This is a tall, towering confetti layer cake filled to the brim with rainbow sprinkles and finished off with sweet vanilla buttercream frosting. It’s classic and party-perfect in every way! The recipe has lived on my website since 2014 and has become a popular favorite, even scoring #1 (out of 9!) in a sprinkle cake bake-off. Below you’ll find my detailed recipe, video, and best success tips.
Just Like Box Funfetti Cake
This thick, plush confetti birthday cake is filled with the flavors of childhood party nostalgia: butter, vanilla, sugar, and rainbow sprinkles. Close your eyes and you can practically hear the sound of balloons being blown up and smell the extinguished birthday candles. But this cake shouldn’t be limited to birthday parties—or to childhood! This happy cake is a joy to serve and eat at any celebration. It’s like the boxed Funfetti cake, but better.
Why You’ll Love This Confetti Layer Cake
- From-scratch and loaded with happy colorful sprinkles
- Topped with sweet & creamy classic vanilla buttercream
- Soft crumb from cake flour
- Fluffy from extra egg whites
- Buttery & cakey from creamed butter & sugar
- Stick-to-your-fork moist (without tasting greasy!) from eggs, oil, & buttermilk
- Extra flavor from pure vanilla extract
This towering rainbow dessert has been on my site for a number of years, and during that time, I’ve made a couple small updates. This was a great confetti birthday cake recipe before; in fact, it was rated No. 1 (of 9) in the Pancake Princess’ best sprinkle cake bake-off, and came in a close 2nd in the Kitchn’s Funfetti cake bake-off. But with 3 small updates, the cake is now even greater.
From the Kitchn’s review: “This cake was seriously delicious. It had a nice light texture but was still super moist. The vanilla flavor was bold without being overpowering, and the cake was sweet without being cloying. I loved how easy the frosting was to make and appreciated how smoothly it went onto the cake. My only critique is that you have to whip the egg whites in a separate bowl, so it’s a bit tedious, but that’s the only negative I can think of.”
I have some egg-cellent news: that egg-stra step is gone. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.)
What’s New in This Birthday Cake Recipe?
- Add the egg whites at the same time as the whole eggs: 4 whole eggs provide structure, moisture, and richness. 2 extra egg whites keep the cake lighter. Though whipping the whites separately does assist in preventing a dense cake, in recent testing, I discovered that removing this whipping step can be offset by 2 other changes to keep the batter light. (Both are next.)
- Decrease the butter and add oil: Previously, the recipe called for 1.5 cups of butter (3 sticks, about 345g), but using all creamed butter in a cake can certainly weigh down the crumb. I love using oil in cake recipes because it adds moisture and a delicate texture. And I love using butter in cake recipes because of its unparalleled flavor. Finding the right proportion of each? Now that’s the sweet spot, and I found it by reducing the butter by ¼ cup and adding in ⅓ cup oil in its place.
- Use cake flour: If you want a fluffy and soft bakery-style cake, use cake flour.
After years of testing cake recipes, I’m more confident than ever in this updated version. The cake closely resembles my vanilla cake, but uses a bit less sugar because we’re adding sweet sprinkles.
These Step Photos Will Help
Here is the butter, sugar, and oil mixture. You’ll cream butter and sugar together first, and then mix in the oil. Mixture will be creamy and mostly smooth:
Jimmies-type sprinkles are best for this Funfetti-style homemade cake. Expect a thick batter:
Divide the batter between 3 9-inch cake pans. You can squeeze the cake batter in 3 8-inch cake pans if needed, but be sure to extend the bake time as noted in the recipe. Always line your round pans with parchment paper rounds before adding the batter. Cool baked cakes for 20 minutes in the cake pans, and then remove the warm cakes and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
Sprinkle Success Tips
I’ve been baking sprinkles into cake & cupcake batters for years and have learned exactly which sprinkles work, and which don’t. Happy to share my best advice:
- My top sprinkle tip: Do not use nonpareils (the little balls) in cake batter. They will bleed their color as you fold them in, result in a less-than-appetizing-color cake.
- Rainbow sprinkles (aka “jimmies”) sold in the U.S. are intensely colored, but sprinkles sold in other countries may lose their color when baked. “Sugar strands” may be the same shape as jimmies, but they dissolve in the wet batter. For best results, try to use American-style rainbow sprinkles. The pictured cake uses Betty Crocker “Parlor Perfect” rainbow sprinkles. I also really like Canadian-brand Sweetapolita sprinkles.
