4th of July Funfetti Cake – A patriotic funfetti cake, made with tender white cake layers, mixed with red, white and blue sprinkles, covered in a whipped vanilla buttercream.
After a couple of weeks away from the kitchen enjoying a little sand between my toes, it’s good to be baking again. I mean, yes, it’s hard to leave the fun-filled, carefree days of any vacation behind and return to the daunting tasks of unpacking, laundry, cleaning, and loads of work, but I do love getting back into my routine. And part of that routine is baking!
4th of July Funfetti Cake
I’ve had several requests lately for a funfetti cake, so I thought the upcoming holiday would be the perfect inspiration for this one. Of course, you can use any colored jimmies for this cake, but I do recommend using jimmies like THESE and not the sanding sprinkles. The sanding sprinkles you often see at the grocery store will bleed into the cake batter. The jimmies do a much better job of holding their color and shape.
This cake is tender and fluffy and full of flavor. You’ll actually notice in the recipe that I use clear vanilla extract. The clear vanilla extract has a slightly sweeter taste than pure vanilla extract and reminds me a little of the box mix flavor (but in a homemade-kind-of-way, of course!).
To decorate this cake, I frosted the entire cake using 6-inch cake boards on the bottom and top of the cake. Once you frost the sides of the cake, the boards allow you to hold the cake horizontally and roll it in a jelly roll pan full of red, white and blue star sprinkles. It’s much easier than it sounds, and I have a video on my Instagram account to show you how it’s done. You can also place the sprinkles on the side of the cake by hand.
For the top of the cake, I used the Wilton 32-star tip to make a crossover pattern in each color. I also added some of Sweetapolita’s Party in the USA sprinkle medley for a bit more fun.
4th of July Funfetti Cake
I hope you enjoy this 4th of July Funfetti Cake with your family and friends!! Check out THIS POST for some extra tips for adding sprinkles to the side of your cake! Also, make sure to follow me on Instagram @cakebycourtney for more tips and recipes on all things cake!
Just making this for a family gathering, can’t wait! Just wondering when or if you add sprinkles to the batter? Maybe I am reading it wrong and miss that detail.
You just fold them in at the very end before pouring the batter into the pans.
If I don’t have extra large eggs do I need to add another large egg??
No, large is ok. I add an extra if I only have medium or small eggs
I do not have clean vanilla extract. Do I need to go out and search for some or can I get away with making this cake with regular vanilla extract?
CLEAR Vanilla Extract I mean!
I would suggest getting some, (which you can find at most craft stores actually), because it adds a bit of sweetness like the flavor from the box mix.
I made this cake for my grand daughters birthday. Help!!! It looked beautiful but was heavy and dry:( What did I do wrong? I froze them for less than 48 hours with two layers of plastic wrap and put them in a ziplock bags. Looking for some help, my last cake was also dry. I froze it also…
Heidi
(A cake baker wannabe)
Hi Heidi, I’m so sorry to hear that. This cake should be light and fluffy. Freezing them won’t change the texture – my guess is that you may have added too much flour, over mixed the batter, and/or overcooked the cakes. I always spoon in my flour to the measuring cups and level off with a knife. You want to do low speed on the mixer once you add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. And you oven may be running hot, so the time I give might have been too long.
Hi, there your cakes are gorgeous. Can I uses this recipe for a sheet cake? And uses large eggs??
Thank you.
Yes you can. Bake for about 5 minutes less.
This looks lovely! I’m hoping to make something similar for my son’s birthday! I was planning on making two layers in 10 inch rounds. Should I double the recipe and how long will it take to bake in the 10 inch pans? Thanks!!!
I don’t think it needs to be doubled. I would just 1 1/2 the recipe.
Hi! Would this turn out okay if I made cupcakes? Thanks!
Yes, just bake for less time.