This funfetti cake featuring light and buttery vanilla cake layers studded with rainbow sprinkles and fluffy vanilla buttercream frosting is a fun and cheerful dessert!

This funfetti cake made with light and buttery vanilla cake layers studded with rainbow sprinkles and fluffy vanilla buttercream frosting is such a fun and cheerful dessert!

I think it’s safe to say that funfetti cakes have the most fun. I mean, how could they not? Each bite of delicious, beautiful, and rainbow-flecked cake does nothing but bring joy.

This homemade funfetti cake recipe starts with tender cake layers flavored with butter and vanilla, and the frosting is my favorite rich and creamy whipped vanilla buttercream. And rainbow sprinkles, both inside the cake layers and on top for decoration, are the final touch. While I often make this cake for birthdays, it’s perfect any day of the year!

This funfetti cake made with light and buttery vanilla cake layers studded with rainbow sprinkles and fluffy vanilla buttercream frosting is such a fun and cheerful dessert!
This funfetti cake made with light and buttery vanilla cake layers studded with rainbow sprinkles and fluffy vanilla buttercream frosting is such a fun and cheerful dessert!

Table of Contents

Why this funfetti cake should be your next bake

  • It’s a homemade recipe that tastes way better than store-bought mixes.
  • It’s simple enough for beginners but impressive enough for seasoned bakers. 
  • It’s a cheerful dessert that brightens up birthdays or any day you need a little fun.
  • You can make it ahead of time as needed.
  • If you follow all of my tips and make the recipe as-written, it’ll be the best funfetti cake you’ve ever had!
Funfetti cake layers ready for baking

What is funfetti cake?

Funfetti cake is basically a vanilla cake with confetti-like rainbow sprinkles. And sprinkles are always fun, so— funfetti! 

See my other funfetti recipes: Funfetti Cheesecake and Funfetti Cupcakes for Two.

Splitting funfetti cake layers
Building a funfetti layer cake

How to make this homemade funfetti cake recipe

  1. Prepare cake batter: This recipe uses the “reverse creaming method“, which means we’ll beat the dry ingredients with the butter and some buttermilk until light and fluffy, before stirring in the remaining liquids. It makes for a super light and tender crumb.
  2. Bake and cool cake layers: Divide the batter between lined pans and bake in a 350°F oven for 25–30 minutes.
  3. Make the frosting: Beat all the ingredients until fluffy and smooth. The longer you beat it, the lighter it will be!
  4. Assemble your cake: Layer cake layers with frosting, then frost the whole cake. Decorate as you like, just be sure to add more sprinkles on top.
  5. Serve and enjoy: I like to chill layer cakes for at least 30 minutes to they’re firm and will slice nicely.
This funfetti cake made with light and buttery vanilla cake layers studded with rainbow sprinkles and fluffy vanilla buttercream frosting is such a fun and cheerful dessert!

Recipe tips & FAQs

  • If you’re new to baking layer cakes or need a little help, be sure to check out my complete guide for how to build a layer cake. It’s got everything you need to know!
  • I recommend using cake flour to achieve the lightest and most tender crumb, though you can use all-purpose flour in a pinch. You can also make your own cake flour.
  • Always start with room temperature dairy and eggs. Pull the butter, buttermilk and eggs from the fridge 30-60 minutes before you plan to bake. This helps cakes have the best rise and softest texture (more info on why room temperature ingredients matter here). 
  • What sprinkles work the best in funfetti cake? I recommend jimmies or confetti sprinkles (sometimes called sequins or quins). I’ve used both successfully in this recipe, and confetti sprinkles are pictured here in this post. Do not use nonpareils (the tiny round colorful sprinkles), as they will bleed into the cake batter.
  • I prefer 8-inch cake pans for this recipe. Use 2 or 3 pans, depending on the look you want. You can use 9-inch pans, but know the cake layers will be thinner (and I recommend baking just 2 layers).

baking tip:How to prevent cake from sticking to the pan

There are few baking failures as frustrating as a cake that sticks to the pan! Here’s how you make sure your cakes come out clean every time:
  • Line the bottoms of cake pans with parchment paper. You can trace and cut circles from sheets of parchment, or use pre-cut rounds.
  • Grease with a baking-specific nonstick spray that contains flour (such as Baker’s Joy) OR grease pan completely with butter, then dust with flour.
  • While I don’t like non-stick pans for traditional cakes (they tend to over-brown the edges), non-stick pans are great for other recipes like bundt cakes, cupcakes, loaf cakes, etc.
More Baking Tips »
This funfetti cake made with light and buttery vanilla cake layers studded with rainbow sprinkles and fluffy vanilla buttercream frosting is such a fun and cheerful dessert!

