Funfetti Birthday Cake – A new and improved version of my Funfetti Cake with moist and fluffy vanilla cake layers, lots of sprinkles and a whipped vanilla buttercream.
Funfetti Cake 1.0
I’m not sure there’s anything more classic or more nostalgic than a classic Funfetti Birthday Cake. A funfetti vanilla cake just screams quintessential birthday cake, don’t you think? 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 funfetti 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.
Cake Subscription Boxes
I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to revamp this delicious and moist recipe! I actually didn’t get around to revising it until I decided to try something new with my cake subscription boxes. If you haven’t heard of my subscription boxes yet, let me digress from this Funfetti Birthday cake for just a moment 🙂
Just last December, we launched Courtney’s Cake Club, a cake box subscription service, much like Hello Fresh and Blue Apron, but for my cakes! Each month you get pre-measured ingredients for moist and fluffy cake with a recipe card and all my tips and tricks for making delicious tasting and beautiful looking cakes. We’ve also teamed up with My Mind’s Eye to give you a party good from their store. I love how convenient these boxes make cake baking! No hunting down special ingredients, no big messes, and no stress of not knowing what to do. I give you just about everything you need to succeed. The only thing you need to grab are a few ingredients from your refrigerator. Enjoy deliciously moist and fluffy cakes right in your own kitchen.
I also love how the boxes help create lasting memories. For many of you, you’re giving these boxes as gifts, sharing them with friends, making date night out of cake baking, etc. This funfetti birthday cake is also a fun activity!
I also know many of you have loved the single box option we’ve been doing recently. In fact, it’s been such a huge hit, that we’ve decided to change things up and we’ll be keeping the single cake box option as a permanent fixture on Shop.CakebyCourtney.com. So now you can subscribe to Courtney’s Cake Club for a monthly delivery or get a single box for just the months you want.
As part of the new Courtney’s Cake Club options, I also thought it would be fun to offer you a classic birthday cake cake box. Starting in September, you’ll also have the option to buy this cake, my Funfetti Birthday Cake, as a single box – whenever you want! That’s right! This cake box will always be available to you for purchase with an immediate ship time.
You can visit Shop.CakebyCourtney.com to learn more.
Funfetti Birthday Cake 2.0
So all of these exciting changes were the catalyst to my new and improved Funfetti Birthday Cake. In version 2.0, 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!
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
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.
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
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.
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!
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.
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!