Homemade Confetti Cake Recipe (Sprinkle Cake)
This classic confetti cake recipe will enable you to make a beautiful and delicious homemade cake that could pass for any party cake sold at your local bakery.
A Party In Every Slice
There's a reason why confetti cake ("sprinkle cake" or "funfetti cake" to some) has become the ultimate birthday cake flavor choice, whether you're little kid or a kid at heart. I create custom birthday party cakes several times a year, and well over half of them end up being confetti.
Cutting into a beautifully decorated cake to reveal bright white layers dotted with a sea of colorful rainbow sprinkles is the big "ta-da" moment that every birthday girl or boy deserves. This easy, one-bowl recipe creates even, moist, and delicious vanilla layers ready to decorate with your favorite frosting or buttercream (more on that later!)
Three Tips for Confetti Cake success
- Mix ingredients carefully: Make sure your cream the butter, oil and sugar until very light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes, as this will affect the texture of the baked cake. When adding the eggs, make sure you occasionally stop the mixer and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula, so that you don't end up with pieces of butter and sugar in the batter. All of the ingredients should be well incorporated and the batter should be smooth.
- Watch your bake time: Unlike many layer cakes, this cake does not rise high and form a "dome" while baking, making it the perfect cake to decorate without having to trim too much off. Bake until the top is golden brown and has formed a bit of a crust. A toothpick inserted into the center of each layer should emerge clean or with a few moist crumbs attached.
- Use the correct sprinkles: The best sprinkles for a confetti cake batter are the ones often referred to as "jimmies." These are the tiny, rod-shaped rainbow sprinkles. Non-pareils, or the round rainbow beads, often bleed during the baking process.
Ingredients and Special Equipment
Refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for specific quantities.
Confetti Cake Layer Ingredients
- All-purpose flour: For a gluten-free recipe, substitute an equal amount of your favorite gluten-free flour blend for the all-purpose flour.
- Baking powder: Other than 5 whole eggs, baking powder is the only leavening agent in this recipe, resulting in cake layers that aren't overly domed or puffed.
- Salt
- Unsalted butter: Butter at room temperature blends better with sugar, an important step in creating a fluffy texture.
- Granulated sugar
- Large eggs: Also at room temperature to blend easily into the batter.
- Oil: Use a neutral oil such as vegetable oil, canola oil, safflower oil or melted coconut oil.
- Buttermilk: An equal amount of full-fat sour cream can be substituted. If you don't have buttermilk, create some by pouring 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar into a measuring up and then filling the rest of the cup with whole milk. Let the mixture rest for 10 minutes, until slightly thickened, like buttermilk.
- Vanilla: Pure vanilla extract is recommended for this recipe to result in a true vanilla cake flavor.
- Rainbow sprinkles: Also referred to a rainbow jimmies in some parts of the country. This are the sprinkles shaped like little "sticks" and not the small beads or non-pareils.
Recommended Equipment
- Nonstick baking spray: I prefer to use a nonstick baking spray, vs. a cooking spray, for my cake pans. These sprays incorporate flour into their formulas, so that you don't end up getting too much flour onto the bottom and sides of the cake pan using the traditional "grease and flour" method.
- 9-inch cake pans: The amount of batter in this recipe works best to fill three 9-inch cake pans. You may also use three 8-inch cake pans, but the resulting layers will be taller and the baking time may increase a few minutes.
- Parchment paper rounds: Parchment rounds are just another way to prevent your layers from sticking to their pans, which is why I love to use them. If you don't have any, but you have parchment paper, you can trace your pans and cut out rounds. Or you can omit the rounds altogether and just use the nonstick baking spray.
- Small offset spatula: Helpful for decorating cakes (see below for my decorating tips.)
- Stand mixer with the paddle attachment: Or a handheld electric hand mixer and a large mixing bowl.
Step by Step Photos and Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350℉. Spray three 9 inch cake pans with nonstick baking spray and then line them with parchment rounds. Spray the parchment.
- In a medium bowl, whisk dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or using a handheld electric mixer and a large bowl, cream the butter, oil, and sugar at medium speed until very light and fluffy, 4-5 minutes.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, and stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary to make sure there aren't any remaining clumps of butter and sugar.
5. In a glass measuring cup with a spout or in a small bow, mix remaining wet ingredients: buttermilk and vanilla extract.
6. WIth the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the batter, alternating with the buttermilk mixture in three additions each. Increase the speed to medium and mix just until the batter is well blended and smooth.
7. Gently fold the sprinkles into the batter until they are evenly distributed.
8. Divide the cake batter among the prepared cake pans, smoothing the tops. Bake the pans in your preheated oven for 25-35 minutes or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center of each layer emerges clean.
9. Cool the layers in their pans for 5-10 minutes and then carefully invert them onto a wire rack to cool completely. Peel off the parchment rounds if you used them!
