My light and fluffy, completely from scratch Funfetti cake recipe has over 600 five-star reviews and has even been featured on TV! ⭐️ It’s a soft white cake speckled with sprinkles and iced with buttercream frosting, perfect for beginners and advanced bakers alike. Makes the perfect homemade birthday cake! Recipe includes a how-to video!
Homemade Funfetti Cake Recipe
My fluffy Funfetti cake (also known as confetti cake) has been one of my most popular recipes for years (right up there with my “worst” chocolate chip cookies). Flecked with sprinkles, a plush, super soft texture, and a buttery, caramelized vanilla flavor–what’s not to love?
Developing this cake took me weeks and is still one of my proudest accomplishments (right there with my French macaron recipe). When I finally nailed it, I found that there were a few key ingredients that really made a difference, namely, whipped egg whites.
For maximum, fluffy softness (and snow-white color), this recipe calls for plenty of egg whites (and no egg yolks–save those for your tiramisu!). You’ll whip these separately with an electric mixer until they reach stiff peaks and then fold them (gently!) into the cake batter. This is easy and quick to do, and it’s critical for a light and fluffy white cake (don’t get me started on yellow Funfetti cakes–there should be no such thing!).
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Perfect taste, perfect texture. Largely thanks to the afore-mentioned whipped egg whites and a combo of butter and oil in the cake batter. Oil adds moisture, while butter adds flavor, so by mixing the two you achieve perfect balance. This is how I’ve designed so many of my cake recipes, and once you try it you’ll see why.
- Bright white color. This serves as the perfect backdrop to colorful sprinkles. This Funfetti cake gets its pristine color from using egg whites only, clear vanilla (instead of regular vanilla), and a neutral oil.
- So soft and fluffy. This gorgeous texture comes from a critical ingredient: whipped egg whites. I’ve repeated this technique in several recipes since, including my lemon cake, strawberry cake, and Oreo cake. All have a plush, light-as-air texture!
- Frosted with an easy peasy classic buttercream, though you could technically use any frosting you like. Fruity pebbles frosting, strawberry frosting, and cream cheese frosting are all nice alternatives!
What You Need
For the Cake Layers
- Flour. Back when I was first developing this recipe, cake flour was difficult for me to find and when I could, it was pricey. I developed this recipe specifically with the intention of achieving a light fluffy texture with regular ol’ all-purpose flour (and it worked *perfectly* if I do say so).
- Egg whites. It’s important that you separate your own eggs (do not use eggs from a carton) and make sure not to get even a drop of yolk in the whites. Room temperature eggs work best, so try to remember to set yours out ahead of time if you can. If you forget, use my trick to quickly bring eggs to room temperature (just make sure to thoroughly dry the eggs before cracking them).
- Milk. Whole milk is my preference, but I suspect a milk substitute (like almond milk) would work just fine. Whatever you use, ideally let it come to room temperature before adding it.
- Butter & oil. As mentioned above and used in my white cake and vanilla cake, a blend of the two balances flavor and texture of this Funfetti cake perfectly. For the oil, opt for a neutral cooking oil like canola, vegetable, or avocado oil (I like avocado oil, but it’s a bit more yellow and so colors the cake slightly). Using a particularly yellow butter or oil can affect the color of your cake.
- Baking powder. Not baking soda! It will seem like a lot, but it’s not (we’re making a big cake!). There is no baking soda in my Funfetti cake recipe, and that’s intentional. While this isn’t the main reason I don’t use baking soda, baking soda encourages browning and adding it would actually make the cake more golden inside.
- Vanilla. To maintain that pristine white color, I use clear vanilla in the cake layers. If you would rather opt for natural vanilla flavoring it will work perfectly well, just know your cake may be tinted a bit more golden.
- Sprinkles. Your sprinkle choice matters! Nonpareils can bleed into your batter and ruin that pristine white color. Stick with jimmies or quins–they add color without any bleeding.
SAM’S TIP: If you want to use cake flour instead of all-purpose flour, you must substitute properly. If you are using weights, the weight is the same; if you are using cups, you will need 4 ½ cups of cake flour.
Frosting
This is a big three-layer cake, so you will need quite a bit of frosting to cover and decorate it. Just giving you a fair warning before anyone is alarmed by the amount of butter you’re about to see 😉.
- Butter. Yes, we are using a full pound (or four sticks) of butter here. Remember, this is a big Funfetti cake! I use unsalted butter and add salt separately, but if you use salted butter you likely won’t need to add any salt (taste-test the frosting and add a inch if needed — salt helps cut the sweetness and deepen the flavor).
