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
Meagen
I tried to make this recipe tonight, but I must have done something wrong because the center wouldnโt cook. Itโs just raw dough. (Good thing this was a trial run.) Iโm not at a high elevation and I know my measurements were right, any suggestions on where I could have made my mistake(s).
Meagen
Also, what kind of milk do you recommend?
Sam
O no I’m so sorry this happened, Meagen! Is your oven temperature accurate? If the edges were baked and the inside was raw the oven may be too hot. I use whole milk here. I hope it goes better next time. ๐
S. Peterson
Typically just add a few more tablespoons of flour for high elevation. So for this recipe, I would do about 1/4 cup additional.
Kelsi Allen
Would this work in a sheet cake pan? 11 x 15? Without being too thin or would I need to double the recipe?
Sam
Hi Kelsi! Since this is a 3 layer cake it makes a lot of batter so this should be just enough, maybe even a little more batter than you need for an 11 x 15. ๐
Kaitlyn
I saw your note about not using nonpareils in the cake but wondered if they are okay to decorate the top of the cake with or if they will start bleeding into the frosting quickly?
Sam
Hi Kaitlyn! I think they will be fine on top. They may bleed a little bit into the frosting but it shouldn’t be really noticeable and it shouldn’t be streaky at all. ๐
Stephaรฑa
How would I convert this to bake into flat cake pan? I only have two rounds.
Sam
Hi Stephana! This will fit in an 11 x 15 pan, or you can just hold the batter and bake the third on after the first two finish. ๐
Heather
Can I make the layers ahead of time and freeze them (unfrosted)?
Sam
Hi Heather! This cake is normally good at room temperature for about a week in an air tight container. If you need to keep it longer than that, yes you can freeze the layers. ๐
Jordan Myrick
Hi! I made this cake on Friday night, and put it in the refrigerator, my friends birthday is tomorrow. Will this cake still be good by tomorrow? Or should me and my kids devour this one and make him a new one tomorrow? Lol. Thanks in advance!
Sam
Hi Jordan! I would definitely devour it and make another!!! ๐ As long as the cake has been in an air tight container it should still be fine. ๐
Jessie Smith
Hi! Iโm planning to make these as cupcakes for my daughterโs birthday next month. โบ๏ธ Would the oven temp or time be any different? Thanks!
Sam
Hi Jessie! The temperature will remain the same. They need to bake for about 17 minutes. ๐
Emily S.
Am I able to substitute cake flour for the all purpose flour ?
Sam
Hi Emily! You can substitute cake flour here, you just need to make sure to use the right amount. It’s not a 1 to 1 substitution. ๐
Ella Sultana
Hi!
Iโd like to make this cake but as a chocolate cake.
How would I adjust the recipe pls ?
Sam
Hi Ella! This won’t be a very easy switch. There are several alterations that will need to be made in order to accommodate the chocolate. It’s probably best if you just use a chocolate cake recipe. That being said, it’s not going to be very pretty because you won’t get all those colors popping inside the cake from the sprinkles.
Ella Sultana
I would like to make a 3 tiered chocolate cake so how much more batter would I need to the chocolate cake recipe to make it 3 tiered?
Also Iโve tried loads of your cakes ( German Chocolate, hot milk, vanilla, coconut, caramel, etc). They are all amazing and all my friends and family keep asking me to keep baking more and more! Thank you ๐๐
Sam
You can just increase the batter by 50% for a 3 layer cake. I am so glad you have enjoyed everything! I love hearing that it’s helping you bake more and more. It’s always fun when you make some delicious treats for friends and family. ๐
Valerie R
hey I want to do this recipe for a quince cake and loved the buttercream colors you used. Are they wilton icing colors? What shades(name of color) are they and how much did you use to get those beautiful vibrant colors?
Sam
Hi Valerie! I used Americolor food gels here. The exact amount I’m not really sure, normally a just a drop. I just add color until I get what I am looking for. It’s been a while but I think the colors I used were Electric Pink, Electric Blue, Lemon Yellow, Turquoise, Regal Purple, and Mint Green.
June Reimer
Can you tell me how to adjust the recipe for an altitude of 5,000 feet?
Sam
Hi June, I’m so sorry but unfortunately I am not familiar with high altitude baking to advise. I am hoping that someone else who is can chime in, though.
Brandy Crossman
How many cupcakes does this recipe make?
Sam
About 45
Jessie
Thanks for the recipe. Cake is tasty but far too sweet. I would suggest reducing the granulated sugar to 450-500g?
Sam
You could reduce the sugars to your taste here. ๐
Shelley Acord
I cannot find the recipe for the emulsion for the icing. I donโt see it in the notes.
Sam
Hi Shelley! The emulsion is a different ingredient instead of using vanilla extract. I found it at a local cake shop. ๐