Spring Funfetti Cake (Printable)

A light vanilla cake with rainbow sprinkles and pastel buttercream perfect for spring celebrations.

# What You’ll Need:

→ For the Cake

01 - 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
03 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
04 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
05 - 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
06 - 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
07 - 4 large eggs, room temperature
08 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
09 - 1 cup whole milk, room temperature
10 - 1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
11 - 2/3 cup rainbow sprinkles

→ For the Pastel Buttercream

12 - 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
13 - 5 cups powdered sugar, sifted
14 - 1/4 cup whole milk
15 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
16 - Pinch of salt
17 - Pastel pink food coloring gel
18 - Pastel blue food coloring gel
19 - Pastel yellow food coloring gel
20 - Pastel purple food coloring gel

# How-To Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line two 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
03 - In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes.
04 - Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract.
05 - In a separate bowl, whisk together milk and sour cream until fully combined.
06 - Add flour mixture to butter mixture in three parts, alternating with milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Mix just until combined.
07 - Gently fold in rainbow sprinkles using a rubber spatula.
08 - Divide batter evenly between prepared pans and smooth the tops.
09 - Bake for 28 to 32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
10 - Cool cakes in pans for 10 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.
11 - Beat butter until smooth and creamy, approximately 2 minutes.
12 - Gradually add powdered sugar, mixing on low speed until incorporated.
13 - Add milk, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat on high speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
14 - Divide buttercream into 4 bowls. Tint each portion with a different pastel food coloring gel.
15 - Dollop or pipe colored buttercream onto cooled cake layers as desired. Swirl colors together to create a marbled pastel effect.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The sour cream keeps the cake impossibly tender while the sprinkles add visual surprise in every bite.
  • Pastel buttercream looks like you spent hours on decoration when it takes barely ten minutes to tint and swirl.
  • It's impressive enough for a spring celebration but casual enough to make just because Tuesday needs color.
02 -
  • Liquid food coloring will thin your buttercream and create a watery consistency; gel coloring is the non-negotiable choice.
  • Room temperature ingredients aren't just tradition—cold eggs and butter literally prevent proper emulsion, and your batter will look broken and bake unevenly.
03 -
  • Chill the frosted cake for thirty minutes before serving so the layers set and cutting becomes cleaner.
  • Make this cake the day before; it actually tastes better once flavors have merged overnight.
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