Funfetti Cake Recipe
This easy funfetti cake recipe is soft, moist, and filled with fun, colorful sprinkles. Starting with a cake mix, it creates fluffy, vibrant cake layers topped with a creamy funfetti frosting. It’s a simple, foolproof dessert that’s perfect for birthdays, parties, or any celebration.
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS FUNFETTI CAKE
- Easy and Stress-Free: This funfetti cake recipe starts with a white cake mix, making it quick, simple, and completely foolproof – no extra leavening required.
- Super-Moist Texture: Butter, oil, and sour cream create super -moist cake layers.
- Classic Funfetti Flavor: Sweet vanilla cake packed with colorful sprinkles – everything you want in a classic funfetti cake.
- Perfect for Any Occasion: Ideal for birthdays, celebrations, holidays, or anytime you’re craving a fun, nostalgic dessert.
- Freezer-Friendly: Leftover slices freeze beautifully, so you can enjoy Funfetti cake whenever the craving hits.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THIS FUNFETTI CAKE RECIPE
- White Box Cake Mix: Flour, sugar, and leavening— all built in. It delivers a classic vanilla cake flavor, with room to add ingredients that take it to the next level.
- All-Purpose Flour: Gives the cake more structure, so it holds up better for layering and has more of that homemade texture we all love.
- Granulated Sugar: Bumps up the sweetness just a bit and keeps the cake soft and moist.
- Unsalted Butter: For the cake, melted butter adds richness and that classic buttery flavor, while keeping the cake super moist; way better than using just oil! For the buttercream, can’t have buttercream without butter!
- Sour Cream: Sour cream is the secret to a super moist cake with just the right amount of tang—it makes the texture so much better.
- Vegetable Oil: Adds extra moisture and keeps the cake soft even after chilling. This is one of those ingredients that make a big difference!
- Milk: Milk adds moisture to keep the cake tender and soft, helping all of the ingredients come together. I prefer using whole milk with a higher fat content- but 2% or skim will work just as well!
- Vanilla Extract: A dash of vanilla extract balances the strong lemon flavors beautifully.
- Eggs: Eggs give the cake structure and lift, add moisture and richness, and help create that light, fluffy texture.
- Salt: Balances flavor and sweetness.
- Powdered Sugar: The base of the buttercream – it adds sweetness and helps create that smooth, fluffy texture that’s perfect for spreading or piping.
- Heavy Whipping Cream: Heavy cream helps make the buttercream extra smooth, creamy, and easy to spread—it also adds a little richness and can be used to adjust the consistency.
- Almond Extract: A dash of almond extract enhances the buttercream, giving this frosting its signature flavor.
- Rainbow Sprinkles
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: Adds colorful pops throughout the cake layers and funfetti frosting. The sprinkles are what make this a fun, funfetti classic!
EASY CAKE RECIPES TO BAKE NEXT:
- Strawberry Cake Recipe
- The Best Chocolate Cake Recipe
- No-Fail Lemon Cake
- Classic Yellow Birthday Cake
TOP TIPS FOR PERFECT CAKE LAYERS
This funfetti cake recipe is super simple to follow, and nearly fail-proof in my opinion. But these baking tips will help you achieve the perfect cake texture, every time!
BEFORE BAKING:
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Let your butter, eggs, milk, and sour cream come to room temperature before mixing. This helps the ingredients combine more evenly, resulting in a smoother batter and a finer crumb.
- Precise Measuring: Use a food scale for accuracy, especially when measuring flour. Too much flour can make your cake dry and dense. Spoon flour into your measuring cup and level it off with a knife for the most accurate measurement.
- Pan Preparation: Prep your pans with a baking spray, or homemade pan release. My absolute favorite is Wilton Bake Easy Spray. I have never had a cake stick when using this spray! You can also use parchment paper rounds at the bottom of the pans for extra insurance.
MIXING INGREDIENTS & BAKING:
- Mixing Technique: “Don’t over-mix the batter!” This is a common phrase in the baking world. Believe it or not, with recipes using a box cake mix, this isn’t the case! When you beat air into a cake mix recipe, something special happens. With that being said, don’t be afraid to use your hand mixer on a medium-high setting until your batter is smooth and all ingredients are fully incorporated!
- Don’t Overbake: Overbaking can lead to a dry and crumbly texture. Use a toothpick or knife and insert into the center of the cake – if it comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, it’s good to go. You can also gently press your finger into the top of the cake, if it springs back slowly, it’s done!
AFTER BAKING:
- Cooling: Let your cake cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before removing it. This allows the cake to set and prevents tearing when being moved.
- Storage: Be sure to store properly to lock in that moisture! I recommend double wrapping the cake layers in plastic wrap, and storing in the freezer until you are ready to frost with buttercream.
HOW TO MAKE BOX CAKE BETTER
- Easy Upgrades: Doctored box cake recipes are convenient, and seriously so good. Adding a few ingredients like butter, vanilla extract, and sour cream, create a homemade taste with the perfect texture.
