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.
Save this recipe for later!
I'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it whenever you like!
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!
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 9×9 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
Get this recipe in your email!
I’ll email this post to you, so you can come back to it whenever you like!
Ingredients
For the Funfetti Cake
- 6 ¾ oz cake flour 190g or 1½ cups
- 2 ¼ oz sprinkle jimmies 65g or ⅓ cup, plus extra for decorating
- 6 ½ oz granulated sugar 185g or ¾ cup
- 4 oz full-fat sour cream 113g or ½ cup
- 4 oz whole milk 113g or ½ cup
- 4 oz neutral-flavored oil 113g or ½ cup
- 4 oz unsalted butter, melted half a stick or 113g or ½ cup
- 2 large eggs
- 1 TBSP vanilla extract
- 1 tsp butter extract
- 2 ¼ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
For the Vanilla Buttercream
- 6 oz unsalted butter 1½ sticks or 170g or ¾ cup
- 9 oz confectioner's sugar 255g or 2¼ cups
- 6 oz heavy cream, cold 180g or ¾ cups
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
How to Make the Funfetti Cake
- 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 9×9 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
How to Make the Vanilla 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.
