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A colorful slice of a homemade funfetti cake on a plate on a light oak wood table.

Best Funfetti Cake Recipe

This Funfetti Cake Recipe is incredibly moist, tall, and fluffy — made from scratch and better than any box mix. The secret is rainbow jimmies (not nonpareils) that stay perfectly round and bright through baking, plus a quarter teaspoon of almond extract that creates the unmistakable birthday cake flavor everyone remembers. Topped with a creamy vanilla buttercream loaded with even more sprinkles. The ultimate celebration cake!
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cooling 2 hours
Total Time 3 hours
Servings: 14 slices
Course: cake, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Funfetti Cake Layers
  • 2¾ cups All-purpose flour 345g — spooned and leveled, not packed. Or substitute cake flour for more delicate crumb
  • 1 tbsp Baking powder Check it is fresh
  • ½ tsp Baking soda
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • ¾ cup Unsalted butter 170g — fully softened to room temperature
  • ¼ cup Vegetable oil 60ml — adds moisture that butter alone cannot provide
  • 1¾ cups Granulated sugar 350g
  • 4 large Egg whites Room temperature — yolks removed to keep cake white
  • 2 tsp Pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ tsp Pure almond extract The birthday cake flavor secret — do not skip or increase
  • 1 cup Buttermilk 240ml — room temperature (see Notes for substitute)
  • ¾ cup Rainbow jimmies 120g — NOT nonpareils — see Notes for why
For the Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
  • 1½ cups Unsalted butter 340g — fully softened to room temperature
  • 5 cups Powdered sugar 600g — sifted before measuring
  • ¼ cup Heavy cream 60ml — add gradually for desired consistency
  • 2 tsp Pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ tsp Pure almond extract Same birthday cake flavor note as the cake
  • 1 pinch Salt Balances sweetness
  • ½ cup Rainbow jimmies 80g — fold in at the very end by hand only

Equipment

  • 2–3 8-inch round cake pans Line with parchment — 2 pans for thick layers, 3 for thinner
  • 1 Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer For creaming butter and making frosting
  • 1 Large Mixing Bowl For assembling batter
  • 1 Medium Mixing Bowl For dry ingredients
  • 1 Rubber spatula For folding in jimmies — do not use mixer for this step
  • 1 Offset spatula For leveling and frosting
  • 1 Serrated knife For leveling cake layers
  • 1 Wire Cooling Rack Cool completely before frosting
  • 1 Cake turntable Optional but highly recommended for smooth sides
  • 1 Bench Scraper Optional — for ultra-smooth frosting sides

