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
jayne
do you think chocolate vermicelli or chocolate sprinkles will turn out as good as the coloured sprinkles, or will they melt too much and ruin the cake
Alexandria
This recipe is a lifesaver. Love the way it’s written. Tysm!
Cindy
I need to know how many cupcakes this recipe will make. I need 25 for a Christmas display
Sam
I’d say at least 30. I did use this recipe as a base for a cupcake, if this is more helpful: https://sugarspunrun.com/confetti-cupcakes/
Kim
I love this cake! I’ve made it several times now and it’s so fluffy and tasty.
Im making this into a double tier for a party and wouldn’t you know it, oops, I’m out of milk… would buttermilk work or do I need to run to the store…
Sam
Hi Kim! Sorry I am just now seeing this e-mail, my spam filter caught a bunch of comments that weren’t actually spam. I’m sure my reply is too late now, but I have tried the funfetti cake with buttermilk and it turned out great!
sum
hi can i make in 6 inch pans?
Sam
Hi, you could but you would have to use more than three cake pans and I am not sure how long it would need to bake.
Sum
Thanks, I think I will just use the leftover batter for cupcakes! Is there any need to adjust recipe for cupcakes?
sum
Hi I would love to make this cake, was wondering if the cake itself is really sweet?
Sam
It is sweet, but I don’t find it to be overly sweet.
Teresa
Looking forward to trying this recipe is the + 2 tbsp of flour for the batter or for flouring the pans? thanks!
Sam
For the batter. I hope you love the cake! ๐
Laurel
I have made this cake twice now and loved it both times! Itโs tasty and moist and everything you want in a white cake. But both times my cakes got very dark on top – not burnt- just dark and almost crusty on top. Is this happening to everyone else?
Jessica
Hello!
Can I use cake flour instead of all-purpose? Any idea as to the ratio’s?
Thanks!
Danielle
Made this for my boyfriend’s birthday on the 25th. It turned out so good. I baked it in 13 by 9 for 45 to 50mins. Thanks for the great recipe!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed!! Thank you for coming back and letting me know how it turned out for you!! ๐
Sarah
How do you keep sprinkles from running. My cake turned green ๐
Melisa Gray
Hi Sam!
LOVE LOVE LOVE this cake!! I am so excited to make it for my husbands grandmother on her 87Th birthday. I was wondering, If I make the cake on Thursday and the party is on Saturday, should I bake it and refrigerate then wait and ice it on Friday? Or should I bake it AND ice it on Thursday and refrigerate it completed, until Saturday?? I just don’t want to lose any freshness nor do I want it to dry out?? I’m clearly worried about screwing it up! haha!
that you in advance! ๐
Sam
He Melisa! I’m so glad you like the cake! Here’s what I’ve been doing recently if I know I’m not going to be eating a cake right away — I actually like to let it cool completely and then wrap it very well in cling wrap (and then again in foil for good measure) and then freeze it. Then, the day before serving, I will remove it from the freezer, let it thaw for 30 minutes or so while still wrapped, and then unwrap and frost it as usual. I find that this makes my cakes extra moist and doesn’t dry them out at all, I also worry about my cakes drying out too much in the fridge so this would be my first suggestion.
However, you really won’t be letting the cake sit that long from Thursday to Saturday, so I think that if you prepared and iced it Thursday and refrigerated it (in an airtight cake container, preferably) and served it Saturday it would still be just fine and shouldn’t dry out.
I hope this helps, but please let me know if you have any other questions that I might be able to help with!!
Charmaine
Going to bake your funfetti cake for my son’s first day of school. I always bake cakes for my kids for the first and last days of school. I always do their favorite chocolate cake, but this time I wanted to do something different. Looking forward to trying your recipe. ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
Sam
I hope you LOVE it as much as my family does!! ๐
Tina
I would like to know if the butter can be unsaltes,and for the better can I pour it in one pan than cut the cake myself into layers
Sam
Yes you can use unsalted! As for baking all of the batter in one pan — if you have a pan large enough I am sure that it would work but the bake time would need to be adjusted. I’m not sure exactly how much longer it would take so I would check it regularly to make sure it doesn’t get overdone. I hope you enjoy!!
Lauren
Any thoughts or recommendations for baking this in a 4 inch or 7 inch pan? What about cupcakes?
Sam
I’ve made them as cupcakes and they turned out great! As for the 4 or 7 inch pans, I haven’t tried it but I think if you had enough of those pans it would be fine, the cook time would definitely need to be adjusted but I can’t say for sure how much.