Funfetti is undoubtedly the most celebratory cake flavor of all, and this funfetti layer cake is the ultimate party cake! Originally published in 2018 (then ultra re-tested and updated in 2025), this recipe features layers of soft and moist vanilla cake with the ideal amount of rainbow sprinkles baked inside. Filled and frosted with a double batch of my favorite vanilla buttercream and decorated with plenty of colorful sprinkles, it’s perfect for celebrating anything and always a crowd favorite.
Why You’ll Love This Funfetti Cake
There’s so much to love about this funfetti cake recipe, but here are the first few things that come to mind:
- Extra moist and fluffy. This recipe uses cake flour for a super soft crumb (it’s ultra-fine and has the lowest protein content of all the flours) and if you’ve never heard of it or can’t find it locally I have this homemade version you can use to obtain similar results. The perfect amount of moisture comes from the fat content in this recipe. Mostly the use of butter for richness, plus the addition of sour cream and whole milk.
- Amazing vanilla flavor. I use an entire Tablespoon of vanilla extract in this recipe for a powerful vanilla flavor, but I also love this recipe with a little almond extract. If that’s you too, you can sub one teaspoon of the vanilla for almond extract and get that little hit of almond to make the flavor more complex.
- Perfectly Suspended Rainbow Sprinkles. No sinking sprinkles in this recipe! They stay perfectly suspended all throughout the baking process so you get the prettiest slices.
- Everyone’s Favorite Flavor. Okay maybe not everyone, but almost everyone loves a funfetti cake. It’s nostalgic and childlike, but so fun to eat at any age. I truly think it’s the most celebratory cake flavor of all!
The Best Kind of Sprinkles for Funfetti Cake
To get the prettiest funfetti cake slices, you have to use the right kind of sprinkles. Otherwise, your sprinkles might bleed color into the batter or disintegrate in the baking process. In my experience, the best kind of sprinkles have been the elongated rainbow sprinkles (aka jimmies) that have carnauba wax and confectioner’s glaze in the ingredients list. Those two coatings help prevent the sprinkles from streaking your batter with color.
Some of my favorite brands to use are:
- Unpretentious Baker Rainbow Sprinkles
- SprinklePop Ultimate Unicorn Rainbow Jimmies
- Chef’s Select Rainbow Sprinkles
- Betty Crocker “Parlor Perfect” rainbow sprinkles (I find these at my local grocery store)
How to Make a Funfetti Cake
Here’s how to make and decorate this funfetti layer cake from start to finish:
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF, then grease and line three 6-inch round cake pans or two 8-inch round cake pans.
Step 2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Step 3. Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Step 4. Mix in the eggs one at a time, then add the sour cream and vanilla before whipping everything on high speed for one minute.
Step 5. Add the dry ingredients all at once, mix on low speed until they begin to incorporate, then add in the whole milk in a steady stream while continuing to mix on low speed. Mix until the ingredients are well incorporated, about 15-30 seconds.
Step 6. Coat the rainbow sprinkles with a little flour (cake flour or all purpose flour), then gently fold them into your cake batter.
Step 7. Pour the batter into your prepared cake pans and bake for 30-35 minutes.
Step 8. Let the cake cool to room temperature, then make the buttercream frosting. I tinted my favorite vanilla buttercream recipe with a few drops of pink food color gel.
Step 9. Decorate the cake. I kept the design here simple by filling and frosting the cake with the vanilla buttercream, creating a smooth buttercream finish, and hand placing some rainbow sprinkles all around the sides of the cake. To finish the look, I used Wilton Tip 4B to pipe swirls of vanilla buttercream on top of the cake and added more rainbow sprinkles.
More Classic Party Cake Recipes You’ll Love
If you’re looking for more celebratory cake recipes, here are a handful of my go-to’s:
- Funfetti Sheet Cake
- Chocolate Sheet Cake
- Vanilla Sheet Cake
- Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting
- One-Bowl Chocolate Cake
Did you make this funfetti layer cake recipe? I want to know how it went! Feel free to rate it and post a comment below, or tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram to show me a photo. I love to see what you create with my recipes!
Funfetti Layer Cake
Ingredients
Funfetti Cake
- 2 1/2 Cups (265g) sifted cake flour* DIY recipe in notes
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 3/4 Cup (170g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 3/4 Cups (340g) granulated white sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 Cup (120g) sour cream, room temperature
- 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 Cup (240ml) whole milk, room temperature
- 1/3 Cup (60g) rainbow sprinkles**, coated in 1 tsp flour
Vanilla Buttercream
- 2 batches vanilla buttercream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare three 6-inch or two 8-inch cake pans by spraying the sides with baking spray (Baker's Joy is my favorite) and lining the bottom with parchment paper. Alternatively, you can grease and lightly flour the pans.
- In a medium bowl, add the sifted cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine and set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a large bowl and handheld mixer), cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down the bowl and paddle once in between. Turn the mixer to low speed and add the eggs one at a time, mixing for about 10-15 seconds after each addition. Add the vanilla and sour cream, then mix for one minute on high speed. Scrape down the bowl and paddle.
