Funfetti Vanilla Layer Cake

Celebrate your next birthday with our festive Funfetti Vanilla Layer Cake. Two layers of buttery vanilla cake covered in creamy vanilla buttercream and a boatload of funfetti sprinkles.

It’s party time! 🎉

Today we’ve gone ALL out with a sprinkle-covered Funfetti Vanilla Layer Cake, aka, the ultimate party cake. Two layers of soft vanilla cake loaded with sprinkles, covered in creamy vanilla buttercream and completely coated in SPRINKLES!

Not only is this cake a total showstopper but with one bite, you’ll be escorted to funfetti heaven. Sprinkle lovers unite!

Today, we’re heading back to our childhood with this idyllic layer cake. It’s big, it’s bold, and there’s sprinkles galore.

Not only is this cake buttery and sweet, but you’ll be surprised at just how easy it is to cover an entire cake in sprinkles. It’s a simple but oh-so-beautiful way to decorate an entire cake in minutes.

The base of this cake is similar to my favourite Yellow Cake recipe. But with lots of sprinkles added!

So if you’re on the hunt for a gorgeous cake for your next birthday or celebration, bookmark this Funfetti Vanilla Layer Cake. It’s sure to brighten the day of any sprinkle lover!

tips for making perfect funfetti cake

• Start with room temperature butter. This is very important to make sure your butter and sugar combine correctly, creating a perfectly light and fluffy cake.
• We use caster sugar in this recipe. If you don’t have access to caster sugar, you can swap it 1:1 for granulated sugar. You can read more about caster sugar here.
• Skip the vanilla essence and use a good quality vanilla extract if you can. It will give the cake a good boost of flavour.
• Use room temperature eggs instead of cold eggs, as it will help your ingredients blend well and not curdle.
• Sift your flour and whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.
• I recommend using full fat or whole milk for best results.
• Sour cream will ensure your cake is soft and moist – so don’t skip it. If you don’t have access to sour cream, you can use full fat Greek or natural yogurt.
• Finally, gently stir through your sprinkles by hand so as to not overmix. Use good quality jimmy sprinkles to avoid too much bleeding into the cake batter.

how to make vanilla buttercream

• This recipe uses my favourite buttercream recipe. Just four ingredients creates a lovely smooth and creamy vanilla frosting – perfect for decorating cakes and cupcakes.
• The key to making perfect buttercream is starting with room temperature butter. It shouldn’t be cold, or melty, just soft enough to make an indent when you press your thumb into it.
• Spend time beating your butter in the beginning until it is soft and creamy. This will ensure the texture of your buttercream is smooth and will prevent you from being tempted to overbeat your buttercream to get rid of any butter lumps later on.
• Always, always, always sift your icing sugar or powdered sugar. And add it gradually.
• For more buttercream tips, check out my vanilla buttercream frosting post.

how to cover a cake in sprinkles

• Start with good quality funfetti or jimmy sprinkles for best results. Try not to use non-pareils as they tend to bleed when baked.
• Once you have covered your cake in frosting, place your cake on a plate and surround it with a large bowl. I find it easiest to place my cake plate on top of an upside down smaller bowl that can sit inside a larger bowl to create a ‘moat.’
• Gently use your hands to press the sprinkles along the sides and top of the cake. Plenty of sprinkles will fall off in the process, but most of them should land in the bowl below.
• Once you’re finished, you can place the cake in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to firm up slightly before serving.

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Let’s Bake

Funfetti Vanilla Layer Cake

Yield Make one 2 layer 8-inch cake 1x

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

4.8 from 14 reviews

Prep: 90 minutesCook: 30 minutesTotal: 2 hours

Funfetti Cake with two layers of vanilla cake, covered in vanilla buttercream and sprinkles

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Ingredients

Funfetti cake

• 230 grams (1 cup or 2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 200 grams (1 cup) caster sugar or granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 315 grams (2 and 1/4 cups) plain flour or all-purpose flour, sifted
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 240 ml (1 cup) full fat or whole milk, room temperature
• 60 ml (1/4 cup) full fat sour cream or Greek yogurt, room temperature
• 50 grams (1/4 cup) funfetti sprinkles (rainbow jimmies)

Vanilla buttercream

• 230 grams (1 cup or 2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
• 500 grams (4 cups) icing or powdered sugar, sifted
• 2–3 tablespoons full fat or whole milk
• 2–3 cups of funfetti sprinkles (rainbow jimmies)

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Instructions

1. Funfetti cake
   Grease and line two 8-inch round cake pans with baking or parchment paper. Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) standard / 160 C (320 F) fan-forced.
2. In a large mixing bowl, add butter, sugar and vanilla and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until pale and creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat after each addition.
3. In a separate bowl, add flour, baking powder and salt, and whisk briefly. Add half of the flour mix and all the milk and beat on a low speed until combined.
4. Add remaining flour mix and sour cream and continue to mix on a low speed until just combined and a thick, creamy cake batter forms. Gently fold in sprinkles by hand, being careful not to overmix. 
5. Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans and bake in the oven for approximately 25-30 minutes or until golden and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.
6. Carefully remove the cakes from pans and set on a wire rack to cool completely.
7. Vanilla buttercream
   To make your frosting, roughly chop butter into cubes and place in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 1-2 minutes or until your butter is smooth and creamy. There should be no lumps. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
8. Add vanilla and beat briefly to combine. Then add 125 grams (1 cup) sugar. Beat on a low speed to combine, then turn up the speed to medium and mix for 30 seconds or so. Mixture should be thick and appear a little dry – this is fine.
9. Next, add another 125 grams (1 cup) sugar, along with 1 tablespoon of milk. Beat on medium speed until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
10. Add another 125 grams (1 cup) sugar, along with 1 tablespoon of milk. Beat on medium speed until mixture is thick and creamy.
11. Finally, add remaining 125 grams (1 cup) sugar and beat on medium speed until mixture is smooth. Buttercream should be lovely and thick at this stage with no lumps.
12. If the buttercream is too thick, add an extra tablespoon or two of milk. To finish, give your buttercream a good stir by hand using a spatula. 
13. To decorate
    Trim the tops of cake if needed. Place one cake on a cake plate, and cover the top with buttercream. Place the second cake on top. Cover the entire cake, top and sides, with remaining buttercream.
14. Pick up the cake and hold over a large mixing bowl. Carefully press sprinkles into the side of the cake, letting the extra sprinkles fall into the bowl. Continue until top and sides of cake are completely covered. 
15. Place cake in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to for the frosting and sprinkles to set slightly. Cut into slices and serve.

Nutrition Information

Serving Size: 1 slice Calories: 706 Sugar: 87.2 g Sodium: 91.1 mg Fat: 49 g Carbohydrates: 118.5 g Protein: 6.5 g Cholesterol: 133 mg

Nutrition information is a guide only.

Author: Jessica HolmesCategory: CakeCuisine: American

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