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
Ashley
Could I make the cake ahead of time and store in the fridge for a couple days? Or is it better to do it same day? Any advice?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Since the fridge tends to dry out cakes, we’d recommend preparing the cake layers, letting them cool, wrapping in plastic wrap, and letting them sit at room temperature until you’re ready to assemble. You can prepare the frosting in advance too and store that in an airtight container in the fridge. Hope that helps ๐
Rebecca K
I would love to know where you bought/what exact sprinkles you used in the pictured cae?
Sam
Hi Rebecca! I actually buy my sprinkles from a place online called “Country Kitchen Sweet Arts.” I then mix a bunch of them together to make my own blends so unfortunately I can’t tell you exact ratios and things like that. I just mix until it looks pretty. ๐
Karlee
Love this cake! I use it for all my birthday cakes (and unbirthday cakes) and everyone always loves it! I have always used the recipe, printed, from the original site, but couldn’t find it tonight. I was SO HAPPY to find it online again!
Thank you!
Meredith
Can fondant be used on top of this cake or will it be too soft?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Meredith! Fondant would work well on this cake. ๐
Sarah
I’m trying to make this today, but the flour measurement is not working out for me. I did both a measuring cup measurement and a weight measurement. I’m using King Arthur all-purpose. 4 cups + 2 Tbs leveled with a knife is more like 625g. I would need to drop almost 3/4 cup for the weight measurement to work out. Which should I follow?
P.S. The weight to cup measurement worked out perfectly for the sugar.
Sam
Hi Sarah! It sounds like you may accidentally be packing your flour into your cups too tightly. I do have a post on how to measure flour that can help account for some of the weight differences. You will want to use the grams listed as it is accurate. A cup of flour has been standardized on my site to be 125g (you may find some slight variations between sites of a few grams). The 516g will work and I’m afraid if you use the 625 your cake will come out a bit dry.
Samantha L
In your funfetti cupcakes, you have almond extract along with the vanilla. Can I add some almond to the cake too, or would the flavor be off?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
That should work just fine. Enjoy!
Samantha L
Thank you for the reply! Could I ask add other mix ins, like crushed Oreos in addition to sprinkles, or instead of?
Sam
That should work just fine. I do have an oreo cake you could try if you are looking for the oreo flavor. ๐
Ang
No bueno for me. I swear it is all in the measurements. I used my scale to measure in grams. I used the scale to measure my oil as well and I think that is where I went wrong. My cake is runny. And oh lord. the egg whites. I had more egg whites then I had cake batter. but I put all put all my measured ingredients in. Not sure that I would try this again. Im not a fan of -fetti. Its my daughters 18th birthday and she wanted one specially made by me. I flopped that up.
Sam
I’m so sorry this happened! I think the problem probably came from using the scale for your oil. While a lot of scales do have a ml setting on them, that is really only accurate to water so it’s best to measure liquids with a liquid measuring cup. ๐
LaWaine
I need a three layer 10 inch cake . Can I 1 and 1/2 this recipe.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Yes! Enjoy โค
Tiya
Hello, I made your funfetti cupcakes for my daughterโs birthday last year and it was the best! I want to make this cake with cream cheese frosting this time. Would that work? If yes, how much frosting would I need to fill and frost this cake? Could you also please tell me if I need to refrigerate the cake if I assemble it the previous night? How long can the cake stay out at room temperature? Thank you!
Sam
Hi Tiya! You could definitely use a cream cheese frosting here. I would recommend increasing the recipe by 50% to end up with close to the same amount that this recipe makes. Since it is a cream cheese frosting, for safety I would recommend storing it in the refrigerator. ๐
Tiya
Thanks for your response. How soon can I pull the cake out of the refrigerator before serving and how long can it sit out? Asking because it is for a kidโs Birthday Party ๐
Sam
It will be ok out of the refrigerator for several hours as long as it’s not really hot and humid. ๐
Amanda
Hello
I was just wondering if you know if this recipe would work out good for cupcakes. I know I would need to decrease the cooking time but any other helpful hints?
Sam
Hi Amanda! This will work for cupcakes. The bake time will be about 17 minutes. ๐
andrea
This didn’t work out for me. My center fell too. So disappointed to spend all this time on it and not have it work out
Sam
I’m so sorry this happened, Andrea! The most common causes of the cake sinking are the batter being over-mixed or the cake being slightly under-baked. The egg whites are where you need to be really careful mixing the batter. Once they reach stiff peaks you can fold them in by hand very very gently. I hope this helps and your cakes turn out better next time. ๐
Sarah
I have a question. Does this cake need to be refrigerated before and after serving?
