Easy Homemade FUNFETTI® Cake with Vanilla Buttercream

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Homemade Funfetti Cake with Funfetti Frosting — This cake is as close to store-bought funfetti cake mix that I’ve been able to replicate at home. I have no shame in admitting my love for that stuff, but it’s nice to be able to pronounce all the ingredients and prep a cake from scratch in literally 5 minutes!

Funfetti Cake with Funfetti Frosting — This cake is as close to store-bought funfetti cake mix that I’ve been able to replicate at home. I have no shame in admitting my love for that stuff, but it’s nice to be able to pronounce all the ingredients and prep a cake from scratch in literally 5 minutes!

Easy Funfetti Cake … From Scratch!

I’ve always loved Funfetti. Who can resist all those sprinkles buried in soft, fluffy cake? None of us in my house can.

This homemade funfetti cake has sprinkles in the batter and also has a wall of sprinkles in the funfetti frosting. Sprinkle overload, such a beautiful thing.

The cake and funfetti frosting are both fast and easy to make, and the cake always turn out supremely moist, springy, and fluffy thanks to buttermilk, sour cream, and oil. That trifecta of moisturizing and tenderizing ingredients makes it impossible to have a dry cake!

Funfetti Cake with Funfetti Frosting — This cake is as close to store-bought funfetti cake mix that I’ve been able to replicate at home. I have no shame in admitting my love for that stuff, but it’s nice to be able to pronounce all the ingredients and prep a cake from scratch in literally 5 minutes!

Funfetti Cake Ingredients 

To make the funfetti cake from scratch, you’ll need: 

  • All-purpose flour
  • Granulated sugar
  • Baking powder
  • Salt
  • Egg
  • Buttermilk
  • Sour cream
  • Canola oil
  • Vanilla extract
  • Sprinkles 

And for the homemade funfetti frosting, you’ll need:

  • Unsalted butter
  • Vanilla extract
  • Salt
  • Confectioners’ sugar
  • More sprinkles! 
Funfetti Cake with Funfetti Frosting — This cake is as close to store-bought funfetti cake mix that I’ve been able to replicate at home. I have no shame in admitting my love for that stuff, but it’s nice to be able to pronounce all the ingredients and prep a cake from scratch in literally 5 minutes!

How to Make Funfetti Cake

If you’ve never made a cake with sprinkles baked into the batter, you’re in for a real treat! Here’s how this easy homemade funfetti birthday cake recipe comes together: 

  1. Whisk together the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet in another.
  2. Gently stir in the sprinkles. 
  3. Turn the batter into a greased 8×8-inch baking dish and bake until the center is set and not jiggly, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter.
  4. Once the funfetti birthday cake comes out of the oven, let it cool completely before frosting. The homemade funfetti frosting is as simple to make as whipping the ingredients together until light and fluffy! 
Funfetti Cake with Funfetti Frosting — This cake is as close to store-bought funfetti cake mix that I’ve been able to replicate at home. I have no shame in admitting my love for that stuff, but it’s nice to be able to pronounce all the ingredients and prep a cake from scratch in literally 5 minutes!

Funfetti Cake FAQs

Is Funfetti Cake Just White Cake With Sprinkles? 

Nope! White cake is incredibly light, fluffy, and “pure” in flavor thanks to the multitude of egg whites in the batter. 

Funfetti cake is made with a whole egg, buttermilk, sour cream, and plenty of vanilla to create a richer, moister cake that is — yes — loaded with sprinkles! 

What’s the difference between funfetti vs confetti cake?

They’re the exact same cake! Funfetti cake is trademarked by Pillsbury, whereas confetti cake is the generic term for this type of sprinkle-laden cake.

What Flavor is funfetti cake?

Funfetti cake tastes like a richer version of a vanilla cake. It also has a subtle tang to it from the buttermilk and sour cream in the batter.

Can I Substitute the Buttermilk? 

Get your hands on real buttermilk, if possible. Otherwise, you can make a buttermilk substitute in a couple of minutes. You can also use powdered buttermilk, which has a long shelf life and comes in handy for recipes like this funfetti birthday cake. 

What Kind of Sprinkles Are Best for Funfetti Cake? 

I used generic, store-brand sprinkles to make this funfetti cake recipe and they didn’t bleed into the batter at all. Long, skinny sprinkles work best for this recipe. 

Can Cake Flour Be Used Instead? 

I have only make this with all purpose so really can’t say if cake flour will yield the same results with the same measurement of flour or not.

How to Store Frosted Cakes

Cake will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days (I’m comfortable storing frosted cakes at room temp, if you’re not store in the fridge) or in the freezer for up to 6 months. 

Can I Double This Recipe? 

