Description
This Ultimate Homemade Confetti Cake is a nostalgic, bakery-style celebration cake made completely from scratch. Using the reverse-creaming method, it delivers an ultra-soft, buttery crumb packed with rainbow sprinkles and layered with tangy cream cheese frosting. Moist, fluffy, and far superior to box mix, this show-stopping cake is perfect for birthdays, parties, and special occasions.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Cake
- Cake flour - 5 1/2 cups
- Granulated sugar - 2 1/3 cups
- Baking powder - 4 1/2 teaspoons
- Baking soda - 3/4 teaspoon
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt - 1 1/2 teaspoons
- Unsalted butter, room temperature - 3 sticks (12 oz)
- Buttermilk - 1 1/2 cups
- Neutral oil (vegetable or grapeseed) - 1/3 cup
- Vanilla extract - 1 tablespoon
- Almond extract (optional) - 1/2 teaspoon
- Large eggs, room temperature - 3
- Large egg whites, room temperature - 6
- Rainbow sprinkles (jimmies) - 1/2 cup
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Unsalted butter, room temperature - 2 sticks (8 oz)
- Full-fat cream cheese - 16 oz (1 lb)
- Powdered sugar - 4 cups (1 lb)
- Kosher salt - pinch
- Vanilla extract or vanilla bean seeds - 2 teaspoons
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line three 9-inch cake pans with parchment.
- In a stand mixer bowl, combine cake flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
- Add butter, buttermilk, and oil. Mix on low, then medium-high for 1 minute until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, egg whites, vanilla, and almond extract.
- Add egg mixture in two additions, mixing well after each. Beat 2 minutes until fluffy.
- Gently fold in rainbow sprinkles.
- Divide batter evenly among pans. Bake 35–40 minutes, rotating pans halfway.
- Cool completely, level cake layers if needed.
- Beat frosting ingredients until smooth and fluffy.
- Assemble cake, frost layers, crumb-coat, chill briefly, then frost fully and decorate.
Notes
- Use sprinkle jimmies, not nonpareils, to prevent color bleeding.
- Reverse creaming ensures an ultra-tender crumb.
- Cake can be baked 1 day ahead and wrapped tightly.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/16 cake)
- Calories: 680 kcal
- Sugar: 65 g
- Sodium: 360 mg
- Fat: 32 g
- Saturated Fat: 18 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 92 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Cholesterol: 110 mg
