The Most Delicious Confetti Cake Recipe (Funfetti Cake)
Confetti Cake – moist and fluffy vanilla cake layers, lots of sprinkles and a whipped vanilla buttercream.
Best Birthday Cake
I’m not sure there’s anything more classic or more nostalgic than a classic Confetti Cake. Since the day Pillsbury came out with their hugely popular Funfetti Cake back in the 1950’s, it’s been a favorite for generations! What’s not to love? Vanilla cake, vanilla buttercream and lots of sprinkles!
Like many of you, I grew up on the boxed version of this cake. I loved it back then, but a few years ago came up with my own recipe. I originally posted it as my Fourth of July Funfetti Cake, and grew to love it even more!
In this first version of my Confetti Cake, I used my Classic White Cake and Vanilla Buttercream as the base. It’s super light and fluffy, and reminds me of my childhood. However, I’ve always felt like it could be better. As I’ve remade this cake over the years, I just kept thinking, I need to try this one again.
Confetti Cake
As I’ve been working on my cookbook (to be released later this year), I made a few changes to this recipe to make it even more memorable and delicious. In this updated Confetti Cake recipe, the cake is more of a vanilla cake than a white cake. It’s a little more moist, in my opinion, than my original version. And it also has a slightly stronger vanilla flavor to it as well.
The texture and flavor in this cake is so delicious and I’m so excited for you to try it!
CAKE MAKING TIPS
Don’t forget to follow my go-to tips for getting your cakes to rise and bake well:
- Preheat your oven for 30 minutes prior to baking.
- Use good quality pans like Fat Daddio.
- Spray your pans with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper.
- Don’t overmix your cake batter once you add the dry ingredients.
- Use room temperature wet ingredients.
- Use fresh baking powder.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST BUTTERCREAM
To get a light and fluffy, silky smooth buttercream, make sure you follow my tips: HOW TO MAKE THE BEST BUTTERCREAM
- Sift your powdered sugar
- Use slightly cold butter
- Use heavy whipping cream
- Beat for 5 minutes
- Stir by hand
You’ll want to check out the post linked above for more details on each step.
More Birthday Cakes You’ll Love
Confetti Birthday Cake
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (72.6 g) vegetable oil
- 3 large whole eggs room temperature
- 3 large egg whites room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60 g) sour cream room temperature
- 3 cups (345 g) cake flour
- 1 tablespoon (14 g) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
- 1 cup (240 g) buttermilk room temperature
- 1 tablespoon (12 g) vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (40g) rainbow sprinkles
FOR THE BUTTERCREAM
- 2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter chilled (I take the butter out of the fridge 30 minutes before I make my frosting)
- 6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar measured then sifted
- 4 tablespoons (57.75 g) heavy whipping cream
- 2 teaspoons (8.4 g) clear vanilla extract
- *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping, you’ll want to make an extra ½ batch.
Instructions
FOR THE CAKE
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare three 8-inch or four 6-inch round cake pans with non-stick spray, parchment paper on the bottom of the pan, and another coat of spray. Set aside.
- In a medium size bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, oil, and sugar on high until fluffy and smooth, about 5 minutes.
- Add the eggs and the egg whites, one at a time to the bowl and beat on medium until well incorporated. Add the sour cream and beat on medium speed for a minute or so. It may look curdled, don't stress.
- Turn the mixer on low and add ⅓ of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until fully incorporated. Then add half of the buttermilk and blend well, followed by another ⅓ of the flour mixture, the second half of the buttermilk and lastly, add the remaining flour mixture and mix until incorporated.
- Add the vanilla extract and beat on low until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix on low for another 30 seconds. Fold in the sprinkles.
- Evenly distribute the cake batter among the three 8-inch or four 6-inch pans and bake for 23 to 28 minutes, until toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs on it.
- Remove cakes from the oven and let cool in pans for 10 minutes before inverting onto cooling racks.
- When cakes are completely cooled, I like to wrap each cake layer individually with plastic wrap and stick it in the refrigerator or freezer until I’m ready to frost. The cake will be easier to work with if it’s cooled a bit. If I’m making the cake a day or two before I actually need to frost it, I put it in the freezer to ensure freshness. If I’m frosting same-day, I’ll just put it in the refrigerator to chill until needed.
