When it comes to fun and exciting birthday cakes, a Funfetti sheet cake is the way to go. It’s moist and tender, dotted with sprinkles, and topped with creamy buttercream frosting.
What’s not to love?
It’s perfect for birthdays, holidays, and other special events. Plus, it’ll bring back all those memories of your best childhood celebrations.
And no, you won’t need a boxed cake mix to make it. This baby is 100% from scratch!
Why You’ll Love This Funfetti Sheet Cake
Easy to Prepare: Even though it’s homemade, this cake is ridiculously easy to make. There’s minimal hands-on effort.
Moist & Tender: The combination of sour cream and milk ensures a soft, moist texture. Everyone will love it.
Impressive Presentation: The vibrant rainbow sprinkles create a visually appealing cake. It’s sure to impress guests at any gathering.
Customizable: You can easily tweak this recipe to suit any occasion. For specific holidays, use different-colored sprinkles. Or add a customizable message or icing color.
Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour: The fluffy cake’s foundation. It provides texture, structure, and stability.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: The leavening agents that help the cake rise.
- Salt: Add just a pinch to balance all the flavors and accent the sweetness.
- Unsalted Butter: Cream it with the sugar for a rich, buttery flavor.
- Granulated Sugar: For sweetness.
- Vanilla Extract: Use pure vanilla extract, not imitation, for the best taste. It adds a delightful aroma and a rich, warm vanilla flavor.
- Large Eggs: Eggs hold the ingredients together and contribute to the cake’s moist, tender crumb.
- Sour Cream: The secret ingredient for any cake recipe. It adds a ridiculous amount of moisture.
- Milk: Thins the batter to a smooth, pourable consistency.
- Rainbow Jimmie Sprinkles: For a pop of color and a fun, festive flair.
- Vanilla Buttercream Frosting: You can use whatever icing or frosting recipe you prefer. However, I like vanilla buttercream. It’s made with butter, powdered sugar, salt, vanilla, and heavy cream.
How to Make a Funfetti Sheet Cake
As with other 9 x 13 cake recipes, this one has a few steps. But they go by more quickly than you could believe!
1. Prepare. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.
2. Start the batter. Sift the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt) together in one bowl. Then, cream together the butter and sugar in another. Mix the vanilla extract and eggs (one at a time) into the butter mixture.
3. Finish the batter. Use a mixer on low speed to beat the sour cream into the butter mixture. Then, add about half of the dry ingredient mixture. Finally, mix in the milk, and then the rest of the dry ingredients.
4. Add the sprinkles. Gently fold the sprinkles into the batter with a rubber spatula.
5. Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool the cake completely before adding the frosting.
6. Make the frosting. Beat the butter for the frosting in a large bowl until creamy. Gradually mix in the powdered sugar and salt. Finally, add the vanilla and cream (1 tablespoon at a time) until the frosting reaches your desired consistency.
7. Frost and serve. Spread the frosting evenly over the cooled cake. Decorate with additional sprinkles, slice, and serve. Enjoy!
Tips For the Best Funfetti Sheet Cake
Cake-baking tips are some of my favorite tips, so here are a few:
- Room temperature is a must. This goes primarily for the eggs, sour cream, and milk. If they’re warmed to room temperature, they’ll mix into the batter more easily.
- Steer clear of nonpareils! Jimmie sprinkles, like these from Amazon, are the best option for this cake. Nonpareils will throw off the texture. They’re also more prone to bleeding into the batter.
- Be gentle! By the time you add the sprinkles, the batter will be ready. You’ll need to be gentle when stirring them in. Otherwise, you’ll overmix, and the cake will be dense and dry.
- Try a tenting trick. Keep an eye on the cake. If it appears to be browning too quickly, tent the edges with foil. Avoid overbaking, as doing so will dry the cake out.
- Thicken it up or thin it out. To make it thicker, add more powdered sugar. Add more cream to thin it.
- Be patient! The cake should be completely cool before you add the buttercream. If you frost the cake while it’s still warm, the frosting will melt into it instead of sitting prettily on top.
Variations
I have a few substitutions and variations you can try, as well:
- Try cake flour. You can stick to the recipe and use 100% all-purpose flour and have a terrific cake. For a softer, more tender one, add cake flour. Use 1 cup of cake flour and 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose for the best results. 1 1/4 cup of each would also suffice.
- Use butter and oil. Again, the recipe only calls for butter, and that’s fine! But you can use half butter and half vegetable oil if you prefer. The butter gives you that rich, buttery flavor, while the oil adds extra moisture.
- Substitute shortening. The frosting calls for 1 cup of unsalted butter. Instead, you can combine 1/4 cup shortening with 3/4 cup butter. It shouldn’t change the taste much, but it will make the frosting a brighter, prettier white.
- Give it an extra pop of color. You already add them to the top of the frosted cake. But for extra color, you can gently fold some into the frosting just as you did the batter.
- Experiment with extracts. The recipe calls for vanilla. You can also try almond extract or lemon for a brighter flavor.
- Make lovely layers. Want to really wow the crowd? Make two sheet cakes and layer them with frosting between and on top. It’s more work, but it’s worth it.
- Switch up the frosting. The vanilla buttercream tastes great and really showcases the Funfetti look. But the cake will taste just as good with chocolate glaze, strawberry buttercream, etc.
How to Store
The great thing about this dessert is that it tastes great warm, chilled, or at room temperature. That makes dealing with leftovers a breeze.
To Store: Cover the cake and cake pan tightly in plastic wrap, or transfer the cake to an air-tight container. Store at room temperature for 2 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
To Freeze: If you’re likely to have enough leftovers to freeze, don’t frost the entire cake. It freezes best when unfrosted. Cut the cake into slices and wrap the individual pieces in plastic wrap. Store them in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 3 months.
To Thaw: Let frozen slices thaw in the fridge overnight. Then, frost them with fresh buttercream immediately before serving.
Funfetti Sheet Cake
12
servings30
minutes30
minutes502
This Funfetti sheet cake is a party on a plate, bursting with colorful sprinkles and sweet vibes. It’s perfect for any celebration or just because!
Ingredients
- For the Cake
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
1/2 cup milk, room temperature
2/3 cup rainbow jimmie sprinkles (do not use nonpareils)
- For the Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3-4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3-4 tablespoons heavy cream
additional sprinkles for decorating
Instructions
- For the Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a separate large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in the vanilla extract. Then, beat in the eggs one at a time until incorporated.
- With the mixer on low speed, beat in the sour cream. Follow that with about half of the flour mixture. Mix in the milk, then the remaining flour mixture until just combined.
- Using a rubber spatula, gently stir in the sprinkles until evenly distributed. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting.
- For the Frosting
- In a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Gradually mix in the powdered sugar and salt.
- Add vanilla extract and cream 1 tablespoon at a time until the frosting reaches desired consistency.
- Spread the frosting evenly over the cooled cake. Decorate with additional sprinkles. Slice, serve, and enjoy.
Notes
- Use jimmie sprinkles, not nonpareils, to avoid color bleeding.
- Ensure eggs, sour cream, and milk are at room temperature for even mixing.
- Fold sprinkles in gently with a spatula to minimize color bleeding.
- For bright white frosting, substitute 1/4 cup butter with 1/4 cup shortening.
- Add more powdered sugar for thicker frosting. For thinner frosting, add more cream.
- Let the cake cool completely before adding the buttercream.