- Flexibility: You can customize a doctored box cake however you’d like. Add-ins like chocolate chips, pudding mixes, colorful sprinkles, or flavored extracts can transform a basic cake mix into something truly gourmet. People won’t believe it started with a cake mix!
- Consistency: Box cake mixes provide an extremely reliable base, no measuring baking powder or baking soda, and the end result is always consistent. Doctored cake mix recipes also allow you to add your personal touch, and shows off your unique flavor and style.
- Time-Saving: Doctored box cake recipes are absolutely delicious, without spending hours in the kitchen.
Well, that’s a wrap on the best funfetti cake recipe! This is the kind of cake recipe people keep coming back for, and they’ll be shocked when they find out it started with a cake mix. With soft, moist cake layers and colorful sprinkles, it’s perfect for birthdays, celebrations, or anytime you’re craving a fun, classic dessert.
Continue below for the easy-to-follow recipe, dig in, and enjoy every bite!
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Funfetti Cake Recipe
- Total Time: 45 minutes + 1 hour cooling
- Yield: 25 slices 1x
Description
This easy funfetti cake recipe is soft, moist, and filled with fun, colorful sprinkles. Starting with a cake mix, it creates fluffy, vibrant cake layers topped with a creamy funfetti frosting. It’s a simple, foolproof dessert that’s perfect for birthdays, parties, or any celebration.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
For the Funfetti Cake Layers:
- 1 Box White Cake Mix
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 3 Eggs (Room Temperature)
- 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter (melted)
- 1 cup Sour Cream
- 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
- 1 cup Milk
- 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons Rainbow Sprinkles
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For the Funfetti Frosting:
- 7 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar (2 lb bag)
- 1 Cup Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 Teaspoon Almond Extract
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 – 3/4 cup Heavy Whipping Cream or Milk
- 1/4 cup Rainbow Sprinkles
Instructions
For the Funfetti Cake Layers:
- Preheat & Prep: Preheat oven to 345°F. Prepare (4) 6 inch cake pans or (3) 8 inch cake pans with baking spray or a homemade pan release. You can also use parchment paper rounds at the bottom of the pans for extra insurance.
- Melt Butter: In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave the butter at 15-30 second intervals until completely melted. Set aside.
- Wet Ingredients: Measure sour cream and milk into a small, microwave-safe bowl. If not already at room temperature, microwave for 30 seconds to bring to room temperature and set aside.
- Eggs: If eggs are not room temperature, add whole eggs (with shell) into a bowl with warm water and let sit for 5-10 minutes. Crack eggs into a separate bowl, and set aside. Doing this gives you a chance to fish out any unwanted egg shells!
- Dry Ingredients: Add flour, sugar, white cake mix, and salt to a large mixing bowl. Use a whisk or spoon to gently combine the dry ingredients.
- One Bowl: Combine all ingredients (minus sprinkles) into the larger bowl containing the dry ingredients. Don’t forget to add the vegetable oil and vanilla extract!
- Mix It Up! Whisk or mix ingredients together with an electric hand mixer
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, starting on low and increasing speed to med-high. Scraping bowl periodically to make sure all ingredients are incorporating and not stuck on the bottom. Mix until batter is smooth and fluffy, usually 1-2 minutes! - Sprinkles: Add the sprinkles and gently fold them into the batter until evenly distributed.
- Pour into Pans: Pour batter into prepared cake pans. If you can, use a food scale
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to evenly distribute batter between pans for consistent cake layer size. - Bake: Bake for 28-32 min for 6 inch pans, and 26-30 min for 8 inch pans. Insert a toothpick or knife into the center of the cake – if it comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, it’s good to go. You can also gently press your finger into the top of the cake, if it springs back slowly, it’s done!
- Cooling: Let cakes cool in pan for 10-15 minutes, and transfer to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.
- Storage: Double wrap your cake layers in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to decorate, simply take out and frost straight from frozen—no need to thaw!
For the Funfetti Frosting:
- Whip the Butter: Start by adding the room temperature butter to a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the butter on medium-high for 30 seconds-1 minute, scraping the sides of the bowl at least once during this time.
- Extracts & Salt: Add the vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt.
- Start Heavy Cream: Add 2 tablespoons of heavy cream and continue mixing until incorporated. Scrape the bowl.
- Powdered Sugar: Lower mixer speed to the lowest setting, and start adding the powdered sugar in 1-2 cup increments. Add a tablespoon of heavy cream or milk between each.
- Mix It Up! Slightly increase the mixer speed to help blend these ingredients, but do not turn on too high or you will whip too much air into the buttercream.
- Reminder: Scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl to make sure all of ingredients are incorporated and to avoid any clumps of butter or powdered sugar.
- Last Step: Mix on low-medium until all ingredients are incorporated, this could take a few minutes. At this point you should have perfectly smooth, buttercream base.
- Rainbow Sprinkles: Finish by gently folding the rainbow sprinkles into the buttercream until evenly distributed.
Equipment
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Fat Daddio’s Cake Pan (6 Inch)
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- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
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