There’s something about sprinkles that make everything more fun! This is an easy vanilla cake recipe with rainbow sprinkles that brighten up the cake! It’s light and fluffy and full of color. It’s a single tier 6 inch cake, perfect for small celebrations or a weeknight dessert.
Funfetti cake is also known as confetti cake and rainbow sprinkle cake. The Phillsbury brand actually owns the trademark to funfetti in the baking mixes category so the other brands of cake mix have to use copycat names like Betty Crocker Super Moist Party Rainbow Chip and Duncan Hines Rainbow Confetti cake. I’ve always called it funfetti though, so we’ll stick with that name.
There’s something that’s so fun and childlike about a cake full of sprinkles, the bright colors and the sweet vanilla frosting bring me back to childhood. So after I created my Easy Vanilla Cake recipe I wanted to spice it up and add some sprinkles to transform it into a funfetti cake!
This recipe is nice and easy, and makes a single tier 6 inch round cake, just enough for a small celebration. It uses the reverse creaming method to mix the butter into the dry ingredients rather than creaming the butter and sugar. If you’ve made my Vanilla Cake then you’re ready to make this one, it’s the same base recipe but adds sprinkles and almond extract for extra flavor. I find the almond extract adds dimension to the flavor and makes it special.
Equipment Needed
- 6 inch cake pan: One 6in round cake pan
- Parchment Paper: Line the cake pan with a circle of parchment paper to avoid the cake sticking.
- Stand Mixer or handheld mixer: I use a 5qt Kitchen Aid stand mixer for all of my recipes. This recipe can be made using a handheld mixer as well. I do not recommend making this recipe without a mixer as we need the butter to reverse cream into the dry ingredients and be equally distributed.
- Scale: the most accurate method of measuring
Key Ingredients
Rainbow Sprinkles
- Sprinkles are essential for funfetti cake! They give the cake color and excitement. Use ones labeled “sprinkles” or “jimmies” rather than “nonpareils”- nonpareils are the little colored balls that are used for decorating the outside of cakes. These will bleed color into your batter and you’ll end up with a not so appetizing blend of colors.
- Fold the sprinkles gently into the batter, don’t mix with the mixer. This helps prevent the sprinkles from breaking into smaller pieces or bleeding color into the batter. Just gently fold your batter a few times until the sprinkles are equally distributed.
Almond Extract
- Almond Extract adds dimension to the flavor of this cake. Sprinkles don’t actually have much flavor, so this adds flavor and makes this cake more exciting than a plain vanilla cake.
Cake Flour
- I recommend using cake flour for this recipe- it has less protein that all purpose flour and gives your cakes a light and fluffy texture. You can find cake flour in most grocery stores in the baking aisle, I recommend King Arthur or Swans Down.
- If you don’t have cake flour on hand- you can make a substitute with all purpose flour and cornstarch sifted together. Measure 1 cups AP flour, remove 2 tablespoons of flour, add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Sift twice.
Sour Cream
- Sour cream adds moisture and fat to the cake which makes it taste great. I don’t recommend leaving this out, as it will significantly change the texture of the cake.
How to Make Funfetti Cake
- Make sure your key ingredients (sour cream, butter, egg whites) are at room temperature- I like to take them out of the fridge about an hour before baking.
- Tip for egg whites- it’s much easier to separate a cold egg into egg whites and yolk, rather than a room temperature egg. So take your 2 eggs out of the fridge, get two bowls and a container for the yolks, separate your eggs putting each egg white into it’s own bowl and then put the two yolks into your container and back in the fridge to use for another recipe.
- Preheat your oven to 325°F convection setting (or 350°F standard)
- Prepare your cake pan- take 1 6 inch round cake pan, spray with cooking spray or line with a circle of parchment paper. This is so the cake doesn’t stick to the pan when you go to take it out after cooling.
- Measure the sour cream, canola oil, vanilla extract and almond extract. Set aside, these are your wet ingredients.
- In the bowl of your mixer, with the paddle attachment, measure the cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
- With the mixer on low, add the room temperature butter in small pieces to the dry ingredients. Keep the mixer running until you create a sandy texture with the butter broken up into evenly sized pieces, about 2 and half minutes. Scrape down the bowl
- With the mixer on medium, slowly pour in the liquids mixture. The batter will look lumpy at this point, just keep mixing until it is evenly combined.
- Scrape down the bowl, ensuring there are no clumps of flour stuck on the bottom of the bowl
- Add 1 egg white and mix on low until it is fully absorbed, about 1 minute
- Scrape down the bowl
- Add the second egg white and mix until it is fully absorbed
- Turn off the mixer, add in the sprinkles. Fold the batter gently with a spatula to evenly distribute the sprinkles.
