A light and fluffy, made from scratch ย funfetti cake (sometimes also called confetti cake)! ย 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. ย 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 originallyย bought the name, Sugar Spun Run,ย inย 2012 and published a few postsย super casually, photographed viaย iPhone-only, and focused on… whatever caught my attention that particular day. ย It was maintainedย sporadically, sloppily, and definitely without intention.
So in April of 2015 when I got the bill to renew my website, I almost canceled everything. ย 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,ย nearly 250 recipes later with a bright cheerful funfetti cake to show for it.
It’s now been twoย years of late, powdered-sugar filled nights, of re-making recipes over and over again (often only to decide that they really were just rightย the first time), of website code-induced headaches, and ofย desperately attempting to solve the Rubik’s cube that is my camera.ย 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, whileย today can’t rightly be called my blog’s “birthday”, I wanted to commemorate this twoย year anniversary anyway. ย Today I’m celebrating Sugar Spun Run’s Unbirthday, and slicing up this confetti-colored, sprinkle stuffed, 3-layer, from-scratchย Funfetti cake just for the occasion. ย 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). ย Developing this recipe took weeks, andย 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). ย 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 spatulaย into the cake batter. ย This is easy to do– it takes only about 5 minutes– and isย critical for a light and fluffyย 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. ย 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 cakeย into thickย 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 postsย (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 withoutย you coming back day after day, and I know I wouldn’tย 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 Runย is here to stay.
Never give up on a dreamย just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. ย The time will pass anyway. –Earl Nightingale
Funfetti Cake from Scratch (and an UnBirthday)
Ingredients
- 9 Tablespoons (127 g) unsalted butter softened
- 3 cups (600 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (236 ml) neutral cooking oil Use canola, vegetable, or avocado oil
- 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 cups+ 2 Tbsp (516 g) all-purpose flour (all of the flour goes into the cake batter, you will also need additional flour for preparing the cake pan)
- 4 ยฝ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ยฝ teaspoons salt
- 1 ยฝ cup (355 ml) milk
- 9 egg whites room temperature preferred
- ยฝ cup (80 g) sprinkles*
Buttercream
- 1 lb (453 g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- ยผ teaspoon salt
- 6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar
- 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.9 Tablespoons (127 g) unsalted butter
- Add sugar and oil and beat until all ingredients are well-combined and creamy.3 cups (600 g) granulated sugar, 1 cup (236 ml) neutral cooking oil
- Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and then stir in your vanilla.4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- In separate bowl, whisk together your flour, baking powder, and salt.4 cups+ 2 Tbsp (516 g) all-purpose flour, 4 ยฝ teaspoons baking powder, 1 ยฝ teaspoons salt
- Measure out your milk.1 ยฝ cup (355 ml) 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.9 egg whites
- 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.ยฝ cup (80 g) sprinkles*
- 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.1 lb (453 g) unsalted butter
- Add salt and beat again for about 20 seconds.ยผ teaspoon salt
- Gradually, about 1 cup at a time, add powdered sugar, waiting until each cup is completely mixed before adding the next cup.6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar
- 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.6 Tbsp heavy cream
- Add flavoring (vanilla extract or emulsion). and stir on medium-high for 30 seconds.2 teaspoons LorAnn Princess emulsion or vanilla extract
- 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
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase anything through these links I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you. Please view the disclosure policy for more information.
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Recipe originally published 4/13/16 — text updated 4/13/17
Kristina
I made this recipe but replaced half the oil with applesauce. Turned out amazing! Thank you, this recipe is a keeper!!!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Kristina! Thank you for your update on using apple sauce. ๐
Chris Pollard
Damn. I took the day off work today to make this cake for my wife’s birthday. (Yep, 29 … again.) I haven’t made a scratch cake in a lot of years, and I’ve NEVER made a big honkin’ layer cake like this. But it looked SO good! Wow wow wow wow wow. SO good!! After the first 5 or 6 minutes in the oven, I was worried about the cake pans overflowing … it started rising like a souffle! But it was all good.
And let me say that normally, I’m not a big fan of buttercream frosting. It’s always WAY too sweet. But this one is fan-freakin-tastic!
The worst part was that the three layers made the cake too tall (even before frosting) for our cake platter/dome. So I ended up having to wrap a sheet of aluminum foil around it after dinner. LOL But such a great cake!! Thank you!!
