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
Izzy
I absolutely love this recipe, the icing goes great with the cake as well, thanks to this, I am indeed having a very merry unbirthday!
Erin
Can I use this recipe for a 9×13 inch cake and how long would I bake it? I am making a popsicle shaped caked for my son’s birthday?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Erin! This recipe will work in a 9×13, but you will have excess batter. We aren’t sure of a baking time, so just keep an eye on it 😊 We hope your son loves his cake!
Bahea
Hi! Can this cake be baked in advance and frozen? I would just be freezing the layers (not trimmed/frosted) and it would be for less than one week (in the freezer). I’ve made the cake many times before but never frozen it and I know some recipes stand up to freezing better than others! I have a crazy few days and am trying to save some time where I can!
Also, I just want to say that this is a great recipe! The *one* negative reviewer clearly did something wrong on their end to have such a “mess” of a result. I’ve made this cake numerous times in all different sizes AND cupcakes and never had an issue.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks so much, Bahea! Freezing this cake should work just fine. Make sure to wrap the layers well with plastic and foil before freezing. We hope your cake turns out beautifully ❤️
Holly
How many cupcakes does this batter make? I am making them for a baby shower and will need about 40. Excited to try this recipe with all the great reviews!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Holly! This recipe will yield about 45 cupcakes, and you will want to bake them on 350 for 18 minutes. We hope they’re a hit! 🙂
Holly
Thank you for the quick response!! I’ll report back after next weekend. 🙂
My
Hi there I was wondering if you had a recipe on a strawberry funfetti cake ? Or do you have any recommendations on how to combine the two
Sam
I would make my strawberry cake and toss in some sprinkles. 🙂
Rachel
How long should I bake a 6″ with this recipe?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Rachel! We haven’t tried baking this recipe in 6 inch pans, so we’re not sure what a bake time would be. Just keep an eye on them 🙂
Mica Allen
Can I half this recipe and still get the desired fluffiness and texture?
Sam
Sure thing! Cutting the recipe in half shouldn’t alter the texture at all. 🙂
Kimberly
Could you please advise on how to store this cake? I’ll be making it for a birthday party and would like to make it the day before. Thank you!
Sam
Hi Kimberly! If you are just making it the day before, an air tight container at room temperature should be just fine. 🙂
Kimberly
I’m making cupcakes using the recipe and they are all sinking. Any ideas?
Sam
Hi Kimberly! The batter may have been slightly over-mixed, or they could potentially use another minute or two in the oven. Did you use the toothpick test to confirm they were done?
Taylor
I am going to try this recipe for the first time tomorrow, celebrating our grandpa’s 80th! Typically I use cake flour but this recipe calls for all-purpose so – any advice on that? I’m not one to deviate from the recipe as written on the first try but am wondering if this would be recommended/if anyone has tried it with cake flour?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Taylor! If you are using weights you can use the same weight when substituting one for the other. If you are using cups, you will need to use 1c + 2 Tbsp of cake flour for ever 1c of all purpose flour that the recipe calls for. We hope your grandpa loves the cake! 🙂
Chelsea
Hi there!
Does this hold up alright when using cake flour rather than AP flour?
Thank you! 🙂
Sam
Hi Chelsea! As long as you substitute it properly cake flour will work just fine here. 🙂
Jules
Sam ~ the cake turned out softer, moist and crumbly which I like! However I found it to be too sweet even without frosting. Can I reduce the sugar by half without affecting the cake texture?
Sam
I’m not sure how much you could reduce the sugar without it having an effect on the outcome of the cake. You could probably get away with a little reduction, but I can’t say for sure how much.
Samantha Tyler
I made this cake lastnight for my daughter’s birthday today and it was a hit! Great recipe! I think I over cooked it a bit but that was fault and was still delicious!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy it was a hit regardless, Samantha ❤
Anna K
I made this cake as a test for my daughters birthday. White cakes are so difficult to get right but this recipe is perfect! It is pretty sweet but it wasn’t overwhelming. It’s perfectly moist and the crumb is exactly what you want in a white cake. I was very pleasantly surprised! I’ll be using it for my daughter’s birthday this weekend and all my white cakes in the future! Thank you!
Tara
I’m wanting to try this for my daughter’s birthday party on Saturday. Is there a way to reduce the recipe to make only 2 8inch round cakes? It’s not a huge party so I think 3 would be too much cake for the girls.
