Funfetti Cupcakes
Celebrate your birthday every day with these funfetti cupcakes! The cupcakes are made with a light and fluffy funfetti cake flavored with vanilla and almond extract and frosted with cake batter buttercream frosting. Who needs a birthday cake when you have these funfetti cupcakes?
Ingredients for Funfetti Cupcakes
Funfetti Cupcakes
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Granulated sugar
- Unsalted butter – Room temperature.
- Vegetable oil – Use your favorite neutral baking oil.
- Egg whites – Large egg whites, room temperature.
- Sour cream – Room temperature.
- Vanilla extract + almond extract – The combination of vanilla and almond creates the perfect funfetti flavor.
- Milk – Room temperature.
- Rainbow sprinkles – For the funfetti cupcakes, go with rainbow jimmies. They are big enough where they won’t bleed into the batter, but small enough that they will melt into the cupcakes.
Cake Batter Buttercream Frosting
- White cake mix – White boxed cake mix gives the frosting its classic cake batter flavor. Heat-treating the cake mix removes any bacteria that may be present.
- Unsalted butter – Room temperature.
- Powdered sugar – Confectioners’ sugar/icing sugar.
- Vanilla extract – Pure vanilla extract amps up the cake batter flavor of the frosting.
- Salt – A pinch of salt contrasts the sweetness of the frosting.
- Heavy cream – Heavy cream or heavy whipping cream makes the frosting super smooth and creamy.
How to Make Funfetti Cupcakes
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners.
- Make the cupcake batter: Whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Cream the granulated sugar, butter, and vegetable oil until light and creamy. Add in the egg, sour cream, and extracts and mix until smooth. Add half of the flour mixture and mix until mostly combined. Slowly pour in the milk while mixing, and then add in the remaining flour and mix until smooth. Fold in the rainbow sprinkles.
- Bake the cupcakes: Portion the cupcake batter into the cupcake liners about 3/4 full. Bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes. Cool the cupcakes in the pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
- Make the cake batter buttercream frosting: Heat-treat the cake mix and set aside. Whip the butter for 5 minutes until light, pale, and fluffy. Add in the powdered sugar and cake mix and mix on low speed until combined. Add in the vanilla extract and salt. Drizzle in the heavy cream. Whip the buttercream for 2 to 3 minutes on medium speed.
- Assembling the cupcakes: Fill a piping bag fitted with an Ateco 826 piping tip with the buttercream. Pipe a generous swirl of buttercream onto the funfetti cupcakes and decorate with rainbow sprinkles.
Recipe Tips
- Check out my baking tips posts on 10 Tips for Baking Perfect Cupcakes and 10 Tips for Making Perfect Buttercream to make the most out of this recipe.
- To get the smoothest buttercream frosting, check out my baking tips post on How to Make Smooth Buttercream Frosting for simple tips and tricks.
- Be sure to use the right type of rainbow sprinkles for the cupcakes. I don’t recommend using nonpareil sprinkles as they will bleed into the batter. Go with jimmie sprinkles for the best results.
Frequently Asked Questions
How should I store the cupcakes?
- Store the cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 to 2 days or in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.
- Serve the cupcakes at room temperature for the best taste and texture.
Do I have to heat-treat the cake mix for the buttercream?
- Yes. Because we are using cake mix in a raw form, it is important to heat-treat the cake mix to remove any harmful bacteria or pathogens that may be present. Don’t worry! It just takes about 90 seconds to heat-treat!
What other types of frosting would go well with the cupcakes?
- Some of my favorite buttercream recipes that pair perfectly with funfetti cupcakes are vanilla buttercream, chocolate buttercream, cream cheese frosting, or strawberry buttercream.
Other Cupcake Recipes You Will Love
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Funfetti Cupcakes
Yield: 12 cupcakes
Celebrate your birthday every day with these funfetti cupcakes! The cupcakes are made with a light and fluffy funfetti cake flavored with vanilla and almond and frosted with cake batter buttercream frosting. Who needs a birthday cake when you have these funfetti cupcakes?
Equipment
Ingredients
Funfetti Cupcakes
- 1 ¼ cups (156 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp (1.5 tsp) baking powder
- ½ tsp (0.5 tsp) salt
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (57 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- ¼ cup (60 ml) vegetable oil
- 2 (2) large egg whites room temperature
- 2 tbsp (24 g) sour cream room temperature
- 1 ½ tsp (1 tsp) vanilla extract
- ½ tsp (0.5 tsp) almond extract
- ½ cup (118 ml) milk room temperature
- ¼ cup (40 g) rainbow sprinkles
Cake Batter Buttercream Frosting
- ½ cup (74 g) white cake mix
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter
- 2 ½ cup (300 g) powdered sugar
- 2 tsp (2 tsp) vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp (0.2 tsp) salt
- 3 tbsp (45 g) heavy cream
Additional Ingredients
- 2 tbsp (20 g) rainbow sprinkles
Instructions
Funfetti Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (177℃). Line a cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer, cream the granulated sugar, unsalted butter, and vegetable oil until light and creamy. Add the egg whites, sour cream, and vanilla and almond extract and mix until smooth.
- Add half of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until mostly combined. While mixing on low, slowly pour in the milk and mix until combined. Add the remaining flour and mix on low speed until well combined and smooth. Fold in the rainbow sprinkles.
- Portion the cupcake batter into the cupcake liners about 3/4 full. Bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes until the cupcakes bounce back when gently touched. Cool the cupcakes in the pan for 5 minutes and then transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.
Cake Batter Buttercream Frosting
- First, heat-treat the white cake mix. Pour the cake mix into a microwave-safe bowl. Heat the cake mix in the microwave for 30 seconds and then stir. Repeat this process until the cake mix reaches 160℉ (71℃), about 1 ½ minutes total. Run the cake mix through a fine mesh strainer and then set aside to cool.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer, whip the room temperature unsalted butter for about 5 minutes until it is light, pale, and creamy.
- Add in the powdered sugar and cooled heat-treated cake mix and mix on low speed until combined. Add in the vanilla extract and salt. Slowly drizzle in the heavy cream while mixing on low speed.
- Turn the mixer to medium speed and whip the buttercream for 2 to 3 minutes until light and creamy.
Assembling the Funfetti Cupcakes
- Fill a piping bag fitted with an Ateco 826 piping tip with the cake batter buttercream frosting. Pipe an "ice cream swirl" of the buttercream onto the funfetti cupcakes. Decorate the cupcakes with additional rainbow sprinkles.
Notes
- Store the cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 to 2 days or in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.
- Serve at room temperature for the best taste and texture.
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Categories:
Birthday, Cupcakes, Fourth of July, Popular Recipes, Spring, Sprinkles, Summer, Vanilla,
About Courtney
Baker | 80s Lover | Cookbook Author
Courtney is a self-taught home baker and cookbook author of “Girls Just Wanna Bake Cupcakes”. She loves to create new and unique recipes while simultaneously listening to 80s music.
Hi, can I use this recipe to make a cake?
Hi Aniella! I haven’t specifically tested this recipe for a cake, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. You will probably have to double the recipe if you are looking to make a layer cake. You can hit the ‘2X’ button on the recipe card to double it.
I want to make this recipe but it doesn’t say how to make the white cake mix for the buttercream. Are there instructions?
Hi Elissa! The cake mix is a store-bought white cake mix for the frosting.