This Funfetti Layer Cake is the most delicious, moist funfetti vanilla bean cake. This homemade funfetti cake has a yellow cake base and is made with buttermilk to keep it perfectly dense, and is packed full of Jimmy sprinkles. The confetti cake is layered with a rich chocolate American Buttercream frosting, and finished with more sprinkles. This is the perfect celebration cake, and as a six inch layer cake it is perfect for a small group. This funfetti layer cake with chocolate buttercream will be your new favourite!
Table of contents
Funfetti Cake with Chocolate Buttercream
Hi hi! I want to start this post out by confessing that I think I’m breaking the funfetti rules with this funfetti layer cake. Apparently, according to the internet, funfetti cake is a place of white cake, imitation vanilla and sprinkles. I didn’t grow up with white cake (just ‘yellow’ cake which is what we call vanilla cake), so when I set out to make a funfetti cake, I wanted to keep it as delicious and flavourful as possible, so here we are - funfetti in a yellow cake. Don’t come at me, because it’s really, really good.
Funfetti Cake with Yellow Cake
I used my favourite vanilla bean cake as a base here for this funfetti layer cake, but switched out the milk in the recipe for buttermilk, just for a tiny bit more moisture. The cake is my ultimate base recipe - you can infuse the milk to flavour it, and it makes a great sheet cake, snack cake or cupcake base. Because it’s such a great base, it also handled me throwing a whole heap of sprinkles at it like an absolute champ. The cake is super tender, packed with flavour, and is an amazing homemade funfetti cake recipe, as far as I am concerned. It uses the reverse creaming method - where you mix together all the dry then incorporate in the butter and then the wet ingredients, which is not only super easy but gives an incredibly tender crumb. It’s just the best.
What are the best sprinkles to use in Funfetti Cake?
I found that the best sprinkles to use for this funfetti cake were jimmies - if you’re in New Zealand those are the long skinny rainbow ones, the colourful version of chocolate hail. The round confetti ones would work too, just stay away from nonpareils (hundreds and thousands) because they lose their colour and it gets messy quickly. I use these. Don't go for anything natural as it will bleed all through the cake.
Dark Chocolate American Buttercream
I finished the funfetti cake off with a dark chocolate American buttercream. I first discovered it on my friend Claudia’s site, by way of our other friend Thalia’s site, and it is so good! It is an american buttercream base, but is amped up with dutch cocoa and melted chocolate - imagine ganache and american buttercream had a baby. American buttercream is generally powdered sugar based, and can get a wee bit grainy, but this is fluffy and silky, and so, so good, and is perfect paired with the buttery, rich, sprinkle packed funfetti cake.
A few wee tips for making this Funfetti Cake
I use Fat Daddio’s pans and they are the best I’ve ever tried. I have three 6” and three 8” and they are just so, so good. I really recommend investing in three of each size if you can - it removes the need to halve your layers etc, which can be a huge pain.
I like making the cake ahead of time a wee bit if I can just to allow it to cool completely. The day before is great. You can wrap it and store at room temperature overnight, just make sure it is completely cool. Alternatively I like to freeze it, which makes the stacking process nice and easy to do with a cold cake. If you are making the layers ahead of time, wrap them well in plastic then freeze until you are using. I assemble straight from frozen usually - just make sure to give yourself enough time to let the layers defrost!
I left this pretty rustic around the edges and just added in some sprinkles, but if you like there is enough frosting in the recipe to finish with a border of piping if you liked.
If you want an 8” cake, just double the quantities of the cake and it will be the perfect size. You can probably get away with a 1.5x or 1.75x the buttercream quantity.
When you are dividing your batter between the pans, do it by weight. I like to know the weight of my mixing bowl before I start (write it somewhere in your kitchen), so I can just weigh the bowl filled with batter, and then subtract the bowl weight to get the weight of the batter. You can then work out how much batter goes in each pan. It’s quick and easy and means you get really even layers.
I like to use a cookie scoop to add the buttercream between the layers. that way you can easily add the same quantity between. Otherwise you can just eyeball it and plop the buttercream on!