Sam
Happy birthday to your wife!! I am so glad you enjoyed the cake so much, Chris! ๐
gab
Could you use this recipe for cupcakes as well?
Sam
They will work as cupcakes. They will need to bake for about 17 minutes. ๐
Rae
Hello, can this recipe be used for cupcakes?
Sam
Hi Rae! Yes the cupcakes will need to bake for about 17 minutes. ๐
Amy
Can you use vanilla emulsion or would you go with vanilla extract instead?
Sam
Hi Amy! Vanilla emulsion will work here but remember it does have a stronger flavor after baking than the vanilla extract so you will want to be careful with how much you use. Unless you like a really strong vanilla flavor that is. ๐
Monica
Hi! Iโm going to make this cake tonight for my daughters birthday tomorrow. Iโm using a Wilton Numbers and letters pan and pouring batter into the shape of a โ3โ. Will the baking time need to be reduced? Also, I plan on cutting the cake once baked in half, so that it can be a two layer number cake. Will this recipe be enough for that or will I need to double it? Thanks so much!
Sam
Hi Monica! Unfortunately I don’t know how much batter this cake pan holds and I have never baked with one, so without having one or ever used one I can’t advise on how much batter the pan holds. I would think the bake time would definitely be greatly reduced here.
Tina
Hi there! How far in advance do you make this cake? Whatโs ideal?
Sam
Hi Tina! Obviously the fresher the better in my opinion but it can be stored at room temperature for about a week before it really gets bad, just make sure it’s covered so it doesn’t dry out too much. ๐
Bella
Hi,
I was just wondering if I would be able to use cake flour instead of all-purpose? ๐
Sam
Hi Bella! You can substitute cake flour here. Make sure you use the proper substitution. If you are using weights it is the same weight measurement. If you are using cups you need 1c + 2TBSP of cake flour for every cup of flour in the recipe. ๐
Bella
Thank you!
My family and I love all your recipes!!
Sam
Thank you so much! I’m glad everyone enjoys them. ๐
Pam
Thank you thank you thank you!!! Sam, you did a great job! This is the scratch confetti cake recipe Iโve been looking for!!! I made it for my grandsonโs second birthday cake and it was perfect!
Canโt wait to try one of your other recipes!!!
Sam
I’m SO Happy to hear it was such a success, Pam!! Thank you so much for letting me know how it turned out for you, and I hope you love the rest of the recipes just as much! ๐
Shannae
Would it be ok to use almond milk for the cake batter?
Sam
Hi Shannae! The cake may be a little bit drier but I think it should still turn out. ๐
Lauren
I have made this once before and LOVED it! Now looking to make it again for a large birthday party and wondering – can this recipe be doubled? Or is it better to make it twice?
Sam
Hi Lauren! You can certainly double the recipe. The only thing I would caution you here is to not over-mix your batter or your egg whites. ๐
รoco
Can I use buttermilk?
Sam
Buttermilk should work here but you don’t have to use it. ๐
Kristen
Could you use whole milk instead of heavy cream? And do you think it would work alright in a rectangular or square pan?
Sam
Hi Kristen! Whole milk will work but it’s thinner so you will want to use a little bit less. You can bake it in really any pan you’d like, but make sure to not overfill the pan and keep an eye on it so you don’t end up over-baking the cake. ๐
Emilie Komykoski
Does this recipe cut in half well? I want to make it for my son’s first birthday ๐
Sam
Hi Emilie! It should work fine to cut it in half. The only part that may be tricky is the egg whites, but you can just leave out part of the white of the last egg you separate. ๐
Missy
I have made this cake many times and everyone loves it.
I have also used this recipe and not added the sprinkles so I will have a white cake or add food coloring to have a colorful cake.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Missy! ๐
Christina
Do you separate all 9 eggs to get the egg whites? Have you used the egg whites that are straight from a carton before? Going to try this recipe next week for my son’s first birthday!
Sam
Hi Christina! Yes I separate all of the whites from the eggs. I don’t recommend using carton egg whites. They tend to not whip up very well. Happy 1st birthday to your son! ๐
Christina
Do you separate all 9 eggs to get the egg whites? Have you used the egg whites that are straight from a carton before?
Sam
Hi Christina! Yes, you would need to separate all of the eggs to get the whites. I haven’t used the carton egg whites, people have reported mixed results from using them. Sometimes they don’t whip properly to stiff peaks, so my recommendation is to use fresh eggs when possible.