- Powdered sugar. I highly recommend measuring your ingredients with a kitchen scale for the most accurate results (I link to the one I use in the recipe card, it’s inexpensive). It can be very easy to over-measure powdered sugar, much like measuring flour!
- Heavy cream. We’ll whip this into the frosting for a light and fluffy texture. Whipping cream or double cream would also work.
- Flavoring. For the frosting, I sometimes like to use Princess emulsion instead of vanilla (I also use this in my frosted animal cookies–another fun recipe). It accents the buttercream with notes of citrus and almond and keeps it from being overbearingly sweet. If you don’t have any or can’t find it, regular vanilla extract works perfectly.
SAM’S TIP: For that popular Milk Bar birthday cake look, frost your funfetti cake scantly on the outside and top with my confetti crumbs!
This is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Funfetti Cake
Make the batter
When making the batter, you’ll want to start with an electric mixer or a stand mixer (fitted with the paddle attachment) to combine all of your ingredients thoroughly and properly. Creaming the butter in the beginning is actually important for the best texture.
You want to make sure everything is well-combined, but also be careful not to over-mix (this comes into play when adding the milk and then again adding the egg-whites). Over-mixing the batter can cause dense, dry, or sunken results.
Whip the egg whites
Before you begin, make sure your bowl and beaters are completely clean, dry, and grease-free. Even a tiny bit of grease can prevent your egg whites from whipping properly!
Stiff peaks are our aim here! This means your egg whites will have greatly increased in volume, they’ll be bright white in color, and they’ll be fluffy. To test that you’ve reached stiff peaks, lift your beaters straight out of the whites. The peaks should hold firm without folding over or falling back in on themselves.
Fold in the egg whites and sprinkles
Gently is the way to go! Gently stir in all of the egg whites at once along with your sprinkles.
Use a spatula for this step and not your mixer. Your aim is to NOT over-mix. Instead, the goal is to combine everything without deflating those egg whites we just spent all that time whipping. Make sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to ensure everything is well combined.
You will lose some of the volume as you fold the batter, but try your hardest to incorporate the egg whites gently without totally deflating them.
Bake
Use the toothpick to test your cakes for doneness; a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake should come out clean or have a few crumbs when inserted in the center of each cake.
It’s important to keep a close eye on your Funfetti cakes as they near the end of the bake time; underbaking your cake can cause it to sink, while over-baking can dry it out (even just a minute or two too long can do this).
The outsides of the cake bake into a pretty golden color, but don’t panic! The insides will still be snow white.
Decorate
Let the cake layers cool completely before you decorate the cakes. I recommend using my buttercream frosting (in the recipe card below) as it’s a classic Funfetti cake pairing, but I have a whole catalog of frosting recipes that would work well here. Just note that most of those recipes are for 2 layer cakes so you will have to scale up by at least 50%.
I also recommend doing a crumb coating on the cake before decorating. This mean applying a thin layer to the outside of the cake then freezing it for 15 minutes before continuing to decorate. This will catch any crumbs and help your frosting apply more smoothly.
SAM’S TIP: New to cake decorating? I have a guide on how to decorate a cake that’s perfect for for beginner cake decorators! You’ll learn everything from what equipment you need to how to do crumb coat.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe makes about 12 cups of batter.
For a two layer Funfetti cake: I recommend you make my white cake recipe and add ⅓ cup of sprinkles. That recipe is actually the same as this one, but scaled down to fit two pans (and doesn’t have sprinkles, obviously!).
For a 9×13″ pan: you would technically need to reduce the recipe by ⅓. This can get tricky, so I usually recommend making the recipe as-is and using the excess batter for cupcakes (though they won’t have nice rounded tops–see below).
If you are looking for a good Funfetti cupcake recipe, I recommend making my confetti cupcakes or white cupcakes (add sprinkles) instead, as those form nice round tops. This recipe makes tasty cupcakes, but they bake up flat.
I do not recommend it, as they provide inconsistent results (and most say they are not meant for whipping). Instead, separate your own eggs and repurpose the yolks in another recipe like my pastry cream, crème brûlée, lemon crumb bars, lemon curd, key lime pie, or chocolate pie.
Yes! To do this, stir the food coloring into the batter before adding the egg whites. Gel food coloring is best for most vibrant color.
A big thank you to every one of you who has already tried my Funfetti cake recipe and reviewed it 💕 I appreciate you!
