Funfetti Cake from Scratch
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My light and fluffy, completely from scratch Funfetti cake recipe has over 600 five-star reviews and has even been featured on TV! ⭐️ It’s a soft white cake speckled with sprinkles and iced with buttercream frosting, perfect for beginners and advanced bakers alike. Makes the perfect homemade birthday cake! Recipe includes a how-to video!
Homemade Funfetti Cake Recipe
My fluffy Funfetti cake (also known as confetti cake) has been one of my most popular recipes for years (right up there with my “worst” chocolate chip cookies). Flecked with sprinkles, a plush, super soft texture, and a buttery, caramelized vanilla flavor–what’s not to love?
Developing this cake took me weeks and is still one of my proudest accomplishments (right there with my French macaron recipe). When I finally nailed it, I found that there were a few key ingredients that really made a difference, namely, whipped egg whites.
For maximum, fluffy softness (and snow-white color), this recipe calls for plenty of egg whites (and no egg yolks–save those for your tiramisu!). You’ll whip these separately with an electric mixer until they reach stiff peaks and then fold them (gently!) into the cake batter. This is easy and quick to do, and it’s critical for a light and fluffy white cake (don’t get me started on yellow Funfetti cakes–there should be no such thing!).
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Perfect taste, perfect texture. Largely thanks to the afore-mentioned whipped egg whites and a combo of butter and oil in the cake batter. Oil adds moisture, while butter adds flavor, so by mixing the two you achieve perfect balance. This is how I’ve designed so many of my cake recipes, and once you try it you’ll see why.
- Bright white color. This serves as the perfect backdrop to colorful sprinkles. This Funfetti cake gets its pristine color from using egg whites only, clear vanilla (instead of regular vanilla), and a neutral oil.
- So soft and fluffy. This gorgeous texture comes from a critical ingredient: whipped egg whites. I’ve repeated this technique in several recipes since, including my lemon cake, strawberry cake, and Oreo cake. All have a plush, light-as-air texture!
- Frosted with an easy peasy classic buttercream, though you could technically use any frosting you like. Fruity pebbles frosting, strawberry frosting, and cream cheese frosting are all nice alternatives!
What You Need
For the Cake Layers
- Flour. Back when I was first developing this recipe, cake flour was difficult for me to find and when I could, it was pricey. I developed this recipe specifically with the intention of achieving a light fluffy texture with regular ol’ all-purpose flour (and it worked *perfectly* if I do say so).
- Egg whites. It’s important that you separate your own eggs (do not use eggs from a carton) and make sure not to get even a drop of yolk in the whites. Room temperature eggs work best, so try to remember to set yours out ahead of time if you can. If you forget, use my trick to quickly bring eggs to room temperature (just make sure to thoroughly dry the eggs before cracking them).
- Milk. Whole milk is my preference, but I suspect a milk substitute (like almond milk) would work just fine. Whatever you use, ideally let it come to room temperature before adding it.
- Butter & oil. As mentioned above and used in my white cake and vanilla cake, a blend of the two balances flavor and texture of this Funfetti cake perfectly. For the oil, opt for a neutral cooking oil like canola, vegetable, or avocado oil (I like avocado oil, but it’s a bit more yellow and so colors the cake slightly). Using a particularly yellow butter or oil can affect the color of your cake.
- Baking powder. Not baking soda! It will seem like a lot, but it’s not (we’re making a big cake!). There is no baking soda in my Funfetti cake recipe, and that’s intentional. While this isn’t the main reason I don’t use baking soda, baking soda encourages browning and adding it would actually make the cake more golden inside.
- Vanilla. To maintain that pristine white color, I use clear vanilla in the cake layers. If you would rather opt for natural vanilla flavoring it will work perfectly well, just know your cake may be tinted a bit more golden.
- Sprinkles. Your sprinkle choice matters! Nonpareils can bleed into your batter and ruin that pristine white color. Stick with jimmies or quins–they add color without any bleeding.