Sam
Hi Sarah! There’s no need to refrigerate this cake. ๐
Novice Nelly!
Hi! Probably a silly question, but if I have only TWO 8-inch round pans, I assume I should adjust the recipe (i.e., make 2/3) accordingly? Instead of messing w/ bake times? Thanks!
Sam
So you can do 2/3 of the recipe, or if you want a 3rd layer you can bake the two cakes, saving the other batter until the first 2 are done and then bake the third cake. You won’t need to adjust bake times for doing 2 cakes instead of 3. You just want to make sure you don’t overfill your pans. ๐
Novice Nelly!
Thank you! I ended up making the full amount the recipe called for and using two pans — they were very tall layers! And needed slightly additional bake time, but not much. The cake tasted AMAZING — one friend rated it 12 out of 10, haha. Thank you!
Sam
Awesome! I’m so glad it turned out for you. ๐
Carolyn Johnson
Hello Iโm going to be making this for my sons first party do you know how long it will be good for? His party is on a Saturday could o make it on a Thursday and still taste good?
Sam
Hi Carolyn! That will be just fine. I would store it in an air tight container to keep it as fresh as possible. ๐
Amanda
This recipe was great! Everyone loved the cake. For a 12×18 cake pan would you recommend doubling the recipe or tripling?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Amanda! This recipe will make approximately 15 cups of batter. It looks like a 12 x 18 pan typically uses about 16 cups of batter, so you would probably be fine to make the recipe as is for the 12 x 18 ๐
Felicia Nicole Rearick
I am sincerely you can help me. I need to turn this recipe into a gluten free and dairy free recipe. I have the butter and the gluten free flour figured out. I just want to make sure I can use Almond milk in place of regular milk.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Others have used almond milk successfully, so you should be fine! It may just make it a little bit dry. Let us know how it turns out for you, Felicia! ๐
Felicia Nicole Rearick
Thank you!
Alisha
Oh my gosh this cake looks amazing! I am curious which type of food coloring ( gel? brand?) you used for this cake. The colors are so gorgeous and vibrant! TYSM for sharing
Sam
Hi Alisha! I use Americolor gel food coloring. I do remember using electric blue and electric pink, but I can’t remember the rest of them. The gels are all very vibrant and you could play with really any colors you’d like. ๐
Jacqueline Jourjy
This recipe is amazing! Always a favorite. The last few times Iโve made their cake, the cake turned out fairly dense and somewhat dry. Would you recommend trying cake flour instead of all purpose?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Jacqueline! We’re so sorry to hear you’ve had issues with the recipe recently. The most likely culprits of a dense/dry cake are over-mixing (make sure youโre combining wet and dry ingredients by hand), not whipping the egg whites fully to stiff peaks (make sure you also use a gentle hand when folding into the batter), and baking a bit too long (could your oven be running hotter than it lets on?). The recipe was designed with all-purpose flour, so it should turn out just fine with that! Hope that helps โค
Jackie Jourjy
Hi Emily! Thanks for that feedback.
Regarding the mixing, just to be clear – I shouldnโt use a stand mixer to mix the wet and dry ingredients? This is what Iโve been doing.
Also, I just moved to a new home where the oven does seem to be hot. The surface and sides of the cake brown quickly before the inside is cooked. Would you suggest heating to a lower temp in this scenario?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
So sorry for the confusion, Jackie! For this particular recipe, we do combine some of our wet and dry ingredients with a mixer, but we do so gradually to avoid over-mixing. Make sure you are only mixing until each ingredient is almost combined. As far as the oven temperature goes, we’d definitely recommend getting an oven thermometer or two to test its accuracy–most ovens are NOT at the temp they say they are. ๐ Once you determine how hot/cold your oven is running, you should be able to determine how to adjust accordingly. If this issue arose when you moved (since you were able to make it with no problems before!) then it could very well be the oven causing the dense/dry cake.
Felicia Nicole Rearick
Every time I have made this recipe I use cake flour I also add an additional egg white and a sliver more milk and oil as well as 2 more tablespoons of butter. It has come out PERFECT every time
Bethany
Thank you for this beautiful recipe! Can I make this in a 13×9 pan? Or would there be any adjustments? Any idea of baking time (or what the internal temp should be)?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Bethany! This recipe will work in a 9×13, but you will have excess batter. We aren’t sure of a baking time, so just keep an eye on it ๐