Funfetti Cake Recipe

As you get older, the wild excitement that comes with your birthday may not be quite as thrilling as it was when you were a child. From the balloons and party grab bags to digging into a huge slice of your favorite cake, birthday parties still rank as some of the best days of childhood for many.

If you had the luxury of requesting any flavor of cake for those parties, chances are, funfetti was in the mix. There are countless people with strong memories of slicing into a funfetti cake topped with plenty of vanilla frosting and sprinkles for their birthday. It's a total classic, and it's packed with nostalgia.

Now, you can ditch the box mix and make your own from-scratch at home. With a simple vanilla cake recipe, you can add all the rainbow sprinkles you need to celebrate a birthday, an achievement, or just a normal weekday afternoon.

To get started on making a funfetti cake of your own at home, first gather all of the ingredients ahead of time. For this funfetti cake recipe, you'll need two cups of white sugar, two cups of flour, two and a quarter teaspoons of baking powder, two and a quarter teaspoons of baking soda, a teaspoon of salt, three eggs, three-quarters of a cup of oil, one cup of milk, one teaspoon of pure vanilla extract, one teaspoon of pure almond extract, and a cup of rainbow sprinkles.

For the frosting to top your funfetti cake, you'll need a stick of unsalted butter, softened, five to six cups of powdered sugar, two tablespoons of milk, and one teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Once your ingredients are ready, it's time to start the cake batter for your funfetti cake. First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit so it's heated up to the proper temperature once your batter is ready.

In a large mixing bowl, add all of the dry ingredients. Add in the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and mix to combine. You can use a hand mixer for this recipe, or you can opt to use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.

Be sure to mix all of the dry ingredients well until they're combined and free of any clumps.

Once your funfetti cake dry ingredients are all mixed together, it's time to add in the wet ingredients for your cake batter. First, add in the eggs one at a time. Once the eggs are mixed in, add in the oil and mix. Lastly, mix in the milk, vanilla extract, and almond extract.

Mix your batter until it's just combined, and be sure not to over-mix. Over-mixing your cake batter will cause the gluten in the flour to develop too much, ultimately resulting in a dry, dense cake.

Mix in a cup of your favorite rainbow sprinkles to the batter. Be sure you're using rainbow jimmies, rather than crystal sugar or another smaller sprinkle option. The large rainbow jimmies will add that vibrant pop of color to your funfetti cake we all know and love.

Once you've added the sprinkles, your batter is ready for baking. Prepare two 8-inch round cake pans with a round cut-out piece of parchment. Spray the can pans with cooking spray as well to be sure your cake doesn't stick. Bake the cakes for 26 minutes until the tops are set and lightly golden brown. Once baked, remove the cakes from the oven to fully cool.

While your cakes cool, make the frosting for your funfetti cake. Add the stick of softened butter into a large mixing bowl. Use your hand mixer to make the frosting, or utilize a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.

Whip the butter until light and fluffy, and then add in two cups of powdered sugar. Mix the butter and sugar, and then add in two tablespoons of milk and one teaspoon of vanilla extract. Continue gradually adding powdered sugar while mixing until the frosting comes together. Once the frosting has formed, turn the speed up on the mixer to whip the frosting until fluffy.

Once your funfetti cakes are completely cooled, they're ready to assemble. Place the first cake layer on a cake stand, plate, or cardboard cake round. Add a generous amount of frosting on top, and then top with the second cake layer. Frost your cake using a flat spatula or use a piping bag fitted with an icer tip. Scrape the frosting with an icing scraper to get the naked look. Top the cake with plenty of rainbow sprinkles to make it colorful and festive for any occasion.