I’m sure you can. You’d need to double the ingredients listed and bake the funfetti cake in a 9×13-inch pan. Note that your baking time will differ since you’re making a much larger cake. 

Can I Make This Recipe as Cupcakes? 

You probably can, although I haven’t done so myself so I can’t say for sure. If baking this recipe as cupcakes, you’d likely need to bake them for around 18 to 20 minutes. Use your best judgement! 

Can I Make This as a Funfetti Layer Cake? 

If you want to make a more “traditional” looking funfetti birthday cake, you likely can double this recipe and bake it in two 8- or 9-inch round cake tins.

To be safe, Google the volume of an 8×8-inch baking dish versus an 8- or 9-inch round baking tin to see how much of a difference there is between the two. This way, you’ll know if you need to double the recipe or 2.5x it, and so forth. 

Can I Make This as a Funfetti Bundt Cake? 

If you’re looking for a funfetti bundt cake recipe, I recommend making this recipe instead. I’ve tested it multiple times and know that it works in a bundt pan. 

Funfetti Cake with Funfetti Frosting — This cake is as close to store-bought funfetti cake mix that I’ve been able to replicate at home. I have no shame in admitting my love for that stuff, but it’s nice to be able to pronounce all the ingredients and prep a cake from scratch in literally 5 minutes!

Tips for Making the Best Homemade Funfetti Cake 

Sprinkles Tips

If you’re concerned with the sprinkles bleeding into the batter, I recommend being very gentle when stirring them in. If you overmix the batter after adding the sprinkles, it may change color. 

Frosting Tips

 If you’re in a time crunch you don’t necessarily need to make scratch funfetti frosting. You can cheat and use a tub of store bought frosting. 

However, since you’re making a scratch cake, making scratch frosting is the way I would do things. It only takes a couple minutes to whip together.

Note that you must let the funfetti birthday cake cool completely before frosting it, otherwise you’ll wind up with a huge mess on your hands. 

Pan Size Tips

 If you decide to use a different sized pan for whatever reason — doubling the recipe, making a layer cake or cupcakes, etc. — be sure to Google the volume of the pan you plan on using and compare it to the pan I used.

You want to make sure you’re putting the right amount of batter into the right sized pan! 

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4.54 from 157 votes

Homemade Funfetti Cake with Vanilla Buttercream

By Averie Sunshine
A funfetti cake recipe as close to store-bought as you can get, but made from scratch in just 5 minutes! Easy to make, and tastes amazing!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 9
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Ingredients  

Funfetti Cake

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • pinch salt, optional and to taste
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ cup buttermilk
  • cup sour cream, lite is okay (plain Greek yogurt may be substituted)
  • ¼ cup canola or vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ½ cup sprinkles, or to taste

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

  • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • pinch salt, optional and to taste (helps offset the sweetness)
  • 1 ½ to 2 cups confectioners’ sugar, I use 2 cups
  • cup sprinkles, or to taste

Instructions 

Make the Cake:

  • Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, optional salt; set aside.
  • In a separate small bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, sour cream, oil, and vanilla.
  • Add the wet mixture to the dry, mixing lightly with a spoon or folding with a spatula until just combined. Small lumps will be present, don’t overmix or try to stir them smooth.
  • Gently stir in the sprinkles, taking care not to overmix or they could bleed.
  • Turn batter out into prepared pan and bake for about 30 minutes (start checking at 25 minutes), or until center is set and not jiggly, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter.
  • Place pan on a wire rack and allow cake to cool. While cake cools, make the frosting.

Make the Vanilla Buttercream Frosting:

  • To a large bowl, add the butter, vanilla, optional salt, and slowly add the confectioners’ sugar while beating with a handheld electric mixer until smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
  • Turn frosting out onto cooled cake, smoothing it lightly with a spatula or offset knife.
  • Evenly sprinkle the sprinkles before slicing and serving.

Notes

  • Cake will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days (I’m comfortable storing frosted cakes at room temp, if you’re not store in the fridge) or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
  • Cake base adapted from Vanilla Cake with Vanilla Bean Browned Butter Glaze.

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 523kcal, Carbohydrates: 77g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 23g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 14g, Cholesterol: 53mg, Sodium: 177mg, Sugar: 62g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

More Desserts Using Sprinkles:

ALL OF MY CAKE RECIPES! 

Easy Homemade Funfetti Bundt Cake — No cake mix in this 100% homemade funfetti cake that’s loaded with sprinkles and tastes amazing! Fast, easy, and the best scratch funfetti cake recipe!

Easy Homemade Funfetti Bundt Cake - NO cake mix in this 100% HOMEMADE funfetti cake that's loaded with sprinkles and tastes amazing!! Fast, EASY, and the BEST scratch funfetti cake recipe!!

