge fan of vanilla buttercream frosting because I find it to be a little too sweet for me, so I just topped off these cupcakes with a short, simple rosette decoration (I used my Wilton 2D tip for these). Usually I prefer to pile the frosting on (ahem, like with these chocolate cupcakes) but for these confetti cupcakes, this seemed to be the perfect amount to complement the cupcake without making it too sweet.
Oh, and don’t forget to top everything off with sprinkles!
I just used a mix of quins and nonpareils that I had on hand, as well as some edible gold stars (affiliate). Since Colt got into my stash of traditional sprinkles and ruined all of them (while managing to eat approximately 3 lbs of them… a story for a different day 😫) I had to improvise, but I actually loved how these decorations looked on top!
Just look at those soft, colorful, centers!!
Enjoy!
Confetti Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- ⅓ cup canola oil or vegetable oil (43g)
- 1 cup sugar (200g)
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/3 cup + 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour (172g)
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup buttermilk room temperature preferred (118ml)
- 3 large egg whites room temperature
- ⅓ cup sprinkles Use jimmies or quins, do not use nonpareils as they will bleed through the batter
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature (226g)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups powdered sugar (375g)
- 3 Tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- sprinkles, for decorating optional
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and prepare a 12 count muffin tin* (see recipe note) with paper liners. Set aside.
- Place butter in the bowl of a stand mixer (or you may use a large bowl and an electric hand mixer) and beat until smooth and creamy.
- Add sugar and oil and beat again until ingredients are very well-combined, smooth, and creamy.
- Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and then stir in your vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together your flour, baking powder, and salt.
- With mixer on low speed, gradually alternate between adding the flour mixture and your buttermilk, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Stir until each one is almost completely combined before adding the next. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl so that all ingredients are combined.
- In separate, completely clean and grease-free bowl, combine your egg whites and, with a hand-mixer on high-speed, beat until stiff peaks form.
- Using a spatula, gently fold your egg whites and sprinkles into your batter. Take care to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl so that ingredients are well-combined, and take care not to over-mix.
- Divide batter into prepared cupcake tin, filling each liner 3/4 of the way full.
- Bake on 350F (175C) for 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean with moist crumbs (not wet batter). For mini cupcakes, bake 14-15 minutes.
- Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
Vanilla Buttercream
- Beat butter with an electric mixer until creamy. Sprinkle salt over butter and stir again to combine.
- Gradually, about 1/2 cup at a time, add powdered sugar, waiting until each cup is completely mixed before adding more.
- With mixer on medium-low speed, add the heavy cream one Tablespoon at a time. Once ingredients are well incorporated, gradually increase speed to high and beat for about 30 seconds.
- Add vanilla extract and stir well.
- Pipe or spread frosting over cooled cupcakes (I used a Wilton 2D tip for the rosette decorations). Top with sprinkles, if desired. Cupcakes keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for several days, or refrigerated in an airtight container for a week.
Notes
Nutrition
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Sally says
The cupcakes were all hard and I followed all the steps how they said to do.Never making these again.
Sam says
Hi Sally! Unfortunately if they were hard they were probably over-cooked. If they weren’t baked for longer than indicated I would check to see if maybe your oven is running hotter than it says.
Fariza says
Hi Sam,
Congratulations! This morning on my way to work, I’ve decided to bake a vanilla cupcake for my two daughters coz they loved cupcakes with rainbow colours. Luckily, when I opened my email, you did share your confetti cupcakes. Will hope to bake it during this weekend. thank you again for your sharing
Sugar Spun Run says
I hope that your daughters enjoy the Confetti Cupcakes, Fariza! Happy Baking. 🙂
Jowyna says
can this cupcakes be made ahead or 1 day earlier? ideas on how store it before serving.
Sam says
Hi Jowyna! You can make the cupcakes a day ahead of time, just make sure to keep them covered after they cool so they don’t dry out. 🙂
Jowyna says
is it possible to use cream cheese frosting instead of vanilla buttercream frosting?
Sam says
Hi Jowyna! You can use whatever frosting you prefer. I have a great cream cheese frosting you could use. 🙂
Tee says
I came to this recipe from the link of cake one to the scaled down to cupcakes. The cake recipe doesn’t call for buttermilk, which one is fluffier? I’m trying to make cupcakes but would love to have a great confetti recipe.
Thank you
Sugar Spun Run says
Hello, Tee. Both are fluffy cakes, but If you want cupcakes, I recommend using the Confetti Cupcake Recipe. Let me know how they turn out. 🙂
Helen says
Can you tell me why our sprinkles turned the batter gray? We got the nonpareils kind and folder them with the egg whites into the batter and all the sprinkles turned white and the batter got dyed gray
Sugar Spun Run says
Hello, Helen! I am so sorry that your batter turned gray. With this recipe you want to use traditional sprinkles or “jimmies.” When you use nonpareils it alter the color of your batter. 🙁
Janay N Johnson says
In the process of making these for my daughter. Your instructions do not tell you what to do with the butter oil mixture after combining. do you put it in the flour mixture before or after the buttermilk?
Sam says
Hi Janay! I’m sorry if the instructions are unclear here. First make the butter/oil mixture, then make the flour mixture. You will then combine the flour mixture into the butter/oil mixture. Add a little bit of the flour mixture, stir, add a little bit of buttermilk, stir. You will want to start and end with the flour mixture. Hope this helps. 🙂
Damaris says
I made this recipe for my husbands birthday and everyone loved the cupcakes. My kids usually don’t like when I make homemade cakes but they all devoured these cupcakes in 2 days. Has anyone tried making this in a regular cake tin. I want to double the recipe and make this for my sons 9th birthday since the cupcakes were a hit.
Sam says
I am so glad everyone enjoyed the cupcakes! 🙂
Jenn says
I made these last weekend and they were a huge hit with the family. Delicious! This is my new go to vanilla/Funfetti cupcake recipe. I’m making them again today for a bake sale at work. Thanks!
Sam says
I am so glad everyone enjoyed the cupcakes so much, Jenn! 🙂
Alice says
Love the outcome of the recipe, but I substitute the buttermilk with yogurt. The cupcake comes out great and delicious.
Sam says
So glad to hear they were such a success, Alice!! 🙂
Leslie Kwilas says
This is the lightest cupcake! A love this recipe!
Sam says
I’m so happy to hear they were such a hit, Leslie!! Thank you for commenting 🙂
Jean says
The cupcakes were super good! The cake it not overly sweet but if you use this frosting recipe it will even out. I had no problems with flattening or cracking like some other commenters, I separated the batter into 12 tins and baked for 22 minutes instead of 18. The cupcakes don’t brown so make sure your not judging the doneness by eye!
Sam says
So glad to hear they were such a success for you, Jean! Thank you for commenting 🙂
Angie Pool says
This recipe is great!! Made them today and it will definitely be a repeat!! ☺ Thanks for all your great recipes!
Sam says
I am so glad you enjoyed the cupcakes, Angie! 🙂