Vanilla cupcakes studded with sprinkles and topped with traditional American buttercream. These funfetti cupcakes are great for any celebration!
The popularity of Magnolia Bakery and Sprinkles Cupcakes brought about a massive cupcake boom in the early 2000s. For a while, you could not escape designer cupcakes.
Some twenty years later and the cupcake craze has seemed to finally settle.
Classic homemade cupcakes are back in style!
Table of Contents
Vanilla Funfetti Cupcakes
I believe in celebrating the big moments as well as the small, little victories in between.
No need to wait for a birthday to make these funfetti cupcakes. Why wait? Any random day will do.
It’s the unexpected, unplanned, spontaneous little things that turn the mundane and ordinary into fun and interesting.
I may be a little old-fashioned for loving vanilla, but the addition of sprinkles, takes these “plain” vanilla cupcakes into something festive and exciting!
These easy homemade funfetti cupcakes are made from scratch. It’s definitely tastier than any pre-made box mix!
Did you grow up eating funfetti cupcakes at childhood birthday parties? Yes, those super sweet cupcakes topped with canned frosting!
These cupcake tastes like an updated more sophisticated version of those childhood ones. This version is not cloyingly sweet. The flavor is more balanced.
You will need a standard 12-cup muffin tin (or cupcake pan). The batter can easily be mixed together using a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer.
Classic American Buttercream
Standard American buttercream is a simple mixture of softened butter and powdered sugar (aka confectioners’ sugar).
For best results, I highly recommend using the paddle attachment on a stand mixer to beat together the buttercream. An electric hand mixer will work. However, the resulting buttercream will not be as fluffy.
FOR MORE FUNFETTI FUN, check out these recipes:
- Funfetti Cinnamon Rolls add a fun pop of colorful sprinkles to classic cinnamon rolls.
- Funfetti Doughnut Cake features a layered funfetti cake frosted with coffee buttercream.
- Coconut Confetti Cake stacks naked layers of coconut cake with coconut infused buttercream.
Funfetti Cupcakes
Equipment
- muffin tin
- stand mixer or electric hand mixer
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
- ½ cup whole milk, room temp
- 3 large egg whites, room temp
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, (84 g) room temp
- ¾ cup granulated sugar, (150 g)
- 1 ½ cups cake flour, (180 g)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder, (8 g)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 Tablespoons sprinkles of choice
American Buttercream:
- ½ cup unsalted butter, (113 g), room temp
- 3 cups powdered sugar, (375 g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of fine sea salt
- 2 Tablespoons heavy cream, or milk, or milk
Instructions
Cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line standard muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together milk, egg whites, and vanilla. Set aside.
- In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Add liquids and mix on medium speed until combined. Scrape down bowl as needed to ensure thorough mixing.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to mixing bowl in two additions, mixing on low speed. Fold in sprinkles.
- Even distribute cupcake batter among prepared muffin tin, filling them about two-thirds full. Bake for 20-25 minutes until toothpick inserted in center of cupcake comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool in tin for 10 minutes before removing from pan and allowing to cool on wire rack. Cupcakes may be frosted once they have cooled to room temperature.
American Buttercream:
- In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), cream butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar in three additions. Mix on low speed until thoroughly combined. Scrape down bowl as needed.
- Add vanilla, pinch of salt, and 2 tablespoons cream. Mix on medium speed until buttercream is light and fluffy. If buttercream is too thick, add another tablespoon of cream.
- Use a small cookie scoop to distribute buttercream among cooled cupcakes. Use a mini offset spatula (or the back of spoon) to level off buttercream. Decorate with sprinkles.
Notes
- Frosted cupcakes can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days. For longer storage, frosted cupcakes can be keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. Allow chilled cupcakes and frosting to sit at room temperature before eating (about 15-20 minutes).
- I used sprinkles from Sweetapolita
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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