10. Frost the cake as desired and serve.
Tips for Decorating your Confetti Cake Layers
- Prepare a buttercream, such as a Swiss meringue buttercream or my easy White Chocolate Buttercream . You will need 7-9 cups of buttercream for the cake and decorations, depending on how thick you like your buttercream and how many decorations you add.
- If necessary, trip tops of cake layers with a serrated knife to flatten the surfaces.
- Place the first cake layer on a cake board or serving plate, securing it with a dab of buttercream. Pipe or spread about 1-½ cups buttercream evenly on top of the cake. Place the second layer on top of the first and spread it with 1-½ cups buttercream. Top it with the third cake layer and spread an even, thin layer of buttercream over the top and outside of the cake to form a crumb coat. Chill for at least 20 minutes.
4. . Using an offset spatula or a knife, spread some of the remaining frosting around the top and sides of the cake. Use your knife, the spatula, or (my top choice!) a bench scraper to smooth the surfaces.
5. Pipe decorations using any leftover buttercream frosting.
Variations on Confetti Cake
- Flavor variations: Add a teaspoon of almond extract to the batter for a vanilla-almond flavor, or add the zest of one lemon or one orange for a fresh citrus twist.
- Sprinkle variations: If you want a themed party cake, look for sprinkles in various color set, such as red, white and blue, or red, green, and white.
- Topping variations: I'm partial to frosting confetti cake with my favorite white chocolate buttercream, but it pairs beautifully with a basic vanilla buttercream frosting, a chocolate frosting, or a cream cheese frosting.
Make Ahead and Storage Instructions
- Make Ahead: This is the perfect birthday cake to make in advance. The frosted cake with keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container. Let the entire cake sit at room temperature for a few hours before serving.
- Refrigerator: Store leftover slices or partial cakes in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, covered in plastic wrap or stored under a cake cover.
- Freezer: To freeze cake layers before decorating, let them cool completely after baking. Wrap the layers tightly in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil. For an extra layer of protection, seal the layers in a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Thaw cake layers in the refrigerator overnight before frosting.
Troubleshooting your Confetti cake and FAQs
Why Did My Cake Layers Sink While (or after) Baking?
When cake layers sink in the oven, it usually means something went wrong during the baking process:
- If the cake isn't fully cooked when removed from the oven, it can collapse as it cools. Check with a toothpick or cake tester—if it comes out clean or with just a few crumbs, the cake is done
- Overmixing can incorporate too much air into the batter, causing the cake to rise too quickly and then sink. Mix until the ingredients as instructed, and avoid overmixing.
- Opening the oven door early in the baking process can cause a sudden temperature drop, which can make the cake collapse. Try not to open the oven door for the first 20 minutes, or until you’re sure the cake has set.
Why Did My Sprinkles "Bleed" into the Batter
The best confetti sprinkles are the ones also referred to as "jimmies." This are the short, stick-shaped sprinkles that can be found in most grocery store baking aisles. Non-pareil sprinkles, or the tiny round colored balls, are more likely to bleed into your batter when baking.
Can I make Confetti Cake batter into Cupcakes?
Yes! This recipe will yield about 30 cupcakes when the liners are filled about â…” full. Bake cupcakes for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Ways to Use (and Toppings For!) Your Confetti Cake Layers
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Homemade Confetti Cake Recipe ("Sprinkle Cake")
Equipment
- 1 stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or handheld electric mixer
- Parchment rounds (optional)
- Nonstick baking spray
- 3 9 inch cake pans
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2½ cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup canola, vegetable, safflower or melted coconut oil
- 5 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup rainbow sprinkles (see Notes)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350℉. Spray three 9 inch cake pans with nonstick baking spray and then line them with parchment rounds. Spray the parchment (see Notes.)
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or using a handheld electric mixer and a large bowl, cream the butter, oil, and sugar at medium speed until very light and fluffy, 4-5 minutes.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, and stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary to make sure there aren'r any remaining clumps of butter and sugar.
- In a glass measuring cup with a spout or in a small bow, mix buttermilk and vanilla extract.
- WIth the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the batter, alternating with the buttermilk mixture in three additions each. Increase the speed to medium and mix just until the batter is well blended and smooth.
- Gently fold the sprinkles into the batter until they are evenly distributed.
- Divide the batter among the prepared cake pans, smoothing the tops. Bake the pans in your preheated oven for 25-35 minutes or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center of each layer emerges clean.
- Cool the layers in their pans for 5-10 minutes and then carefully invert them onto wire cooling racks to cool completely. Peel off the parchment rounds if you used them!
- Frost the cake as desired and serve.
Notes
- This recipe works best with 9-inch round pans, but if you only have 8-inch pans, that's fine. The baked layers will just be thicker, resulting in a taller decorated cake.
- Parchment rounds are just another way to prevent your layers from sticking to their pans, which is why I love to use them. If you don't have any, but you have parchment paper, you can trace your pans and cut out rounds. Or you can omit the rounds altogether. Â
- Look for rainbow sprinkles in the shape of small rods versus beads. These hold their shape better and bleed less during the baking process.Â
