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)
Ingredients
- 9 Tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 3 cups granulated sugar (600g)
- 1 cup canola oil vegetable oil would also work (236ml)
- 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 cups+ 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour (all of the flour goes into the cake batter, you will also need additional flour for preparing the cake pan) (516g)
- 4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 cup milk (355ml)
- 9 egg whites room temperature preferred
- 1/2 cup sprinkles* (80g)
Buttercream
- 1 lb unsalted butter softened to room temperature (453g)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 cups powdered sugar (750g)
- 6 Tbsp heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons LorAnn Princess emulsion or vanilla extract
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and prepare 3 8-inch round cake pans by generously greasing and flouring. Be sure to shake out excess flour.
- In stand mixer, beat butter on medium-low speed until creamy.
- Add sugar and oil and beat until all ingredients are well-combined and creamy.
- Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and then stir in your vanilla.
- In separate bowl, whisk together your flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Measure out your milk.
- With mixer on medium speed, gradually alternate between adding the flour mixture and the milk to the butter mixture, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Stir until each one is almost completely combined before adding the next.
- Pause occasionally to scrape down sides and bottom of bowl.
- In separate 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.
- Evenly divide cake batter into prepared pans.
- Bake on 350F (175C) 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.
- Cakes will be a light golden brown when done baking.
- 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.
- Allow to cool completely before frosting.
Frosting
- 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.
- In stand mixer, beat butter on medium-speed until creamy.
- Add salt and beat again for about 20 seconds.
- Gradually, about 1 cup at a time, add powdered sugar, waiting until each cup is completely mixed before adding the next cup.
- 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.
- Add flavoring (vanilla extract or emulsion). and stir on medium-high for 30 seconds.
- 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.
- Transfer to freezer for 10-15 minutes, then remove and apply a clean, thick coat of frosting around the entire cake.
Notes
Nutrition
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Recipe originally published 4/13/16 — text updated 4/13/17
Julie says
Can this recipe be used for a sheet cake? I want to make it two layers and make one recipe per layer
Sam says
Hi Julie! The batter should fill an 11 x 15 pan. I’m not sure what your baking time will be but it will work as a sheet cake. 🙂
Kali Taylor says
Excellent cake recipe and best icing recipe I’ve ever made for frosting anything! I followed it exactly and it came out perfect. I used three 9″ round cake pans. In my oven they took 35 minutes. This was my first time ever making a three-layer cake. I used the blunt end of a large knife to apply the final icing layer and it almost appeared to have been bought at a bakery.
Sam says
I am so glad you enjoyed it, Kali! 🙂
Shelby says
Have you made this cake with the carton egg whites? I definitely use fresh egg whites for swiss buttercream, but looking for a quick shortcut 😉
Sam says
Hi Shelby! I have not and generally I don’t recommend it. While some people HAVE reported using carton egg whites with success, unfortunately they don’t always whip to stiff peaks and that’s critical for the cake to turn out properly. So really it’s a gamble. Fingers crossed if you try it!
Kali Taylor says
I used carton egg whites, Food Lion brand (grocery store). It turned out great. I don’t know if every brand would whip up correctly, though.
Niki says
I just made this yesterday for my daughter’s birthday. It was SO good!! I had a box of confetti cake in my pantry that I *almost* used instead. So glad I didn’t though! I filled mine with whipped cream frosting and used a modified version of your buttercream to frost/decorate (only 4 cups of powdered sugar and I added a dash of lemon juice. Definitely changed the texture and maybe zest would’ve worked better but my 2 year old baking assistant and I were winging it 😄.) My whole family raved about it!
Sam says
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Niki! 🙂
NoviceBaker says
Hi Sam, is it possible to make this recipe without a stand mixer?
Sam says
You can definitely use a hand mixer here. 🙂
Kat says
Hello I have made this recipe once and it was delicious. Next week I’m going to try and make a 3D train cake. I have the Wilton pans and they recommend about 6 cups of batter for it. Would you have any idea if this recipe would work? If not do you have another one in mind? Thanks! I
Sam says
Hi Kat! This will make about 12 cups of batter so you would have enough for 2 pans. 🙂
Leslie says
Hello!
Just want to say thank you for the great recipe! I needed to make a white cake today and all my recipes called for cake flour. I didn’t want to face the crowds on Christmas Eve so went looking for a recipe using all purpose flour and came across your recipe. This cake has a delicious flavor, is not overly sweet, and has a great texture. I made it in three 9 inch pans and added a layer of lemon curd and a layer of raspberry preserves. It was topped with a cream cheese frosting with fresh lemon. We loved it! I will definitely make again.
Thanks again for this recipe! It’s a keeper!
Karen says
Hi! I’m planning to make this cake for my daughter’s birthday, but was wondering if it will work out fine if I cut the quantities in half. I need a small cake. Any advice?
