Confetti Cupcakes

Like a party in cupcake form, these sweet confetti cupcakes are flecked with plenty of fun and colorful sprinkles. My from-scratch version has a nostalgic taste and soft, fluffy texture you'll love.

Recipe includes a how-to video!

Course cupcakes, Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 17

Total Time 37

Servings cupcakes

Calories 200kcal

Author Sam Merritt

Equipment

Ingredients

3 Tablespoons (42 g) unsalted butter softened
¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
¼ cup (60 ml) avocado oil (may substitute canola or vegetable oil, or other neutral cooking oil)
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon almond extract (optional but recommended)
1 ½ cups (175 g) cake flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon table salt
½ cup (120 g) buttermilk room temperature preferred
3 large egg whites (room temperature preferred)
⅓ cup (60 g) colored sprinkles (use jimmies/standard sprinkles or quins, do not use nonpareils)
Vanilla frosting (or your preferred frosting, see note)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line a 12-count cupcake tin with paper liners. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine butter and sugar and use an electric mixer to beat until lightened and well-combined.
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, ¾ cup granulated sugar
Add oil and extracts and stir until smooth and creamy and completely combined.
¼ cup avocado oil, 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon almond extract
In a separate, medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well-combined.
1 ½ cups cake flour, ¾ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon table salt
Using a spatula, alternate adding the dry ingredients and buttermilk to the butter mixture. Start by adding about a third of the dry ingredients, gently fold into the butter mixture with a spatula, then add half the buttermilk and fold this into the batter until just combined. Repeat until all the buttermilk and flour mixture are added.
½ cup buttermilk
Pour egg whites until a clean, dry mixing bowl (preferably glass or metal – do not use rubber, silicone, or plastic).
3 large egg whites
Use an electric mixer to beat the egg whites until stiff peaks have formed (mixture will be thick and white and if you remove the beater from the mixture, the peaks that form should hold their shape and not fold over on themselves).
Add the whipped egg whites to the batter and use a spatula to gently fold into the mixture until about halfway combined. Add sprinkles and continue to gently fold until batter is uniform.
⅓ cup colored sprinkles
Evenly divide batter into prepared tin and transfer to center rack of 350F (175C) oven. Bake for 17 minutes/until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs (no wet batter).
Allow cupcakes to cool in the tin for 5-8 minutes before carefully removing to a cooling rack (I use a butter knife to gently pry them up and carefully remove them – be careful, the tin and cupcakes will still be hot!) to cool completely before frosting.

Video

Notes

Cake flour substitute

Cake flour is ideal for this recipe and will give you best results, but if you need to substitute all-purpose flour you will need 1 ⅓ cup + 1 Tablespoon (or 175 grams, yes, the weight will be the same regardless of which flour you use) of all-purpose flour.

Frosting

I like these cupcakes with my vanilla frosting. A full batch will allow you to generously decorate all of the cupcakes and will leave you with a little bit leftover. If you're not feeling vanilla, see my catalog of frosting recipes and choose your favorite – strawberry frosting would be excellent here too!

Storing

Store in an airtight container. Cupcakes will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days (though the fridge tends to dry them a bit).

Original recipe

I published the original recipe in 2017 but updated it in 2025. I now recommend this version, but if you are looking for the original you can find the original recipe here.

Nutrition