Description
Perfectly sweet and nostalgic, funfetti sheet cake is the ultimate crowd pleaser dessert! The cake bakes up super soft and fluffy thanks to tangy buttermilk and rich sour cream. Filled with sprinkles and topped with swirls of brown butter frosting, each bite is tender and buttery.
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 1/2 cups (288 g) cake flour
- 1 1/2 tsp (6 g) baking powder
- 1/2 tsp (3 g) baking soda
- 1/2 tsp (3 g) salt
- 1/2 cup (112 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups (250 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tsp (8 g) vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp (2 g) pure almond extract
- 2 large eggs (100 g), at room temperature
- 1 cup (240 g) low-fat buttermilk, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120 g) sour cream, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (120 g) rainbow sprinkles
Brown Butter Frosting
- 1 1/2 cups (336 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 tsp (3 g) salt
- 1/2 tsp (2 g) vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp almond extract
- 3 cups (360 g) powdered sugar
- sprinkles, for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 13 x 9” baking pan with nonstick spray. Line the pan with a sheet of parchment paper.
- Make sheet cake: Whisk together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Beat butter and sugar in a large mixer bowl at medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla and almond extracts. Add eggs one at a time and beat until combined. Combine buttermilk and sour cream in a small bowl. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with buttermilk mixture (begin and end with flour mixture). Fold in sprinkles.
- Spoon batter into prepared baking pan and smooth with an offset spatula. Tap pan sharply to reduce air bubbles.
- Bake cake for 25 to 27 minutes, until the top and edges are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached. Cool cake completely in pan on a wire rack.
- Make frosting: Cook 1/4 cup (56 g) butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until it foams, turns clear, and then turns a deep brown, about 5 minutes. Pour brown butter into a large mixer bowl and cool for 20 minutes.
- Add remaining 1 1/4 cups (280 g) butter to mixing bowl and beat on low speed until combined (mixture will be very soft). Mix in salt and vanilla and almond extracts until combined. Gradually mix in powdered sugar on low speed until incorporated. Increase speed to medium and beat frosting for 1 minute.
- Assemble cake: Dollop frosting over cooled cake and swirl with an offset spatula. Decorate with sprinkles. Chill cake for 20 minutes in the refrigerator before slicing and serving.
- Store leftover cake tightly covered in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
Cake flour substitute: For every 1 cup of cake flour, place 2 tablespoons cornstarch in an empty 1-cup measure, then top up with all-purpose flour. Sift the mixture several times to evenly distribute the cornstarch.
Layer cake: Divide batter evenly between two 8-inch round cake pans. Bake layers for 24 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached. Cool cakes for 15 minutes in pans on a wire rack before inverting onto wire racks to cool completely. Make a double batch of brown butter frosting and frost cake.
Make Ahead: The cake can be baked, cooled, and frosted one day in advance. Cover the frosted cake tightly and chill overnight.