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! Subscribe to my newsletter to be notified of all the newest recipes, and find my free recipe tutorials on YouTube 💜
Funfetti Cake from Scratch
Ingredients
- 9 Tablespoons (127 g) unsalted butter softened
- 3 cups (600 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (236 ml) neutral cooking oil Use canola, vegetable, or avocado oil
- 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 cups+ 2 Tbsp (516 g) all-purpose flour (all of the flour goes into the cake batter, you will also need additional flour for preparing the cake pan)
- 4 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons table salt
- 1 ½ cup (355 ml) milk
- 9 (315 ml) large egg whites room temperature preferred
- ½ cup (80 g) sprinkles see note
Buttercream
- 1 lb (453 g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar
- 6 Tbsp (89 ml) heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons LorAnn Princess emulsion or vanilla extract
Recommended Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (recommended)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and prepare 3 8-inch round cake pans by generously greasing and flouring (be sure to shake out excess flour) and lining the bottoms of each pan with a round of parchment paper.
- In stand mixer (or using an electric hand mixer), beat butter on medium-low speed until creamy.9 Tablespoons (127 g) unsalted butter
- Add sugar and oil and beat until all ingredients are well-combined and creamy.3 cups (600 g) granulated sugar, 1 cup (236 ml) neutral cooking oil
- Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and then stir in your vanilla extract.4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- In a separate, medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together your flour, baking powder, and salt.4 cups+ 2 Tbsp (516 g) all-purpose flour, 4 ½ teaspoons baking powder, 1 ½ teaspoons table salt
- Measure out your milk. With mixer on medium speed, gradually alternate between adding the flour mixture and the milk to the butter mixture, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Stir until each one is almost completely combined before adding the next. Pause occasionally to scrape down sides and bottom of bowl.1 ½ cup (355 ml) milk
- In separate mixing bowl (use a clean, dry, and grease-free bowl, use glass or metal), combine your egg whites and stir with an electric mixer, gradually increasing speed from low to high and continuing to beat on high-speed until stiff peaks form.9 (315 ml) large egg whites
- Add egg whites and sprinkles to the batter. Using a spatula, gently fold your egg whites and sprinkles into your batter. Take care to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl so that ingredients are well-combined, and take care not to over-mix.½ cup (80 g) sprinkles
- Evenly divide cake batter into prepared pans.
- Bake on 350F (175C) for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake layer comes out clean or with few crumbs (should not be wet). For best results, rotate your cake pans halfway through baking to ensure even baking. Cakes will be a light golden brown when done baking.
- Remove cakes from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes. Run a butter knife around the inside rim of each pan and carefully invert each onto a cooling rack.
- Allow to cool completely before frosting.
Frosting
- Place butter in the bowl of a stand mixer in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Use the paddle attachment or an electric mixer to beat butter on medium-speed until smooth and creamy.1 lb (453 g) unsalted butter
- Add salt and beat again for about 20 seconds.¼ teaspoon salt
- Gradually, about 1 cup at a time, add powdered sugar, waiting until each cup is completely mixed before adding the next cup.6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar
- One Tablespoon at a time, add the heavy cream on medium-high speed, waiting until each addition is well-combined before adding the next 2 Tbsp.6 Tbsp (89 ml) heavy cream
- Add flavoring (vanilla extract or emulsion). and stir on medium-high for 30 seconds. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula to ensure all ingredients are well-combined.2 teaspoons LorAnn Princess emulsion or vanilla extract
- Transfer one layer of your cooled cake to serving platter. Use frosting to ice the top. Add the next layer, ice the top of that. Add your third layer on top and ice the top, and then do a thin “crumb coating” around the entire cake.
- Transfer to freezer for 10-15 minutes, then remove and apply a clean, thick coat of frosting around the entire cake. For more detailed decorating instructions, see my post on how to decorate a cake.
Notes
Sprinkles
Use sprinkles/jimmies or round sequin “quin” sprinkles, do NOT use nonpareils or they may bleed through your batter and ruin the coloring of your cake.Using 9″ pans
This cake may also be made in three 9″ pans, just decrease the baking time. Start checking the cakes for doneness at 25 minutes.Storing
Store this cake tightly covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. This cake may also be frozen, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap then foil, for up to 3 months.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Recipe originally published 4/13/16 — text and photos updated Feb 2025
Mikaela
Hi! Can you link the sprinkles you used? Thinking of making this cake for my boyfriends birthday!
