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What's to love about this Funfetti Sheet Cake? Well... do you have just a minute?
There's so much to love about this cake with the whimsical name:
- First of all, as the name implies, it's ridiculously easy to make. This cake is put together with just one bowl with a whisk or wooden spoon. The finished batter is unusually thin for a cake batter so you really don't need much elbow grease to stir it up.
- It's easy to whip up just about any time because it uses ingredients that you probably regularly stock in your pantry or refrigerator.
- The cake itself is super delicious with a moist, tender crumb.
- This Funfetti Sheet Cake feeds a crowd (if you feel like sharing). It easily feeds 12-16 for a fabulous sweet treat.
- It's baked in a sheet pan (either a 10x15-inch jelly roll pan or a traditional 13x18-inch half sheet pan). It gets frosted right in the pan so there's no fancy icing technique required.
- It's also super transportable because of the sheet pan.
- The easy (again, one-bowl, no-mixer) icing is melt-in-your-mouth delicious with a hint of almond extract that makes it taste like it came from a fine bakery. Leave it in its virgin off-white hue or add a few drops of your favorite color food coloring. Or your best friend's favorite color. Or a color to match your party theme.
- Oh, and speaking of parties, a Funfetti Sheet Cake is a wonderful way to celebrate without having to go through the fuss of making and icing a layer cake. Just let the cake cool a bit then pile on the icing and spread it to the edges with a knife. If you want to be a little fancy, use the back of a spoon to make some fun swirls but that's totally optional as the sprinkles on the top make the cake look festive on their own.
- It's fun, just plain old fun with lots of colorful sprinkles on top and a surprise kaleidoscope of multi-hued polka dots inside.
So there you have it, LOTS of reasons to make this Funfetti Sheet Cake, right?
Ridiculously Easy
Why do we call this Funfetti Sheet Cake ridiculously easy? Well, not only because it is super easy but also because "Ridiculously Easy" is a special category of recipes here at The Café and this Funfetti Sheet Cake definitely checks all the required boxes!
Our Ridiculously Easy recipes are super popular with our readers and I love them a much as you do! You can read in more detail about our Ridiculously Easy collection of recipes and the qualifications they need to include in this post but my condensed definition is "Recipes that make you look like a kitchen rock star with minimal effort on your part".
My daughter-in-law, Lindsay created a video to demonstrate exactly how easy this cake is, check it out:
What is funfetti cake?
If you're not familiar with funfetti cake, you might know it with another name. This type of cake with rainbow-hued sprinkles baked into the batter is also known as confetti cake, sprinkle cake and birthday sprinkle cake. The name "Funfetti" originated with Pillsbury (a 150-year old American company known for their flour and convenience baking products, including cake mixes) back in 1989 when they came up with a white cake mix that featured colored sprinkles.
Funfetti cakes are popular with kids of all ages and make a festive birthday or celebration cake. This one is not only festive but so delicious with a tender, moist crumb. The silky smooth, sweet buttercream is truly the crowning glory!
What type of sprinkles should I use for funfetti cake?
There are lots of different types of sprinkles on the market but they don't all work for funfetti cakes. While I love the small round nonpareil sprinkles and use them for decorating cookies like these Easy Valentine Shortbread Cookies and our Leprechaun Shortbread Bites, the colors tend to bleed when combined with wet cake batter and don't make a pretty cake.
The type of sprinkles that work best for a funfetti cake are jimmy sprinkles or the flat, circular "confetti (aka sequin or quin) sprinkles. You can purchase both of these types of sprinkles in either solid colors and make your own color mix or they can be purchased in pre-mixed blends like these rainbow sprinkles.
Nonpareils (the small round sprinkles) do work well to add a pretty, festive look after the icing is spread.
Whimsical cheer
This Funfetti Sheet Cake is a wonderful way to celebrate the big and small moments in life. Check out the easy recipe and make it asap to bring a bit of delicious cheer to friends, family, neighbors co-workers and just wait for the applause!
Café Tips for making this Ridiculously Easy Funfetti Sheet Cake
- You'll need a microwave-safe bowl to make the cake batter for this recipe. What is a microwave-safe bowl? It's a bowl made from glass or material that won't melt, get too hot, cause damage to the microwave or release chemicals when exposed to microwave rays. I LOVE these microwave-safe 2-quart measuring cups. The handle never gets hot, which means taking things in and out of the microwave is not a problem. If you look at the bottom of a bowl, it should say "microwave-safe" or have the microwave symbol.
- You'll also need a jelly roll pan or a half sheet pan. Either will work although I prefer a jelly roll pan as it yields a thicker cake.
