Funfetti Cake

Ingredients

Please read through the ingredients list so you can familiarize yourself with each ingredient, along with suggestions or recommendations during the preparation or baking process. Please see the Recipe Card for all details.

Cake Flour. This flour is important for this recipe because it is what helps contribute to a soft crumb. Cake flour is finer than most flours, and has a low protein content which is what helps make this cake airy and soft. You can use all purpose flour in its place but the cake will be more dense. If you do not have cake flour you can make a substitute using 105 g (¾ cup + 2 tbsp) of all purpose flour with 14 g (2 tbsp) of corn starch for each cup of flour. Just know that this alternative will still not be as 'good' as if you used just cake flour.

Imitation Vanilla. Truly any vanilla will work here - pure or imitation. Just make sure to use the recommended amount to make that flavor pop!

Almond Extract. A little goes a very long way. I initially used ¼ teaspoon but I found it overpowering the vanilla and butter flavor. So I reduced it to ⅛ teaspoon and I think it's the perfect balance.

Kefir. My friend Sam from Buttermilk By Sam introduced me to Kefir about two years ago. It is a great substitute for buttermilk and has become my go to as a replacement. While buttermilk is a fermented milk, kefir is a yogurt resulting from bacterial fermentation of milk (read more about it from Bob's Red Mill). Kefir lasts much longer than buttermilk and provides the same amazing tenderness. 

Canola Oil. You can also use vegetable oil. The oil will help give the cake moisture so don't skip this step. I would not recommend substituting with another flavored oil such as avocado, coconut or olive. Those can disrupt the flavor we are trying to achieve.

Sprinkles. You can't have a sprinkle cake without the sprinkles! I recommend using rainbow jimmies (little rods) because these should not color bleed into your cake. Nonpareils (little balls) will bleed like crazy so avoid those if you can! I also found that Canadian made jimmies will also bleed, so try to stick with US made jimmies.

Pre-Baking Tips

Room Temperature Ingredients. Take your cold ingredients out at least 30 minutes to 1 hour prior. I recommend cutting the butter into large 1" cubes to help speed along the process. You can place your eggs in warm water to help cut down on time as well. 

Weigh Your Ingredients. You will have a better chance of success with this recipe if you weigh your ingredients. A kitchen scale is a low cost investment - as low as $10 if you purchase a simple one on Amazon. Volume measurements are provided for your convenience as well.

Use An Oven Thermometer. I just purchased a new oven thermometer for $6 from Amazon. Our ovens can run hot or colder than what is shown, so I highly recommend an oven thermometer so you can ensure the recipe you are baking is not under or over baked.

Add Eggs One At A Time. Adding eggs in one at a time and fully incorporating until the next egg is added is important to avoid curdling. If you mix too quickly (or if your eggs are cold) the batter will not emulsify as intended.

Let's Make A Funfetti Cake

This recipe uses baking tools and ingredients that can be found in most homes. Please see recipe card for full list of equipment and ingredients.

Step 1. Sift cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and fine sea salt into a bowl. Set aside.

Step 2. In a separate bowl combine the butter and sugar. You will cream on medium high until light and fluffy - about 3 minutes.

Step 3. Slowly drizzle in the oil while mixing on low. Increase to medium low once all oil has been added and mix until smooth.

How batter will look after done mixing in the oil.

Step 4. Add one egg at a time and mix on medium until combined - about 1 minute.

Step 5. Add the egg white at the end and mix on medium for about 1 minute.

Step 6. Scrape down bowl and add vanilla. Mix on low until combined.

Step 7. Add ⅓ of dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix on low until barely combined.

Step 8. Add ½ of kefir to batter and mix on low until just combined. Repeat step 7 (add ⅓ dry) and step 8 (add other ½ of kefir) and ensure it's mixed until just combined.

Step 9. Add remaining dry ingredients and mix on low until only some flour streaks remain.

Step 10. Add sprinkles to batter, and use a rubber spatula to continue folding in the remaining dry ingredients and folding in the sprinkles. Fold in gently. Stop folding in sprinkles once no flour remains to be dispersed - you do not want to over mix the batter.

How the batter will look once ready to bake.

Step 11. Prepare a 8x8 baking pan. Butter pan along bottom and up the edges. Then sprinkle in about 1 tsp of flour and shake it about to coat the butter. You can also opt to use parchment paper in place of this method.

Step 12. Pour batter into butter and floured baking pan.

Step 13. Use a rubber spatula to gently smooth out butter evenly. You can gently tap the pan on the counter to help settle it. Bake at 350 F for 40 minutes, or until a tooth pick comes out with a few crumbs from the center.

Step 14. Place on wire rack to cool. Remove from baking pan after about 15 minutes and allow to continue cooling.

Troubleshooting

Batter Curdles. Your batter will curdle (look like cottage cheese) if your ingredients were not at room temperature. When the batter curdles it essentially 'breaks' - or the cake batter is unable to emulsify. If you find the batter curdling simply add 3 to 4 tablespoons of the sifted dry ingredients to the batter and mix on low.

Don't Over Bake. An easy way to tell if your funfetti cake is ready (other than the toothpick trick) is watching to see if your cake is pulling away from the edges of the pan. If you see that then your cake is done or close to being done. Another sign is lightly pressing the top of the cake - if it springs back from the center, it's done. The center of the cake will be the last part that bakes so you can also jiggle the pan to see if that center is still jiggling or not.

Storage

This funfetti recipes cake is meant to be enjoyed the same day or the next day after baking for optimal freshness and flavor. You can refrigerate for up to 5 days but I recommend wrapping well in plastic wrap to trap in freshness. Remove from refrigerator a few hours prior to enjoying to allow it to come to room temperature. It can also stay fresh on the counter for up to 3 days if not frosted.