This easy and moist Funfetti Snack Cake is filled with sprinkles and topped with a tangy cream cheese frosting. Cake flour, sour cream, and egg whites provide the perfect soft, fluffy and moist cake crumb. Funfetti cake is a classic favorite, perfect for any celebration!
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Funfetti themed desserts are always a winner! They’re colorful and fun for any celebration. Some favorites include mini funfetti cupcakes, decorated funfetti cutout cookies, and this funfetti snack cake paired with cream cheese frosting.
When you’re short on time, like I am as a busy mom, but want to make an easy but fun dessert to serve, this funfetti snack cake is a go-to. In under 1 hour, your cake is baked and you are spreading a rich creamy frosting.
For birthday celebrations, we love serving this cake topped with funfetti buttercream and a scoop funfetti ice cream for a fun treat!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Baked from scratch. This confetti snack cake, like funfetti pound cake, is made from scratch, which creates the most delicious flavor. Skip the artificial box mix and use this easy recipe.
- Soft and fluffy. Cake flour, sour cream, and egg whites create an irresistible soft, tender, and fluffy cake. An airy cream cheese frosting adds the final touch.
- Fun. Rainbow-colored sprinkles add a fun and nostalgic element to this cake, just like these sandwich cookies. It’s a fun cake for kids and adults.
Ingredients You'll Need
Funfetti Cake Ingredients
- Cake flour. Produces a soft, tender cake crumb. I prefer using unbleached cake flour.
- Baking powder and baking soda. Leavening agents allow the cake to rise and have a fluffy texture.
- Salt. Added to the batter to enhance the flavors of other ingredients in the cake.
- Butter. Use unsalted butter to control the amount of salt that goes into the batter. It’s important to use softened butter. It should be slightly firm to the touch and not greasy, yet leave the impression of your finger when you press into it.
- Granulated sugar. Adds sweetness to the cake. When the sugar and butter creams together, air is incorporated into the batter, which creates the perfect light and tender cake.
- Egg whites. Using egg whites creates a lighter-colored cake batter with a light, airy crumb. If you prefer whole eggs, substitute 2 large eggs for the 3 large egg whites.
- Vanilla. Always select a good quality pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- Sour cream. Adds moisture and richness to the cake. The acidity in sour cream helps create a softer and more tender cake. It also activates the baking soda. Ensure your sour cream is at room temperature to incorporate with the other ingredients into a smooth batter.
- Milk. Also adds moisture and richness to the cake. Milk is a binding ingredient that brings everything together. Use at room temperature, and if possible, use whole milk.
- Rainbow sprinkles. Adds a color element creating a nostalgic funfetti cake.
Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients
- Butter. Adds a rich flavor to the frosting. Use unsalted butter brought to room temperature.
- Cream cheese. Use block cream cheese. It has a dense, firm texture, perfect for making creamy frosting. A tub of whipped cream cheese has too much air incorporated into it and is not ideal for frosting. Bring cream cheese to room temperature to create a smooth and creamy frosting.
- Powdered sugar. Sweetens the buttercream and dissolves into a smooth consistency.
- Vanilla. The flavoring in the frosting.
- Heavy cream. Thins out the buttercream to a spreadable consistency. Add more or less depending on your desired consistency. You can substitute it with milk.
What Sprinkles Should I Use?
Not all sprinkles are created equal when it comes to baking a cake. For decorating purposes, you can use any sprinkle you like. But when you are making the batter, sprinkles (aka jimmies) are the way to go. They offer pretty colors that won’t bleed into the batter.
I don’t recommend using nonpareils, the tiny rainbow sugar balls. Their color will bleed into your cake batter.
Recipe Substitutions
- All-purpose flour. If you don’t have cake flour, you can make your own. Measure 1 ½ cups of all-purpose flour, and replace 3 tablespoons with 3 tablespoons of cornstarch. Sift together to combine evenly.
- Buttermilk. Replace the sour cream and whole milk with 160 g (⅔ cup) buttermilk at room temperature.
Equipment & Tools
- Digital kitchen scale or measuring cups. Using a scale will give you the most accurate measurements for consistent results.
- 8x8 square baking pan.
- Parchment paper. Line the bottom of your pan to prevent the cake from sticking.
- Sifter or fine mesh sieve. Used to sift the dry ingredients together.
- Medium bowl. Sift the dry ingredients into the bowl.
- Large bowl. Used to mix the cake batter. If using a stand mixer, use the accompanying mixing bowl.
- Mixer. You’ll need a mixer to make the cake batter and cream cheese frosting. You can use a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
- Rubber spatula.
- Offset spatula. Helpful for spreading the frosting over the cooled cake.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Before you begin: Preheat the oven to 350°F/177°C. Grease and flour an 8x8 square pan, line the bottom with parchment paper allowing extra to hang over the sides for easy lifting out of the pan. Read the recipe from start to finish.
How to Make Funfetti Snack Cake
Sift dry ingredients. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Beat butter and sugar. Using a mixer, cream the butter and sugar.