For more cake recipes, check out these:
- Chocolate Buttermilk Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting and Honey Caramel Corn
- Vanilla Buttermilk Cake with Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- Lemon Sheet Cake with Lemon Curd Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- Carrot Cake Snack Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
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Answers to your baking questions
Over the years, many of you have asked me questions about:
- baking in grams
- adjusting oven temperatures
- what kind of salt to use
- and many more!
I've curated and answered them all for your easy reference in this frequently asked questions post!
Recipe For Funfetti Layer Cake
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Funfetti Cake with Dark Chocolate Buttercream
- Prep Time: 60
- Cook Time: 40
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Yield: One 6" layer cake - serves 8 1x
Description
The most delicious, moist funfetti vanilla bean cake. This homemade funfetti cake has a yellow cake base and is made with buttermilk to keep it perfectly dense, and is packed full of Jimmy sprinkles. The confetti cake is layered with a rich chocolate American Buttercream frosting, and finished with more sprinkles. This is the perfect celebration cake, and at six inches it is great for a small group.
Ingredients
Funfetti Cake
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 200g buttermilk, at room temperature
- 60g full fat greek yoghurt
- 300g all-purpose flour
- 225g sugar
- 1 ¾ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 175g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 115g rainbow Jimmy sprinkles
Dark Chocolate Buttercream
- 225g 60% or higher chocolate, roughly chopped
- 290g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 tsp salt
- 225g powdered sugar, sifted
- ½ tsp vanilla bean paste
- 90g dutch process cocoa, sifted
- 2-3 Tbsp heavy cream, as needed
Instructions
CAKE LAYERS
- Preheat the oven to 350°f / 180°c. Grease three 6” cake pans, and line with parchment paper on the bottom.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolk, vanilla, buttermilk, and yoghurt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix briefly to combine.
- With the mixer on low, add the butter a cube at a time, until fully incorporated and the mixture looks like sand.
- Add half of the wet ingredients into the mixer. Mix until just combined, then add the second half of the wet ingredients. Mix on medium speed until just combined. Add in the sprinkles and mix to combine.Remove the bowl from the mixer and give a few folds with a rubber spatula to ensure that no dry ingredients remain.
- Divide the batter between your three cake tins (I prefer to do this by weight - see notes). Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cakes are springy to the touch, and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and cool for 15 minutes in their pans, then turn onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
DARK CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM
- Melt the dark chocolate in 15 second increments in the microwave, stirring well between each until melted. Set aside to cool completely.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until light and fluffy, approx. 4 minutes. Add the salt, powdered sugar, vanilla bean paste, and cocoa, and mix until smooth, scraping down the sides once or twice.
- Add the melted chocolate and mix well until silky. If needed, add cream 1 tbsp at a time to get the frosting to a nice smooth, fluffy consistency.
ASSEMBLY
- Level off the cake layers. Secure one of the layers of cake to a cake turntable, cake stand or cake board using a little buttercream. Add about half a cup of buttercream onto the first layer of cake (I used a cookie scoop that had a 2 Tbsp volume and added 3 scoops), and smooth using an offset spatula.
- Place the second layer of cake onto the first, pressing very lightly to secure, and sealing the joins with a thin layer of buttercream. Add more buttercream, smooth down, then top with the third layer of cake - I like to put this one upside down to ensure that the top of the cake is flat.
- Crumb coat the cake - to do this, apply a thin layer of buttercream over the surface of the cake, and smooth with a bench scraper or icing smoother. Refrigerate the cake for 15-20 minutes, until the crumb coat has set. Press a piece of plastic wrap over the surface of the buttercream while you are chilling down the cake.
- If you have started with a chilled or frozen cake, or the buttercream seems to be not too sloppy, you can skip the chilling down of the crumb coat if you like, or reduce the time to 5 mins. If you have an empty freezer you can also throw it in the freezer for 5 minutes to help set it!
- Add a second layer of buttercream to the cake - I like to make this one thicker and smooth down the edges.
- Smooth the buttercream on the outside of the cake using a bench scraper, scraping down between passes. Fill in any gaps, and add additional buttercream where needed. Continue until you are happy with the finish.