- Confetti quins (the little discs) are also great to use in a sprinkle birthday cakes & cupcakes. They rarely bleed their color in batter.
- Naturally colored sprinkles are wonderful as decoration, but—depending on the brand—can lose their color in cake batter.
Buttercream Frosting
I use the same frosting as my 3-layer vanilla cake, but add a little more vanilla. It’s basically my vanilla buttercream recipe, only scaled up to yield enough for a tall layer cake. If you prefer chocolate frosting, use the chocolate fudge frosting from my piñata cake recipe. (It’s enough for this size cake.)
For a less sweet frosting option, use this recipe for Swiss meringue buttercream.
Can I tint this frosting? Yes! Feel free to add gel food coloring to the frosting to change its color.
Decorating Success Tip: Add a Crumb Coat
Because it’s so moist, the confetti cake can be a little crumbly when you’re decorating it. I recommend applying a thin crumb coat, which is a layer of frosting around the exterior of the cake to catch any crumbs. The frosting recipe below includes enough frosting for that thin crumb coat, then another thin layer of frosting on top of that. Note that I applied a slightly thicker crumb coat in the video tutorial below. Doesn’t matter either way; you’ll just have less or more frosting for that final frosting layer.
Use a flat icing spatula to spread on the frosting. Icing spatulas are handy if you decorate cakes and cupcakes often. Then you can run a bench scraper around the sides of the cake to smooth out the crumb coat as well as the top layer of frosting. You can watch me use both in the video tutorial below.
Chill the crumb-coated cake for 30 minutes, and then apply the final frosting layer.
Looking for a fun sprinkle cake that requires less effort than a 3-layer cake? Try these recipes:
- 1-Layer Sprinkle Cake
- 6-Inch Birthday Cake
- 12×17-inch Sprinkle Sheet Cake
- Super-soft Confetti Cupcakes
- Buttery Funfetti Cupcakes
- Prefer cheesecake? Try confetti sprinkle cheesecake
- How about a giant birthday cookie? Here’s my confetti sugar cookie cake.
- Or for breakfast try birthday cake pancakes or birthday cake cinnamon rolls
And here are the 10 best cake decorating tools.
Confetti Birthday Cake
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours (includes chilling & cooling)
- Yield: serves 12-14
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Buttery vanilla layer cake filled to the brim with rainbow sprinkles and finished off with sweet vanilla frosting. Pictured cake is 9 inches; for thicker cakes, use 8-inch pans. Review the recipe notes and bring all ingredients to room temperature before you begin.
Ingredients
Cake
- 3 and 3/4 cups (443g) cake flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/4 cups (282g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (80ml) vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature*
- 2 large egg whites, at room temperature*
- 3 teaspoons (15ml) pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) buttermilk, at room temperature*
- 3/4 cup (135g) rainbow sprinkles*
Vanilla Buttercream
- 1 and 1/2 cups (340g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 5 and 1/2 cups (650g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1/3 cup (80ml) heavy cream, at room temperature
- 3 teaspoons (15ml) pure vanilla extract (or use clear imitation vanilla extract for stark white frosting)
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- optional: additional sprinkles for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease three 8-inch or 9-inch cake pans, line with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans. (If it’s helpful, see this parchment paper rounds for cakes video & post.)
- Make the cake: Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed for 5 full minutes until completely creamed together and fluffy. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the oil and beat for 1 minute until combined. Add the eggs, egg whites, and vanilla extract and beat on medium-high speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
- Add dry ingredients and buttermilk in three additions, mixing after each addition just until incorporated. Do not over-mix this batter. The batter will be velvety and thick. Gently fold in the sprinkles. Pour and spread the batter evenly into each cake pan.
- Bake for around 25–26 minutes or until the cakes are baked through. (8-inch cakes may take about 27–28 minutes.) Tent the cakes with foil after about 15 minutes to prevent the sides and top from over-browning. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it’s done.
- Allow cakes to cool in the pans set on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Run a knife around the edges and then remove cakes from pans. Place cakes directly on wire racks to cool completely. The cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling.