Add eggs and vanilla. Beat in the egg whites, one at a time, then mix in vanilla.
Add sour cream. Mix to combine.
Add remaining ingredients. In three parts, alternate adding the dry ingredients and milk until the batter is combined with no streaks of flour. Fold in sprinkles.
Add to the pan. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake.
How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting
Beat cream cheese and butter. With a mixer, beat until smooth and creamy.
Add sugar and vanilla. Mix in the powdered sugar, then add the flavoring. Add enough cream and beat on medium-high.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
Snack cakes are easy and fun to make. As a trained pastry chef, I follow these guidelines to bake beautiful cakes with the perfect texture.
- Weigh your ingredients. Using a scale to measure your ingredients gives you the most accurate and consistent results.
- Use room temperature ingredients. Bringing your ingredients to room temperature helps to create a smooth batter that is evenly blended. This promotes a consistent texture and even baking.
- Sift the cake flour. Breaking up any lumps will allow the dry ingredients to combine smoothly with the wet ingredients.
- Cream butter and sugar. Beat together until light and fluffy. Don’t skip this step because it will incorporate air into the batter for a light and tender cake.
- Cool cake completely. Frost a completely cooled funfetti snack cake to prevent the cream cheese frosting from melting.
What Frostings Go With Funfetti Cake?
Essentially funfetti cake is a vanilla-based white cake batter mixed with rainbow sprinkles. It’s a versatile cake that pairs well with many frostings. Here are some of my favorite frostings to pair this cake with:
- Vanilla buttercream. Double the frosting recipe from these mini funfetti cupcakes.
- Chocolate fudge frosting. For a decadent combination, use fudge frosting from this fudge cake.
- Strawberry cream cheese frosting. In the warm summer months, I love using the frosting from these strawberry cupcakes.
Storage & Freezing Tips
- Refrigerated. Store leftover funfetti cake in an airtight container for up to 3 or 4 days in the refrigerator.
- In the freezer. Wrap the leftover cake with plastic wrap and place it in an airtight container. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before serving.
- Make ahead. Wrap the completely cooled cake in plastic wrap and store it at room temperature overnight. Make the frosting up to 1 week in advance and store it in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before decorating the cake and re-whip the frosting using a mixer.
Note: I don’t recommend freezing a whole decorated cake. For the best texture, freeze the cake and decorate it up to 1 day before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
The cake will begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. When you gently press into the top of the cake, it will spring back.
Yes, double the recipe and bake it in a 9x13 baking pan in a preheated 350°F/177°C oven for 35-40 minutes.
Yes! Fill cupcake liners ⅔ full and bake in a preheated 350°F/177°C oven for 17-19 minutes. This batter will produce about 12 cupcakes.
Frosting uses butter, powdered sugar, and cream as its basis, whereas icing is made with powdered sugar and thinned with a liquid.
More Sprinkle Recipes You'll Love
Please leave a starred rating and comment below if you make this Funfetti Snack Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. I love reading your feedback! And if you’d like to make this recipe later, don’t forget to pin it on Pinterest! Happy Baking!
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Funfetti Snack Cake
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 1 - 8 x 8 inch square cake 1x
Description
This easy and moist Funfetti Snack Cake is filled with sprinkles and topped with a tangy cream cheese frosting. Cake flour, sour cream, and egg whites provide the perfect soft, fluffy, and moist cake crumb. Funfetti cake is a classic favorite, perfect of any celebration!
Ingredients
Cake
- 180 g (1 ½ cups) cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 113 g (½ cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 220 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
- 3 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 120 g (½ cup) sour cream, at room temperature
- 120 g (½ cup) whole milk, at room temperature
- 30 g (3 tablespoons) sprinkles
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 113 g (½ cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 113 g (4 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 450 g (1 pound) powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Heavy cream or whole milk, as needed
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/177°C. Butter and flour an 8-inch square cake pan. Line with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3-4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Beat in egg whites, one at a time, until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat in vanilla until mixed.
- Add the sour cream and beat until combined.
- With the mixer on low speed and in three parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the milk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Beat until just combined. Fold in sprinkles.
- Fill the prepared cake pan with batter and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack before frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a large bowl, using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese together on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy, 2-3 minutes.
- Slowly add the powdered sugar and vanilla with the mixer on low speed until completely incorporated. Add one tablespoon, or as much as desired, of cream or milk for a thinner consistency. Increase the mixture to high speed and beat for 2-3 minutes.
- Using an offset spatula or knife, frost the completely cooled cake.
Notes
Storage: Stover leftover cake in an airtight container for up to 3 or 4 days at room temperature.
Freezer: Wrap the leftover cake with plastic wrap and store it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerate before serving.
Sheet cake: Double the recipe and bake in a 9x13 baking pan in a preheated 350°F/177°C oven for 35-40 minutes.
Cupcakes: Fill 12 cupcake liners ⅔ full and bake in a preheated 350°F/177°C oven for 17-19 minutes.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
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