Colorful Homemade Funfetti Cake Recipe

Playful Rainbow Funfetti Cake Recipe For Instant Joy

Every baker craves a showstopping dessert that sparkles with homemade funfetti cake magic right in the center of their culinary repertoire.

Birthdays and celebrations demand something special that goes beyond ordinary recipes.

Colorful sprinkles dance throughout this soft, tender cake, creating a delightful canvas of joy and sweetness.

The simple ingredients blend seamlessly to craft a dessert that brings smiles to faces of all ages.

Each slice promises a burst of festive cheer with its vibrant, playful appearance.

Baking this cake transforms an everyday moment into a memorable celebration.

You’ll fall in love with how easy and delicious this classic treat can be.

Baking Instructions for a Colorful, Soft Funfetti Cake

  • Warm Up the Oven

Get your oven ready by heating it to 350°F and preparing your cake pans with a light greasing and dusting of flour.

  • Create the Dry Base

Whisk together your dry ingredients until they’re perfectly blended and smooth.

  • Whip Up the Butter Mixture

Cream butter and sugar together until they become wonderfully light and airy, creating a fluffy foundation for your cake.

  • Build Your Batter

Gently incorporate egg whites, vanilla, and sour cream into your butter mixture. Slowly fold in flour and milk, mixing until everything just comes together.

  • Add the Fun

Sprinkle in colorful confetti pieces, folding them delicately through the batter to create magical bursts of color.

  • Bake to Perfection

Pour the batter into prepared pans and bake for 25-30 minutes. Check doneness with a toothpick – it should come out clean.

  • Cool and Decorate

Let the cakes cool completely, then whip up a creamy frosting. Spread the frosting generously and shower with extra sprinkles for a playful finish.

Tips for Frosting, Sprinkles, or Layering Options

  • Carefully fold sprinkles into batter at the last moment to prevent color bleeding and maintain vibrant cake appearance.
  • For high-altitude baking, reduce baking powder by 1/4 teaspoon and increase flour by 2 tablespoons to ensure proper cake rise.
  • Swap sour cream with coconut yogurt and use plant-based milk to create a delicious vegan version of this festive cake.
  • Wrapped tightly, cake layers can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 weeks, allowing stress-free party preparation and convenient serving.
  • Experiment with different extract flavors like almond or coconut instead of vanilla to create unique taste profiles while keeping the fun sprinkle theme.

Fun Ways to Serve Funfetti Cake at Any Celebration

  • Sprinkle Spectacular Party Centerpiece: Transform the cake into a stunning birthday table focal point by surrounding it with matching colorful sprinkles, extra cake decorations, and coordinating party accessories.
  • Festive Color Coordination: Choose sprinkle colors that match the party theme or celebration, creating a visually stunning dessert that complements the entire event's color palette.
  • Kid-Friendly Decoration Station: Set up a fun frosting and sprinkle decorating area where children can personalize cake slices with their own creative touch, turning dessert into an interactive experience.
  • Slice and Share Social Moment: Cut the cake into playful triangular or rectangular shapes, presenting each slice on a colorful plate that highlights the cake's vibrant sprinkle-filled interior.

Storage Advice to Keep Cake Moist and Pretty

  • Keep cake layers wrapped individually in plastic wrap at room temperature for 2-3 days, maintaining moisture and freshness.
  • Wrap unfrosted cake layers tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, storing flat in freezer for up to 3 months – perfect for make-ahead desserts.
  • Store frosted cake covered in refrigerator for 4-5 days. Allow cake to sit at room temperature 30 minutes before serving to soften frosting and enhance flavor.
  • Prepare cake components separately – bake layers, make frosting, and store individually up to 3 days in advance, then assemble when ready to serve for maximum convenience and minimal stress.

Quick Recipe Overview

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Calories: 210 kcal

Servings: 13

Ingredients for Easy Homemade Funfetti Cake

For Dry Ingredients:
  • All-Purpose Flour: Provides the cake's structure and tender crumb, choose unbleached flour for best texture.
  • Baking Powder: Helps the cake rise and become light, ensure it's fresh for maximum leavening power.
  • Baking Soda: Assists in browning and helps create a soft texture, check for recent expiration date.
  • Salt: Enhances overall flavor and balances sweetness, use fine table salt for even distribution.
For Wet Ingredients:
  • Butter: Creates rich flavor and tender crumb, use unsalted for precise flavor control.
  • Sugar: Sweetens and helps create golden color, select granulated white sugar for consistent results.
  • Egg Whites: Provides structure and lightness, use room temperature eggs for better incorporation.
  • Vanilla Extract: Adds depth and aromatic flavor, choose pure vanilla for most authentic taste.
  • Sour Cream: Adds moisture and tangy richness, full-fat version works best for creamy texture.
  • Milk: Helps create smooth batter consistency, whole milk recommended for richer taste.
For Decorative Ingredients:
  • Sprinkles: Adds colorful fun and festive appearance, select rainbow jimmies for classic funfetti look.
  • Powdered Sugar: Creates smooth, sweet frosting, sift to prevent lumps.
  • Cream or Milk (for frosting): Adjusts frosting consistency, add gradually for perfect spreadability.