FOR THE BUTTERCREAM:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter for about 2 minutes. This will soften the butter without it having to be warm.
- With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the sifted powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing a little in between each addition.
- With mixer on medium speed, add whipping cream, vanilla and salt.
- Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and beat for an additional 5 to 7 minutes. The frosting will become lighter in color and texture.
- Before spreading on your cake, spend a couple minutes mixing the buttercream by hand with a wooden spoon to push out the air pockets.
ASSEMBLY
- Place the first cake layer, top side up. Add about ¾ to 1 cup of frosting. Spread over the cake layer as evenly as possible. Make sure to get eye level with the cake to ensure the frosting is spread evenly over the cake.
- Repeat this step until you get to the final cake layer, which you will lay top side down.
- Apply a thin coat of buttercream around the entire cake to lock in the crumbs. Freeze for about 10 minutes.
- After the crumb coat is set, continue frosting and decorating the cake.
Thanks for another stellar cake recipe!!!
How many sprinkles do you put in the batter, and at what point do you add them? I didn’t see it listed in the recipe.
Thanks!
Such a gorgeous cake! 🙂 Quick question – the recipe does not have the measurement of sprinkles for the cake batter…. how much do you recommend using for this particular recipe? Thank you so much!
Oops! There now!
What if I want to use 6 or 7” pans instead? Do I just increase the time or cut the recipe in half or what do I do? I don’t have 8” pans.
For 6″ cakes, you don’t have to do anything except you need four pans. For the 7″ pans you’ll use three and increase the time.
Hi! The Funfetti cake looks awesome. When do we add the sprinkles to the batter and in what amount??
Thanks!!
fold them in at the end
The complete recipe is cut off. I can’t see anything about how sprinkles should be added or the drip.
It’s there now
When and how do you incorporate the sprinkles in the frosting? What amount of sprinkles go into the frosting?
At the very end. You can use about 1/2 cup and stir them in
Hi Courtney!
I want to make this cake for an outdoor birthday party in the Texas heat next weekend. Do you think the buttercream will melt? If so is there another icing recipe you have that would be better?
Thanks!
Gabby
Honestly, any buttercream will melt in the heat. If possible, get a cooler and put some dry ice in it with the cake to store while you’re outside.
Did you use red food dye to make the drip pink?
I used pink
There is 6 eggs? becouse you writte twice 3 large eggs and then 3 large eggs? It is confuse. Thanks.
Three egg whites and three whole eggs.
Hello! This cake looks delicious! Would the recipe work in two 9″ cake pans? If so, how would you recommend adjusting bake time?
yes it will, you’ll want to reduce the bake temp to 325 and increase the time by 5-10 minutes
The temp is already 325 so do I reduce it even lower for 9” pans???
No, just use two pans and increase the time a little.
I made this cake for my daughters birthday. The flavor was so yummy, but I found it slightly dry. I followed the recipe to a “T”. Any tips on getting a more moist cake?
Try baking it for less time. Your oven may run a little hot so your bake time may need to decrease from mine a little. Also make sure you’re using light metal pans and not dark ones.
hello
love all your cakes. i have a question if i wanted to replace the eggs with something else. what would you recommend?
Thanks
a combination of vinegar and baking soda make a good egg replacement – look at my vanilla vegan cake
Love the look of this cake, I’m sure I’m going to really love baking and eating it but I did have one question. What type of food coloring is used to color the drip?
I like Americolor food gels
How do you do the drip, and do you add food coloring to it??
Yes add a bit of food gel to your white chocolate and heavy cream. I have tutorials on Instagram.
Can I use this recipe for cupcakes?
Yep!
Hi Courtney, I’m so excited to make this cake for my twin granddaughters’ 2nd birthday. Their mom wants their cakes to look like a donut so I’m have two fat daddio’s ring mold pans size 7×2/12 in. How should I adjust for that? Should I make the full recipe or half it? What temp and for how long should I bake them? And would it be ok to use the drip only so it looks like a donut? Thank you!!!
You’ll only need about half the recipe and then yes, the drip would be so cute
Hi! Okay, maybe I missed it, but what quantity of sprinkles did you mix into the frosting for this one? (I see the quantity for the batter but not the frosting). Do you have a preferred brand of jimmies?