- Make the frosting: In a large bowl using a handheld mixer or stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar, cream, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds and then switch to high speed and beat for 2 minutes. Add more confectioners’ sugar if frosting seems too thin; more cream if frosting is too thick; or an extra pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet.
- Assemble cake + apply crumb coat: First, using a large serrated knife, slice a thin layer off the tops of the cakes to create a flat surface. Discard (or crumble over ice cream!). Place one cake layer on your cake stand, cake turntable, or serving plate. Using a flat icing spatula or small offset spatula, evenly cover the top with about 1 cup (about 250g) of frosting. Repeat with second cake layer, 1 more cup of frosting, and then the top cake layer. Spread a thin layer of frosting on the top and around the sides as a crumb coat. Run a bench scraper around the cake to smooth out crumb coat. Chill uncovered in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 hours to set the crumb coat.
- Spread the remaining frosting all over the top and sides. Garnish with extra sprinkles, if desired.
- Serve cake immediately, or if you need to store it for a few hours, place it in a cake carrier at room temperature for up to 4 hours. For longer storage, refrigerate covered cake for up to 1 day. Cake is best served at room temperature, though, so if it’s been refrigerated, let it sit out at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.
- Cover leftover cake tightly and store it in the refrigerator for 5 days. Again, I like using a cake carrier for storing and transporting.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: The cake layers can be baked, cooled, and covered tightly at room temperature overnight. Likewise, the frosting can be prepared and then covered and refrigerated overnight. When ready to decorate, let the frosting sit at room temperature to slightly soften for 15 minutes, then give it one more mix with the mixer on medium speed for about 1 minute before frosting cake. (Add a splash of cream to thin out frosting if needed.) See step 10 if you want to store the frosted/decorated cake before serving it. Frosted cake or unfrosted cake layers can be frozen for up to 2–3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before decorating/serving. See how to freeze cakes for detailed instructions.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 8-inch Round Cake Pans or 9-inch Round Cake Pans | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Silicone Spatula | Cooling Rack | Cake Turntable | Flat Icing Spatula or Small Offset Spatula | Bench Scraper | Cake Carrier (for storage)
- 2022 Update: Recipe above was slightly updated in 2022. Old version used to call for 3 sticks (about 345g) of butter and no oil. The slight reduction of butter and added oil makes a moister cake, but feel free to use the old version. Also, the extra egg whites are now added when you add the whole eggs. You used to have to whip them separately until soft peaks form and then fold them in before adding the sprinkles. This step isn’t really necessary because we’re using a little oil and cake flour now. (See next Note.)
- Eggs: 4 whole eggs provide structure, moisture, and richness. 2 extra egg whites keep the cake light. I don’t recommend using 5 whole eggs as a replacement; stick to the 4 eggs + 2 egg whites combination.
- Buttermilk: If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make a DIY buttermilk substitute. Add 1 Tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup. Then add enough whole milk to the same measuring cup until it reaches 1 and 1/2 cups. (In a pinch, lower-fat or nondairy milks work for this soured milk, but the cake won’t taste as moist or rich.) Stir it around and let sit for 5 minutes. The homemade “buttermilk” will be somewhat curdled and ready to use in the recipe.
- Sprinkles: Avoid using sprinkles that will dye your batter. Steer clear of nonpareils, which are the little balls. The pictured cake uses Betty Crocker “Parlor Perfect” rainbow sprinkles, which I find in my regular grocery store. I also like to use these rainbow jimmies or confetti quins. Note that naturally colored sprinkles may lose their color in cake batter.
- Chocolate Frosting: Use the frosting from this piñata cake recipe. It makes enough for this size cake.
- Amount of Cake Batter & Other Size Cakes: This recipe yields nearly 8 cups of batter, which is helpful if you need it for different Cake Pan Sizes & Conversions. For a 1-layer cake, 12×17-inch sheet cake, or 6-inch layer cake, see the list of recipe links in the post, above the recipe card. For a 2-layer cake, divide batter between 2 9-inch cake pans instead of 3. (This is too much batter for 2 8-inch pans.) Increase bake time to about 30 minutes and use a toothpick to test for doneness. For a Bundt cake, use a 10–12-cup generously greased Bundt pan and bake for about 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. There is too much batter for a 9×13-inch quarter sheet cake. I have 2 recipes on my website that would work for a 9×13-inch sprinkle cake. You could use this light and fluffy white cake recipe and fold 1/2 cup (about 90g) sprinkles into the batter before pouring into the pan. See those recipe Notes for a 9×13-inch cake. Or you can use this buttery sprinkle sheet cake recipe. See those recipe Notes for a 9×13-inch cake.