- Chill the cake until you are ready to serve. Bring to room temperature for about an hour before serving.
Notes
Dark Chocolate buttercream from Butter and Brioche via The Brick Kitchen
Keywords: Funfetti Cake, Vanilla Bean Cake, Buttermilk Cake, Yellow Funfetti Cake, Funfetti cake with Chocolate Buttercream, American Buttercream
Comments
This is a happy situation!!!
★★★★★
Loved this recipe! I've never tried the reverse creaming method before and it was super easy. I think the crumb of the cake itself wasn't as light, but dang it was so good!!
★★★★★
Yayyy so good right! Yep it's meant to be a slightly denser crumb, it's my fave!
Can you please write your recipes in cups as well as grams? Many of us do not weigh our ingredients.
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Hi! I don't provide recipes in cups sorry as they are not accurate. You can read more about this on my FAQ page if you like. I test my recipes in grams so it does not make sense to then provide a less accurate measurement. By posting my recipes in grams I know my readers are making the recipe accurately. Happy to recommend a scale if you need one!
So glad to see you use grams for measuring ingredients.
Yayyyy they are the best! x
Hi Erin,
Your cake looks spectacular! I was wondering what brand of Jimmy's you used?
Hiiii these are just ones I got on Amazon I think but I LOVE the ones that Nuts.com sells 🙂
I love that this is in grams!
I'm going to make this for my daughter's birthday cake. Sadly, she prefers vanilla frosting - any recs to go with this?
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Hi! Sure thing! My vanilla bean swiss meringue would go perfectly with this, or if you wanted an american buttercream then the frosting I use for these macarons is an american buttercream! I love the Swiss though 🙂
So excited to try this for my husband’s birthday in March (he loves sprinkles). I only have two, 9-inch cake pans, however. Will this recipe still work for me?
Hiii! Yep it will be just fine, you will just need to scale the recipe. So to make an 8" three layer cake I would double this recipe (a 6" cake doubles to an 8"), so if you have 2 9" pans I would also make a double to give you a two layer, 9" cake!
Thank you for your prompt reply! I am excited to try the recipe.
Hi there! Is there a way to leave out the Greek yogurt and use only buttermilk in this cake?
Hi! I haven't tried it sorry! You probably could but I am not too sure what the conversion would be.
Hi Erin
I would Love to make this for my daughters birthday. I ended up ordering 2- 8 inch pans. Do I just double your recipe? What would you suggest?
Thanks
★★★★★
Hi! So sorry for the delay in reply - I was away from my computer all day yesterday. I usually double a 6" recipe to give an 8" cake but this has 3 layers and you said you only had 2 pans, so you could either do like a 1.5 times the recipe, or just double it and bake some off in another pan for a wee snack later, or you can just hold 1/3 of the batter back and bake two layers, then bake the last one. It should be fine to sit at room temperature for a little bit - take the cake out of the pan after it has been out of the oven for about 5 minutes, then you can run the pan under cold water to cool it down quickly so you can use it again 🙂 I hope that helps and sorry again for the delay!
Thank you for the detailed reply. I really appreciate it 🙂
This cake did not rise at all. I think it’s because all the measurements are in grams. This is my first time doing liquids in grams and I would not do this again. Instead I followed another confetti recipe by Sally and it turned out perfectly. Very unhappy with this one!
★★
It has absolutely nothing to do with the measurements being in grams. Please explain how that would make a difference? They are by far the most accurate way to bake. Please check your baking powder is not expired.
How do y9ou measure in grams. Do you need a scale?
Hi, you do need a scale. The one I use is by the brand Escali and you can purchase it online 🙂
.
★★★★★
Hello - quick question for you! Have you ever experimented with 0% fat free greek yogurt in place of full fat? Would that severely alter the cake, or do you think it would be a substantial substitute?
Hiiii! I haven't but it should be ok! ideally you'd use full fat! You can also use sour cream!