Your buttercream recipe doesn’t have salt listed on the ingredients but in your directions it says add salt. I’m confused. Can you please clarify?
Just do a small dash!
I’m looking to make a 9×13 cake, how would I adjust the baking time/temp for that size? Thanks!
you can use the entire cake batter in a 9″x13″ pan. For this size, you’ll turn the oven temperature to 325 degrees F and increase the bake time about 10 to 15 minutes.
Hi, is it possible to make this into a two layer sheet cake? Thanks in advance!
Yes! You just need to double the recipe and use two different sheet pans.
Hi Courtney! I am very excited to be trying this cake out! I was curious, is this cake & frosting recipe different than your classic vanilla cake? Thank you so much!
Yes it’s a little different!
Great recipe! My daughter and I made it today. The only thing I wasn’t sure of was how long to heat the cream in the microwave in the last step.
You should heat it for about a minute.
All your cakes are amazing. I always have a problem with my buttercreams they tend to be on the hard side so getting a smooth cake is somewhat of a problem. Any suggestions?
Are you adding enough heavy whipping cream? Make sure you hand beat your frosting with a wooden spoon for a few minutes at the end as well.
how much food coloring did you use for the icing?
There is no food coloring in the frosting.
Did you change the amount of baking powder? It originally said 2 tsp? Which is correct?
It’s one tbsp.
so is the recipe in Taste of Home for the Funfetti cake incorrect? It says 2 tsp? Not 1 tablespoon…thanks- fyi I made a 3 layer 8 in with the 2 tsp and it seemed fine…
It’s been updated. It’s one tbsp now.
Hey, Courtney! I’m somewhat new at baking cakes. I pulled these cakes out when there were still several moist crumbs on the toothpick like the recipe states (I’ve had trouble in the past cooking mine too long so this is earlier than I usually do!). Now I’m worried they may be underbaked and that I pulled them out too soon. Do you have any tips as far as being able to tell if it needs more time in the oven? When I went to invert them onto cooling racks, they felt very fragile as though they were going to fall apart (they held together though barely, phew!) Thanks, Courtney! I love your cakes!
If the toothpick doesn’t come out wet but just with a few crumbs, you are all good. Make sure you let them sit in the cake pans for at least 10 minutes after they come out. That will help continue cooking the cake.
Hi,
I was wanting to make this cake ahead of time and was wondering if it would be okay to freeze? I’m also using a cream cheese frosting and was wondering if it’s okay to freeze assembled or freeze the layers separately and then frost on the day?
Totally fine to freeze!
Do I need to make any adjustments to this cake to make it at 6000 ft?
Thank you!
No my cakes were made for high altitude.
Is there a tool supply list? I’m taking the class and want to buy stuff ahead of time. Thx
I have a post called Essential Cake decorating tools! Go check that one out!
Will this recipe work using a hand mixer instead of a stand mixer? I know I’m behind times but I don’t have one!
Yes you can. Just make sure to not overmix.
What brand of rainbow sprinkles do you like??
Generic kind for inside the cake and Sweetapolita for decorating.
I made this cake for my son’s 3rd birthday and then did your chocolate buttercream as the frosting. It was a hit with everyone! The only bummer is that I made the cakes 2 days ago and froze them for about a day before putting them in the fridge to thaw overnight; and they were a bit dry and crumbly. Any idea what might have caused that?
Hi! The cooking time was 15-20minutes longer than the recipe stated. The cake is also a bit oily? Help!
Was your oven preheated?
Hi Courtney 😊
What is the altitude you bake at in Utah?
It’s about 4500 ft.
Do you ever use a convection oven or a convection setting for your cakes?
No.
Would this recipe work for cupcakes?
Yes!
What would the baking instructions for cupcakes look like?
350 for 18-20 mins. Keep your eye on them!
Hi! I am planning on making this cake for my daughter’s 1st bday but I need some help with baking times please! I’d like to do two 7 inch round layers for the main cake and I have a 4 inch heart shaped pan for her smash cake. May you please help with correct baking times please? Thank you!!! I’m so excited to make this cake!!
It might be a little less time. Keep your eye on it.
Hi Courtney, This cake looks great. Can this recipe also covert to make cupcakes? Or do you have another recommendation?
