Easy Funfetti Snack Cake with Vanilla Buttercream
This easy funfetti snack cake is the kind of confetti cake that feels like a party, even when there's no special occasion. It's loaded with confetti sprinkles, baked into super soft, moist crumbs, and topped with a fluffy layer of vanilla American buttercream frosting that's anything but basic.
This confetti cake requires no fussy steps, minimal dishes, simple ingredients, and a dreamy sprinkle mix that does all the heavy lifting. Its just as easy as whipping up a box of cake mix only in return you get a bakery-worthy cake! Whether you're craving a low-effort birthday cake or just want an excuse to bake something fun and sweet, this is the perfect cake to keep in your back pocket for when the mood hits. It's all the good stuff in snack-size form!
Looking for more funfetti recipes? Check out these funfetti buttermilk pancakes, this family-favorite funfetti cookie recipe or this homemade birthday cake ice cream with chunks of funfetti cake folded in!
No-Bake White Chocolate Funfetti Cheesecake
Equipment
- mixing spoons
- mixer with whisk attachment
Ingredients
White Chocolate Funfetti Cheesecake Filling
- 32 ounces cream cheese 4 blocks
- 10 ounces white chocolate
- ¾ cup confectioner's sugar divided in ¼ cup and ½ cup portions.
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream divided in ½ cup and 1½ cup portions
- ½ cup sprinkle jimmies
Butter Cookie Crust
- 5½ ounces butter cookies
- 4 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 5 tablespoon melted unsalted buter
Optional Stabilized Whipped Cream
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup confectioner's sugar
- 1½ teaspoon powdered gelatin
- 2 tablespoon cold water
Instructions
Butter Cookie Crust
- Crush the cookies then add to a bowl along with the granulated sugar and melted butter. Mix until there are no dry spots
- Grease your springform pan with a neutral-flavored oil and then add a parchment circle (cut out with tabs for easy transfer) to the bottom of the springform pan.
- Add the butter cookie crust mixture to the prepared springform pan and press into the bottom using a flat bottomed cup or other instrument. Set aside.
White Chocolate Funfetti Cheesecake Filling
- Add all the cream cheese and ¼ cup of the confectioner's sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer and whip until smooth. A hand mixer may also be used for this recipe.
- In a separate, microwave-safe bowl add the white-chocolate and ½ a cup of the heavy cream and microwave in 20-second increments until chocolate is completely melted. Make sure to stir the mixture in between microwaving to make sure there are no hotspots that can cause the white chocolate to seize.
- With your mixer on medium speed, slowly pour the melted white chocolate/heavy cream mixture into the whipped cream cheese mixture from step 1 until all the white chocolate is incorporated.
- In the (now empty) bowl used for melting the white chocolate, add the rest of the heavy cream and the rest of the confectioner's sugar and whip to firm peaks.
- Add the whipped cream and sprinkle jimmies to the cream cheese/white chocolate mixture fold in until evenly combined. Make sure to fold gently to prevent deflating the whipped cream as much as possible
- Pour the finished white-chocolate funfetti cheesecake batter into the prepared springform pan. To get rid of air pockets lift your pan about 1-2 inches above your counter then drop it in place. Repeat this 2-3 times
- Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap, pressing it to the surface of the cheesecake. For more of a smooth-topped cheesecake you can use a flat-bottomed instrument (like used for the crust) to get rid of any large grooves or ripples at the top of the cheesecake.
- Refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 6 hours to allow it to set then gently remove your finished white chocolate funfetti cheesecake from the springform pan.
Optional Stabilized Whipped Cream Topping
- Add the cold water to a small microwave-safe bowl then sprinkle the gelatin on top. Allow the gelatin to bloom for 5 minutes.
- Microwave the gelatin for 10-15 seconds until melted to a liquid consistency then allow it cool for 3 minutes. The gelatin should be slightly warm when added to the heavy cream 2 steps later.
- While the gelatin cools add the heavy whipping cream and confectioner's sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer and whip on high speed until soft peaks form then stop.
- Set your mixer to medium -high speed while slowly pouring in the melted gelatin down the inside of the bowl.Once all the gelatin has been added turn the mixer up to high speed and continue to whip until stiff peaks form and the whipped cream firmly holds its shape.
Assembly
- Remove your cheesecake from the springform pan then using an offset spatula, spread half of the whipped cream across the top of the cheesecake in an even layer.
- Add the rest of the whipped cream to a piping bag with your favorite piping tip and pipe a border around the edge of your cheesecake. Decorate with additional sprinkle jimmies if desired.Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
Key Ingredients
Cake flour. Used in lieu of all-purpose flour. Since it has a lower gluten percentage the cake will be more tender.
Butter. Used primarily for it's flavor.
Oil. Since oil is a liquid at room temperature the cake will be softer and also feel more moist. Neutral flavored oils like vegetable oil work best for this recipe since they do not overpower the flavor.
Whole eggs. Add richness and act as a binder. No need for separating the egg whites.
Granulated white sugar. Used in lieu of brown sugar for a classic confetti cake.
Full-fat sour cream. My way of sneaking more fat into the cake batter. It gives the cake more flavor and makes the crumb more tender.
Whole milk. Used to balance the tart flavor of the sour cream.
Vanilla extract. Use a good quality vanilla extract like this baking vanilla.
Butter extract. One of my favorite extracts - its adds depth to a cake that would otherwise be flat.
Funfetti sprinkles. Believe it or not these impart their own unique flavor. Sprinkle jimmies are the best option since the color doesn't bleed into the batter when mixed.