Hi Erin! I am baking this cake tomorrow and out of an abundance of caution I want to ensure I do everything correctly. I have a few additional questions for you below that I hope you will be able to answer for me:
1) I wasn't able to find vanilla bean paste, so I got pure ground vanilla from Lafaza. 1/2 tsp equates to one tsp vanilla extract. Would the same adjustment work for the paste? 1/2 tsp equates to 1 tsp of vanilla bean paste?
2) I will be making the cake one day in advance. Do I need to freeze the layers, or is it ok to put them in the refrigerator? And will the buttercream last for 24 hours if it's in an airtight container in the refrigerator?
3) Should the cake ideally be assembled when the layers are frozen, or when they are cold? (Kind of goes hand in hand with #2)
4) I found cocoa powder that was processed with Alkali but it's not technically labeled dutch processed (though it is from the Netherlands) - will this work for the call for dutch processed cocoa? It's Whole Foods 365 organic cocoa powder (unsweetened).
5) I am doubling the recipe and using 8 inch pans - do you think I am safe with 1.5x the amount of buttercream frosting, or do you think I need 1.75x? I'll be doing a finish similar to yours without any piping...just a neat and clean look. I'm trying to get the measurements as close as possible when I do the frosting and would prefer not to have too much leftover if possible.
I know these are a lot and I'm grateful for your time and help in answering everything! I'm so excited to make the cake for my birthday tomorrow.
Hi! So sorry for the delay! I hope it all went well! Please let me know if you still have questions! i usually assemble either cold or room temp for the layers and would do 1.75 for the frosting just to be safe. the vanilla and cocoa should be just fine!
This recipe is amazing, I love sprinkles!
★★★★★
Hi
Cake sounds amazing. And i prefer weight in grams, much more accurate. Could I possibly exchange the butter for oil? Or half butter half oil. I feel oil makes the cake extra moist. Would love to try it. Please let me know. Thanks. And can I use the recipe with sprinkles or without?
Hi, no please don't add oil to this. It is already very moist! You can leave the sprinkles out if you like! I would suggest making it as written
I've made this cake 4 or 5 times now for different occasions and its been perfect every time! Must be that consistency you get weighing in grams huh 😉
★★★★★
I made this cake over the weekend for my niece's birthday and it turned out so well. It was absolutely delicious. I paired it with a vanilla buttercream but will definitely be making this again with the chocolate buttercream.
Hi Erin,
Excited to make this cake tomorrow - I'll be doubling the recipe to make 3 layers in 8 inch pans. I'm all set on the ingredient quantities, but I was curious what baking time / temp adjustments you implement when doubling the recipe up?
Thank you so much.
Bake time should be similar as the thickness is the same, just keep a close eye. Same temp 🙂
I’ve made this recipe a bunch of times and it never disappoints. So tasty and easy to make!
★★★★★
This is by far the best vanilla cake with chocolate frosting I have ever made! Erin knocked it out of the park with this one. It will FOREVER be my go to vanilla cake. The chocolate frosting is divine and worth every step. I've made this cake 4 times now. I'm starting to get requests from friends to make it for special occasions for them, birthdays, anniversaries, kids parties all the things. I've made it with funfetti and without. Both work amazing! Because of a scale. Americans if you're reading this and have been lucky enough to find Erin - buy a scale. You shouldn't be baking without one, EVER.
★★★★★
My new go-to cake recipe! I changed my recipe the day of baking (risky!) But knew I could be confident with Erin's recipes.
The cake turned out amazingly, and was transformed into a unicorn with vanilla buttercream. The buttermilk meant it was moist and dense still the next day (party day). I baked the 8" version, and they also stayed quite flat so no need to level them out before stacking. Thanks Erin!
★★★★★
These recipes were exactly what I needed for my daughter's birthday! At your suggestion, I used the instructions (recipe is the basically the same size) from the Vanilla Bean Cupcakes to convert to cupcakes which resulted in 12 standard (3 Tbsp) and 18 mini (1 Tbsp) cupcakes. My 3 year old even helped with making the cupcakes and they turned out great. I had never made cake from scratch and was relieved these came together so well with your clear instructions. You also finally convinced me to get vanilla paste and Diamond Crystal salt and I'm so glad I did! Everything being in grams made me certain I was making it exactly as you designed. I baked these at about 5300 ft altitude and with no modifications was happy with the outcome.