Method
 

Prep First
  1. Get Everything Ready: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease two or three 8-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper circles, and grease the parchment. Set aside. Take butter, egg whites, and buttermilk out of the refrigerator at least 45 minutes before starting — room temperature ingredients emulsify properly and produce a smooth, lump-free batter.
    Butter, buttermilk, egg whites, and a lined baking pan for an easy funfetti cake recipe on a light oak wood table.
Make the Cake Batter
  1. Whisk the Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined. Set aside.
    A bowl of mixed flour for a funfetti cake from scratch on a light oak wood table.
  2. Cream Butter, Oil, and Sugar: In a large bowl using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat softened butter and oil together on medium speed for 1 minute. Add the granulated sugar and increase speed to medium-high. Beat for a full 3 to 4 minutes until the mixture is very pale, almost white, and has increased significantly in volume. Do not cut this step short — this aeration is what gives the cake its tall, fluffy structure.
    Creamed butter and sugar in a bowl for a moist funfetti cake recipe on a light oak wood table.
  3. Add Egg Whites and Extracts: Add room temperature egg whites one at a time, beating on medium speed after each until fully incorporated before adding the next. Add vanilla extract and almond extract, then mix to combine. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula.
    Batter with dark extract swirls in a bowl for a vanilla funfetti cake on a light oak wood table.
  4. Alternate Dry and Wet: With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk in two additions — begin and end with the flour mixture. Mix just until each addition is incorporated. Stop the moment you no longer see dry flour streaks. Do not overmix.
    Smooth mixed batter in a ceramic bowl for a soft funfetti cake recipe on a light oak wood table.
Fold in the Jimmies — Work Quickly
  1. Add Sprinkles and Bake Immediately: Remove the bowl from the mixer. Add the rainbow jimmies and fold them in gently using a rubber spatula — 8 to 10 slow, sweeping folds from the bottom of the bowl upward. Do not use the mixer. Immediately pour and divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Get the pans into the preheated oven within 3 minutes. Every extra minute the batter sits with the jimmies increases the risk of color migration.
    Smooth batter with bright jimmies in a bowl for a rainbow sprinkle cake on a light oak wood table.
Bake
  1. Bake Until Just Done: Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 28 to 34 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs — not wet batter. Start checking at 26 minutes. Let cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Cool completely — at least 2 full hours — before frosting.
    Two golden baked rounds in pans for a funfetti layer cake on a light oak wood table.
Make the Vanilla Buttercream
  1. Beat the Butter: Beat softened butter in a stand mixer on medium-high speed for 3 to 4 minutes until very pale and extremely fluffy.
    Pale and fluffy beaten butter in a bowl for a funfetti cake frosting recipe on a light oak wood table.
  2. Add Sugar and Cream: Reduce speed to low and add sifted powdered sugar one cup at a time, beating well between each addition. Add heavy cream one tablespoon at a time until the frosting reaches a spreadable consistency. Add vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt. Beat on medium-high for 1 minute until smooth and fluffy.
    Smooth and fluffy icing in a bowl for a funfetti cake with buttercream frosting on a light oak wood table.
  3. Fold in Jimmies by Hand: Remove bowl from mixer. Add ½ cup rainbow jimmies and fold in gently with a spatula — 5 to 6 folds only. Do not beat with the mixer.
    Fluffy frosting with bright jimmies in a bowl for a funfetti birthday cake on a light oak wood table.
Assemble and Frost
  1. Build and Decorate: Level the cooled cake layers with a serrated knife if domed. Place one layer on a cake board or plate and spread about 1 cup of frosting evenly across the top. Stack the second layer and apply a thin crumb coat of frosting all over. Refrigerate for 15 minutes until firm. Apply the final generous frosting layer and smooth the sides with a bench scraper. Immediately press extra rainbow jimmies onto the frosted sides while the frosting is still tacky. Slice with a hot damp knife — dip in warm water and wipe dry between every cut — for a clean, vibrant cross-section.
    A frosted and decorated bakery style funfetti cake on a stand on a light oak wood table.
Serve
  1. Slice and Celebrate: Remove the cake from the refrigerator 30 to 45 minutes before serving — room temperature funfetti cake has the best texture and flavor, and the buttercream softens to that perfect creamy consistency. Slice with a sharp knife dipped in warm water and wiped dry between every single cut. Serve each slice cut-side up on a plate so every guest can see those beautiful rainbow dots in the crumb. Add a birthday candle, an extra pinch of jimmies on the plate, or a small scoop of vanilla ice cream alongside — and enjoy every colorful bite!
    A colorful slice of a homemade funfetti cake on a plate on a light oak wood table.

Notes

  • Rainbow jimmies ONLY — not nonpareils. Nonpareils have water-based food coloring that immediately bleeds into wet batter, turning it grey and muddy. Rainbow jimmies have a wax-based coating that repels water and keeps colors perfectly intact through mixing and baking. This is chemistry, not preference.
  • Fold jimmies in last and bake immediately. Every extra minute the batter sits with jimmies increases color migration. Fold → pour into pans → oven within 3 minutes.
  • Almond extract is non-negotiable. ¼ tsp creates the "birthday cake" flavor that Pillsbury has used since 1989. Do not increase — more than ¼ tsp becomes detectable as almond. Do not skip — without it, this is a good vanilla cake but not funfetti cake.
  • No buttermilk? Add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup of whole milk. Let sit 5 minutes. Full-fat Greek yogurt thinned with milk also works.
  • Egg whites only keeps the cake white so rainbow dots are visible. Using whole eggs makes the crumb yellow — the dots are less vibrant against a yellow background.
  • Room temperature ingredients — essential. Cold butter does not cream properly. Cold egg whites can cause the batter to curdle. Cold buttermilk creates lumps. 45 minutes out of the fridge minimum.
  • Cake flour upgrade: Substitute cake flour 1:1 for all-purpose flour for an even more delicate, tender crumb. Cake flour's lower protein content creates less gluten and a finer texture.
  • Funfetti cupcakes: Fill lined muffin tins ⅔ full. Bake at 350°F for 18–22 minutes. Makes approximately 24 cupcakes.
  • Sift the powdered sugar before adding to frosting — unsifted sugar creates a slightly grainy texture even after beating.
  • Storage: Room temperature under a cake dome up to 2 days. Refrigerator up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature 45 minutes before serving. Freeze unfrosted layers up to 3 months. Freeze frosted whole cake up to 2 months.
  • UK/Australia notes: "All-purpose flour" = plain flour. "Powdered sugar" = icing sugar. "Heavy cream" = double cream. "Rainbow jimmies" = rainbow sprinkles or hundreds and thousands (use the cylindrical ones, not the round balls).
  • Nutrition values are estimates. Actual values vary based on slice size and exact frosting amount used.