SAM’S TIP: If you want to use cake flour instead of all-purpose flour, you must substitute properly. If you are using weights, the weight is the same; if you are using cups, you will need 4 1/2 cups of cake flour.
Frosting
This is a big three-layer cake, so you will need quite a bit of frosting to cover and decorate it. Just giving you a fair warning before anyone is alarmed by the amount of butter you’re about to see 😉.
- Butter. Yes, we are using a full pound (or four sticks) of butter here. Remember, this is a big Funfetti cake! I use unsalted butter and add salt separately, but if you use salted butter you likely won’t need to add any salt (taste-test the frosting and add a inch if needed — salt helps cut the sweetness and deepen the flavor).
- Powdered sugar. I highly recommend measuring your ingredients with a kitchen scale for the most accurate results (I link to the one I use in the recipe card, it’s inexpensive). It can be very easy to over-measure powdered sugar, much like measuring flour!
- Heavy cream. We’ll whip this into the frosting for a light and fluffy texture. Whipping cream or double cream would also work.
- Flavoring. For the frosting, I sometimes like to use Princess emulsion instead of vanilla (I also use this in my frosted animal cookies–another fun recipe). It accents the buttercream with notes of citrus and almond and keeps it from being overbearingly sweet. If you don’t have any or can’t find it, regular vanilla extract works perfectly.
SAM’S TIP: For that popular Milk Bar birthday cake look, frost your funfetti cake scantly on the outside and top with my confetti crumbs!
This is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Funfetti Cake
Make the batter
When making the batter, you’ll want to start with an electric mixer or a stand mixer (fitted with the paddle attachment) to combine all of your ingredients thoroughly and properly. Creaming the butter in the beginning is actually important for the best texture.
You want to make sure everything is well-combined, but also be careful not to over-mix (this comes into play when adding the milk and then again adding the egg-whites). Over-mixing the batter can cause dense, dry, or sunken results.
Whip the egg whites
Before you begin, make sure your bowl and beaters are completely clean, dry, and grease-free. Even a tiny bit of grease can prevent your egg whites from whipping properly!
Stiff peaks are our aim here! This means your egg whites will have greatly increased in volume, they’ll be bright white in color, and they’ll be fluffy. To test that you’ve reached stiff peaks, lift your beaters straight out of the whites. The peaks should hold firm without folding over or falling back in on themselves.
Fold in the egg whites and sprinkles
Gently is the way to go! Gently stir in all of the egg whites at once along with your sprinkles.
Use a spatula for this step and not your mixer. Your aim is to NOT over-mix. Instead, the goal is to combine everything without deflating those egg whites we just spent all that time whipping. Make sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to ensure everything is well combined.
You will lose some of the volume as you fold the batter, but try your hardest to incorporate the egg whites gently without totally deflating them.
Bake
Use the toothpick to test your cakes for doneness; a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake should come out clean or have a few crumbs when inserted in the center of each cake.
It’s important to keep a close eye on your Funfetti cakes as they near the end of the bake time; underbaking your cake can cause it to sink, while over-baking can dry it out (even just a minute or two too long can do this).
The outsides of the cake bake into a pretty golden color, but don’t panic! The insides will still be snow white.
Decorate
Let the cake layers cool completely before you decorate the cakes. I recommend using my buttercream frosting (in the recipe card below) as it’s a classic Funfetti cake pairing, but I have a whole catalog of frosting recipes that would work well here. Just note that most of those recipes are for 2 layer cakes so you will have to scale up by at least 50%.
I also recommend doing a crumb coating on the cake before decorating. This mean applying a thin layer to the outside of the cake then freezing it for 15 minutes before continuing to decorate. This will catch any crumbs and help your frosting apply more smoothly.
SAM’S TIP: New to cake decorating? I have a guide on how to decorate a cake that’s perfect for for beginner cake decorators! You’ll learn everything from what equipment you need to how to do crumb coat.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe makes about 12 cups of batter.
For a two layer Funfetti cake: I recommend you make my white cake recipe and add ⅓ cup of sprinkles. That recipe is actually the same as this one, but scaled down to fit two pans (and doesn’t have sprinkles, obviously!).
