Bright rainbow sprinkles and a soft, buttery cupcake make these the BEST homemade Funfetti Cupcakes. Fluffy homemade vanilla rainbow speckled cupcakes that are worlds better than anything you will find in a box!
Funfetti Cupcakes
Now, I know there have to be like a million recipes for funfetti cupcakes out there. They're a classic! Plus, they're so pretty and fun, as is anything with sprinkles. But I just wanted to share my favorite go-to recipe for the best homemade funfetti cupcakes.
Look no further for that perfect, childhood favorite, funfetti cupcakes recipe. These are soft, fluffy, buttery cupcakes filled with fun rainbow sprinkles that make your mouth water. You will absolutely make these again and again!
Cutting Together the Butter and Dry Ingredients
Making these funfetti cupcakes is really easy. There is one part that might cause a little hiccup if you're unfamiliar with the procedure, and that is the cutting in of the dry ingredients and the butter. I use a pastry cutter for this, and just keep pushing it into the mixture until it's nice and crumbly.
If you don't have a pastry cutter, I highly recommend one. I use mine quite often for pie crusts, these cupcakes, my favorite muffins, dumplings, and biscuits.
You can also use a fork or two butter knives the same way with similar results. Either mash with the fork or criss-cross the butter knives to chop the butter into smaller pieces and combine it with the flour. No need to try to make the crumbles super small. Pea-sized or a little bigger is good.
Best Sprinkles for Funfetti Cupcakes
The absolute best sprinkles for funfetti cupcakes are rainbow jimmies. These are the best because they're soft so they dissolve while baking. They also do not bleed into the batter like other sprinkles, such as rainbow sanding sugar or nonpareils.
I have these rainbow jimmies, but FYI it's a massive quantity because I use them so often. You can also order a smaller quantity on Amazon or pick them up at basically any grocery store.
Best Frosting for Funfetti Cupcakes
These cupcakes are great because they're so versatile. You can top them with basically any flavor frosting, and they'll be amazing.
My favorite frosting for funfetti cupcakes is a classic vanilla buttercream topped with lots of pretty sprinkles. Buttercream is a classic that is so easy to make.
Here are some other ideas:
- Strawberry Buttercream
- Raspberry Buttercream
- Blackberry Buttercream
- Marshmallow Frosting
- Caramel Frosting
- Marshmallow Fluff
More Cupcake Recipes You'll Love
- Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes - soft yellow cupcakes filled with creamy custard and topped with chocolate ganache.
- Tres Leches Cupcakes - vanilla cupcakes infused with a 3-milk mixture and topped with a whipped mascarpone frosting.
- Berries and Cream Cupcakes - vanilla cupcakes with fresh berries folded right into the batter and topped with cream cheese frosting and more fresh berries.
- Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes - strawberry cupcakes made with real strawberries and topped with cream cheese frosting.
- Ginger Brown Sugar Cupcakes - spiced carrot cupcakes topped with cinnamon spiced cream cheese frosting.
Best Homemade Funfetti Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups cake flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ½ cup milk room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract (optional)
- ½ cup rainbow sprinkles
For the Buttercream Frosting
- 1 batch buttercream frosting
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- Add butter to dry mixture and cut in until mixture is crumbly. Set aside.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla, and almond extract. Add to the dry mixture in two additions, stirring until just combined.
- Fold rainbow sprinkles into batter.
- Scoop about ⅓ cup of batter into lined cupcake tins.
- Bake at 375-degrees for about 16-18 minutes, or until cooked through.
- Remove the cupcakes from the oven. Leave them in the tin for about 5 minutes to set before removing to a cooling rack.
- When cupcakes are done baking, prepare the buttercream with this recipe. (or your favorite frosting! See notes below.) Frost the cupcakes. Top with more sprinkles.
Video
Notes
- Try frosting your cupcakes with a classic vanilla buttercream.
- If you don't have any buttermilk on hand, you can use this easy buttermilk substitution.
- For a quick and easy cake flour substitute, use this guide.
- Make these for different holidays by customizing them with different colored jimmies. Try red/green for Christmas, red/white/blue for fourth of July, red/pink for Valentine's Day, or orange/black/purple for Halloween.
- Make Ahead Directions: Cupcakes can be made ahead 1 day in advance, covered, and stored at room temperature. Frosting can also be made 1 day in advance, covered, and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use. Beat frosting before frosting cupcakes to make it fluffy again.
- Storage: Leftover cupcakes keep well covered tightly in the refrigerator for 3 days.
- Freezer Directions: Frosted or unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
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Jen says
Love that I don't need to use a box mix to make these now! I had everything already in my kitchen so they were easily made. My kids loved them!
Beth says
Oh wow! These are so fun and definitely going to be a hit here! Perfect for a little get together! So excited to try these cupcakes!
Toni says
These are really fun cupcakes!! MY kids enjoyed it!
Traci says
I'm crazy for funfetti cupcakes and absolutely love these!! Easy recipe and totally FUN 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Shashi says
YUM! I could do some serious damage to a batch of these pretty AND delish cupcakes! And you have the perfect ratio of frosting to cupcake in these!
Angela says
I love homemade cake recipes. I never have a boxed mix when I need one. I think the homemade versions taste better anyway. I think the cake flour really makes the texture great.
Michelle says
These cupcakes were absolutely so much fun to make with my kids! We're gonna make another batch for this Easter weekend. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Kristina Tipps says
Such a fun and easy recipe! These cupcakes are so much better than using the packaged mix. And the buttercream frosting was much loved by my kiddos!
Sunena says
This must be a sign. I have been craving funfetti for DAYS and I stumbled upon this perfect recipe. I love how simple this recipe is!
Claudia Lamascolo says
I love fun surprises inside a cupcake I can see why these are the best they look super moist and so pretty