- Pour into the prepared pan, bake for 30 minutes at 325°F convection setting (or 350°F standard), until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean
- Cool on a cooling rack for 15 minutes before removing from pan and then cool completely before frosting, about 1 hour
For the Vanilla Frosting
- In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the room temperature butter until light and fluffy about 2 minutes.
- Gradually add in the powdered sugar, mixing well.
- Add in the heavy cream, this helps thin the mixture while giving it a rich and creamy taste.
- Add the vanilla extract
- Beat well until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes
Assembly
- Chill the fully cooled cake in the fridge for 20 minutes so it’s easier to work with
- Using a small amount of frosting do a crumb coat- a thin layer of frosting to lock the crumbs onto the cake. Chill the cake 20 minutes in the fridge or 10 minutes in the freezer, this sets the thin layer of frosting and locks all the crumbs inside.
- Using the most of the remaining buttercream, frost the cake. Use an offset spatula to evenly spread frosting on the top of the cake, then along the sides to create a smooth edge.
- For the decorative rope boarder- use a Wilton 1M piping tip in a pastry bag or zip lock bag. Starting from the inside edge of where you want the boarder, pipe in a circular motion perpendicular to the cake, slowing moving around the cake until you reach where you started.
- Sprinkle some sprinkles onto the top of the cake for an extra burst of color
- Enjoy!
FAQ
Can I substitute All Purpose Flour for the cake flour?
Yes, for this cake you can use either All Purpose Flour or Cake Flour and get a good cake either way. Cake flour will make a lighter and fluffier cake while all purpose will be a little more dense. But both taste great, so use what you have on hand.
What makes Funfetti cake different than vanilla cake?
Sprinkles are the main difference! In my funfetti cake I also add almond extract to add a dimension to the flavor with a light nutty flavor.
Easy Funfetti Cake
A light and fluffy cake full of color. It's a single tier 6 inch cake, perfect for small celebrations or a weeknight dessert.
Ingredients
Cake
- 53 g Sour Cream (room temperature, ¼ cup + ¾ teaspoon)
- 18 g Canola Oil (1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon)
- ¼ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ¼ teaspoon Almond Extract
- 81 g Cake Flour (½ cup + 2 tablespoons)
- 97 g Granulated Sugar (½ cup MINUS 2 teaspoons)
- ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 51 g Unsalted Butter (room temperature, ¼ cup MINUS ½ teaspoon)
- 2 Egg Whites (room temperature, in separate bowls)
Vanilla Frosting
- 57 g Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
- 110 g Powdered Sugar
- 5 g Heavy Cream
- 1 Pinch Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat your oven to 325°F convection setting (or 350°F standard)
- Prepare your 6 inch round cake pan- spray with cooking spray or line with a circle of parchment paper.
- Measure the sour cream, canola oil, vanilla extract and almond extract. Set aside.
- In the bowl of your mixer, with the paddle attachment, measure the cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
- With the mixer on low, add the room temperature butter in small pieces to the dry ingredients. Keep the mixer running until you create a sandy texture with the butter broken up into evenly sized pieces, about 2 and half minutes. Scrape down the bowl
- With the mixer on medium, slowly pour in the liquids mixture.
- Scrape down the bowl, ensuring there are no clumps of flour stuck on the bottom of the bowl
- Add 1 egg white and mix on low until it is fully absorbed, about 1 minute
- Scrape down the bowl
- Add the second egg white and mix until it is fully absorbed
- Turn off the mixer, add in the sprinkles. Fold the batter gently with a spatula to evenly distribute the sprinkles.
- Pour into the prepared pan, bake for 30 minutes at 325°F convection setting (or 350°F standard), until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean
- Cool on a cooling rack for 15 minutes before removing from pan and then cool completely before frosting, about 1 hour
For the Frosting
- In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the room temperature butter until light and fluffy about 2 minutes.
- Gradually add in the powdered sugar, mixing well.
- Add in the heavy cream
- Add the vanilla extract
- Beat well until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes
Assembly
- Chill the fully cooled cake in the fridge for 20 minutes
- Using a small amount of frosting do a crumb coat. Chill the cake 20 minutes in the fridge or 10 minutes in the freezer
- Using the most of the remaining buttercream, frost the cake. Use an offset spatula to evenly spread frosting on the top of the cake, then along the sides to create a smooth edge.
- Pipe a decorative rope boarder- use a Wilton 1M piping tip in a pastry bag or zip lock bag. Starting from the inside edge of where you want the boarder, pipe in a circular motion perpendicular to the cake, slowing moving around the cake until you reach where you started.
- Sprinkle some sprinkles onto the top of the cake for an extra burst of color
- Enjoy!
