Homemade Funfetti Cake
This homemade funfetti layer cake is super moist, soft, tender, and melts in your mouth. With three classic vanilla cake layers, rainbow jimmies sprinkles, and a sweet vanilla buttercream, it’s better than bakery-made (or boxed versions) and perfect for any festive celebration!
Equipment
Ingredients
Funfetti Cake Batter
- 2 1/3 cups cake flour *See notes below*
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon vanilla powder
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 12 tablespoons cubed unsalted butter room temperature
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1/2 cup whole milk room temperature
- 1/2 cup heavy cream room temperature
- 1/2 cup sour cream room temperature
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon imitation vanilla for a classic box cake flavor, sub real vanilla if desired
- 1/3 cup rainbow jimmies sprinkles
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup salted butter room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla bean paste or extract
Instructions
For the Cake Batter
- Preheat the oven to 325°F/160°C. Grease and flour the sides of three 8-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, vanilla powder, and salt.
- On low speed, mix in the butter until it has a sandy texture, about 2-3 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, heavy cream, sour cream, oil, and vanilla.
- Mix in half of the wet ingredients until all of the flour has been moistened. Then scrape down the bowl. Mix in the remaining wet ingredients and rainbow sprinkles on low speed until just combined, scraping down the bowl once to ensure everything is well combined.
- Evenly distribute the cake batter into the prepared cake pans (475 grams in each). Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out covered in a few moist crumbs. Let the pans cool on a wire rack for 20-30 minutes, then remove them from the pans and allow them to finish cooling on the racks.
For the Frosting
- In a stand mixer bowl or with a hand mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.
- Then add the powdered sugar. Pulse at first to combine, so the sugar doesn’t fly out of the bowl. Once combined, increase the speed to medium and beat for 4-5 minutes, until light, white, and fluffy.
- Add the heavy cream and vanilla and mix until just combined.
For Assembly
- Place your first cake layer on your serving platter or cake stand. These cake layers should bake very flat so you shouldn't need to trim them at all!
- Spread an even amount of frosting across the top, the place the second layer on top. Repeat this process one more time, placing the last cake layer upside down so that the top is flat.
- Spread a thin layer of the frosting over the entire cake, then refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.
- Spread the remaining frosting over the entire cake, using any extra to decorate if desired. Garnish with more rainbow sprinkles. Enjoy!
Notes
*Measure your dry ingredients properly. This is my #1 baking tip! Do not ever scoop a measuring cup into your flour, as this always leads to using too much flour. Instead, use the spoon-level method. This means fluffing the flour first, then spooning it into your measuring cup/spoon. For the BEST results, use a kitchen scale!*
The cake flour cannot be substituted and should be store-bought and not homemade. Not using cake flour will result in a very dry and crumbly cake!
Notes on vanilla: For a boxed-mix flavor, I love using imitation vanilla in the cake batter. However, I found it doesn't taste as good in the frosting, so I recommend using vanilla bean paste or extract for the best flavor.
Storage: Store leftover cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freezing: You can store the cake as a whole or as slices individually wrapped in plastic for up to 1 month.