For a 9×13″ pan: you would technically need to reduce the recipe by ⅓. This can get tricky, so I usually recommend making the recipe as-is and using the excess batter for cupcakes (though they won’t have nice rounded tops–see below).
If you are looking for a good Funfetti cupcake recipe, I recommend making my confetti cupcakes or white cupcakes (add sprinkles) instead, as those form nice round tops. This recipe makes tasty cupcakes, but they bake up flat.
I do not recommend it, as they provide inconsistent results (and most say they are not meant for whipping). Instead, separate your own eggs and repurpose the yolks in another recipe like my pastry cream, crème brûlée, lemon crumb bars, lemon curd, key lime pie, or chocolate pie.
Yes! To do this, stir the food coloring into the batter before adding the egg whites. Gel food coloring is best for most vibrant color.
A big thank you to every one of you who has already tried my Funfetti cake recipe and reviewed it 💕 I appreciate you!
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! Subscribe to my newsletter to be notified of all the newest recipes, and find my free recipe tutorials on YouTube 💜
Funfetti Cake from Scratch
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (recommended)
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 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons table salt
- 1 ½ cup (355 ml) milk
- 9 (315 ml) large egg whites, room temperature preferred
- ½ cup (80 g) sprinkles, see note
Buttercream
- 1 lb (453 g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar
- 6 Tbsp (89 ml) heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons LorAnn Princess emulsion or vanilla extract
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) and lining the bottoms of each pan with a round of parchment paper.
- In stand mixer (or using an electric hand 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 extract.4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- In a separate, medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together your flour, baking powder, and salt.4 cups+ 2 Tbsp (516 g) all-purpose flour, 4 ½ teaspoons baking powder, 1 ½ teaspoons table 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.1 ½ cup (355 ml) milk
- In separate mixing bowl (use a clean, dry, and grease-free bowl, use glass or metal), combine your egg whites and stir with an electric mixer, gradually increasing speed from low to high and continuing to beat on high-speed until stiff peaks form.9 (315 ml) large egg whites
- Add egg whites and sprinkles to the batter. 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.½ 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 butter knife around the inside rim of each pan and carefully invert each onto a cooling rack.
- Allow to cool completely before frosting.
Frosting
- Place butter in the bowl of a stand mixer in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Use the paddle attachment or an electric mixer to beat butter on medium-speed until smooth and creamy.1 lb (453 g) unsalted butter
- Add salt and beat again for about 20 seconds.¼ 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
- One Tablespoon 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 (89 ml) heavy cream
- Add flavoring (vanilla extract or emulsion). and stir on medium-high for 30 seconds. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula to ensure all ingredients are well-combined.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. For more detailed decorating instructions, see my post on how to decorate a cake.
Notes
Sprinkles
Use sprinkles/jimmies or round sequin “quin” sprinkles, do NOT use nonpareils or they may bleed through your batter and ruin the coloring of your cake.Using 9″ pans
This cake may also be made in three 9″ pans, just decrease the baking time. Start checking the cakes for doneness at 25 minutes.Storing
Store this cake tightly covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. This cake may also be frozen, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap then foil, for up to 3 months.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
Recipe originally published 4/13/16 — text and photos updated Feb 2025
Hello. I would like to try this cake in an 11×17 pan. Would I need to make any changes to recipe? How long would I bake it? Thank you
Hi Danielle! You will have a good bit of excess batter. I’m not sure if you could cut it in half, that may not leave you with enough to fill the pan. I’m not sure on a bake time. You’ll want to just keep an eye on it. 🙂
I’m wanting to make this cake for a party. I want to make a 9×13 cake and then use the rest of the batter for cupcakes. I see that the cupcakes take around 17 minutes to bake. How about the 9×13 cake? also how many cupcakes should I expect to have?
