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
Diana
I didnโt enjoy this at all. I followed the steps exactly, The flavor was not right, not sweet enough and and had a slight taste of flour? I think the oil AND Butter was excessive, definitely not light and fluffy. Not dense, but not fluffy. Also my cake was hard on the outside and soft on the inside. Iโm sure this was due to the folding of the egg whites. The buttercream was basic. I am really disappointed. This was for my daughterโs birthday and I felt embarrassed to serve it.
Sam
Disappointed to hear it didn’t turn out for you, Diana! I have not had this happen so I’m not sure what went wrong. It is a classic buttercream recipe.
Karen
You should of made a sample cake before waiting last minute to make it for your daughters birthday party . Just saying …
Donna
Why did my cakes sink in the middle while cooling?
Sam
They could have been over-mixed or under-baked.
Leah Kinworthy
What sprinkles should I buy to make this cake?
Sam
Use jimmies or quins, don’t use nonpareils
Erin
How long would you cook for cupcakes?
Sarah
Could this recipe be made with cake flour instead of all-purpose?
Jennifer Bailey
This looks great! I am trying to find a confetti cake recipe that can be frozen a week in advance. Have you ever frozen it? Also, if I were to make cupcakes with it how long to you recommend baking this for? Thanks!
Janille
The cake is super moist which I love. But itโs a little too sweet for me. Can I use less sugar next time and if yes how much less.
Sam
I imagine the sugar probably could be reduced, but I’ve never tried it with less so I’m not sure how much less you can get away with.
Alex
I’m so excited to give this cake a try – my friend has a kid who’s turning 10 and loves funfetti cake, so this will be my contribution at the party this weekend! Do you have any suggestions on what to do with the leftover yolks? I’d hate to waste them!
Sam
I hope everyone loves the cake! I like to use my extra yolks to make Chocolate pie:
https://sugarspunrun.com/chocolate-pie/
Alexandra
This recipe looks like so much fun! I’m going to try it out for my friend’s kid’s birthday this weekend. I was wondering, do the sprinkles melt during baking, or are they still a bit crunchy in the cake after it’s done?
Lisa
I’m wondering the same thing about the sprinkles. I don’t want a crunch in the cake. Is there a certain type or shape of sprinkle that should be used?
Sam
I use standard sprinkles/jimmies and there’s never any crunch, they just sort of melt into the cake while baking, leaving pops of color but no sprinkles behind.
Caroline
My layers were so perfect and I am glad I bought the emulsion to change up the frosting. Super fun. and happy to have a recipe for funfetti not from a box. I made this for my daughter’s 6th birthday and there were lots of ooh and aahs when we cut the first piece. =P
Taylor Orchard
Hello, I am just wondering if you can make this cake a few days in advance and have it taste fresh 3-4 days later. I am making this for a cousin’s birthday party and I would like to make it Monday or Tuesday and have them eat it on Saturday.
Haley Miller
I made this the other day and it is the best recipe for cake I have ever used! It was so light and had a great flavour. I used the circle sprinkles and the colour didn’t bleed at all into the cake. This recipe is definitely a keeper!!
Sam
I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed the cake, Haley! Thank you for letting me know how it turned out for you!! ๐
Kayleen
Hi Sam
I’m making a cake for my grandson’s graduation after party – 9×12 2 layers. I’m wondering with your recipe would I need to double the recipe or is their enough batter for 2 – 9×12 ? I’m excited to try this recipe of yours. Thank you
Kayleen
Sam
Hi Kayleen! I’m sorry that I’m just now seeing your comment, it was sucked into my spam filter!
I think that one batch wouldn’t be quite enough for two 9×12 pans, or if it was they would be very thin layers. I’d honestly recommend scaling the recipe by 50% and I think that would give you enough, or you can just plain double the recipe and if you have any leftover batter you could just use for cupcakes.
Just a heads up that the recipe as is makes a lot of batter and pretty much fills up my KitchenAid bowl, so it might be better/easier to make it in two batches instead of just doubling everything in the same bowl.
I hope that helps!
Della
Would I need to adjust the baking time if im using a 7″ pan?
Sam
Yes, it will likely need a bit longer
Michelle Phillips
Hello! Looking forward to trying out your recipe. Can this be made into a sheet cake? If so what size pan should be used? How long should it party in the over?
Sam
Hi Michelle!
I haven’t baked it into a sheet cake but it should bake just fine this way. I’d say the batter should fit into a 9×13 pan but it may make a bit more batter than you need for that pan. I’m not certain how long it would need to bake so I’d recommend just keeping an eye on it and looking for the top to turn a light golden brown and using a toothpick test to check when it is done.