- Turn the mixer off and add the dry ingredients all at once, then mix on low speed. When the ingredients just begin to incorporate, add the milk slowly and mix until just incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and give it a few stirs by hand to make sure there are no large lumps.
- In a small bowl, coat the rainbow sprinkles with 1 teaspoon of flour (cake flour or all purpose flour). Then, gently fold the flour-coated rainbow sprinkles into the cake batter with a silicone spatula. The batter will be slightly thick.
- Pour batter into prepared cake pans and bake for 30-35 minutes. They're done when they spring back to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pan for five minutes before turning them out onto a wire rack for an additional few hours of cooling. Make sure they're entirely room temperature before filling and frosting with vanilla buttercream (or frosting of your choice).
Hi!
Could you please tell me the minimum depth the 8” pans will need to be?
I have some but they are only about 1 and 1/2” deep, will they work?
Thanks so much can’t wait to bake this cake
Hi Jasmin! My 8-inch pans are 2 inches deep. Your shallower 8-inch pans will work fine as long as you fill them no more than 1/2 full (instead of 2/3 full as the recipe instructs).
Thanks so much for your quick response!
Hi Whitney,
We love using our bundt cake pans for making cakes. My little one loves all of the curves that our pan creates. Can this recipe be adapted for a bundt cake pan?
Hi Ashley! I’ve never tried baking a layer cake recipe in a bundt pan before, so I can’t say for sure how it will turn out. After some Googling it seems like a layer cake recipe like this one will work in a bundt pan if you bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes. Be sure to fill the pan no more than 1/2 to 2/3 full. Let me know how it goes if you try it!
Hi Whitney!
I have three 9″ pans, will this recipe work ok for this size or do I need to 8″ pans? BTW I am making a cake for boy/girl twins birthday cake.
Thank you!
Hi Meleia, it should work fine to divide this recipe equally between three 9 inch pans. I usually fill my 8-inch pans about 2/3 full, which yields baked cake layers that are about 2 inches tall. So with 9 inch pans, your cakes will be somewhere around 1.5 inches tall once baked, but it will totally work. Let me know how it goes!
I am so confused, even after reading the recipe and comments multiple times. Does this recipe, minus the jimmies, make enough batter for 3/ 8″ round pans?
Hi Desiree! Yes, this recipe makes enough for three 8-inch rounds as specified in the recipe directions. I originally wrote it for three 6-inch rounds, but it truly makes enough batter for three 8-inch rounds, which is why I added that size to the directions.
Hi Whitney
I had made the vanilla cake smash recipe from your blog and it worked perfectly. I doubled the recipe as i needed to fill two 6-inch x 3 inch springform pans.
I now wanted to make a tiered cake. I was thinking of using double the vanilla cake smash recipe for the top tier with sprinkles and then this recipe for the bottom tier. My pan for the bottom tier is 8 inch x 3 inch springform pan. Do i double this recipe to make 2, 8 inch pans?
Thanks!
So happy you love the vanilla smash cake recipe, Nili! This funfetti cake recipe is essentially the same as the vanilla smash cake recipe, and will make enough for two 8-inch pans as-is. If you double it, you’ll have enough for all the layers you need (top tier included)!
Thanks Whitney! I’m making it tonight. Fingers crossed! 🙂
Hi Whitney!
Love this recipe! I made it a few times now! Wondering if you could provide a link for the great cake stand? It’s so hard to find in smaller diameter and height. Thx!
Courtney
Hi Courtney! So happy you love this recipe as much as I do! The cake stand was a gift from my sis in law years ago and I can’t find the exact one online anymore, but this one on Amazon is super similar and the same size: https://amzn.to/2Ry1dQ6
How can I made a raspberry and chocolate buttercream for this cake?
Hi there! I have recipes for both of those buttercream flavors. Here is the raspberry buttercream recipe: https://sugarandsparrow.com/raspberry-buttercream-recipe/ and here is the chocolate buttercream recipe: https://sugarandsparrow.com/chocolate-buttercream-recipe/
Hi Whitney,
Thanks so much for your blog! I’m wondering how long your cakes keep in the fridge once frosted? Wondering how far I can make ahead of my daughter’s birthday party!!
Also do you have any tutorials on cutting a cake of this size?
Many thanks!!
Jess
Hi Jess! So happy to hear you’re loving the blog 🙂 Once a cake is frosted, you can store it in the refrigerator for a day or two and it’ll be fresh for the birthday party! I usually frost and decorate my cakes the night before a party, but you could definitely do two nights before and still have a fresh cake. Just make sure you bring it to room temp by taking it out at least an hour before serving. I don’t have tutorials on cutting a cake (that’s a great idea for the future!), but this video is super helpful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_6MbvKpBuc
Hi. Can this recipe be used to make cakes that will be decorated with fondant.?
Hi Shanti! All of my cake recipes are great for using under fondant, this one included!
Hi!
With the cake flour, I’m purchasing it and there is the option for plain flour or self raising flour type, which one should I purchase?
