Spring Funfetti Cake Delight (Printable Version)

Light vanilla cake with rainbow sprinkles and pastel buttercream, ideal for joyful spring occasions.

# What You'll Need:

→ 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

→ 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 - Food coloring gels in pastel pink, blue, yellow, and purple

# Directions:

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 milk and sour cream until 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 with a spatula.
08 - Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Smooth 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, and salt. Beat on high speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
14 - Divide buttercream into 4 bowls. Tint each with a different pastel color using food gel.
15 - Dollop or pipe colored buttercream onto cooled cake layers as desired. Swirl colors together for a marbled pastel effect.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • It tastes like vanilla cake should—buttery and tender—without any overpowering sweetness that exhausts your palate.
  • The pastel buttercream lets you play with color in a way that feels grown-up, not childish, making spring gatherings look effortlessly festive.
02 -
  • Room temperature ingredients are not a suggestion—they emulsify properly and create a cake that's actually tender rather than dense, something I learned through a rubber-textured failure.
  • Those pastel gel colors are the secret weapon that prevents watery frosting, because liquid food coloring adds moisture that throws off your ratio.
03 -
  • Weigh your ingredients whenever possible, especially flour—it's the difference between a tender cake and a dense one, and a simple kitchen scale removes all the guesswork.
  • Let your frosted cake sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving so the buttercream softens slightly and the flavors come together in a way that tastes more balanced and delicious.
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