Sam
Hi Tara! You can reduce the recipe by 33% but some of the measurements may get a little tricky. You can always just discard any extra batter, although I know wasting it isn’t fun. Enjoy! 🙂
Nadia
Can I substitute the butter with margarine?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Nadia! We haven’t tried it ourselves, but we think it could work. If you do try it, will you let us know how it turns out for you? 😊
Meghan
Hello! Can you share which decorating tips you used? Thank you!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Meghan! We used a technique from I Am Baker for this decoration. She lists the tips that she uses, but we just used six open star tips of varying sizes. Hope that helps 🙂
VMC
Hello Sam,
Thank you for all of your amazing recipes! I noticed that this cake recipe calls for whole milk rather than buttermilk like in your confetti cupcake recipe. Is there a reason for that? Would using buttermilk make it a more tender crumb? Thank you so much!
Sam
Buttermilk will work here. This was just a personal preference. I used whole milk, because it can be easier to find and more readily available. Buttermilk will make the cake a little “heavier”, not dense, but the cake won’t be as light and fluffy.
VMC
Thank you so much, Sam! I appreciate your time and help! Have a wonderful day!
Sophia
The two additional tablespoons of flour ,is that used for the pan or in the cake?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Sophia! All of the flour goes in the batter, and you will need additional for the pans. Hope that helps 😊
Tammy
I’m just here to confirm your cake recipe is trash. In today’s world of inflation the cost and amount of ingredients to make this cake to come out with such disappointment is atrocious to say the least. Due to the recipe being able to produce such a large quantity of batter, I thought I’d use it for the graduation cake I’m to have made later this afternoon. Needless to say I now have to start from scratch. Like others on this feed I’m sure we are not new to the kitchen, should have listened to the reviews. I don’t typically leave reviews, however this was horrible, there’s no saving this mess. By no means did I intend to heart this recipe or page. I can’t seem to figure out how to remove it.
Sam
Hi Tammy! Wow! This is quite a shock to hear (and is it just me or are we generally more rude when speaking to one another through a computer screen, I like to imagine you would have been a bit kinder in person, but know you must be frustrated). To be honest, this recipe has overwhelmingly positive reviews with over 1700 comments and an overall rating of 4.9 stars (you yourself seem to have not rated the recipe) so I’m not sure what you mean about how you should have “listened to the reviews” as they are overwhelmingly positive.
My funfetti cake has been made thousands of times with success including by celebrities such as Daphne Oz who has her very own cooking show and has made it live multiple times on her Instagram page (quite successfully). If this sounds a bit defensive, I’ll apologize but it’s because I might honestly be a bit defensive of a cake that I’m so proud of, one that I use for my own family’s birthday celebrations, and one that took me so many attempts to get just perfect (and, as you can guess, it wasn’t cheap for me to do all of the testing that was required, either) and that I am pleased to provide for free for people such as yourself to use.
Since you did not say what went wrong in your own kitchen and what results you had (other than it was a “mess”) I can’t help you to troubleshoot, but if you would like to reply I would truly be happy to try and help as I can assure you this is a solid recipe that I am proud to put my name behind. Wishing you the best and hoping your day gets better, but I promise you I do not share trash recipes.
Meagan Martin
We live in a small town and had a hard time finding a bakery that was available or a decent cost. My sister has used this recipe and recommended it me. I’ve made this cake twice the last few weeks for a trial run and smash cake photos and will make it a 3rd time this weekend for my son’s birthday. The recipe is easy to follow and they are all ingredients we had on hand. I just bought the carton of egg whites to make it easier. I had to adjust time and temp for our oven but that wasn’t too hard to figure out. The cakes have turned out perfect! Everyone says the cake is DELICIOUS!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We are so happy our recipe has been so successful for you, Meagan! 😊 Be careful with the carton egg whites though–they tend to have issues whipping properly and can cause the cake to turn out poorly.
Meredith
Wow. I made it yesterday with great success. You are complaining about how many ingredients the cake has? You clearly saw and read that before YOU CHOSE to make it, assuming you are able to read. Maybe you are just a tad bitter that you weren’t able to bake this cake correctly like the others. That’s a you problem
Jay
I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out amazing! I rarely bake so if I can do it anyone can. I also cut off the top/sides before layering (personal preference) and it was just gorgeous inside. Thanks for helping make my daughter’s 2nd birthday special (:
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy it turned out so well for you, Jay! Thanks so much for using our recipe ❤
Danieal
What is the difference between cake flour and all purpose flour can I use either or does it have to be all purpose
Sam
The difference really comes down to the protein content in the flour. If you are using weights you can use the same weight when substituting one for the other. If you are using cups, you will need to use 1c + 2 Tbsp of cake flour for ever 1c of all purpose flour that the recipe calls for. 🙂
Kathleen
Hi there, I’m planning on making a 6″ smash cake with 2 layers for my grandaughters birthday. Can I use the leftover batter for cupcakes? I know some cake recipes dont convert to cupcakes. Thanks in advance!
Kathleen
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
That should work just fine, Kathleen. Enjoy 🙂