Tips for the Best Funfetti Snack Cake
Use an oven thermometer. I recommend one for all my baking recipes. Ovens can have hotspots or run hotter (or cooler) than the displayed reading. An oven thermometer takes out the guess work so you can have predictable and consistent results every time!
Use room temperature ingredients. Cold ingredients prevent the batter from the batter from properly emulsifying resulting in a dense cake.
Use the full-fat versions of the ingredients. Fat is a crucial part of this cake. Instead of the regular creaming method or reverse creaming this recipe relies on the fat tenderize the cake's crumb. Swapping out ingredients like the sour cream or milk for their low-fat versions would affect the texture, making the cake dry and tough.
If you opt for imperial measurements spoon the flour into the measuring cups. This helps to prevent adding too much flour which can happen when flour is packed tightly into the measuring cups if its scooped directly from its container.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did my frosting separate? If your frosting appears separated or greasy this is likely because the butter was too warm when incorporated or because the frosting heated up during whipping. Luckily this is an easy fix - simply remove a quarter or up to a third of the frosting and microwave it for 10-20 seconds until the mixture is liquidy and warm but not completely hot. Reincorporate the melted buttercream by slowly pouring it into the rest of the frosting while whipping.
Do I need to use a mixer for this recipe? Not for the cake. This confetti snack cake recipe comes together in a single bowl and generally less steps than most of my other cake recipes. This is because it depends mostly on the fat content in addition to not over-mixing the batter. The latter of which is more likely if using an electric mixer. If you do opt for an electric mixer mix the batter on the lowest speed just until there are no more dry spots.
What sprinkles should I use for this recipe? I recommend sprinkle jimmies for this recipe since they do not bleed into the batter readily compared to rainbow nonpareils and dissolve into the batter more readily compared quins which can leave behind chewy texture pockets.
How to Make the Funfetti Cake
Step 1. Preheat oven to 325°F .
Step 2. Add all the wet ingredients - sour cream, milk, oil, melted butter, eggs, vanilla extract & butter extract to a large mixing bowl and whisk well until smooth and the eggs are completely incorporated.
Step 3. Add all the dry ingredients - the cake flour, sprinkle jimmies, granulated sugar, baking powder & salt to a separate bowl and mix.
Step 4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the mixing bowl and whisk again just until smooth.
Mixing the wet and dry ingredients separately ensures that all the ingredients are even distributed.
For the dry ingredients it particularly makes sure that there are no pockets of baking powder or salt in the final cake which would have a rather unpleasant taste.
For the wet ingredients, you are able to make sure that the eggs are completely broken up and before mixing the final batter. This prevents two things. The first being threads of unincorporated egg white in the funfetti cake that would give it a dense texture. The second being that it prevent over-mixing which would cause the entire cake to be dense.
Step 5. Pour the cake batter into a 9x9 inch baking pan prepared with baking spray and/or parchment paper. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the cake springs back when lightly touched or until a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs.
Step 6. Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan before covering it with the vanilla frosting.
How to Make the Vanilla Buttercream
Step 1. Add the unsalted butter to the bowl of a stand mixer affixed with a flat paddle attachment. Beat on high speed until the butter is pale and fluffy. It should be easily spreadable at this point.
You may use a whisk attachment but the frosting will have air bubbles.
Step 2. Add the confectioner's sugar and the heavy cream beat again for at least 3 minutes until the buttercream is smooth and fluffy. Start the mixer on low speed gradually bringing it up to high speed to avoid powdered sugar flying everywhere.
If your buttercream doesn't appear smooth or seems grainy or separated it can easily be fixed! Remove up to a third of the buttercream and microwave it for 10-20 seconds until liquified but not scalding. Reincorporate the melted buttercream into the rest of the buttercream whilst whipping the mixture on high speed until smooth.
Step 3. Once the buttercream is ready spread it on top of the cake using the back of a spoon or an offset spatula
Easy Funfetti Snack Cake with Vanilla Buttercream
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat oven to 325°F .
- Add all the wet ingredients - sour cream, milk, oil, melted butter, eggs, vanilla extract & butter extract to a large mixing bowl and whisk well until smooth and the eggs are completely incorporated.
- Add all the dry ingredients - the cake flour, sprinkle jimmies, granulated sugar, baking powder & salt to a separate bowl and mix.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the mixing bowl and whisk again just until smooth.
- Pour the cake batter into a 9x9 inch baking pan prepared with baking spray and/or parchment paper. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the cake springs back when lightly touched or until a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs.
- Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan before covering with the American buttercream
- Add the unsalted butter to the bowl of a stand mixer affixed with a flat paddle attachment. Beat on high speed until the butter is pale and fluffy. It should be easily spreadable at this point.
- Add the confectioner's sugar and the heavy cream beat again for at least 3 minutes until the buttercream is smooth and fluffy. Start the mixer on low speed gradually bringing it up to high speed to avoid powdered sugar flying everywhere.
- Once the cake has completely cooled spread the buttercream on top in an even layer using the back of a spoon or an offset spatula. Decorate with extra rainbow sprinkles if desired.
- Store the cake in an airtight container. Enjoy within 4 days
Notes
- For best results, use a kitchen scale to measure out ingredients. Although measurements are provided in cups please note that this is only an estimate. measuring in grams/ounces will be more precise.
If you do use cups make sure you measure flour by spooning it into the measuring cups to avoid packing. - Use room temperature ingredients unless otherwise specified
- If your buttercream doesn't appear smooth or seems grainy or separated it can easily be fixed! Remove up to a third of the buttercream and microwave it for 10-20 seconds until liquified but not scalding. Reincorporate the melted buttercream into the rest of the buttercream whilst whipping the mixture on high speed until smooth.
