Funfetti Cake – From Scratch & Filled with Sprinkles!

This is the perfect funfetti cake recipe! It’s moist and tender with a soft cake crumb and loaded with sprinkles. Perfect for birthdays and celebrations – this from-scratch recipe is so much better than any bakery!

**This recipe was updated January 10, 2022 with new photos & recipe tips**

The Best Funfetti Cake

There’s something nostalgic about a big slice of funfetti cake. Whether you call it sprinkle cake, confetti cake, or birthday cake – this recipe is perfect for celebrations and loved by children and adults alike. I love this recipe because it’s buttery and moist without being sickeningly sweet. The frosting is creamy, fluffy and swirls beautifully.  It’s simple enough for the novice baker (just be sure to read all my baking tips carefully) but tastes better than any bakery. And waaaaay better than box mix cake.

Is Funfetti Cake Just Vanilla with Sprinkles?

Funfetti cake is a buttery vanilla cake with sprinkles throughout the batter and frosted with vanilla buttercream. When it comes to vanilla cakes – they fall into 2 categories:

• yellow cake – which is made with whole eggs to give it a golden yellow color
• and white cake – which is made with just egg whites, so that it’s white in color and has a more delicate cake crumb.

A traditional funfetti cake is a white cake. Therefore, you’ll notice that this recipe only uses egg whites. I also add a little almond extract. This is key. It adds flavor without being too strong and complements the soft, vanilla cake perfectly.

A Few Common Questions

What Kind of Sprinkles to Use?

Make sure to use jimmies instead of nonpareils. Jimmies are shaped like little cylinders, whereas nonpareils are the little round balls (also called 100s of 1000s). Nonpareils bleed color  throughout the batter, making it look muddy and dirty, whereas jimmies are far less likely to bleed. You can see the difference between jimmies (the top spoon) and nonpareils below.

Pan Sizes & Conversions

• Two 8-inch round pans (just make sure they have high sides) will bake for 32-37 minutes at 335F degrees. This is what is pictured.
• Three 8-inch round pans will bake for 27-32 minutes at 335F degrees.
• Two 9-inch round pans will bake for 25-30 minutes at 335F degrees.
• Three 6-inch round pans will bake for 30-35 minutes at 335F degrees. Make sure your pans have high sides.
• A 9×13 inch pan will bake for 35-40 minutes at 335F degrees. You’ll only need a half batch of frosting (divide the recipe below by 2) to decorate the top of the cake with a thick layer.
• For funfetti cupcakes, use this recipe

Important Baking Tips

• Measure the flour carefully – too much flour is the most common cause of a dry cake. Whisk the flour first, then spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level off the top. Or better yet, use a scale. 2 and ¾ cups all-purpose flour weighs 344 grams or 12.13 ounces.
• The butter should be softened to room temperature before getting started. It shouldn’t be melty whatsoever.
• The eggs, sour cream and milk should be room temperature before they’re added into the batter. Take them out of the fridge about 30 minutes before getting started.
• A little almond extract gives this cake an incredible flavor. I highly recommend not leaving it out.
• For flat cake tops, gently saw off the domed part of each cake layer (after it’s fully cooled) with a serrated knife. You can also use cake strips. These can be purchased from specialty kitchen stores or online – mine are Wilton.
• Frost/assemble the cake on the same plate you plan to serve it on. Before frosting the cake, place a few strips of parchment paper or wax paper around the edges of the plate then place the first cake layer down. After frosting the cake, gently pull the strips of parchment paper out. This keeps your plate clean. You can see what I mean below.
• If you notice that cake crumbs are dirtying the frosting, frost the cake with a thin layer of frosting first. This is called a crumb coat. Let it harden for about 30 minutes (you can pop it in the fridge), then go over it again with swirls of frosting. You can see what a crumb cake looks like below.

I love this funfetti cake because of its delicious flavor, soft cake crumb, and swirls of frosting. The sprinkles make it perfect for birthdays – but I don’t recommend waiting too long before trying this recipe!

For more beautiful cake recipes, be sure to try:

• Classic Birthday Cake – this is a yellow cake with milk chocolate frosting
• Double Chocolate Layer Cake
• Red Velvet Cake
• Carrot Cake

Print Recipe

Funfetti Cake - From Scratch!

This is the perfect funfetti cake recipe! It's moist and tender with a soft cake crumb and loaded with sprinkles. Perfect for birthdays and celebrations - this from-scratch recipe is so much better than any bakery I've tried!