Renee
Yes you can!
I need to make 2 6” cakes… would the layers be too thin if I divided the recipe as is between 5 6” pans?
It would be ok!
Hi Courtney! Do you think I could make this recipe gluten free by using cup 4 cup flour? Or am I better off using your gluten free vanilla cake recipe and then just adding some sprinkles. Would you ever suggest adding cake batter extract?
You can definitely use Cup 4 cup flour for this recipe. It is pretty sweet already but you are more than welcome to add cake batter extract.
How did it turn out for you?? Also did you measure your flour by cups or grams when you made it?
do you explain how to decorate the cake? please do 🙂
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hwo2IIoYDL8 this shows how I got the sprinkles on the cake!
Is the correct temperature 350 or 325? The cake class says 350 but this recipe says 325. Thank you!
325! I’ll fix that now!
Hiya! From the UK here and wondering what cake flour is? We don’t have anything called ‘cake flour’ here so wondering what to use?
For one cup of AP flour, take out two tbsp and replace with two tbsp corn starch. Then sift the mixture at least six times to get the same mixture as fine as cake flour.
Quick question- should the sour cream be room temperature as well??
Yes!
Can this funfetti birthday cake recipe be used for cupcakes?
Absolutely!
Hello! This will be my absolute first attempt at a cake. Ambitious, I know 😬
My son loves funfetti, but because of Covid, we are not having a party… just having my parents over. Obviously yielding 20 people will be way too much cake. Any suggestions on how to cut back on the amount to make and the cooking time? I’m going to grab some cake pans today (see, super amateur) and want sure if I should just buy littler pans and just make a condensed version of this? Also, is there a noticeable difference between cake flour and just doing the flour/cornstarch method? If it will taste better, then I’ll just buy the cake flour haha
Thank you!
You can half the recipe and make it in two 6-inch pans! I always suggest buying the real cake flour if you can!
Hi Courtney, where can I find the cake stand? I want one just like it to go with this cake.
Thank you!
it’s old from the dollar section of Target!
My niece’s favorite cake is this one and I tried a recipe years ago and it was dry and not good. I saw you on the Kelly Clarkson show and decided to look you up only to find this cake and do many other beautiful cakes. I figured I would give the Funfetti to decide if flavor also matched the beauty of the decoration and it absolutely did!! Even my adult son who is my toughest critic and not a big cake person and didn’t even want to try it, took a bite and finished the whole slice. I did pair it with a vanilla swiss meringue buttercream only because I find the American style buttercream too sweet. Thank you and so glad I found you!!!
Thank you so much!
Hi, Courtney!! Love all of your stuff. Looking forward to.making this one. Can u tell me how much and when to add sprinkles to buttercream so they wont bleed?
At the end you will stir them in.
what brand of clear vanilla extract do you like?
I usually use Wilton!
Hi Courtney! Cant wait to try this recipe. Could I make this into cupcakes? If so what would be the cook time?
Thanks!
Omg Courtney! This cake was delicious! The buttercream was just perfect! My family loved it. Will be adding this to my recipe book. Thank you so much for a delicious recipe and easy to follow instructions.
Thank you so much!
This cake is GORGEOUS! Do you have any tips for how you did the frosting decoration? Looks like the sprinkles were folded in. Do you just apply after the crumb coat and smooth? How do the spring joes not run their colors? Thanks in advance for any help!
Just folded in after crumb coat! Fold them in softly.
Hello! If I don’t have clear vanilla extract can I use the brown one? Thanks!
Yes.
Hi Courtney. Can you make this into cupcakes?
Hi! Where can I see the other comments, reviews ?
At the bottom of the page.
Hi! I don’t see anything about adding sprinkles to the buttercream frosting. How much sprinkles should I add to the frosting? It looks like there are sprinkles on frosting in pictures! Thanks xxoo
1/2 cup folded in at the end.
Hi Courtney! Beautiful cake and I appreciate the recipe!! I don’t see any instructions on how to add the sprinkles to the frosting. If I use a warmed bench scraper to frost my final layer, will the colors from the sprinkles melt and smear? And how much do we add for the batch? Thank you 🙂
Stir in the 1/2 cup sprinkles at the end. They will not melt.
Hi, your recipe does not say how much salt for the frosting.