Thank you
Hi Sally! For cake flour, use the plain flour version (not the self rising). The self rising has baking powder added to it, so it will end up adding too much rising agent to cake recipes. The brands I love are Swans Down, Pillsbury Softasilk, and Bob’s Red Mill.
Thank you so much. Can’t wait to make this. Im following the vanilla cake recipe and adding the cup of sprinkles to make a three layer 9inch cake. So excited for my nearly 2 year old little girl to blow out her candles on this cake. I’m
Hi,
I am wanting to make 3 x layers (1.5inch thick) using 7inch tins. Is this recipe okay for this or do I need to increase the re pie?
Hi Vicky! This recipe will make a little more than enough for pans of that size as-is. Just be sure to fill them no more than 2/3 of the way full. Enjoy!
Seriously delish! I was doubtful of the 5 eggs – but it was amazing! It’s a lot of cake batter though, much more than the normal cake box amount.
I’ve got a bag of it and the vanilla buttercream frosting sitting in my fridge. Wondering how long it’ll keep and/or if I can put it in the freezer. Do you know?
Thanks Ashley! What size cake pan and how many layers did you make? I usually make this recipe in three 6-inch pans and only have a little bit of batter left over – enough for a few cupcakes. The sad news is that cake batter won’t keep. The fridge/freezer alters the chemistry of the cake so it’s no good after you first make it.
Hi from the UK, Whitney! My stepdaughter has asked me to make a cake for her baby shower and I’d like to use this recipe to make three 8” cakes. In the instructions, you say to prepare three 8” tins but in the comments you mention you usually use it to make three 6” cakes. As I want the layers to be reasonably deep, will the quantities here be enough for 8” cakes? Thank you.
Hi Ruth! This recipe makes enough for three 8-inch layers that end up being about 2 inches deep. That comment about the 6-inch layers might have been an old one, cause this makes enough for 4 6-inch layers but when I initially wrote the recipe it was written for 3 6-inch layers. Hope that makes sense! Enjoy!
Thank you so much for replying so quickly.
Hi again Whitney. I’ve made this cake today ( minus sprinkles) and although it tastes really moist and buttery, the texture is very fragile. It’s not dry and crumbly but is breaking easily. I wondered whether the size of eggs could be to blame? I’ve used Uk large which weigh around 70g each in their shell. Do you have any advice, please? This is a trial run for the baby shower cake! Thank you.
Hi Ruth! Is the texture fragile while the cake is still warm? Or is it too light and fluffy at room temperature? If it’s breaking apart while warm I would recommend cooling to room temp before handling the cake layers. Also, I didn’t realize that UK eggs weigh more than US eggs, and after a quick google search it looks like one US large egg = one UK medium egg. It might be worth another go with medium eggs!
Hello Whitney. Just an update on my previous comment to let you know that using the medium eggs (UK) worked a treat. Following your YouTube series also gave me the confidence to decorate the baby shower cake with an ombré buttercream icing (your recipe again) , add a border of sprinkles and add swirls to the top. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to taste this one but my stepdaughter was over the moon with it and said it was absolutely delicious! Thank you.
Yay, Ruth! All of that makes me so happy! I’m so glad the recipe was a hit, worked well with the UK medium eggs, and you felt confident in your decorating after watching some tutorials 🙂 amazing job! And thank you for following up, it’s so helpful for me to know that egg sizes vary by location!
Hi Whitney, your cakes are beautiful! Can I ask, in this photo the cake looks taller then most cakes. In the photo is it a 5 layer cake?
Hi Sara! Thanks for the kind words! It’s a three layer 6-inch cake. Ends up being about 5.5 inches tall with the frosting.
Hi can I use this recipe for cupcakes? How would that work?
Hi Bea! This recipe works wonderfully as cupcakes! Just fill the cupcake tins about 2/3 full and bake for 17 minutes at 350.
Hi Whitney, I’m wanting to make this as cupcakes as well – do you know approx how many this would make? Thank you!
Hi Alexa! This recipe makes about 35-40 cupcakes. Enjoy!
Hi Whitney!
I am making a 3 layer 9 inch cake for my son’s birthday and I’m trying to figure out how to increase this recipe. (It looks AMAZING!) You say this is the same as your vanilla cake, just with jimmies, but your vanilla cake, with 2 1/2 cups of flour, is for 2 8-inch rounds. This has 3 3/4 cups of flour and is for 3 6-inch rounds. My confusion stems from the fact that 3 6-inch rounds should require 12 cups in volume, the exact same as 2 8-inch rounds. Where is the discrepancy in the recipe? Or in my calculations? What am I missing?!
Thanks for your help!
Hi Tori! I always like to bake tall layers (at least 2 inches tall), so that’s why this recipe creates a little more batter than the vanilla cake recipe for the double layer 8 inch. To make a 3 layer 9 inch cake, I would double the vanilla cake recipe and add 1 Cup of rainbow sprinkles. You’ll probably have some extra batter, but in my opinion it’s better to have a little more batter and have taller layers that you can trim down instead of having three shorter layers.
Hi Amy! You’re right – this recipe is almost identical to the matcha cake. I added more sour cream to this recipe to make it a little more moist, but you can totally go with the 112g instead of 168g of sour cream.