A light and fluffy, made from scratch funfetti cake (sometimes also called confetti cake)! This soft, snow-white cake is speckled with brightly colored sprinkles and iced with a sweet buttercream frosting — it’s the perfect homemade birthday cake!
If this funfetti cake looks familiar, you caught me, I shared it exactly one year ago in celebration of the first unofficial birthday of Sugar Spun Run.
Well, it’s been two years now since I almost completely deleted this whole website. Instead, I dug in full-force and have spent almost every spare second of my time developing and photographing (and now videoing) recipes to share with you.
As a brief review before we get to this favorite layered funfetti cake of mine, I originally bought the name, Sugar Spun Run, in 2012 and published a few posts super casually, photographed via iPhone-only, and focused on… whatever caught my attention that particular day. It was maintained sporadically, sloppily, and definitely without intention.
So in April of 2015 when I got the bill to renew my website, I almost canceled everything. I was literally one button-click away from doing so… and then decided maybe I’d give it one more shot.
Well, here we are, nearly 250 recipes later with a bright cheerful funfetti cake to show for it.
It’s now been two years of late, powdered-sugar filled nights, of re-making recipes over and over again (often only to decide that they really were just right the first time), of website code-induced headaches, and of desperately attempting to solve the Rubik’s cube that is my camera. Well over 200 lbs of butter have made their way through my kitchen, and my KitchenAid has become my near-constant companion.
And I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
So, while today can’t rightly be called my blog’s “birthday”, I wanted to commemorate this two year anniversary anyway. Today I’m celebrating Sugar Spun Run’s Unbirthday, and slicing up this confetti-colored, sprinkle stuffed, 3-layer, from-scratch Funfetti cake just for the occasion. So let’s get down to it.
How do you make Funfetti cake?
Funfetti cake is typically a fluffy white cake with sprinkles mixed into the batter.
Light and fluffy, this cake is made with a combination of butter (for flavor) and oil (for texture and moisture). Developing this recipe took weeks, and the ingredients and their ratios were calculated very precisely and carefully.
For maximum fluffy softness, this recipe calls for plenty of egg whites (no egg yolks). You’ll whip these separately with an electric hand mixer until they reach stiff peaks (that just means that when you lift a whisk straight out of the whites, the peaks stay and don’t recede back into themselves) and then fold them with a spatula into the cake batter. This is easy to do– it takes only about 5 minutes– and is critical for a light and fluffy white cake (don’t get me started on yellow funfetti cakes — there should be no such thing).
I used a buttercream that I flavored with a new emulsion that I found at my local cake shop (see notes in recipe), which accented the frosting with notes of citrus and almond. This kept the buttercream from being overbearingly sweet, but didn’t go over as well with Zach, who loathes lemon.
Vanilla extract (or any other that you prefer) can also be used, of course, and I included notes in the recipe.
Today, I’m cutting up this carefully-crafted funfetti cake into thick slices in an Unbirthday celebration, and I’m so glad that you are here to join me.
Thank you so much for following along, for taking the time to read my posts (or just look at the pictures, that’s OK too), comment, e-mail, and follow me on social media (your support as I tackle video on Facebook has been so helpful).
This space would be nothing without you coming back day after day, and I know I wouldn’t have made it this far without so many kind, encouraging comments (when I get a comment telling me that you tried a recipe and loved it, it makes my whole day).
Sugar Spun Run is here to stay.
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway. –Earl Nightingale
Funfetti Cake from Scratch (and an UnBirthday)
A fluffy white funfetti cake made from completely scratch. Please note that if you do not want a three layer cake, you can divide the batter into just two pans and use the rest to make cupcakes!
Ingredients
- 9 Tbsp butter softened
- 3 cups sugar
- 1 cup canola oil vegetable oil would also work
- 4 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 cups+ 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 4 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cup milk
- 9 egg whites room temperature preferred
- 1/2 cup sprinkles
Buttercream
- 1 lb unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- 6 Tbsp heavy cream
- 2 tsp LorAnn Princess emulsion or vanilla extract
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350F and prepare 3 8-inch round cake pans by generously greasing and flouring. Be sure to shake out excess flour.
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In stand mixer, beat butter on medium-low speed until creamy.
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Add sugar and oil and beat until all ingredients are well-combined and creamy.
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Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and then stir in your vanilla.
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In separate bowl, whisk together your flour, baking powder, and salt.
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Measure out your milk.
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With mixer on medium speed, gradually alternate between adding the flour mixture and the milk, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Stir until each one is almost completely combined before adding the next.
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Pause occasionally to scrape down sides and bottom of bowl.
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In separate bowl, combine your egg whites and, with a hand-mixer on high-speed, beat until stiff peaks form.
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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.
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Evenly divide cake batter into prepared pans.
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Bake on 350F for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake layer comes out clean or with few crumbs (should not be wet). For best results, rotate your cake pans halfway through baking to ensure even baking.
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Cakes will be a light golden brown when done baking.
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Remove cakes from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes. Run a butterknife around the inside rim of each pan and invert each onto a cooling rack.
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Allow to cool completely before frosting.
Frosting
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I used this technique from I Am Baker to frost my cake. If you intend to use this technique as well it requires a lot of icing for the top and I recommend increasing this recipe by 50%. If you are just doing a plain covering that will not be needed.
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In stand mixer, beat butter on medium-speed until creamy.
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Add salt and beat again for about 20 seconds.
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Gradually, about 1 cup at a time, add powdered sugar, waiting until each cup is completely mixed before adding the next cup.
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Tbsp at a time, add the heavy cream on medium-high speed, waiting until each addition is well-combined before adding the next 2 Tbsp.