Hi Marie! Unfortunately I haven’t personally made it in a 9 x 13 so I can’t say for sure what the bake time would be or how many cupcakes you would get. 🙁
Hi there 🙂
If I’m making 3 6” layers of cake do you happen to know approx how many cupcakes I could make with the remaining batter?
I’m hoping to make a cake for my daughters first birthday party and am wondering how much more cupcake batter to make on top of this remaining batter 🥰
Hi Rachel! I don’t know how many cupcakes you will be left with, but I hope you enjoy the cake. 🙂
Hello!
Attempting this recipe for my son’s birthday – I’d like to do two 9-inch layers and cupcakes with the remaining batter. Do you know how many cupcakes I should expect?
Hi Jess! You will get about 12 cupcakes. 🙂
Can I make this as a white cake with no sprinkles added? If so, do I need to change the baking time?
Hi Jordan! That will work just fine. There’s no need to change the bake times. 🙂
Hi! I have made this cake several times and it has come out deliciously perfect each time!! Solid recipe that has never failed me (the case for all of your recipes that I’ve tried!)
I am planning on making it for my daughters birthday next week and I have a question! How long can I freeze the layers before frosting them?
For context- we are going to be at the beach next week on her actual birthday and, for the sake of not having to pack my kitchen aid, dry ingredients, pans, etc, I was thinking of making and baking here at the house, freezing it, then transporting it (while hopefully keeping it very cold for the 2.5 hour trip there) to the beach house freezer, and taking it out the day of her birthday to frost and serve!
Total “freezer” time would be almost 5 days. Any thoughts/suggestions?? Thank you so much!!
Hi Tam! This will stay good frozen for several weeks so 5 days should be just fine. 🙂
Hi! What type of milk do you use? Fat free, 1%, 2% or whole milk?
And have you ever used cake flour instead of all purpose flour?
Hi Charlotte! We like whole milk for this recipe. Cake flour will work fine as long as you substitute properly. If you are using weights you can use the same weight when substituting one for the other. If you are using cups, you will need to use 1c + 2 Tbsp of cake flour for ever 1c of all purpose flour that the recipe calls for. Hope that helps!
I have a half sheet pan with 3 inch sides. I want to make this recipe fit that pan. How can I go about converting the amounts?
Hi Nicole! This cake will result in about 12 cups of batter so use that number to adjust for your pan. 🙂
Hi! Can I half the recipe?
Sure! Enjoy, Geula ☺️
Hello!
I am making a large birthday cake for my nieces first birthday! I had wanted to make increase the batter to make the suggested 3, 9 inch and then ALSO 2, 6 inch rounds and cupcakes – do you have a suggestion on temp and baking time for cupcakes and the 6 inch rounds? Also would you recommend doubling or tripling your recipe?
Thank you for your help! I hope to hear back soon cause I have to make this tomorrow!
Thanks so much!!!
Thank you for your help!
Hi Keenan! If you double the recipe you will be able to make the 3 9″ layers as well as the 2 6″ layers and probably get about 24 cupcakes as well. The temperature will remain the same on the 6 inch cake, but I’m not sure on a bake time. For the cupcakes, I would follow the baking instructions on my confetti cupcakes. 🙂
Hi I was wondering why you chose all purpose flour verses cake flourThanks,
Hi Deborah! I just found that the all purpose flour works best in this cake. 🙂
Hi Sam,
I have made this cake four times now. The first two times they turned put absolutely fabulous! The past two times, I haved noticed that the flavor is bland and eggs (even smells eggy). I have followed the recipe to a “t” each time, with no deviations. Any thoughts on what might be causing the bland/eggy taste?
Hi Laura! It sounds like the cake might have been over-baked. That can cause the flavor you’re describing 🙁
Have you ever made cupcakes with this recipe. Any idea how long to bake and would it be the same temp? Thanks in advance.
Hi Christine! Many other people have done so with success. The temperature would remain the same. The bake time would probably be about 17 minutes. 🙂
Hello Sam,
Is the primary reason for using Egg Whites only, just because of color OR does it affect the texture/taste of the cake as opposed to using whole eggs?