Make-ahead tips for layer cakes

It’s easy to prep this cake in advance if you want! In fact, I prefer to break up the work of layer cakes over 2 days , baking cakes on one day and then assembling and frosting the next. And you can even prep farther in advance too.

  • Prepare cake layers in advance and store wrapped in plastic wrap in the fridge for up to 2 days and in the freezer (double wrapped) for up to 3 months. Assemble cake layers while cold from the fridge, and thaw frozen cakes in the fridge overnight still in their plastic wrap before using. See my tutorial on how to store cake layers for more detailed info.
  • Prepare the frosting in advance and store at room temperature for several days, in the fridge for 1-2 weeks, or in the freezer for several months. For best results, beat frosting until smooth before using, adding a bit more cream if needed to get the right texture.

More of my best layer cake recipes

Get the recipe

Funfetti cake made with light and buttery vanilla cake layers studded with rainbow sprinkles and fluffy vanilla buttercream frosting
4.60 from 5 reviews

Funfetti Layer Cake

Servings: 12 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Chill Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
This funfetti cake made with light and buttery vanilla cake layers studded with rainbow sprinkles and fluffy vanilla buttercream frosting is such a fun and cheerful dessert!
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Ingredients
 

For the cake:

  • 4 large eggs , at room temperature
  • 1 ¼ cup (227 grams) buttermilk , at room temperature, divided
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon almond extract
  • 3 cups (360 grams) cake flour
  • 2 cups (400 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (226 grams) unsalted butter , at room temperature
  • 2 large egg whites
  • ½ cup (80 grams) sprinkles , see Notes

For the frosting:

  • 6 cups (683 grams) powdered sugar
  • 1 ½ cup (340 grams) unsalted butter , at room temperature
  • ⅓ cup (56 grams) heavy whipping cream
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon almond extract
  • Additional sprinkles , for decorating

Equipment

two round cake pans
8-inch cake pans
offset spatula
Offset spatula
silicone spatulas
Spatula

Instructions
 

To make the cake:

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two or more 8 or 9-inch pans with parchment paper and grease with butter and flour (see Notes).
  • In a small bowl whisk together the eggs, ¼ cup of the buttermilk, the vanilla, and almond extract.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large bowl with a hand held mixer, combine the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, butter, and remaining 1 cup of buttermilk.
  • Beat on low speed until it comes together, then increase speed to high and beat until light and creamy, pausing to scrape down the bowl as needed, about 3-4 minutes.
  • Add the egg mixture in 3 additions, mixing after each.
  • In a separate mixer bowl (alternatively you can transfer batter to another bowl and wash that mixer bowl) with a whisk attachment beat the egg whites to soft peaks.
  • Gently fold in two additions into the cake batter. Add the sprinkles with the second addition.
  • Divide the cake batter evenly into the two pans and bake until the centers of the cakes bounce back when touched or a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs, 25-30 minutes. Time will vary slightly depending on which pan size you use.
  • Let cool 10 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting and assemble cake:

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand held mixer, combine the powdered sugar, butter, heavy cream, salt, vanilla and almond extracts.
  • Beat on low until the frosting comes together, then increase speed to high and beat until light and creamy, about 3-4 minutes.
  • Place one cake layer on a cake stand or plate. Cover with 1 cup of frosting. Top with other cake layer.
  • Cover completely with frosting and top with sprinkles as desired. For clean slices, let sit in the fridge for 20 minutes before slicing.

Notes

Calories: 757kcal, Carbohydrates: 104g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 36g, Saturated Fat: 22g, Cholesterol: 145mg, Sodium: 301mg, Potassium: 207mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 80g, Vitamin A: 1139IU, Calcium: 97mg, Iron: 1mg
Cuisine: American
Course: Dessert
Author: Annalise Sandberg
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