Funfetti Cookies — These funfetti cookies are essentially sugar cookies from scratch that have been loaded with sprinkles. They have that nostalgic boxed cake flavor but are 100% homemade! 

Oreo Chocolate Chip Funfetti Cookies — The cookies are loaded with Oreos, sprinkles, chocolate chips, and are adapted from my favorite recipe for chocolate chip cookies. They’re soft, moist, buttery, and thick enough to sink your teeth into!

Funfetti Cake Mix Cookies — Jumbo, super soft, slightly chewy cake mix cookies that are loaded with rainbow and confetti sprinkles, and topped with vanilla cream cheese frosting!

Birthday Cake Cinnamon Rolls — The softest, fluffiest, most tender cinnamon rolls stuffed with cinnamon-and-sugar and rainbow sprinkles! Topped with tangy cream cheese frosting and more sprinkles!

Copycat Lofthouse Sugar Cookies — Just like real Lofthouse cookies, but with sprinkles baked in! These cookies are soft, buttery, and they just melt in your mouth!

About the Author

Welcome to AverieCooks! Here you’ll find fast and easy recipes that taste amazing and are geared for real life. Nothing fussy or complicated, just awesome tasting dishes everyone loves!

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Please note: I have only made the recipe as written, and cannot give advice or predict what will happen if you change something. If you have a question regarding changing, altering, or making substitutions to the recipe, please check out the FAQ page for more info.

Recipe Rating




Comments

    1. I don’t use a scale when baking because none of my recipes are so precise that you need things down to the gram. But about 120-125 grams is what Google tells me.

  1. 2 stars
    I made a dozen cupcakes with this recipe for my daughters birthday. I let her have one early and im really glad that i did. I tasted a bite and it has a flavor more like bread than cake. The texture is great but thats about it. I followed the recipe exactly as stated and am an experienced baker. I thought the recipe looked a little off with the proportions and i wish i had trusted my instincts. Ive never tasted such a bland cake. I guess if youre looking for a flavorless box cake imitation, this is the recipe for you. 

  2. 5 stars
    Delicious, moist fun and easy to make. Added a touch of Amaretto. Served with Sparkling Unicorn ice cream.😀

  3. I’ve made this cake twice and it’s seems not baking thru. I followed all the instructions and double checked and even baked longer. The batter is still really moist like wet consistency . Anyone that tried this that it happened to them. Disappointed because it’s my grandson favourite Cale… help 

    1. I am thinking there is something possibly going on with your oven because this is an easy cake to get to bake through unlike say a banana bread or carrot cake that can be tricky sometimes. I would say calibrate your oven with an oven thermometer and if that’s still fine, add 1/4 cup more flour but honestly I have made this cake soooo many times and never an issue to get it to bake through so not sure what to tell you additionally.

  4. 5 stars
    once again…your recipes rock. Funfetti cake (ummm with buttercream frosting), is a hit! So good, so moist, and so delicious. I do like the tip for lining 8×8 pan with foil, easy-peasy clean up and I don’t have to wash pan. A simple wipe and were good!!

  5. 5 stars
    once again…your recipes rock. Funfetti cake (ummm with buttercream frosting), is a hit! So good, so moist, and so delicious. I do like the tip for lining 8×8 pan with foil, easy-peasy clean up and I don’t have to wash pan. A simple wipe and were good!!

    1. Thanks for the 5 star review and saying that my recipes rock! Glad you loved the cake and appreciate the tip. I am all about easy/easier cleanup!

    1. I have only make this with all purpose so really can’t say if cake flour will yield the same results with the same measurement of flour or not.

  6. I have the other ingredients, maybe the sprinkles won’t be gone! Too happy looking not to make! Thanks for sharing this again!

  7. 5 stars
    The funfetti cake and frosting was so yummy! Made it with my 5 year old, and he had a blast with the sprinkles :) I will never buy another boxed mix when making funfetti cake in The future. Easy recipe and the cake was perfect! Thanks for sharing !

    1. Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this turned out great and that you don’t need to buy another boxed mix for Funfetti in the future!

    1. Cupcakes/muffins are usually a 20-ish minute thing but it will vary on size, oven, recipe, etc but that’s a good starting point.

    1. You would need to do some math (consult Google) about the volume of a 8×8 pan vs. the volume of a half sheet pan and then decide if you need to make a double batch, etc.

  8. I’m really looking forward to trying this recipe out for a birthday this weekend. I’m not great with eyeballing/guesstimating measurements, would your recipe be ok for three 6 inch round tins?

    1. Well it’s an 8-inch square. Google what is the volume of an 8″ square. And then google what is the volume of a 6″ round. And then figure out if you’d need to double, 2.5, or triple this recipe to make a 3-layer 6″ round cake.