Hello friends! This week we are diving into the world of funfetti cake – yes, everyone’s favorite – go to – remind you of childhood cake. This one is just soooo good too. And for a layer cake, it’s amazing that this Funfetti Sprinkle Cake comes together in under an hour. So, read on friends to find out how it’s done.
What puts in the FUN in funfetti?
Why the sprinkles of course! But not just any sprinkles. Jimmies. You must use Jimmies! Jimmies are different that your normal sprinkle in a couple of different ways:
Number 1: They don’t bleed when introduced to liquids, therefore perfect in baked goods.
Number 2: They have little to no flavor, although they are not unpleasant to eat, unlike some sprinkles
Number 3: They come in a variety of colors, so you can customize the look of your cake
I highly recommend Jimmies Sprinkles that you find in the ice cream aisle at your local grocery. These tend to taste better and not as processed. I’ve linked the kind that I like to use below!
I’m sure you’re thinking – well I don’t have those, so I’ll just use whatever sprinkles I have. Eeeeek! You certainly can but don’t expect this cake to come out the same and if you use nonpareils – it may come out tiedyed as they will bleed almost immediately in your batter. You’ve been warned!
So aside from sprinkles, here’s what you’ll need for your cake:
- Flour
- Eggs
- Milk
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- White sugar
- Vegetable or canola oil
- Butter
- Vanilla extract
- Imitation Vanilla extract
Wait, what???
Yes, you read that right – imitation vanilla extract. This is a must if you want your cake to taste like that nostalgic funfetti boxed cake of your childhood. Now, you can certainly replace the imitation in total with vanilla extract, but it wont taste the same. Just sayin’
On to the cake!
This cake is super simple to make, but the method is a little funky. I wanted a cake that was dense. Like the cake’s you buy at your grocery store bakery. The way to achieve this dense but also fluffy texture is all in how you mix the ingredients. We start with the eggs.
- Beat the eggs until they are aerated – at least 30 seconds.
- Slowly stream in the sugar
- Continue to mix, on high, until the eggs and sugar are tripled in size and pale yellow, about 7 minutes.
Next, let’s talk wet ingredients. Heating the milk and butter together allows them to emulsify and makes the next couple of steps easier:
- Once the egg/sugar mixture is light and fluffy, slowly add the flour, baking powder and salt and mix until it is just combined.
- Place heated milk/butter in a large bowl and add about a cup of the batter to the bowl, whisking all the while.
- Now slowly return the tempered milk/butter mixture to the batter (while mixer is running) and mix until just combined.
- Gently fold in the sprinkles of course and then it’s time to pan up. (to see details on how to properly prep a baking pan, check out this post)
So why all the complicated steps?
I have found that this method ensures a smooth batter that is pourable and rises evenly when baked. A critical step, is the banging of the pans. Once you have filled your pans with batter, knock them gently three to four times on your counter to release any air bubbles trapped within. This makes for that dense but fluffy texture that we all love.
If you’ve followed all the steps above, your funfetti sprinkle cake is bound to come out flawless! I wish you happy baking!
Xo
Danielle
More Funfetti Recipes:
Funfetti Sprinkle Cake
Satisfy your childhood dreams with this easy Funfetti Sprinkle Cake! All of the goodness, hardly any waiting time!
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 4 large eggs at room temp
- 1 1/2 cups White sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp imitation vanilla extract see note
- 3 tsp vegetable or canola oil
- ½ Cup Jimmies Sprinkles – rainbow colors
Vanilla Buttercream
- 2 sticks unsalted butter softened
- 1 lb powdered sugar
- 3 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 – 4 tbsp milk to adjust thickness
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F for 20 minutes before starting the batter. Place rack in the middle of the oven.
- Grease 2x 8” cake pans with baking non stick spray, then line with parchment.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: Whisk flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Beat eggs until aerated: Beat eggs for 30 seconds on speed 6 of a Stand Mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. With the beater still going, pour the sugar in over 45 seconds. Then beat for 7 minutes on speed 8, or until tripled in volume and pale yellow/white.
- While egg is beating, place butter and milk in a heatproof jug and microwave 2 minutes on high to melt butter (or use stove). Do not let milk bubble and boil (foam ok). Don’t do this ahead and let the milk cool (this affects rise).
- When the egg is whipped, scatter 1/3 flour across surface, then beat on Speed 1 for 5 seconds. Add half remaining flour, then mix on Speed 1 for 5 sec. Add remaining flour, then mix on Speed 1 for 5 – 10 sec until the flour is just mixed in. Once you can’t see flour, stop straight away.
- Lighten hot milk with some Egg Batter: Pour hot milk, vanilla and oil into the now empty flour bowl. Add about 1 cup of the Egg Batter into the Milk-Butter (don’t need to be 100% accurate with amount). Use a whisk to mix until smooth – you can be vigorous here. Will look foamy.
- Turn beater back on Speed 1 then pour the Milk mixture into the Egg Batter over 15 seconds, then turn beater off.
- Scrape and final mix: Scrape down sides and base of bowl. Beat on Speed 1 for 10 seconds – batter should now be smooth and pourable. Fold in sprinkles as desired.
- Pour batter into pans. Knock out bubbles: Bang each cake pan on the counter 3 times to knock out big bubbles
- Bake 30 minutes or until golden and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
- Cool & frost:
- Remove from oven. Cool in cake pans for 15 minutes, then gently turn out onto cooling racks. If using as layer cakes, cool upside down – slight dome will flatten perfectly. Level cake = neat layers.
- Frost with frosting of choice, or cream and fresh berries or jam.
American Vanilla Buttercream:
- Beat butter with whisk attachment in stand mixer for 1 minute until creamy. Add powdered sugar in 3 lots, beating slowly then once mostly incorporated, beat on high for a full 3 minutes until fluffy.
- Add vanilla and milk, then beat for a further 30 seconds. Use milk to adjust thickness. Use immediately. (If you make ahead, refrigerate then beat to re-fluff).
Recipe Notes
Feel free to use vanilla extract for all 3 tsp’s this recipe calls for, however it will have a more subtle flavor than the imitation kind.
Store this cake in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in an airtight container
Leave a Reply