- Be sure to grease the pan well. I like to use baking spray which is a combination of oil and flour when baking a cake. You could also grease the pan with shortening and then coat the shortening with a layer of flour.
- This cake recipe calls for buttermilk.
- If you don't want to purchase buttermilk, just for this recipe, you could sub an equal amount of yogurt or sour cream.
- You can also make your own buttermilk. Just add 2 teaspoons of white vinegar to a measuring cup and fill the cup to the one half marking with milk. Stir well, then wait 5 minutes and stir again. Use this in place of the buttermilk.
- The frosting recipe for this Funfetti Sheet Cake calls for half and half. If you don't live in the United States, you might not be familiar with half and half. It's an American convenience product that's half milk and half cream. You can also use milk for the frosting.
- I use salted butter to make this cake. If you only have unsalted butter, add an extra ÂĽ teaspoon of salt.
- Although you can use any type of stirring implement for this recipe, a whisk works really well. If you don't have a whisk in your cooking collection, it's a really handy kitchen tool to add. A good whisk is not expensive and can be used for quickly stirring lots of things and getting lumps out with minimal effort. It would make a great gift for someone who's just starting to cook.
Thought for the day:
For God so loved the world
that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in Him
shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16
What we're listening to for inspiration:
If you enjoy any of these recipes, please come back and leave a star rating and review! It's so helpful to other readers to hear your results, adaptations and ideas for variations.
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Ridiculously Easy Funfetti Sheet Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 cup butter, cubed
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- â…› teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Âľ teaspoon salt
- ÂĽ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- Âľ cup multi-colored jimmies or quins, (not nonpareils)
For the icing:
- ½ cup butter, cubed
- 4-6 tablespoons half & half
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ÂĽ teaspoon almond extract
- 3 cups powdered sugar, maybe more
- 2-6 drops red or pink food coloring, optional
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat oven to 375ËšF. Spray a 10x15 jelly roll pan or a sheet pan generously with baking spray and rub with a paper towel to coat all surfaces. Set aside
- In a medium-large microwave-safe bowl, combine the cubed butter and water. Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Most of the butter should be melted. Remove from the microwave and stir until butter is completely melted.
- Add the buttermilk and sugar, then whisk until well combined. Add the eggs and whisk again.
- Add the vanilla and almond extracts, baking powder, baking soda and salt, and stir to combine.
- Add flour and whisk until smooth and lump free. It will seem lumpy at first, but keep stirring. It will get nice and smooth. Fold in the sprinkles.
- Transfer to the prepared pan. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 18-25 minutes.
- Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes before icing:
For the icing:
- While the cake is cooling, make the icing. Place the butter in a medium-large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high power for 1 minute or until the butter is melted.
- Remove from the microwave and add the vanilla and almond extracts, 4 tablespoons of the half and half and 3 cups of powdered sugar. Stir until well combined. You're looking for a smooth, creamy spreadable icing. If it seems to thin, add a bit more powdered sugar. If too thick, drizzle a bit more half and half. Keep in mind that the icing will thicken a bit as it cools.
- Add the food coloring, one drop at a time, stirring well after each addition, until the desired color is achieved (I usually end up using 2-4 drops.)
- Transfer the icing to the center of the cake and spread to the edges (an offset or angled cake spatula works well) While the icing is still wet, use the back of a small spoon to make pretty swirls, if desired. Quickly sprinkle the cake with nonpareils, jimmies or cake decorating quins in the color(s) of your choice. Allow the cake to cool and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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My family loves this cake and icing recipe! And so much easier than any cake I’ve ever baked. Recipe is perfect just as written.
Thank you for the excellent review, Amy! It's great to hear how well this recipe turned out for you and how much you and your family enjoyed it. Thanks for taking the time to let us know!
Same thing happened to me. Taste was good, but consistency was terrible.
Hi Kathi, I'm so sorry this cake did not turn out for you. It's hard to say what went wrong without having been right there in the kitchen with you. I've made so many variations of this cake with good success and so many others have also enjoyed this recipe. Again, sorry this recipe was a problem!
My family wants me to substitute butter with coconut oil can I do that?
Can I use raspberries in the icing instead of red dye?
Hi Anne, you could just skip the dye. Or check out this recipe for icing with raspberries- https://thecafesucrefarine.com/one-bowl-buttermilk-cake-with-raspberry-buttercream/
Can I reduce the sugar to 1 cup
Hi Anne, I haven't tried reducing the sugar in this recipe. Sugar not only adds sweetness but it has a lot to do with the texture of baked goods so I can't guarantee a successful result. It might be better to just have a small portion.