Thanks!
Sam says
You can cut all of the ingredients in half. 🙂
Tasha says
Are there any changes you should make for baking at a high altitude?
Sam says
Unfortunately I’m not really familiar with high altitude baking. Maybe someone else can chime in with some tips.
CarCar01 says
I was wondering how long this cake is good for. Not really a comment, but I just pulled mine out of the oven and they look and smell amazing.
Sam says
This is typically good for about 5 days in an air tight container.
Joanna Inman says
I just made this cake yesterday for my daughter’s 10th birthday which is today, December 20th. We saw it on your website months ago and couldn’t wait to make it. I followed your directions exactly as written, even using a digital scale for my dry ingredients, and it turned out perfect. It was just the right amount of sweetness. I used your white chocolate buttercream recipe, as written but doubled, for the frosting, and the combination was perfect. Also, I appreciate you taking the time to put the ingredient amounts in grams and the suggestion of using a kitchen scale for measuring. I’ve never measured this way but it was actually much easier and a better method for sure. I will definitely do this in the future. We had a small family party and everyone raved about this cake. Several people had a second slice, including myself. Not only was it delicious, but it was bright, colorful, and happy (we attempted the frosting design in the picture posted with the recipe) which was what we needed, especially in these times. I will definitely make this again and will try the confetti cupcakes as well. I can’t wait to try more recipes from your site. This was definitely not a fake recipe and you obviously put a lot of time and effort into creating it. It makes me sad to see the very negative comment the reviewer, Amy, left you which was why I wanted to let you know how the recipe turned out for me. I do think there are bogus recipe websites out there but yours is definitely not one of them. I very much appreciate your site, recipes and inspiration. I pray you and your family have a wonderful Christmas, happy holiday season, and a very blessed New Year.
Sam says
Thank you so much, Joanna! I really appreciate that you took the time to tell me how much you enjoyed the cake and it’s very nice to hear that you can tell I care about my recipes. I test these recipes SO much. You can’t always please everyone though. I hope you have a wonderful holiday season and a very happy new year. 🙂
Amy says
Ok, so I’m not sure if you’re going through and deleting all of the negative comments on here or if people really didn’t make this recipe and are commenting nice things anyway. This cake contains so much sugar that it was gritty in texture, and overly sweet to the point that my husband took one bite, and we had to throw the whole cake away. I only used 2 cups of sugar vs the 3 you suggested, and it was still too sweet. Also, I only cooked it for 28 minutes and it still came out too crispy and almost burnt. What is up with the 9 egg whites? This honestly feels like a joke recipe. I feel like I’ve been pranked. If you’re deleting negative comments, then shame on you. This recipe ruined my husband’s birthday and has made me never want to bake again. It’s not my intention to make you feel bad with this rating, but I didn’t want anyone to go through all of the hard work, use of ingredients, and getting their hopes up only to feel completely awful about themselves after. This shattered my cake making confidence.
Sam says
Hi Amy, it definitely sounds like something went wrong here and I’m disappointed to hear it. As per my comment policy, I only delete comments that are spam, profane, or name-calling, so no, I am certainly not deleting comments and yes, over 600 people have positively rated this recipe and the 5 star rating that is there is accurate. I make it frequently myself, and in fact, Daphne Oz just made it last week on her Instagram and shared it with everyone because she loved it so much 😁. I’m quite proud of this recipe and am disappointed that you didn’t have the soft and fluffy, perfectly sweetened results that I have in my own kitchen.
Which leads me to believe that something must have gone quite wrong in the kitchen, unfortunately. While I don’t have a video for this recipe yet, I would recommend you take a look at the video that I have for my white cake recipe. These two cakes are essentially the same only the white cake has been scaled down, and I think it might be helpful to watch that video. The fact that the cake was gritty also strongly suggests that something went wrong or was mis-measured; with three cups of sugar the cake does not come out gritty in the least (the sugar melts in the oven). Did you make any other substitutions? Did you whip the egg whites fully to stiff peaks? I’m happy to help troubleshoot further but this is a very well-tested recipe that many others have had success with, and I’d like for you to have the same results.
Lala says
Just because you suck at baking, don’t need to be so harsh on the baker herself. I made this recipe twice, first time it didn’t work out at all. Probably because I didn’t fully read the recipe and made my own errors/mistakes. The second time, it was delicious and turned out exactly the way she instructed to in her recipe to the tee. My kids loved it.
ShannonB says
I think I like this cake better than the regular vanilla one. Just finished making the frosting so yummy not to sweet. It seems I have just made this cake 5 times in the last month or so this is my go 2 cake with or without sprinkles
Sam says
Holy smokes that’s a lot of cakes in a month! I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much! 🙂