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Add flavoring (vanilla extract or emulsion). and stir on medium-high for 30 seconds.
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Transfer one layer of your cooled cake to serving platter. Use frosting to ice the top. Add the next layer, ice the top of that. Add your third layer on top and ice the top, and then do a thin "crumb coating" around the entire cake.
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Transfer to freezer for 10-15 minutes, then remove and apply a clean, thick coat of frosting around the entire cake.
Recipe Notes
This cake may also be made in 3 9" pans, just decrease the baking time. Start checking the cakes for doneness at 25 minutes.
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Recipe originally published 4/13/16 — text updated 4/13/17
Rebecca says
Hi Sam. I have used this recipe before, it tasted amazing. But I can’t seem to get the egg whites to stiff peaks. It sort of goes like hair mousse? I seem to be doing everything correct (i think) Could I get some advice please. And also, could I make this recipe without egg whites?
Thanks 😊
Kirsty says
Hi I used this recipe to make a unicorn cake for a friends daughters birthday and I just want to say this is the best cake I’ve ever had it was so light and moist it’s going to be my new go to recipe. Thanks for the hard work you put in. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
Sam says
Thanks for giving it a try! I’m glad you enjoyed it, and continue to enjoy my other recipes. 😃
Tiffany says
I just made this cake for my daughter’s first birthday and it was a hit! I also made a half a recipe for a smash cake (had enough for a dozen cupcakes as well). Thanks for sharing this recipe 🙂
Sam says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! It’s one of my favorites!
Holly says
What kind of sprinkles do you use that don’t lose all the color in the batter? Are they little rounds ones or long ones?
Sam says
I just used colored “jimmies” Don’t use nonpareils, but confetti quins should work as well
Rebecca says
Hi sam. I have commented a couple times but no reply. Could I make this recipe without egg whites? I have made it a few times and it does taste amazing, but my egg whites don’t really form stiff peaks, nor does the cake come out as white as yours. Thanks
Sam says
Hi Rebecca,
I’m sorry that I missed your previous comments. I would definitely not recommend making this cake without the egg whites, unfortunately. If the egg whites aren’t forming stiff peaks, are you sure that not even a drop of the yolk or other moisture is getting into the whites? This can keep your whites from forming stiff peaks. Could you be over-beating the egg whites? Just missing the point where they hit stiff peaks and then beating a tad too long? It’s not too difficult to miss the point of stiff peaks and over-beat your egg whites. Are you using an electric mixer? If not it might be that you’re not getting to stiff peaks and the mixture needs to be mixed even longer.
I’m sorry you’re struggling with the egg whites and that I missed your previous comments! I hope this is helpful but please let me know if there’s anything else I might be able to help troubleshoot!
Rebecca says
I’m definitely making sure that there is not one bit of yolk in there. What about the little dots of what looks like blood? Haha, would that affect it? I am using an electric hand mixer, how long would you recommend mixing for? And the bowls I am using are completely free from grease, moisture etc. Hear from you soon and thank you for your reply x
Sam says
Usually the little blood-dots for me are in the yolk part so I would try to avoid those. The amount of time it takes can vary depending on the power of your mixer and the speed you use, I’d say for me it’s usually about a minute? Make sure you’re getting the thick protein part of the egg white, sometimes it tries to cling to the yolk especially if you’re using fresh eggs — it’s still white in color it’s usually thicker and a little cloudier and may take a little coaxing to release it from the yolk.
I usually use glass bowls but a metal one would be even better (don’t use a plastic one), also make sure the beaters you are using are completely clean and grease-free (sounds like you are being pretty good about that though!). Oh, and use room temperature eggs that can also help.
Lauren says
This looks amazing, I’ve been looking for a new white cake recipe to try! Would this batter react well to having gel coloring added – I am thinking of trying it for a rainbow cake and wondered if you’ve tried adding food coloring instead of sprinkles! I’m guessing it would be best to add before folding in the egg whites if so? Would really love your thoughts, thank you!
Sam says
While I haven’t colored this cake I do think it would do well with gel coloring. I think you are probably right about adding the coloring before folding in the egg whites to avoid the risk of over-mixing as much as possible. I hope you love the cake, Lauren!!
Katie Prager says
Hello. I would like to make this cake today for my daughters birthday. I was wondering what frosting tip you used to make the flowers on the top of the cake?
thanks
Katie
Sam says
Hi Katie! There is a link in the instructions for the frosting as to how to make them. 😃
Claudia says
I’m in the process of baking the cake and it seems to be taking a LOT longer than 30-45 minutes. I think it’s been in there for well over an hour and the center still seems runny.
Sam says
That’s so strange, is your oven temp accurate? Assuming you’re using the same size pans I did I really don’t know why it would take longer.
Abbie says
What kind of tool do you suggest to use to frost around the whole cake?
Sam says
I just use a regular icing spatula 🙂
Bethany says
Just made this for my husbands birthday! Tasted amazing and he loved it.
But…. it seemed too dense to me. Not as fluffy as I had hoped. Very moist though.
Would this just be from over mixing the egg whites? How do you know when to stop?
Would the recipe work on if I halved it? Want to keep experimenting.. but it’s a big batch!
Thanks!
Sam says
Hi Bethany! The recipe would work if you halved it. When beating the egg whites, only beat until stiff peaks form, then take care to not over-mix when folding the ingredients together. Hope that helps! 😃
Mariah says
Should you use buttermilk? Or what kind gets the best results?
Sam says
Hi Mariah! Just regular whole milk provides the best results. 😃