A pinch.
Have not made this yet however it appears that sprinkles are in the buttercream but not mentioned in the ingredient list??
1/2 cup folded in at the end if you want to use them.
Hello! this recipe calls for “cake flour”, Is this the same as all purpose flour? If not, do yo mean like box cake flour like betty crocker brand? Thank you for your reply!
It is not the same flour. Cake flour is in it’s own box in the baking aisle. My favorite brand is Softasilk.
Cake was so yummy! Perfect balance of sweet and salty! However, I had to leave mine in for way longer than the specified time and the middles were still underdone… maybe my oven runs low? Any thoughts on how I might troubleshoot this? Practicing to make for sons birthday!
Every oven is different! Let it preheat at least an hour and keep your eye on it. I also recommend getting an over thermometer.
Courtney, I live in Utah at 5500 feet and wonder if this recipe will work at altitude or needs adjustment? Thank you!
I’m in Utah. My cakes are made for high altitude.
Does this mean that your cake recipes should be adjusted for sea level baking? If so, how?
Thanks!
No adjustment!
When do you add the sprinkles to the frosting? When mixing by hand?
Yes lightly fold them in.
How much confetti did you put in the buttercream?
1/2 cup of sprinkles.
I feel like my cakes are a bit flat! Any idea what I’m doing wrong?
Make sure your ingredients are fresh and you aren’t overtaking or overtaxing your batter!
I don’t use a paddle attachment anymore. I’ve found that the whisk attachment produces a fluffier cake. Just be sure to just mix until combined and scrape the bowl often. And yes of course fresh ingredients is always best.
Can you use this recipe for rainbow cake?
Absolutely!
Is it just a pinch of salt in the frosting? like 1/4 tsp?
Hi. Can I exchange vegetable oil for a different type of oil?
Canola
Your buttercream calls for salt in the instruction part but there’s no measurement for salt in the ingredients list. how much salt are you supposed to use? Thanks.
Just a pinch.
Hi Courtney,
Regarding the oven temperature of 325°, is that if you’re baking with a convection oven? If I’m baking with a standard oven, should I bake at 350°?
Thanks!
– Matt
I always bake with standard oven. 325 is my new norm 🙂
Hi! I’m making this beautiful cake today. Can I use 3 – 9” ?
I would 1.5 the recipe if you are.
Hi Courtney,
I am loving your book!
In the book you fold in the sour cream at the end, and in the blog you mix it in earlier. Just wondering why you changed it and if it matters either way?
Thanks so much!
Cindy
I was just going to ask this same thing… I’ve done it both ways now as I realized it last time I made this cake. For what ever reason though, when I add earlier they come out of the oven better. When I have folded it in per her book, the edges are really flaky and not sharp. May not have anything to do with it though. I would be interested to see what Courtney says about the change.
I thought it was very yummy, but the frosting was a little sweet.
Love this cake! Do you just add sprinkles into buttercream before you do the final layer? I love the look of it mixed in like in the picture.
Yes just fold them in softly!
Hi Courtney!
Love this cake and all your cakes! I have one question, when my cakes are on the cooling rack they tend to stick and make it difficult to get them off. Any suggestions on how to prevent that? Thanks!
You can spray the cooling rack with a little cooking spray!
This is a delicious cake. Ive made several of your recipes now and this one hands down is my fav. Although the chocolate chip cookie one is a very close second
I love all your recipes!! I have made this cake a few times and I keep getting feedback that the cake is a bit dry. Any tips on how I can fix that?
You might be over baking!
I followed the recipe exactly, but made cupcakes instead of cake. They were so delicious. They were well loved at my son’s birthday party! Definitely saving this recipe.
I love it!
How many cupcakes did this recipe make? I want to do it for my daughters bday. It I need about 24 cupcakes
It should make about that many
I am about to bake this cake for Easter. Can it be made without the sprinkles in the batter? The sprinkles I bought smell a little stale (maybe that’s how they always smell), so I think I will just make it plain and frost with rainbow stripes. Fingers crossed!
Yes it totally can!
This cake was so nostalgic and delicious. Recipe was super easy which I love about your beginner recipes. I used a swiss meringue buttercream instead of the American but used the same decorating technique. Wonderful recipe and turned out beautiful and delicious!