- Cupcakes: Use this batter for 3 dozen sprinkle cupcakes. Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full to avoid over-flowing. Or use my confetti sprinkle cupcakes or funfetti cupcakes recipes.
If I want to make this cake 3 days in advance, and decorate 2 days in advance. What is the best way to store it so it doesn’t dry out or go bad?
Hi Morgan, the cake may start to lose some freshness by that time, but you can store in air-tight container (we recommend a cake carrier) in the refrigerator.
Hi Sally, would this batter suffice to make a two tier cake.. one cake being 6inch layer cake and the other a 5 inch layer cake? Or what sizes would you recommend and how do I double the recipe for a 9inch 2 layer tier and 6 inch tier? Please help! Thanks!
Hi Niru, there wouldn’t be much of a size difference making a 6inch bottom tier and 5inch top tier; they are too close in size. You’ll have better luck with 6-inch and 9-inch tiers. I actually have an exact recipe for that, and you can add sprinkles to the cake batter: homemade tiered wedding cake. I would use about 3/4 cup (135g) in the bottom cake, and half the amount in the top smaller cake.
Is this cake strong enough to do a bit of light sculpting or would you recommend a different vanilla recipe?
Hi Deidre, that *should* work just fine here. Enjoy!
Update: overflowed (2) 9” round pans and took 47 min to bake. Salvaged by cutting down to 8” rounds. Tastes delicious.
This overflowed my (2) 9” rounds while baking.
Delicious! I love this cake! I used cake strips and the layers were beautiful! Just the right amount of frosting. I would definitely make this again!
Would this be enough batter to make a number cake for a birthday? If so, do I have to alter baking times?
It should be enough, but it depends on the size and capacity of the pan(s). Fill the pan(s) halfway with batter and use any leftover batter to make a few cupcakes on the side, if needed.
Excited to make this since the vanilla cake was so good! I want to make one for a birthday but will require transporting it by car about 4-5 hours away? Was planning on making the day before, refrigerating until we leave, and immediately refrigerating when we arrive (until we’re ready to serve it). Do you think that will be alright or will it have sat out at room temp for too long? (We can always blast the A/C…)
Hi Tim, that should work just fine. Hope the cake is a hit!
Sprinkles sunk to the bottom when I made this. After googling what went wrong, I tried again and dusted the sprinkles in some flour. The sprinkles still sink to the bottom. What did I do wrong?
Hi Brittany, so sorry to read this! This cake batter should be plenty thick to support the sprinkles. It must be the specific ones you used. We recommend our favorite brands and link to some sprinkles in the recipe Notes!
Hi! Planning to make this recipe as cupcakes for my son’s birthday. What temp/time do you recommend for cupcakes?
Hi Cassie, the bake time for cupcakes is about 20 minutes. You may also want to check out our sprinkle cupcake recipe!
Hi Sally! I want to make these as cupcakes, and I’m wondering if I should adjust the temperature or the bake time? Thank you!
Hi Joy, the bake time for cupcakes is about 20 minutes. You may also prefer our sprinkle cupcake recipe!
Hi Sally, i made this cake in the two 9 inch pans as the instructions said and the batter sadly overflowed my pans. I should have saved some of the batter for cupcakes. Definitely too much batter for two nine inch pans!
Is it do-able to turn this into a strawberry cake and add fresh strawberries into the batter? I love this cake receipe
Hi Amy, we’d recommend following this strawberry cake recipe instead, and adding sprinkles there if you wish.
I can’t wait to make this recipe for my little girls birthday. I am in the uk and can’t get cake flour though. I think I should use plain four (all purpose) but do I need to add extra baking powder/baking soda if so. Thanks
Hi Leeza, if you cannot get ahold of cake flour, I would try this cake flour substitute instead.
Can i bake this recipe in a 12×17 sheet pan? I noticed the sheet pan specific recipe has AP flour and not cake flour like this one?
