These homemade funfetti cupcakes are made from soft and fluffy vanilla cupcakes with sprinkles throughout and then topped with an easy vanilla frosting which makes them the perfect birthday cupcake and are way better than boxed batter.
Ahhh funfetti cupcakes. I mean who doesn’t love them? They just immediately make you think about birthdays! The thing is, most times you’re eating them you’re eating a boxed mix. Now I’m not saying there is anything wrong with that as they’re quite good on their own, but have you ever tried to make your own homemade funfetti cupcakes?
Well Lauren and I decided to tackle it recently. Our nephew, Joshua, just recently turned one. It’s crazy how fast time flies. It feels like just yesterday that he was born! When his mom asked us to make cupcakes for his birthday, we immediately knew we wanted to make funfetti cupcakes. Lauren always is looking for an excuse to bake and especially loves making cupcakes. So I scoured the internet for a variety of cupcakes and then adapted to our own. I ended up drawing inspiration from the Cupcake Project for the best vanilla cupcake recipe. You might be saying well that’s not funfetti, but really the only difference is adding sprinkles. A colleague of mine had brought in vanilla cupcakes made from that specific recipe one time and they were outstanding so I knew even with tinkering it slightly, it wouldn’t disappoint. These are topped by our tried and true vanilla frosting which I also happened to learn about from my colleague – thanks Jenny!
So if you feel like stepping up your game and moving on from boxed mixes, these funfetti cupcakes are a good start. And believe me the extra work is worth it. Hope you enjoy!
What Ingredients are in this Funfetti Cupcake Recipe?
- Cake flour
- Baking powder and baking soda
- Salt
- Granulated sugar
- Powdered sugar
- Butter
- Vegetable oil
- Eggs
- Sour cream
- Milk
- Heavy cream
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
- Rainbow sprinkles
How to Make Funfetti Cupcakes
Funfetti cupcakes are actually just vanilla cake with sprinkles mixed in. So if you already have your own favorite vanilla cupcake recipe, just add sprinkles at the end. The key thought is you don’t add the sprinkles until the very end and barely mix in, otherwise the colors from the sprinkles will bleed into the batter. Oh and you don’t have to color your frosting, but if you’re putting sprinkles in the batter, you might as well add some color to the frosting!
How Do I Make Sure My Cupcakes are Light and Fluffy?
The key with baking is DO NOT OVERMIX. It’s the death of any baking recipe and with cupcakes, it can lead to something that is dense and just not very appetizing. So what does not overmixing mean? Well you mix all of your ingredients right until you see the flour disappear. Obviously the other issue can be baking too long. To combat this, you just insert a toothpick into the center of a cupcake until it comes out clean.
How Long Do Cupcakes Last?
To maximize the shelf life of cupcakes, place them in a covered airtight container or cover with plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out.
- Cupcakes at room temperature will last 1-2 days
- Cupcakes in the fridge will last 1 week
- Cupcakes in the freezer will last 4 months
Similar Recipes to Funfetti Cupcakes
Homemade Funfetti Cupcakes
Ingredients
Funfetti Cupcakes
- 1 3/4 cups cake flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup full-fat sour cream
- 2/3 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles
Vanilla Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (2 sticks)
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 2-3 drops food coloring (optional)
Instructions
Funfetti Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line two muffin pans with 16 cupcake liners. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside.
- In stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add vegetable oil and sugar and beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes until creamed together. Beat in eggs and vanilla extract until combined. Add sour cream and beat until combined.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients until just combined. With mixer still running on low, slowly pour in milk and beat until just combined. Do not overmix. Fold in sprinkles, but do not overmix as it can bleed the colors.
- Fill cupcake liners a little over halfway full. Bake for 14-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. When cupcakes are done remove immediately from tins and leave on a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting. Top with sprinkles.
Vanilla Frosting
- In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, mix butter and sugar. Mix on low speed until blended and then increase speed to medium and beat for about 3 minutes.
- Add vanilla extract and heavy cream and continue to beat on medium speed for 1 more minute, adding some more cream if needed for spreading consistency. If using food coloring, add at this point and mix until you reach desired color. Place in fridge until ready to use on cupcakes.
Only had funfetti boxed mix!