What type of milk can I sub for the buttermilk?
Can i skip the buttermilk
Hi Annie, you need the buttermilk in this recipe. If you do not have buttermilk you can make it. Just add one tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to a measuring cup. Fill with milk to measure one cup. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes, then proceed with recipe.
Can I skip almond extract.
That's fine, Annie.
Which container do I use to keep this cake safe if I go to someone’s house
Hi Annie, you can just cover the sheet pan in foil to transport it.
What container do I use to take it to other places like someone’s house
Can I make ahead, freeze, thaw, then ice?
Hi Donna, yes that will work!
Hi Chris.
I love following your blog. I tried this cake yesterday but the centre wasn't cooked. Is this meant to be a dense sort of cake?
BUT, my husband who usually doesn't like cake, loved it as it had so much butter!!
Bless you
Thanks so much, Loges!
Regarding your question, the cake should be moist but not super dense. You might want to bake it just a little longer if you make it again. The best way to determine doneness is with an instant thermometer which should read 200-205ËšF when inserted into the center of the cake. Hope that helps!
Wonderful cake! Thank you Chris 🙂 I made the cake in a regular 13*9 inch pan, turned out great with extra baking time! Family all loved it!!
That's great to know, Meghan!
Hi Chris. I LOVE every recipe I have made from your website and they have all turned out perfectly. I made this funfetti cake yesterday for the Chapel Hill vs Duke game. I ordered special "Carolina blue jimmie sprinkles" and followed the recipe. When we cut into it , the blue sprinkles had all sunk to the bottom of my jelly roll pan. The taste was good but the sprinkles created a jelly like coating on the bottom. Any thoughts on why this happened? Your cake looks so pretty but looks like you used the small round parieles on the inside . Thoughts?
Hi Stacy, I'm so sorry you had trouble with this cake. I do use sprinkles (jimmies) for mine and that is what most funfetti cakes call for - the nonpareils will generally bleed in the batter. I wonder if it was the particular jimmies that you used that were, perhaps, a little heavier than most of them???
Good morning Chris! I'd love to make this for my sister's birthday this weekend, but have a substitution question...have you ever tried subbing the butter in this recipe for oil? Just wondering how you think that may turn out...Thanks in advance! I make your churro cake often, it's our favorite!
Hi Elyssia, I don't think I'd sub for the butter in this particular recipe. It adds wonderful flavor and I think the cake could be a little greasy and bland-tasting with oil.
Just made this yesterday for game night. It was ridiculously easy and soooo good! I did the pink icing and used sprinkles, it was super cute. I may try to do a 13x9 pan next time, just for a bit thicker cake. Thank you again for yet another perfect recipe!!!!!!!!
Thank you for letting us know, Patti!
Your pictures are just beautiful and your recipes inspiring. So happy to have discovered your website!
Thank you for the kind comment, Cherylynn!
This cake looks beautiful and sounds delicious!! This might be a silly question... but can this recipe be used in regular 8 or 9 inch round cake pans for a 2 layer cake? You mentioned the batter being very thin - I wondered if the final result would have enough structure to be a layer cake.. :0) I really hope so! I have a family member request for a layer confetti cake and would love to use your recipe!! My other thought was using the base of your poppyseed cake without the seeds and add the sprinkles - it looks like that one will hold up to the layers...? I'd love your thoughts / suggestions. Thank you!!
Hi Jenn, this actually does work well for a layer cake. I have made it for birthday layer cakes a number of times.
Thank you so much for your speedy response!! I can't wait to try this recipe - I keep scrolling up to look at your gorgeous pictures!! The crumb looks so delicate and moist - and that pink frosting makes me want to lick my screen! I hope I can replicate it with your well written instructions!!
Enjoy!!
We sure did enjoy it!! It was Sooooooooooo good!! My husband (who doesn't usually care much for sweets) deemed it the best cake I've ever baked. I hear him every time he goes back and takes another bite from the cake dome saying "mmmmmmm." :0) I can't wait to try your other versions! Thank you for this recipe!
👏 🙌 Thanks so much, for sharing your results, Jenn!
This recipe came out on the day my granddaughter was born. A big deal for us since we are a family of boys (2 sons; 2 grandsons). So I made the Baby Brooke funfetti cake for the family. Very easy, flavorful, and pretty. And I love having a cake in a jelly roll pan because it’s so easy to transport, store, and serve. Thank you for another delicious recipe, Chris.
I love that, Doran! Congratulations on your new grandaughter!