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!
Table of Contents
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 Ingredients
This is such an easy funfetti cake recipe! You’ll need the following basic ingredients:
Cake:
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Egg
- Buttermilk
- Sour cream
- Canola oil
- Vanilla extract
- Sprinkles
Funfetti frosting:
- Unsalted butter
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
- Confectioners’ sugar
- More sprinkles!
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Funfetti Cake from Scratch
Here’s how this easy homemade funfetti cake recipe comes together:
- Whisk together the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet in another.
- Gently stir in the sprinkles.
- 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.
- Once the funfetti 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!
Baking FAQs
Nope! White cake is incredibly light, fluffy, and has such a lovely 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!
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
Yes, 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.
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.
Storage and Freezing Instructions
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. Wrap the cake tightly with plastic wrap before freezing for best results.
Recipe Video
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Homemade Funfetti Cake with Vanilla Buttercream
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
- ⅓ 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
- ⅓ 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.
Video
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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Desserts Using Sprinkles:
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!
Absolutely stunning! Thank you on a detailed recipe!
Absolutely stunning! Thank you on a detailed recipe!
Absolutely stunning! Thank you on a detailed recipe!
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
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.
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!!
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!!
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!
Would the measurements be the same if using cake flour?
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.
I have the other ingredients, maybe the sprinkles won’t be gone! Too happy looking not to make! Thanks for sharing this again!
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 !
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!
How long would I need to bake it for cupcakes? It looks yummy!
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.
I need to make this in a half sheet cake size. What would the ingredient portions be for that?
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.
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?
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.
Hi, I’d like to try your recipe for my daughter’s birthday. I wanted to make cupcake cones putting the batter in cake cones. Do you know how many cupcakes this would make? For 4 dozen would I need 4 batches? Thanks so much!
Sorry I really don’t know because I’ve never made cupcakes with this but if you read the comments I know others have. I can’t recall if they listed how many. I would guess 15-ish but that is a pure guess.
Turned out great! Made it for my niece’s birthday and I loved how moist it was. I doubled it and made it in a 9×13 pan, then cut that in half and did a rectangular layer cake. I doubled the frosting recipe as well but only used 2 cups of powdered sugar.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad that your way of making a layer cake turned out great!
My family loves Funfetti, so I am super excited to try this one. I do have one quick question though. Before I found your recipe, I had tried adding sprinkles to a white cake mix (cringe) and barely stirred it and the colors bled terribly! The white cake turned into an unappealing purply-gray. Do you remember what brand of sprinkles you used so maybe I can avoid that when I use your recipe? (So excited to find a good from scratch recipe!)
Thank you!
I tend to use generic store-brand sprinkles, ones that I can buy in a big tub for value. Maybe test your sprinkles in a tiny bit of pancake batter or something very simple first but yes I have had bleeding sprinkles before and it’s so frustrating!
This is the best sprinkle cake. I have made many and this is my favorite. I double the recipe and bake in a 9×13 pan. Thank you Averie for all your wonderful recipes!
You’re welcome and thanks for the five star review! I’m glad that you love this cake and usually double it!
Hey Suzanne- do you know how long you cooked the cake in a 9×13?
Hi Ally, 26 minutes!
thank you so much for the reply. i baked it for almost 40 minutes and it seemed perfect. not sure why the huge difference between 26 and 40, but it turned out great. Everyone LOVED the cake. it served 18 kids/adults.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad everyone loved the cake!