Funfetti Sheet Cake

By Krista Teigen

Published Mar 3, 2024

Funfetti sheet cake easy baking recipe. - 1

Funfetti Sheet Cake is such an easy way to make a cake for any birthday, party, or occasion. It’s so moist and sprinkled to rainbow-speckled perfection! Fresh vanilla cake topped with homemade icing and confetti sprinkles, it’s easy to serve a whole crowd with this birthday sheet cake recipe.

close up view of partially cut funfetti birthday cake topped with sprinkles - 4

What’s in This Funfetti Sheet Cake Recipe?

Baking a Layered Funfetti Cake is the best way to celebrate any occasion, and this sheet cake version is so easy, perfect for parties of all kinds. All of the ingredients are baking staples, so even if you’re not an avid baker, you’ll likely have all of these sweet essentials ready to go.

Flour: All-purpose flour gives this cake structure.
Leavening: Baking powder and baking soda combine to create a light and fluffy cake.
Butter: Unsalted butter makes this cake moist and tender. It also forms the base of the buttercream frosting.
Sugar: Granulated sugar sweetens the cake, while powdered sugar sweetens the frosting without making it gritty.
Eggs: Help bind the cake together and make it rich and flavorful.
Dairy: Milk and sour cream work together to create an ultra-moist and tender cake. Milk is also used to make the buttercream spreadable.
Extracts: Pure vanilla extract and almond extract combine to create a warm and nutty birthday cake flavor.
Sprinkles: Rainbow sprinkles add a fun and festive pop of color to the cake!

Notes from the Test Kitchen

This fun and festive sheet cake is the perfect easy birthday cake recipe– no complicated layers or difficult frosting jobs required! We love that this simple funfetti sheet cake is bright, colorful, and so delicious! This is the cake that my son loves to choose for his birthday cake.

Variations on Birthday Sheet Cake

Here are just a few easy ways you can customize your funfetti sheet cake!

You can use an equal amount of vegetable, canola, or coconut oil in place of the melted butter in the cake.
In place of the sour cream, you can use plain Greek yogurt.
Feel free to leave out the almond extract if you’re not a fan.
Try different colored sprinkles for different occasions, such as red and green for Christmas, red and blue for Fourth of July, or green, purple, and orange for Halloween.

close up of a slice of sheet pan funfetti cake being cut through with a fork. - 5

How to Store

Store leftover funfetti sheet cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Enjoy cold or at room temperature.

How to Freeze

Freeze this easy funfetti cake whole or in individual slices, tightly wrapped in 2 layers of plastic wrap and 1 layer of aluminum foil, for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before enjoying.

Serving Suggestions

Funfetti sheet cake is perfect for parties of all kinds! We have made it for birthdays, graduations, holidays, and any other festivities are made so much more exciting by the addition of a rainbow-sprinkled confetti cake. We love to add a scoop of red velvet ice cream , or regular vanilla ice cream with homemade magic shell .

overhead view of a funfetti sheet cake cut into squares - 6

Ingredients1x2x3x

For the Cake

▢ 2½ cups all-purpose flour 300 grams
▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder 4 grams
▢ ½ teaspoon baking soda 3 grams
▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt
▢ 1 cup unsalted butter 226 grams, melted (2 sticks)
▢ 1½ cups granulated sugar 300 grams
▢ 3 large eggs 150 grams, room temperature
▢ 1 cup milk 227 grams, room temperature
▢ ½ cup sour cream 114 grams, room temperature
▢ 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract 6 grams
▢ ½ teaspoon almond extract 2 grams
▢ ⅓ cup rainbow sprinkles 64 grams, plus more for topping

For the Frosting

▢ 1 cup unsalted butter 226 grams, room temperature (2 sticks)
▢ 3 cups powdered sugar 339 grams
▢ 2-3 tablespoons milk 28-43 grams
▢ ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract 2 grams
▢ ¼ teaspoon almond extract 1 gram
▢ ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt

Video

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan. Set aside.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. 2½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together, then add in the eggs, milk, sour cream, vanilla extract, and almond extract and mix until incorporated. 1 cup unsalted butter, 1½ cups granulated sugar, 3 large eggs, 1 cup milk, ½ cup sour cream, 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon almond extract
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in the sprinkles. ⅓ cup rainbow sprinkles
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 23-28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely.
While the cake cools, make the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, cream butter until smooth. 1 cup unsalted butter
Sift in the powdered sugar. Mix until well incorporated. 3 cups powdered sugar
Add in the milk, vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt, and mix again until the frosting reaches a smooth and creamy consistency with stiff peaks. 2-3 tablespoons milk, ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon almond extract, ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
Once the cake has cooled, frost the cake and top with sprinkles.

Equipment

Kitchen Scale (optional)
9×13 Baking Pan
Stand Mixer

Becky’s Tips

Use room temperature ingredients for the best results.
Take care not to overmix the cake batter; otherwise, you will end up with a dry, tough cake.
Do not use nonpareils, as they will bleed color into the batter.
Feel free to color the frosting with a few drops of red, blue, or yellow food coloring!

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

How to Make Funfetti Sheet Cake Step by Step

Make the Batter: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan. Set aside. Whisk 2½ cups of all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, ½ teaspoon of baking soda, and ½ teaspoon of kosher salt together. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat 1 cup (2 sticks) of unsalted butter and 1½ cups of granulated sugar together, then add in 3 large eggs, 1 cup of milk, ½ cup of sour cream, 1½ teaspoons of pure vanilla extract, and ½ teaspoon of almond extract and mix until incorporated. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in ⅓ cup of rainbow sprinkles

sprinkles added to funfetti cake batter in a glass bowl with a whisk. - 7

Bake the Cake: Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 23-28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely.

funfetti cake batter in a rectangular cake pan. - 8

Frost the Cake: While the cake cools, make the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, cream 1 cup (2 sticks) of unsalted butter until smooth. Sift in 3 cups of powdered sugar. Mix until well incorporated. Add in 2-3 tablespoons of milk, ½ teaspoon of pure vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon of almond extract, and ⅛ teaspoon of kosher salt, and mix again until the frosting reaches a smooth and creamy consistency with stiff peaks. Once the cake has cooled, frost the cake and top with sprinkles.

frosting being spread over a baked funfetti cake. - 9

Funfetti is the trademarked name for confetti cake coined by Pillsbury in 1989. Confetti cake is a vanilla cake with rainbow sprinkles. Now, funfetti has expanded to include any vanilla-flavored dessert with sprinkles.

I’m a big fan of topping off funfetti sheet cake with homemade vanilla frosting. The ingredients listed below are delightfully simple and the steps are incredibly easy to follow! In a pinch, you can definitely use store-bought vanilla frosting, but homemade really is best for both flavor and consistency.

Sour cream is one of those secret ingredients for great cakes you might not know about. We’re using it here to help add moisture to the cake, so it doesn’t end up dry (no one likes a dry cake). Because of the high fat content, sour cream creates a rich and delicious texture.

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Equipment

Kitchen Scale (optional)
9x13 Baking Pan
Stand Mixer