If you’re looking for a super soft cake that screams fun and flavor, this funfetti cake is it! This from-scratch funfetti cake recipe is a celebration in every bite, boasting a fluffy vanilla white cake with the most tender crumb, packed with a carnival of colorful sprinkles. It’s not just a cake – it’s a party for your taste buds!
How to Make Funfetti Cake
Funfetti Cake Layers
First we’re going to make the funfetti cake layers.
Begin by preheating your oven to 180 °C (350°F) and grease and line two 8-inch round cake pans. I use my homemade cake release to grease my tins, and I line the bottoms with parchment paper. If you’re using a fan function (convection mode) to bake your cakes, reduce the baking temperature to 160C (320F).
In a bowl, sift together flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt. Using a whisk or fork, mix until well combined. Set aside.
Combine milk and vinegar in a small bowl. Vinegar is great for providing a tender crumb – check out this blog post for more information. Mix and set aside.
Next separate the yolks and whites from 6 large egg whites. This recipe only uses the egg whites. Don’t throw the egg yolks away 🙂 simply place them into an airtight container and pop them into the fridge to use for something else (like lemon curd or French buttercream). Set aside for now.
In another bowl, add in your butter, vegetable oil and sugar. Using an electric mixer (hand or stand mixer are both fine), cream together for 3 minutes until light and creamy.
Add in egg whites in 4 batches on a low speed, mixing well in between each addition (about 10-15 seconds between each batch).
Add in vanilla extract or essence, and half of the milk/vinegar mixture and mix until well combined. Now set your mixer aside as the remainder of the batter will be finished by hand.
Add in half of your premixed flour mixture to your wet mixture, and gently fold with a spatula until just combined. Then add in the remaining milk/vinegar mixture, and fold until just combined. Lastly, add in the remaining dry ingredients and gently fold until just combined. Do not overmix.
Finish off by folding in the sprinkles until just combined. Do not overmix.
Distribute the batter evenly into the two 8 inch cake tins, and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Once baked, allow the cake layers to cool in the cake tins for about 15-20 minutes, and then turn them out onto a wire rack to completely cool before frosting with the vanilla buttercream recipe below.
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
This buttercream recipe is one of my favorite frosting recipes of all time! It’s so easy to make, not too sweet, and has the most gorgeous smooth texture.
In the bowl of a stand mixer (you can use a hand mixer too), add in the butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and cream.
Using the paddle attachment, mix on the lowest speed until the ingredients are combined (about a minute), and then mix on a medium-high speed for a full 10 minutes. Scrape the bowl down half way through. Once the frosting is light and fluffy, it’s ready to use. See note 6 if buttercream is curdling or very firm.
How to Decorate a Funfetti Cake
If your cakes have a dome on the top, begin by levelling the tops so that the layers are nice and flat.
Place your first cake layer onto your cake stand, and spread out a generous amount of the frosting on top. I like to use my offset spatula to do this.
Place the next cake layer on top and cover the top and sides with more frosting. If you have a cake scraper, you can use it to smooth out the sides. I like to do a little bit of piping on the top (I used a 1M piping tip for this cake), and piped little swirls on the top.
Finish by sprinkling some rainbow sprinkles onto each swirl, and then use the palm of your hands to gently press some of the sprinkles up against the side of the cake (see video for demonstration).
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