Description
Homemade funfetti cupcakes are soft, fluffy, and filled with sprinkles! Topped with vanilla buttercream, you’ll love these perfect funfetti cupcakes for birthdays and celebrations!
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 2 1/2 cups cake flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp pure almond extract
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup rainbow sprinkles
Frosting
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp pure almond extract
- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp heavy cream, at room temperature
- 1 to 2 drops gel food coloring (optional)
- rainbow sprinkles, for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line two 12-cup standard muffin pans with baking cups.
- Make cupcakes: 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 Greek yogurt 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). Gently fold in sprinkles.
- Use a medium cookie scoop coated with nonstick spray to fill each baking cup 2/3 full of batter.
- Bake cupcakes for 19 to 22 minutes, until tops spring back to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool in pans on wire racks for 2 minutes before removing from pans to cool completely.
- Make frosting: Beat butter and salt in a large mixer bowl on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla and almond extracts. Gradually mix in powdered sugar on low speed until incorporated, scraping down bowl as needed. Mix in heavy cream and gel food coloring (if using). Increase speed to medium-high and beat frosting for 1 minute, until light and airy.
- Transfer frosting to a large piping bag fitted with an open star tip (Wilton 8B) and frost cupcakes. Top with sprinkles.
- Store leftover cupcakes at room temperature overnight, or covered in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Notes
Cake Flour – For a soft and fluffy cupcakes with a fine crumb, cake flour is the secret. If you don’t have cake flour on hand, it’s easy to make your own cake flour substitute: For every cup of flour called for in a recipe, place 2 tablespoons cornstarch in an empty 1-cup measure, then top up with flour. Sift the mixture several times to evenly distribute the cornstarch and use as a substitute for 1 cup cake flour.
Vanilla and Almond Extracts – This recipe uses a mix of pure vanilla and pure almond extracts to replicate the classic funfetti flavor. You can also omit the almond extract and just use vanilla extract if you prefer – increase the vanilla to 1 tablespoon in the cupcakes and 1 1/2 teaspoons in the frosting.
Sprinkles – Rainbow sprinkles are best for funfetti cake. Use a light hand as you fold the sprinkles into the batter, and avoid using nonpareils sprinkles as they bleed color into the batter.