I totally misjudged the buttercream amount and converted it to the same weight of buttercream that was in the cupcake recipe (about 1.5x what this recipe makes) and ended up with more than double what I actually used for the cupcakes. Fortunately, I found a recipe for leftover buttercream cookies from Manu's Menu that I converted to grams and it worked out pretty well.
★★★★★
So happy it all worked out!
This chocolate frosting is so good! It’s super chocolatey, easy to work with while you’re frosting your layers. This recipe is a keeper. Delish!
★★★★★
Hi Erin
Would you say the frosting could be frozen and re whipped once defrosted? Or how long would it keep in the fridge please?
Going to use it for a friend's cake (another recipe of yours though) for her small wedding (not a 'wedding cake' per se) and also work fulltime so trying to work out the timing and organisation this week without losing my mind!
Thank you so much
Hi! I haven't tried it with this frosting in particular sorry but it should work ok! You will need to make sure that it is very room temperature, and has been stored tightly as it is a crusting buttercream. I have had good luck with freezing and re whipping swiss meringue buttercream though if you wanted to do that instead, it's a bit more forgiving and works great for making a nice smooth cake - there is a recipe for it in my mini layer cake. When you defrost, if it is not whipping together nicely you can remove a little of it and melt it and add it to the bowl to help bring the overall temperature up and help it to be a nice texture.
Hi there
Just wondering would the raspberry buttercream work well with this? In place of the chocolateI am going to make for my daughter's 1st birthday cake and thought a pink icing would be nice? 😉
Hiii! Yes please feel free to mix and match!
can you a 9x13 pan for this cake cuz I don't have 6in pan
Made this funfetti cake for my brothers birthday and is was sooooo good! The the icing was really easy to make and SO tasty! Thank you for another great recipe Erin!
★★★★★
Hi Erin I’m about to make funfetti cake for my nephew’s birthday. Your recipe and instructions are so helpful. And you’ve solved my decades long problem of applying buttercream to a crumb coat - refrigerate the cake first. So simple, but no-one ever suggested it in the many cake decorating classes I went to long ago. Thank you
I've just made this cake for my baby shower tomorrow and I'm very excited. I only bake with recipes in grams so you speak my language. I unfortunately had some baby brain and used the 1x recipe with 8 inch Tins (Australia where we don't use inches, typically), oops, so they're a bit flat, but otherwise looks to have turned out well. Can't wait to try!
★★★★★
Hi, would love to make this for my daughters 5th birthday. I have 3 x 21 cm cake pans so am hoping to get away with doubling the recipe. But just wondering how I fit 3 in the oven at the same time? Is it OK for one to sit and wait? Also I am in NZ so do halve the salt? Thanks for your help. Bridget
Hi! Yes you can let one sit and wait or use two racks depending on what you're comfortable with with your oven. If you're using salted butter, just leave the salt out 🙂
Would it be possible to make cupcakes using this recipe? How many would it yield?
You can but I haven't tried it sorry!
Hi! Do you think that this recipe could be adapted to cupcakes? Thank you 🙂
Made this for my daughter's 3rd birthday party and it was such a hit with the parents and kiddos alike! The cake is super buttery and dense and pairs so well with the fluffy icing - which I ended up making with milk chocolate because I figured dark might be a bit bitter for 3 year olds. To help with the prep of organising the birthday party I made the cakes a few days earlier and froze them so on the day all I had to do was ice and stack 'em. Looking forward to another birthday party to make this one!
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Hello! I was wondering if I can use standard NZ butter and omit the salt? Or is there a similar adjustment that would work. I was hoping to avoid selling a kidney for unsalted NZ butter. Thanks 🙂
Hi! Yep just leave the salt out and use salted butter 🙂
My husband and I made this for my daughters first birthday. What an absolutely delicious cake! it’s quite a sweet cake, but everything you want in an indulgent celebration cake for a crowd. It was so moist and froze/defrosted really well. Erin was also kind enough to reply to my query around salted butter which is greatly appreciated. Thank you for creating such a delicious recipe.
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