So happy to hear you love it. Sounds dreamy with the SMB! What a great idea!
Hi Courtney,
I am really interested in making this cake for my son’s first birthday party. Is it possible to make this recipe and bake it in a quarter, or half sheet cake pan instead? I don’t want to stress myself out too bad since it will be my first time baking for a crowd.
Thanks!
Half sheet is fine! Just half the recipe!
Hi, Deena. I’ve not made this recipe, yet. I am considering making cupcakes with this recipe as you mentioned that you did. Do you recall what temperature you baked the cupcakes at and for approximately how long you baked them?
This cake looks amazing…and I would like to make it next week for my Nephew’s Up Coming Baby Shower…iam looking online for Rainbow Jimmies/Confetti Sprinkles…. That ACTUALLY TASTE GOOD and that DOESN’T BLEED when baking…
Have you got any suggestions 😁❤️🙏
Is the baking time of 23-28 mins for 3 8” pans correct at 325 F?
I bake cakes a lot and this bake time seemed short even for an 8” pan at 350 F with this amount of batter (about 575 g batter per pan). I baked it until it was done (bouncy on top and pulling away from pans), and that was a little over 45 minutes at 325 F.
Cake turned out perfectly however I’ve made note for next time to increase bake time.
Every oven is different!
For some reason whenever I make any of these recipes I always have to cook mine 15 minutes longer. Still turn out delicious!
Is it alright to make the cake and frosting the day before?? If so what are your storage suggestions
Yes! Just keep in the freezer once assembled.
I have made two of your cakes that were amazing and followed all of your directions precisely. I made the others in 2 9 inch cake pans and they turned out amazing. This one I just made and used 2 9 inch cake pans again and they overflowed all over my oven! I made sure the cake cooked through. They are messy but why do you think they overflowed and are they still okay to frost?
Some rise more than others! as long as its cooked I’m sure its ok to frost!
I used 3- 9 inch pans for 30 minutes cook time. Great recipe.
Im wanting to make this for a graduation! Do the sprinkles in the frosting bleed?
No!
Hi, not sure you got my first question, but I’m asking if you can use the confetti cake recipe for cupcakes?
Yes
Hi Courtney! For cupcakes, would i use same temp & time?
325 for a little less time!
I don’t see how much or when you put sprinkles in the frosting.
About 1/2 cup at the end of buttercream, mixing by hand
Hi! Could you tell me the brand of the sprinkles used on the cake?
In here, Portugal, i can only find sprinkles that are white and then sprayed with color which leads to a messy result. The cake turns like a brownish tone… And you will not see any color, only a few white dashes here and there.
For my kid’s birthday i used colored sugar stars in the batter and it worked although it created some air holes after cooked because they are too big i think.
Thanks in advance!
They’re just wilton!
OMG, seriously? OK! That I can get on amazon! 🙂
There can be stores in other locations in PT that may sell Wilton, but where I live… they don’t…so I haven’t tried.
Thank you so much!
If I want to adjust the recipe to make a shorter (or less layer cake), do you have adjustments for that? Thx!
You can half it and do 2 6-inch layers!
Hi, how do you recommend halving some of the ingredients like the 3 whole eggs and 3 eggs whites? And what is the baking time adjustment on 2- 6 inch layers? Thank you!
Cake recipe was exceptional! Tasted great, sprinkles looked awesome in the layers, and cake stayed moist and not to dense. Certainly will bake again. Thanks!
In my kids’ words, “this is the best cake you’ve ever made.” This recipe is amazing. I tweaked it a bit to suit my tastes and make up for missing ingredients and it still turned out incredibly delicious. I had to bake for longer than stated in the recipe, but I didn’t mind that. Also made the cutest cupcakes with leftover batter. It tasted like it came from one of the best bakeries in the city. Thanks Courtney.
Hi! Do you have to use clear vanilla extract or could I use vanilla extract that has the brown color to it? Thanks!
Regular will work.
If I live at sea level do I need to adjust this recipe?
You shouldn’t have to!
I have a three tier confetti wedding cake to make in September and I was researching recipes. Your recipe is exactly what I was looking for. Great layers, just the right amount of density and still moist with rainbow sprinkles. Thank you!