Also for the buttercream frosting, I LOVE both almond emulsion & vanilla extract. Can I use both? If so, measurements?
Another question, I usually make a vanilla cake and it takes almond emulsion & vanilla extract. Can I incorporate almond emulsion into the batter as well? If so, how much?
Thank you!!!!
Sam
Hi Mikaela! I actually make this blend of sprinkles in my own kitchen. I buy a bunch of sprinkles and mix them together. The almond and vanilla will work in the frostin. I would just do a combination of the two but this will be to taste because I’m not really familiar with using almond emulsion. The same will go for the cake. You can add it, but add it to taste. I’m not sure how potent it is or how much you like the flavor. I hope this helps. 🙂
Sandra
What would the bake time be if using 6” trays? I’m using this recipe to make a piñata cake for my partner’s birthday so planning to make a 4 layer 6 inch cake! Never made one before – do you think it’ll hold up?
Sam
Hi Sandra! I haven’t tried baking it in 6 inch pans so I’m not sure what a bake time would be. I definitely think it will hold up. This will probably make more batter than you’ll need so make sure you don’t overfill your pans. 🙂
Paige
Quick question – I made this recipe once earlier this week as a tester, and it came out excellent! Light, fluffy, and delicious!
I went ahead and baked them today for the actual even I’m needing them for, and they didn’t rise properly. I thought I did everything identically, but I had to have messed up somewhere.
Do you know what specifically I did that could have caused this? The cakes just look disappointing compared to my first go-round. /:
I made sure the egg whites were at stiff peaks, and I did my best to not over-mix them while folding it into the batter.
Sam
Hi Paige! I’m so sorry this happened! 🙁 There are a few things that can cause this, bad baking powder (which doesn’t sound like the problem), the eggs not being fully whipped to stiff peaks, or over-mixing when the egg whites are added, deflating them. The egg whites can be tricky, but it sounds like you got it the first time. I hope it turns out better next time. 🙂
Mrs.Carter
So I made this cake over the weekend. It was a hit. I did add 1 egg yolk to the batter not sure if it made a difference. I used 3 9 inch cake pans lined with parchment paper, cakes came out perfectly. Flavor was good, I did add cream cheese to the frosting 3 packs to be exact. Would definitely recommend this recipe. Fyi I am an amateur baker and I aced this recipe.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Mrs. Carter! 🙂
Sonia Edwards
Thank you so much for bringing this cake into the world. We loved it so much. You know what, it reminded me of the Ben and Jerry’s birthday cake ice cream taste..
Do you have this recipe the recipe in smaller batches as this is something I could enjoy on a monthly basis but not to that capacity.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Sonia! I don’t have it broken down into smaller portions but you can just reduce everything proportionally. 🙂
Lauren
Hello,
I am planning on making this cake for our pregnancy announcement to my family 🙂 This is actually the first cake I will be making from scratch! I have a few questions…what kind of milk do you use, and what do you use to grease the pans? Also, I was planning on making a two layer cake with 9 inch pans by cutting down the ingredients by 1/3. Please let me know if you think that will work too.
Thank you!
Sam
Hi Lauren! First of all, congratulations! I think you will make an awesome cake! I use whole milk here. To grease the pans I will use a shortening and then flour them, or I really like to use baking spray. It has flour in it already. This will definitely work to cut it down by 1/3. Good luck! 🙂
Alisa
Hi there!! Can you substitute whipping cream for the heavy cream in the frosting? Thanks!!
Sam
Hi Alisa! That will work fine here. 🙂
Samantha Sabatino
So the cake was light snd airy. Not to sweet. However it tasted really eggy. At first it reminded me of meringues but then it was just overwhelming. So I’m not sure if I would make this again. Did anyone else encounter this?
Sam
I’m so sorry this happened, Samantha! 🙁 Was the cake slightly over-baked? This can cause that eggy texture.
Kerry Ausmus
Hi! I’m doing two layers and cupcakes. Some people want plain white. Could I leave the sprinkles out, the swirl them just into the cakes when I put the batter in the pans or would that end up causing over-mixed batter?
Sam
Hi Kerry! You could try lightly swirling the sprinkles into the cake pans but make sure to not overdo it. 🙂
larissa McKenna
Hi! Can cake flour be used for this recipe and if so how many grams? The kids and I are baking it this weekend for my husband’s birthday!!