Prep Time45 minutes mins

Cook Time35 minutes mins

Cooling1 hour hr

Total Time2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Funfetti Cake, Sprinkle Cake

Servings: 14 pieces

Calories: 701kcal

Author: Fiona Dowling

Equipment

• Two 8-inch round cake pans (with high sides)*

Ingredients

Funfetti Cake

• 3 cups all-purpose flour (375 grams) measured properly
• 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup whole milk (240 ml)
• ¼ cup sour cream (60 ml) I used 14% MF
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon almond extract
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil canola works too
• 1 cup unsalted butter (226 grams) softened to room temperature, but not melty
• 2 cups granulated sugar (400 grams)
• 6 large egg whites discard the yolks
• ½ - ¾ cup sprinkles* make sure to use jimmies, not nonpareils (AKA 100s of 1000s)

Vanilla Frosting

• 1 ½ cups unsalted butter (339 grams) softened
• 5-6 cups powdered sugar (550 - 660 g)
• ¼ teaspoon almond extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3-5 tablespoons whipping cream (45-75 ml) or milk
• food coloring optional
• sprinkles for decorating

Instructions

Funfetti Cake

• Preheat the oven to 335F (165C) degrees. Line the bottom of two 8-inch round pans* with high sides with parchment paper. Then grease and flour the sides of the pans.
• In a medium bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Give it a whisk so that everything is evenly mixed.
• In a large liquid measuring jug or medium bowl, whisk together the milk, sour cream, vanilla extract, almond extract and oil.
• In a large bowl beat the butter and sugar until fluffy (about 5 minutes).
• Beat in the egg whites about 1-2 egg whites at a time. . Turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary.
• With the mixer on low speed, beat about ⅓ of the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Then mix in about ½ of the liquid ingredients. Repeat the process, mixing in about another ⅓ of the flour mixture, followed by the rest of the milk. Then mix in the last ⅓ of the flour mixture.
• Stop mixing as soon as everything is combined.
• Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the sprinkles. Be very gentle, or the color will bleed into the cake batter.
• Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and gently spread the top smooth.
• Bake in the preheated oven for about 32-37 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool the cakes in their pans for about 15-20 minutes, then gently invert the cake pans to remove the cakes. Continue cooling on a wire cooling rack. To cool the cakes more quickly, wrap in plastic and place in the freezer. The plastic will keep the moisture in.

Frosting*

• In a very large bowl beat the butter until fluffy.
• Add in 3 cups powdered sugar, almond extract and salt. Mix together, starting with the mixer on low speed and slowly increasing to medium speed.
• Beat in the rest of the powdered sugar about 1 cup at a time, alternating with 1-2 tablespoons of cream (or milk) until the desired sweetness is reached. The frosting should be thick. Optionally, mix in a few drops of food coloring.

Assembling the Cake

• Ensure the cake layers are completely cooled first.
• If your cake layers are domed, gently saw off the rounded top of each cake layer.
• Place a 3-4 strips of parchment paper or wax paper around the edges of cake plate or cake stand.
• Place 1 layer of the cake on the plate, bottom side up. The strips of parchment paper/wax paper should be just slightly underneath the cake.
• Frost the top of the cake with about ⅓ of the frosting.
• Place the second cake layer (bottom side up) on top of the frosted cake layer.
• Frost the top of the cake with about ⅓ of the remaining frosting. Then frost the sides of the cake. Optionally, decorate with sprinkles.
• Gently pull the strips of parchment paper/wax paper off the plate.

Notes

1. Pan Sizes:
   • Two 8-inch round pans (just make sure they have high sides) will bake for 32-37 minutes at 335F degrees. This is what is pictured.
   • Three 8-inch round pans will bake for 27-32 minutes at 335F degrees.
   • Two 9-inch round pans will bake for 25-30 minutes at 335F degrees.
   • Three 6-inch round pans will bake for 30-35 minutes at 325F degrees. Make sure your pans have high sides.
   • A 9x13 inch pan will bake for 35-40 minutes at 335F degrees. You'll only need a half batch of frosting (divide the recipe below by 2) to decorate the top of the cake with a thick layer.
   • For funfetti cupcakes, use this recipe
2. Measuring Flour: When measuring flour, whisk it first. Then spoon into a dry measuring cup and level off the top. Or use a scale 2 ¾ cup all-purpose flour weighs 375 grams or 12.75 ounces.
3. Sprinkles: Jimmies are the sprinkles that look like little cylinders. Do not use nonpareils (the little balls, also known as 100s of 1000s) as they bleed color throughout the batter. 
4. Leftover Frosting: If you're making a 2-layer, 8-inch round cake you may have some leftover frosting. If you don't want any leftover, use 1 ¼ cup butter. You'll need 4-5 cups powdered sugar. Just leave the other ingredients the same. 
5. Nutrition: Information is an estimate only and based on 1 slice, assuming the cake is sliced into 14 equal-sized pieces with all of the frosting used.
6. Storage & Make Ahead Tips:
   • Store frosted cake covered at room temperature for up to 12 hours. Store leftovers (frosted cake) in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before enjoying.
   • Unfrosted cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days, or in the fridge for up to 4 days.
   • Unfrosted cake layers can be wrapped tightly (wrap each layer individually), placed in a freezer bag (or container) and frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge.

Nutrition

Calories: 701kcal | Carbohydrates: 91g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 95mg | Sodium: 208mg | Potassium: 153mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 69g | Vitamin A: 1114IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 1mg