If I weren’t too concerned about making this cake a nice white, could I use whole eggs for this cake, instead?
If using whole eggs can work for this, how many could one use & will any other change need made to the recipe – baking time/milk?
Additionally, if I use Cake Flour for this cake, can I do a 1:1 substitution (4c + 2 tbsp) OR change the flour quantity?
Hi Neha! The egg whites are used here for texture and color. We whip them to stiff peaks, which gives the cake a light and fluffy texture. Using whole eggs wouldn’t allow for this. If you’re looking for a cake that uses whole eggs, we’d recommend our vanilla cake instead. Hope that helps!
Hi Sam,
I tried making this cake (3 8″ layers) and it ran over the sides of the cake pans. I made myself a note “Use (9″ x 3″ DEEP pans next time. Why did my first attempt run over the 8” pans. I’m hesitant to try it again as the last attempt was a flop. Help please
Hi Julie! How frustrating! How deep are your cake pans? The pans I use are pretty standard (you can see in the video, if that’s helpful) and I have never had them run over before.
Hi Sam, is it possible to use a 13×9 for this recipe?
Also, have you ever tried your cream cheese frosting with this?
Thank you!
Andrea
Hi Andrea! It will make a bit too much batter for a 9 x 13, but you can just bake the extras into cupcakes. The cream cheese frosting will certainly go well with it. 🙂
Hello! I was wondering if I can make the frosting ahead of time? If so, how many days ahead? Also, my daughter would like a strawberry filling between the cakes… will this mess anything up?
Hi Brooke! The frosting can be stored for up to two weeks in the fridge. Note that it will firm up though, so you will need to let it soften at room temperature before using. And yes, the strawberry filling should work just fine here, as long as you use an icing dam to hold it in 😋
How can I decrease this recipe to make just enough for a 9×13 pan with no extras?
Hi Madison! Try my white cake recipe (it’s the same but only two layers and no sprinkles) and add sprinkles. Enjoy! 🙂
Thank you for not quitting! I really enjoy your recipes and appreciate the time and effort that must take to do this! It helps me to open up and learn new and different ways of cooking, even though I have been cooking for over 60 years, there is always room for growth and you make it easy! Thank you! The recipes are delicious!
Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe! It was perfect in every way! Light, fluffy, and delicious!
I am wanting to make this for my sons birthday party this weekend however it is a lego party and I am stacking two 9X13 cakes. How should I adjust the recipe and timing?
Hi Gabriella! You’d likely need to increase the recipe by 50% to get enough to fill 2 9 x 13s. I’m not sure on a bake time for those though.
Hi Sam, I’m doing something similar to make 2 x stacked sheet cakes, but I only have one 11 x 14 pan. Is it ok to let the second half of the cake mix sit until the first cake is baked?!
Hi Sarah! You run the risk of the egg whites deflating while it sits, but personally I would probably give it a shot. I think it could work. 🙂
Hi I’m making this cake for my daughters 3rd birthday and just wanted to clarify what gram the butter is?
Thank you
Hi! 127g. Enjoy (and happy birthday to your daughter, what a fun age!).
The most flavorful cake!
I have been using this recipe for years. Birthday cakes, wedding cakes & cupcakes. It has been such a hit and everyone that has taken a bite absolutely raves about it. My only question is why o why does it sink when I add a bit of lemon zest.
If I wanted to make this cake into 3 6” pans, should I cut the recipe in half?
Hi Justine! I think cutting it in half will work here. 🙂
I am looking to try this recipe with 3 6 inch pans, too. Would the temperature and bake time remain the same or should I adjust! Thanks!
Hi Kelly! The temperature won’t change, but the cakes will bake for less time. Just be sure to keep an eye on them so they don’t over-bake. We hope you love the cake! 🙂
When baking soda reacts and an acid mix, lemon juice or buttermilk, the reaction releases carbon dioxide as a byproduct contributing to leavening in baked goods. Once zest is added it add extra leavening to the cake causing it to rise too quickly then deflate.