Sam
Hi Larissa! You can use cake flour. The gram measurement is the same 516g. I hope everyone loves it! Happy Birthday to your husband! 🙂
Mikki
Hi! How did the cake come out with cake flour? I’m debating if I should stick to the recipe and use AP flour or use cake flour. Thanks!
surama jusino
Hi Sam! While I was measuring out the all purpose flour for this cake, I used my measuring cup and my scale. At first (just as a guide) I started to weigh the flour by adding it a cup at a time. Then I added the 2 tablespoons. The weight came out to almost 600 grams! Since you put 518 grams in the recipe, I went according to the gram measurement. I googled the conversion and it said that 4 cups of flour were equivalent to 480 grams and 2 tablespoons is equivalent to about 18 grams. Which should total around 498 grams. Was this an error in the written recipe or am I doing the conversion wrong? Either way, I went according to the grams you listed. Looked okay coming out of the oven and the pans. Fingers crossed it will be okay taste wise!
Sam
I hope it turns out for you! I have standardized my cup of flour to be 125g. There are some variations on the weight of a cup of flour from site to site, so my 518g is accurate for this cake. I know it can be a little confusing but I hope this helps. I think your cake should still turn out. 🙂
surama jusino
Thank you for responding! I’m sure glad I read it thoroughly! I have made a couple of your cakes including your banana bread. I must say that the marble cake is my absolute fave! Thank you for sharing your recipes and your passion for cooking with us! I appreciate you!
surama jusino
It turned out amazing! Soft and fluffy and had a great vanilla flavor! Thank you so much for yet another great recipe!!!!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Teresa
Absolutely lovely cake! Would love for it to come out a little more moist but overall it made a huge statement for my grandsons birthday celebration!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Teresa! It may have needed to come out of the oven just a minute earlier, but I’m glad it was still tasty. 🙂
Christy
Hello! My birthday is coming up and I’d love to make this recipe for myself. I would like to try to make it gluten free. Do you have any experience with gluten free baking and, if so, any specific tips for this recipe?
Thank you!
Sam
Hi Christy, and Happy Birthday (a little early!). Unfortunately I am not familiar with gluten free baking, I am hoping someone else who has tried it with this recipe will chime in, though!
Cindy
Hi. Excited to try this recipe. Would you happen to know bake instructions for doing cupcakes instead of cake? Thanks!
Sam
Hi Cindy! You will want to bake them at the same temperature for 17 minutes. Make sure not to overfill your cupcake liners. 🙂
Kerry Harbinson
Am I able to make this with 2 8” pans instead of 3?
Sam
Hi Kerry! You can make it in 2 pans, but your pans won’t hold all of the batter. Make sure to not overfill the pans. 🙂
Kerry Harbinson
If I make the rest of the batter into cupcakes, can I leave the batter sitting while the cake bakes? Or will I need to put them in at the same time? I’m just worried about the cupcakes cooking quicker than the cake….
Sam
Hi Kerry! You can let the cupcakes rest while the cakes bake. The cupcakes will need to bake for about 17 minutes. 🙂
Kerry Harbinson
If I make cupcakes with the remaining batter, can it sit while the cake bakes, or would it need to go in the oven with the cake? I just worry about the baking time and opening the oven while the cake is baking?
Sam
Hi Kerry! The batter will be ok to sit while the cake bakes. The cupcakes will need to bake for about 17 minutes. 🙂
Leigh
This cake is PHENOMENAL!!! Finally, a cake that delivers on being moist and fluffy. I balked a bit at the 9 egg whites, but every other recipe I’ve tried used less, so I gave it a whirl. I used carton pasteurized egg whites, about 300 grams, which whipped up really nicely. (I also made sure my bowl and whisk were spotlessly clean with vinegar). I put this in three 9 inch cake pans, and one actually rose over the top (I have one pan that’s shorter than the others). That one sank back in, and I thought I’d need to re-make it… nope! Still came out light and delicious. If I make in 8 inch pans, I’d probably cut the recipe in half – these are tall layers! This was so good, I’m making these again today as cupcakes, with about 1/3 of the recipe. Thanks for the great recipe!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Leigh! I’m glad to hear the carton egg whites worked for you. 🙂
Lili
Hi! Hope all is well! I love this recipe! I was wondering if you would know or guesstimate how many 4” cakes this would make? 😅
Sam
Hmmm I am thinking you can probably get at least 9 4″ cakes from this batter. 🙂
Julie
what brand of egg whites did you use? i want to make this cake but i’m worried about wasting all those yolks!
Leigh
I can’t recall, as I believe they were the store brand, generic. THey were definitely pasteurized though!