Hi Alli, we’d recommend using the sprinkle sheet cake recipe instead, since it will fit perfectly in that size pan. It’s wonderfully light and fluffy even with all-purpose flour, but you can try swapping cake flour there instead. Hope you enjoy it!
Made this for a 1st birthday cake smash almost 1 year ago. It was such a hit that im now using it for a sculpted grinch face cake (going to bake in a 10″ square with a cake nail, carve the basic shape, use the offcuts to sculpt the face then buttercream to detail) as well as a 3 layer pokemon cake for my (almost) 2 and 6 year old nephews
Can I substitute the buttermilk for sour cream
Hi Lexy, buttermilk is crucial for this cake’s taste and texture. If you do not have buttermilk on hand, you can use the DIY soured milk outlined in the recipe Notes. Hope you enjoy this recipe!
Hello Sally, regarding the Sweetapolita sprinkles you mentioned, I want to get the exact one which you’d mentioned. Would you happen to know if it’s the ‘Rainbow
Crunchy sprinkles that you meant?
I ask because I’m in Canada and Sweetapolita is what is available to me.
Thanks!
Hi Panjami, The pictured cake uses Betty Crocker “Parlor Perfect” rainbow sprinkles. We’re big fans of Sweetapolita sprinkles, although they are not used in this exact cake. Hope this helps!
Hi
I’m making this for my son’s birthday party and he’s requesting a whip cream frosting. Would this work for this cake and do you have one to recommend?
Thanks!
Hi Kendra, this whipped frosting would be fantastic with this cake!
Hello, I would like to make this cake for an event where at least one person has gluten allergy. Could gluten free flour be used? I’m aware of gluten free flour but haven’t used it and unsure if it can be directly substituted for all-purpose or cake flour. Would appreciate your advice.
Hi Vicki, we haven’t tested this recipe with gluten-free flour, so we’re unsure of the results. Some readers have reported using an all-purpose 1:1 gluten-free flour in this recipe with success. Let us know if you try it!
how soon are you going to make this? i have gluten free cake baking experience and am actually doing this for our event. depending on your time frame, could give you feedback from our go at it.
Hi Sally, is this recipe an updated one! I have made your confetti cake with 3 cubes of butter, no oil, less sugar and egg whites separated and beaten then added. It was good..but this current recipe might be better..right?
Hi Kathe, You’re correct–we recently updated this recipe and with a few other changes, we find it’s no longer necessary to whip the egg whites separately. You can read more about it under the section titled “What’s New in This Birthday Cake Recipe?”
This came out so moist and delicious. Not dry at all. Super easy to follow. Will definitely make again!
This a great recipe. I’ve made it before very successfully. Going rogue and I am baking it in a week using ”Frozen” colored sprinkles (purple, pink, turquoise) and lavender .tinted frosting for granddaughter’s birthday. Hopefully, it comes out just as good!
Hey Sally, will this one hold up to stacking as a 2 (3 layer each) tier cake? Thanks
Hi Marissa, yes, this cake batter will hold up well as a tiered cake (using cake dowels for support as we do in our homemade wedding cake). Hope you enjoy it!
I’m baking a cake for my sons’ birthday party and they requested a sprinkle cake. Usually I bake a few days ahead of time and freeze the cake, then thaw it the night before I decorate. I see the notes on this says it tastes better fresh. I would consider baking Thursday, decorating Friday, serving Saturday, but Thursday is one of my son’s actual birthday and I don’t want to be baking all day so I need to bake sometime between Monday and Wednesday. Does this cake really not do well frozen? I feel like I froze it before but I can’t remember for sure. Thanks!
Hi Lola, you can freeze the cakes and decorate later. Here’s our detailed post with directions on how to freeze cake layers. Thaw completely before decorating.
Sally, I was wondering why you only use 1 tsp of baking powder & soda for this cake? Your rule says 1 tsp per Cup of flour for baking powder and 1/2tsp baking soda per cup of flour.
Hi JoAnn, with cake flour, I find you don’t need as much since it’s lighter than all-purpose flour. This recipe calls for 3 and 3/4 cups and the leaveners, together, successfully raise 3 cups of all-purpose flour. It’s pretty darn close when swapping to 3 and 3/4 cups cake flour (which, again, is lighter). Great question!
Also, I don’t find it necessary to add more leavener, but if you are concerned, feel free to add another 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder.