July is full of fun birthdays in our family, so I decided to make this festive homemade funfetti birthday cake for any birthday occasion that you might have as well! It is moist and fluffy, with lots of colorful sprinkles throughout and a fun pink birthday cake buttercream on top!
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So sorry I haven’t posted in awhile. The website has been down for about two weeks now and is finally back up and running. Thank goodness! In the meantime, I’ve been working on lots of recipes for you, so get ready! And of course, taking care of this one… my little Myra girl!
We have a TON of July birthdays in our family. Anyone else? It’s such a fun month celebrating everyone! If you are looking for an easy funfetti birthday cake recipe, this is the one for you. It has a classic birthday cake flavor and is super fluffy and light! Read on for how to make this homemade funfetti birthday cake!
How to Make Homemade Funfetti Birthday Cake
One thing that I learned while making this funfetti birthday cake is that clear imitation vanilla is best to use if you want that yummy birthday cake flavor. You know, like the cake batter ice cream from Cold Stone? Yum.
I learned this tip from Courtney Rich who runs her own blog called Cake by Courtney. She has so many good tips! You will want to use the imitation vanilla in both the cake batter and the frosting. The clear imitation vanilla will give the buttercream that delicious birthday cake flavor!
Another tip for making this the best funfetti birthday cake – use full-fat buttermilk in the batter. This will make the cake super moist, light and fluffy! The key to getting cakes light and fluffy, but not overly dry is to use full-fat liquids! This could be buttermilk, sour cream, or even Greek yogurt!
Special Ingredients
Here are a few special ingredients that I used this recipe. You can easily find them on Amazon when you’re ready to make your cake!
- Gel Food Coloring – I highly recommend this because liquid food coloring can throw off the liquid ratios in your baked goods. These give a super vibrant color and won’t ruin your cakes!
- Imitation Vanilla Extract – see above for why I used this instead of regular vanilla extract!
Alright, I hope that you have some kind of birthday coming up so that you have an excuse to make this homemade funfetti birthday cake! Or I mean… do you really need an excuse to make cake? I think cake should be enjoyed any day of the year!
For more festive birthday recipes, check these out below! And as always, be sure to tag me in your photos on social media or use #bucketsofyum in your post if you make anything from the blog. I love to see what you are baking!
- Birthday Cake Ice Cream – This was originally a 4th of July post, but you could easily change the food coloring colors for any occasion!
- Peach Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Chocolate Sour Cream Snack Cake
- Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Edible Cookie Dough Frosting
- Marble Birthday Sheet Cake with Chocolate Buttercream
- Flourless Chocolate Cake with Espresso Whipped Cream
- Funfetti Blondies
Homemade Funfetti Cake with Birthday Cake Buttercream
Ingredients
For the Homemade Funfetti Cake
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (2 sticks)
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 1¾ cup sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups cake flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- ¼ cup rainbow sprinkles
For the Birthday Cake Buttercream
- 1½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature (3 sticks)
- 4½ cup powdered sugar
- 3 tbsp heavy whipping cream
- 2 tsp clear imitation vanilla
- Soft pink food coloring
Instructions
For the Homemade Funfetti Cake
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease a 9×13 inch pan.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream butter, oil and sugar until light and fluffy (5-7 minutes).
- Add eggs, then egg whites, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt. Add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition. Fold in sprinkles.
- Transfer to prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 35-40 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack.
For the Birthday Cake Buttercream
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat butter until creamy. Gradually beat in powdered sugar until smooth. Add cream, vanilla and food coloring. Beat until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Frost top of cake with frosting and top with additional sprinkles if desired.
