Fun and cupcakes filled with rainbow sprinkles! This small batch recipe makes just 6 cupcakes so you don’t have crazy leftovers.
Funfetti cupcakes are also called confetti cupcakes or rainbow sprinkle cupcakes, I’ve always called them funfetti so we’ll use that name.
There’s something so fun that brings back childhood joy about a cupcake bursting with sprinkles. This recipe is adapted from my Easy Funfetti Cake recipe, it’s actually the same proportions as the single 6 inch cake, but it’s baked in 6 cupcake liners for a short amount of time.
Equipment Needed
- Cupcake Tin & cupcake liners: A cupcake or muffin tin with at least 6 cupcake cavities.
- OR 6 silicon cupcake liners & a sheet pan: Reusable silicon cupcake holders can be used to bake these cupcakes with less waste. Simply place them on a sheet pan spread apart so they don’t bump into each other.
- Stand Mixer or Handheld mixer: I use my 5qt Kitchen Aid stand mixer, you can also use a handheld mixer for this recipe. I do not recommend making this recipe without a mixer as we need the butter to be evenly distributed throughout the dry ingredients and a mixer does this best.
- Baking Scale: this is the most accurate method of measuring and is recommended. I also include cups and teaspoons for reference but highly recommend using a baking scale.
Key Ingredients
- Rainbow Sprinkles: the essential ingredient to make this a funfetti cupcake! Use ones labeled “sprinkles” or “jimmies” rather than “nonpareils”- nonpareils are the little colored balls that are used for decorating the outside of cakes. These will bleed color into your batter and you’ll end up with a not so appetizing blend of colors.
- Almond Extract: this adds an additional burst of flavor to the cupcakes- sprinkles don’t actually have much flavor so this adds flavor and makes it different from a plain vanilla cupcakes.
- Cake Flour: I recommend using cake flour, it gives the cupcakes a light and fluffy texture. You can find cake flour in most grocery stores in the baking aisle- I recommend King Arthur or Swans Down brands.
- Sour Cream: adds moisture and fat to the cake, which makes it taste delicious. I don’t recommend removing this as it will significantly change the texture of the cake.
How to Make Funfetti Cupcakes
- Make sure your key ingredients (sour cream, butter, egg whites) are at room temperature. I usually take them out of the fridge about an hour before baking.
- Tip for egg whites- it’s much easier to separate a cold egg into egg whites and yolk, rather than a room temperature eggs. Take your 2 eggs out of the fridge, get two bowls and a container for the yolks, separate your eggs putting each egg white into it’s own bowl and put the two yolks into your container back in the fridge to use for another recipe.
- Preheat your oven to 325°F convection setting (or 350°F standard)
- Prepare your cupcake pan- either add your paper cupcake liners to your cupcake pan or set 6 silicon cupcake liners onto a sheet pan.
- Measure the sour cream, canola oil, vanilla extract and almond extract. Set aside, these are your wet ingredients.
- In the bowl of your mixer, with the paddle attachment, measure the cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
- With the mixer on low, add the room temperature butter in small pieces to the dry ingredients. Keep the mixer running until you create a sandy texture with the butter broken up into evenly sized pieces, about 2 and half minutes. Scrape down the bowl.
- With the mixer on medium, slowly pour in the liquids mixture. The batter will look lumpy at this point, just keep mixing until it is evenly combined.
- Scrape down the bowl, ensuring there are no clumps of flour stuck on the bottom of the bowl
- Add 1 egg white and mix on low until it is fully absorbed, about 1 minute
- Scrape down the bowl
- Add the second egg white and mix until it is fully absorbed
- Turn off the mixer, add in the sprinkles. Fold the batter gently with a spatula to evenly distribute the sprinkles.
- Pour into the cupcake liners, dividing the batter evenly and ensuring they are not more than 3/4 full.
- Bake for 15 minutes at 325°F convection setting (or 350°F standard). Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean
- Cool on a cooling rack for 15 minutes. Remove from pan and then cool completely before frosting, about 1 hour
For the Vanilla Frosting
- In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the room temperature butter until light and fluffy about 2 minutes.
- Gradually add in the powdered sugar, mixing well.
- Add in the heavy cream, this helps thin the mixture while giving it a rich and creamy taste.
- Add the vanilla extract
- Beat well until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes
Assembly
- With a Wilton 1M piping tip in a pastry bag or zip lock bag, pipe frosting from the center of the cupcake out to the edge of the cupcake.
- Sprinkle some sprinkles onto the top of the cupcake for an extra burst of fun
- Enjoy!
Small Batch Funfetti Cupcakes
Light and fluffy cupcakes bursting with rainbow sprinkles
Ingredients
Cake
- 53 g Sour Cream (room temperature, ¼ cup + ¾ teaspoon)
- 18 g Canola Oil (1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon)
- ¼ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ¼ teaspoon Almond Extract
- 81 g Cake Flour (½ cup + 2 tablespoons)
- 97 g Granulated Sugar (½ cup MINUS 2 teaspoons)
- ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 51 g Unsalted Butter (room temperature, ¼ cup MINUS ½ teaspoon)
- 2 Egg Whites (room temperature, in separate bowls)
Vanilla Frosting
- 70 g Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
- 134 g Powdered Sugar (1¼ cups)
- 3 tablespoons Heavy Cream
- 1/16 teaspoon Salt (pinch)
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat your oven to 325°F convection setting (or 350°F standard)
- Prepare your cupcake tin with paper liners or set you silicon liners onto a sheet pan
- Measure the sour cream, canola oil, vanilla extract and almond extract. Set aside.
- In the bowl of your mixer, with the paddle attachment, measure the cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
- With the mixer on low, add the room temperature butter in small pieces to the dry ingredients. Keep the mixer running until you create a sandy texture with the butter broken up into evenly sized pieces, about 2 and half minutes. Scrape down the bowl
- With the mixer on medium, slowly pour in the liquids mixture.
- Scrape down the bowl, ensuring there are no clumps of flour stuck on the bottom of the bowl
- Add 1 egg white and mix on low until it is fully absorbed, about 1 minute
- Scrape down the bowl
- Add the second egg white and mix until it is fully absorbed
- Turn off the mixer, add in the sprinkles. Fold the batter gently with a spatula to evenly distribute the sprinkles.
- Pour into the prepared cupcake liners, bake for 15 minutes at 325°F convection setting (or 350°F standard), until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean
- Cool on a cooling rack for 15 minutes before removing from pan and then cool completely before frosting, about 1 hour
For the Frosting
- In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the room temperature butter until light and fluffy about 2 minutes.
- Gradually add in the powdered sugar, mixing well.
- Add in the heavy cream
- Add the vanilla extract
- Beat well until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes
Assembly
- Fill a piping bag with a Wilton 1M piping tip with vanilla frosting.
- Starting from the center of the cupcake, pipe frosting in a circle all the way to the edge of the cupcake
- Sprinkle some sprinkles onto the top of the cake for an extra burst of color
- Enjoy!