Tools That Help You Bake Funfetti with Ease

  • Large mixing bowl: Perfect for creaming butter and sugar, mixing cake batter.
  • Medium mixing bowl: Ideal for whisking dry ingredients.
  • Electric mixer or stand mixer: Essential for beating butter, sugar, and creating smooth frosting.
  • Measuring cups and spoons: Crucial for accurate ingredient measurements.
  • 9-inch round cake pans: Needed to bake cake layers.
  • Whisk: Great for combining dry ingredients smoothly.
  • Spatula: Helps fold sprinkles and scrape batter into pans.
  • Wire cooling rack: Allows cakes to cool evenly after baking.
  • Toothpick: Helps check cake doneness.
  • Parchment paper (optional): Prevents cake from sticking to pans.
Print
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Colorful Homemade Funfetti Cake Recipe


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  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 13 1x

Description

Colorful sprinkles dance through this delightful homemade funfetti cake, creating pure birthday bliss. Moist layers of vanilla-infused happiness promise sweet celebrations for cake enthusiasts craving nostalgic childhood memories.


Ingredients

Scale
  • ½ cup rainbow sprinkles (jimmies work best)
  • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  • ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 4 large egg whites
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 23 tablespoons heavy cream or milk
  • 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • Pinch of salt
  • Extra sprinkles for topping (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preparation: Warm the oven to 350F (175C). Coat two 9-inch round cake pans with grease and flour, or line with parchment paper for effortless removal.
  2. Dry Ingredient Blend: Thoroughly combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl, ensuring even distribution of leavening agents.
  3. Butter Mixture: Cream butter and sugar in a spacious bowl until the mixture transforms into a light, airy consistency, approximately 2-3 minutes of vigorous mixing.
  4. Moisture Integration: Introduce egg whites individually, thoroughly incorporating each before adding vanilla extract, creating a smooth, homogeneous base.
  5. Batter Development: Fold in sour cream, then alternately mix flour mixture and milk, beginning and concluding with flour. Blend until ingredients are just harmonized, avoiding overmixing.
  6. Sprinkle Infusion: Gently fold colorful sprinkles throughout the batter, distributing them evenly to ensure a uniform confetti effect.
  7. Pan Filling and Baking: Evenly distribute batter between prepared pans, smoothing surfaces. Bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick emerges clean when inserted.
  8. Cooling Process: Allow cakes to rest in pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack for complete cooling, preserving their delicate structure.
  9. Frosting Creation: Whip butter until creamy, gradually introducing powdered sugar, vanilla, salt, and cream. Beat until the frosting achieves a light, pillowy texture.
  10. Final Assembly: Generously frost the cooled cake layers, adorning the top with an additional sprinkle of colorful confetti for a festive finish.

Notes

  • Toss sprinkles in a tablespoon of flour before folding into batter to prevent color bleeding and ensure even distribution throughout the cake.
  • Allow all ingredients to reach room temperature before mixing to create a smoother, more consistent cake batter with better rise and texture.
  • Gently fold ingredients just until combined to maintain the cake’s light and tender crumb, preventing a tough or dense final result.
  • Swap regular flour with gluten-free flour blend, use dairy-free milk and butter alternatives, and replace egg whites with aquafaba for a versatile, allergy-friendly version of the funfetti cake.
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Category: Desserts
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 13
  • Calories: 210
  • Sugar: 15 g
  • Sodium: 200 mg
  • Fat: 8 g
  • Saturated Fat: 5 g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
  • Trans Fat: 0 g
  • Carbohydrates: 30 g
  • Fiber: 1 g
  • Protein: 3 g
  • Cholesterol: 30 mg
Michael Thompson

Michael Thompson

Founder & Culinary Director

Expertise

Classical & Contemporary Cooking Techniques, Global Cuisine Appreciation, Nutrition & Menu Engineering, Sustainable Cooking Practices, Farm-to-Table Cuisine

Education

Southwestern Oregon Community College

  • Program: Culinary Arts, Associate of Applied Science
  • Focus: Emphasis on mastering core culinary competencies, like safety and sanitation, hot, cold, and pastry techniques, while cultivating appreciation of global cuisines and developing operational skills in nutrition, menu design, costing, purchasing, and supervisory management.

Michael grew up in Oregon, where he learned early that food tastes better when it’s fresh, local, and made with care. 

After earning his degree from the Southwestern Oregon Community College, he focused his career on teaching others how to cook with the seasons, reduce food waste, and reconnect with what’s on their plate.

Michael keeps his cooking simple, sustainable, and full of flavor. His favorite part of the process? Watching people realize how easy and satisfying it can be to cook a single great meal from scratch.

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