My go to vanilla cake! I’ve done with sprinkles and without, it is always a hit! Before this I was on the hunt forever for an amazing and not dry vanilla cake recipe. Thank you so much!
Love love following you on Instagram as well!
Thank you so much!
Delish!
Can we skip out using sour cream?
You need it but you can use buttermilk instead.
I want to make this into an 8in 4 layer cake. Would I do the recipe 1 1/2xs?
Hi, would this cake hold if it’s the bottom tier in a 3 tier cake?
Yes!
Lovely texture, but I did need to cut the vanilla to 2 tsp and I cut the sugar to 1 1/4 c. Just personal preference of course! Overall, I’m keeping this recipe for the future. 🙂
Can I make this into a bundt cake?
Yes!
Want to half the recipe.. what would the egg measurements be?
2
Can you give a little more detail on how to get the confetti look in the outside/frosting of the cake?
I added about 1/4 cup sprinkles to the buttercream and folded them in before decorating my cake.
If freezing the day before, how long do the cakes need to thaw out before you frost the next day?
About 20-30 mins
The BEST and only confetti cake recipe you will need. Made this for a kid’s birthday party and all the guests declared it to be up on the top of the list of favorites.
Are there any “fun fillings” that you’d recommend with this cake?
So many but you could do a vanilla custard!
Do you have a vanilla custard you recommend?
Yes, I have a recipe in my Creme Brulee Cake for a vanilla custard that I love.
Hi!
My cakes came out very crumbly. They are falling apart. Any suggestions? Im not sure what I did wrong. They also seem very oily.
Did you over bake them?
Would love to see a video tutorial for how you decorate this !!!
When you say add the egg whites and eggs one at a time and then beat on medium, are you mixing after each separate addition or mixing once all the egg/egg whites are added to the bowl?
after each addition!
I LOVE your cakes!! The style, the flavors, the decorations! LOVE them all! I made this cake for my brother-in-law’s 40th and it came out perfect! My family and I couldn’t stop eating the cake scraps when i trimmed the layers. It’s moist, not dense but can still handle layers, and the TASTE?! Just beyond words! Thank you so much! I will definitely be making this again 🙂
Thank you so much!
Have you ever made it into cupcakes??
yep!
This was a great recipe!!! It’s become a new family favorite for birthdays! If I wanted to do cupcakes is there anything that should be changed?? How many would that yield?
So happy you loved it. It will make about 24 and I would just change the bake time. Closer to 20 to 25 minutes.
Do you have a specific brand of sprinkles you recommend? I hate when sprinkles are too hard or too mushy and end up ruining the cake!
I like the sweetapolita sprinkles.
How many cups of batter does this recipe yield? Wondering, if doubled, if all will fit/mix okay in a 5-quart stand mixer, or if I’d have to mix in two separate batches??
It’s about 6 cups. I would say separate it. I find there’s not enough room for adequate mixing when I double a recipe in my 5 qt.
Can you make this into a Bundt cake?
For sure! The bake time will be closer to 50 ish minutes. I’d start checking it at about 45 mins.
Could I use rainbow nonpareils instead of sprinkles? Will it make a huge difference?
I haven’t tried those in this cake. I’d be worried that they’d bleed a little.
If you plan to frost once cooled the same day do you still wrap and place in the refrigerator for a bit or is this only if delayed!?? Thank you!! I’m excited to try this cake for my daughters 3rd birthday this weekend
Yes, I still like to wrap them when they’re cooled and freeze for about an hour even when I’m making everything in one day.
Hi Courtney!
I am going to attempt to make this adorable cake! Is it possible to substitute the vegetable oil with coconut oil?
Thanks!
You bet!
What can you do to set the crumb coat if you don’t have enough freezer space? Would putting it in the refrigerator set it at all?
I take things out from the freezer to make room! its only for 10 mins so they should be ok to sit out!
Courtney, I just finished making this cake and your recipe was remarkable! I followed it to the letter, and my cake turned out beautifully. I haven’t sliced it yet, but I’m sure it will be delicious.
I haven’t made this yet, however, I will be tomorrow! I don’t have a stand mixer. Will a hand one work well enough?
Thanks in advance!
Absolutely
I’m currently making the buttercream and there’s no salt amount listed! I put in 1/4 tsp.
That’s perfect.