Skip the boxed mixes and make your own Homemade Funfetti Cake Mix in minutes. With just a handful of pantry ingredients you can prepare a bright, tender cake mix that’s perfect to use immediately or store in the refrigerator until you’re ready to bake. This homemade mix yields a classic vanilla-style cake dotted with colorful sprinkles — ideal for birthdays, holidays or any celebration that calls for something festive.
Who doesn’t love Funfetti cake?
Funfetti cake is essentially a vanilla or white cake with colorful sprinkles folded into the batter. For best results use slender, rod-shaped sprinkles (often labeled “jimmies”) so they distribute evenly and keep their color during baking. You can tailor the sprinkle colors to match the occasion — red and green for Christmas, red, white and blue for Independence Day, or orange and black for Halloween.
Ingredients for Homemade Funfetti Cake Mix
- 3 cups unbleached cake flour (see notes for an all-purpose flour substitution)
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon fine salt (sea salt or Himalayan)
- ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- Sprinkles (add only when you make the cake)
In a large bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder and salt until the dry mixture is light and airy. Stir in the granulated sugar and whisk to combine thoroughly.
Best way to measure flour
Flour should be fluffed, spooned into the measuring cup and leveled off with a knife for an accurate dry measurement.
Drop in the softened unsalted butter and use a pastry cutter, two knives or a fork to cut the butter into the dry ingredients. Continue until the butter is broken into very small pieces and evenly distributed throughout the mixture.
When the butter is reduced to fine, nearly undetectable pieces, your cake mix base is ready. At this stage you can use the mix immediately to bake a cake or transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate until needed.
Note: do not add the sprinkles to the dry mix for storage. Wait to fold them into the batter when you’re ready to bake. This prevents color from leaching into the batter during storage. If you prefer to keep sprinkles on hand, measure about ½ cup into a small resealable bag and store it in the pantry.
Giving Homemade Cake Mix as a Gift
To gift this mix, omit the butter and pack all dry ingredients into a clean glass jar with a tight lid. Attach a note card listing the remaining ingredients (including butter) and simple instructions for assembling the cake — for example: cream butter and vanilla, add eggs, then gradually add the dry mix with milk, fold in sprinkles and bake.
How to bake the Funfetti cake
When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease and flour a 9×13-inch pan or line two 9-inch round pans with parchment. In a measuring cup whisk together 4 large egg whites, 1¼ cups whole milk and 2 teaspoons real vanilla. Add the prepared wet ingredients to the cake mix in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low until just combined. Gently fold in ½ cup slender colorful sprinkles. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake:
- 9×13 pan: 30–35 minutes
- Two 9-inch pans: 20–25 minutes
- Cupcakes: 17–20 minutes
Bake until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 20 minutes, run a dull knife around the edges, invert onto a wire rack, remove parchment and cool completely. Once cooled, frost with vanilla buttercream or your preferred frosting and top with extra sprinkles before serving.
Substituting cake flour with all-purpose flour
If you don’t have cake flour, you can substitute all-purpose flour: use 2½ cups plus 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour for every 3 cups of cake flour. The crumb and texture will be slightly different, but the cake will still be delicious.
Recipe Summary
- Yield: 1 recipe of cake mix (enough for a 9×13, two 9-inch layers or 24 cupcakes)
- Prep time: 5 minutes
- Total time: 5 minutes (plus storage or cooling time when baked)
Instructions (mix):
- Whisk together 3 cups cake flour, 1½ cups sugar, 4 teaspoons baking powder and 1 teaspoon fine salt.
- Cut in ¾ cup softened unsalted butter with a pastry blender until butter is in very small pieces.
- Store the mix in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use. Add sprinkles only when making the cake.
Ingredients (to make cake from the mix):
- 1 recipe homemade funfetti cake mix
- 4 large egg whites
- 1¼ cups whole milk
- 2 teaspoons real vanilla extract
- ½ cup colorful slender sprinkles
- Vanilla buttercream or frosting of your choice
Enjoy this easy, flavorful Homemade Funfetti Cake Mix — a simple way to make a celebratory cake from scratch without the box. If you try it, take a photo and savor a slice!