These confetti cupcakes are the perfect cupcakes for a birthday celebration! These vanilla cupcakes are light, moist, packed with vanilla birthday cake flavor, and very colorful! These homemade funfetti cupcakes are fun to make and eat!
Ingredients for Confetti Cupcakes
Confetti cupcakes
- All-purpose flour – Be sure to fluff the flour before scooping and level the measuring cup!
- Granulated sugar – For sweetness.
- Baking powder – Leavening agent to help the cupcakes rise.
- Salt – Enhances the flavor of the cupcakes and contrasts the sweetness.
- Milk – Room temperature.
- Egg – Large egg, room temperature.
- Sour cream – Room temperature. Adds moisture to the cupcakes.
- Vegetable oil – You can also use canola oil or any neutral baking oil.
- Vanilla extract – Pure vanilla extract adds great flavor.
- Rainbow sprinkles – Go for the regular “jimmie style” rainbow sprinkles. Big chunky sprinkles do not melt into the cupcakes and non-pareils bleed and cause the cupcake to turn a weird gray color. These are my absolute favorite!
Vanilla buttercream frosting
- Unsalted butter – Room temperature for easy creaming.
- Powdered sugar – No need to sift unless it is very lumpy.
- Salt – Provides some constrast to the sweetness.
- Vanilla extract – Use good quality pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- Heavy cream – Helps the buttercream become light and fluffy.
Tools & Supplies for Making Confetti Cupcakes
How to Make Confetti Cupcakes
The cupcakes are easy to make and only requires a mixing bowl and a whisk! The batter comes together in less than 5 minutes!
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F & line cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
- Whisk together all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
- Add in milk, egg, vegetable oil, sour cream, and vanilla extract to the flour mixture.
- Whisk the dry and wet ingredients together until combined and smooth. Do not overmix.
- Fold in the rainbow sprinkles.
- Portion the batter into cupcake liners using a large cookie scoop, about 3/4 full.
- Bake for approximately 20 minutes until the cupcakes bounce back when gently touched or an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for 5 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
How to Make Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
To make the vanilla buttercream frosting, I recommend using a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or an electric hand mixer.
- Whip the butter on medium-high speed for about 5 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add half of the powdered sugar and mix on low. Then add the remaining half and continue to mix on low speed.
- Add in the salt and vanilla extract. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure everything is well mixed.
- On low speed, slowly drizzle in the heavy cream.
- Turn the mixer to medium speed and whip for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- (Optional) Switch to a paddle attachment and mix on the lowest speed for 2-3 minutes to remove air bubbles for a smooth buttercream.
Confetti Cupcakes Recipe Tips
Bake perfect cupcakes
Check out my baking tips blog post on 10 Tips for Baking Perfect Cupcakes to learn easy tips and tricks to baking the best cupcakes!
Rainbow sprinkles
I mentioned this above, but it is worth mentioning again. Be sure to use the “jimmie” style sprinkles in the cupcake batter. If the sprinkles are too small, the color can bleed into the batter, creating a gray cupcake. If the sprinkles are too large and chunky, they won’t melt into the cupcake.
Decorating the cupcakes
To frost the cupcakes as pictured, you will need a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1M piping tip. Swirl the vanilla buttercream frosting onto the cupcake, creating an “ice cream swirl”. Add additional rainbow sprinkles. For the decoration, you can use non-pareil sprinkles. Check out this video to see how to frost the cupcakes!
Ice cream cone cupcakes
My favorite way to eat confetti cupcakes is in an ice cream cone! Bake the confetti cupcake batter in ice cream cones at the same temperature and time for something extra special! Swirl vanilla buttercream on the top and add extra sprinkles! Check out my recipe for Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes here!
Storing and serving
The confetti cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days. To serve, bring the cupcakes to room temperature for the best flavor and texture.
Click here to see a quick video on how to make confetti cupcakes! Follow Cake Me Home Tonight on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube for more recipe videos and baking tutorials!
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Confetti Cupcakes
Ingredients
Confetti Cupcakes
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup milk room temperature
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp sour cream room temperature
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup rainbow sprinkles
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- additional rainbow sprinkles or non-pareils
Instructions
Confetti Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners.
- In a mixing bowl, combine all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- Add in room temperature milk, vegetable oil, sour cream, egg, and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine. Do not overmix.
- Add in rainbow sprinkles and mix in until they are dispersed throughout the batter.
- Portion the cupcake batter into the cupcake liners using a large cookie scoop, about ¾ full.
- Bake for 20 minutes until the tops of the cupcakes bounce back slightly when touched.
- Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the pan and cool completely.
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add in room temperature unsalted butter. Whip the butter for 5 minutes on medium-high speed, scraping down the sides occasionally. The butter will be light, fluffy, and pale in color.
- Add one half of the powdered sugar and mix on the lowest speed setting until fully combined. Add remaining powdered sugar and continue to mix on low until incorporated.
- Add vanilla extract and salt and mix on low until combined. Slowly drizzle in the heavy cream.
- Once the cream is added, turn the speed on the mixer to high and whip for an additional 2-3 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally to ensure the frosting is well mixed.
- If desired, switch to a paddle attachment on the stand mixer and mix buttercream on low speed for 2 additional minutes to remove air bubbles to create smooth frosting.
- Pipe the vanilla buttercream frosting onto the cooled cupcakes (my favorite is a Wilton 1M tip). Decorate with additional sprinkles.
Notes
Made This Recipe?
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Comments & Reviews
These are great!!!!! Could you use mini chocolate chips in these instead of sprinkles?
Hi there, Sue! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Mini chocolate chips sound like a fun idea! I haven’t personally tried that so I can’t say how that would turn out. My only concern would be that they would sink to the bottom. If you test it out, please let me know how it goes!
I’ve made these two days in a row, and both times the sprinkles at the top cause them to volcano. What would cause this?
Hi Allison! Hmm…I’m not too sure. Perhaps it is the brand of sprinkles you are using? I haven’t had that experience with this recipe so it is hard for me to say exactly what is going on.
I made the batter but I am Not sure if my cookie scoop is too big because I didnt have enough for 12 cupcakes 😓. Help
Hi there! It might be too big. The large cookie scoop I use contains 3 tablespoons. It should be exactly enough to make the 12 cupcakes.
Perfect! Used greek yogurt in place of sour cream, vanilla oil in place of vegetable oil, and vanilla paste instead of extract. So good!!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe! I love the substitutions! Thanks so much for the positive review! 🙂
Can I use light sour cream in this recipe?
Sure you can! Greek yogurt can also be a great substitute!
Loved these cupcakes! Have you ever tried to use this same recipe and make a cake instead? I saw your recipe with the cake mix but I want to use this same recipe and maybe double but then pour into cake pans.
Aww yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! I personally don’t think they translate well into a cake, but you certainly can do it! I plan on sharing my scratch-made recipe for confetti cake in the near future!
I absolutely loved this “elevated” cupcake recipe. Still simple but sooo much better than using just a store bought mix. Would highly recommend.
Love it when recipes are just as easy (or easier) than a box mix! Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try!
I made these for my daughter’s birthday and they were amazing. Recipe is super easy to follow and they are a crowd pleaser. Would definitely recommend to anyone who is a beginner at baking like me.
That’s great to hear! Hard to go wrong with Confetti Cupcakes!