These fluffy Funfetti Cupcakes with rainbow-colored sprinkles and cream cheese frosting are the perfect celebratory bake for any occasion!
Table of Contents
This recipe is…
With delicate vanilla cake, sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting, and vibrant sprinkles that make people of any age feel like a kid, there’s so much to love about Funfetti Cupcakes. They’re so cute, colorful, and cheerful, in fact, that the word “fun” is even in the name!
If you grew up eating these iconic cupcakes from a boxed mix, just wait until you see how much better our homemade Funfetti Cupcakes taste. Just like our Cutout Cookies, Carrot Cookie Cake, and Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies, once you discover how quick and easy it is to whip up a batch of these home-cooked treats, you may never buy the preservative-packed versions from the grocery store ever again.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- One word: sprinkles!
- A colorful and nostalgic recipe way to celebrate birthdays, graduations, and other events
- Just 15 minutes of prep and 30 minutes total
- Our homemade Funfetti Cupcakes are healthier than boxed versions
- Gluten-free, and easy to make dairy-free
Funfetti Cupcake Recipe Ingredients
With cream cheese, sprinkles, and some baking staples you probably already have in your pantry, it’s easy to whip up a dozen of these colorful confetti sprinkle cupcakes. Find ingredient notes (including substitutions and swaps) below.
- Flour – we tested this recipe with GF flour for all our gluten-free friends!
- Sugar – white cane sugar works best here because the color is the best contrast to the vibrant sprinkles.
- Sprinkles – use a multi-colored mix of sprinkles for that classic Funfetti look, or customize the look with signature colors, like different shades of pink or purple if that’s the birthday boy or girl’s favorite.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Funfetti Cupcake Recipe Variations
- Sugar – we call for cane sugar here, which allows the color of the sprinkles to come through best. But you could use coconut sugar instead if you’re not as concerned about the colors being as vibrant.
- Refined sugars – for a version of these cupcakes that’s free of refined sugars, substitute coconut sugar in the cake, omit the sprinkles, and follow this recipe for a dairy-free cream cheese frosting.
- Frosting – this tangy homemade cream cheese frosting is perfect paired with the sweet vanilla cake and crunchy sprinkles. But feel free to whip up a different flavor of frosting or use store-bought if you’d rather.
How to Make Funfetti Cupcakes
These cupcakes are super easy to make, and take just 15 minutes to whip up. Follow along below.
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, then set aside.
Step 2: In a large bowl, add the butter and sugar. Beat with an electric mixture until fluffy, then mix in the eggs and vanilla extract until fully combined.
Step 3: Add half the flour mixture to the butter mixture, then beat until the flour is fully incorporated, and add in the rest of the flour. Mix the milk into the batter, then stir in the sprinkles.
Step 4: Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners until they are 3/4 of the way full, then bake for 15 minutes, until the tops are browned and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool.
Step 5: While the cupcakes bake, make the frosting. Beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla on high until a creamy consistency is achieved, then add the powdered sugar to the cream cheese mixture, then beat to combine.
Step 6: Frost the cupcakes, top with sprinkles, and serve!
Recipe Tips
- The best gluten-free flour – we tested these with both King Arthur Measure for Measure flour and Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 flour and got great results with both!
- Dye-free sprinkles – if you want to avoid dyes, India Tree and Wilton both sell dye-free options.
- Don’t pack your flour – it will yield dry, dense cupcakes. Instead, scoop the flour into measuring cups and level with a knife for lighter results.
- Only fill your muffin cups ¾ of the way – these cupcakes do rise quite a bit, so make sure not to overfill the cups or the batter will overflow and burn.
- Cupcake liners – you can certainly use whatever cupcake paper, cardboard, or aluminum liners you have on hand. But this is a fun chance to use some cute ones like our pink-and-white polka dotted liners.
How to Serve
Wait for the cakes to cool completely. Then, top with the frosting and sprinkles, and serve.
How to Store
Since this frosting is made with cream cheese, it’s important to store any leftovers in the refrigerator, in an airtight container.
Frequently Asked Questions
Our homemade Funfetti cupcakes (also known as confetti cupcakes) are made with baking staples like gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, vanilla extract, butter, eggs, and milk — plus sprinkles, of course! The cream cheese frosting is made with butter and vanilla, and is sweetened with powdered sugar.
The classic baking trifecta of milk, eggs, and butter create moist cakes with a light, delicate texture.
They can! In fact, we tested a TON of different egg substitutes in several different baked goods, took all kinds of notes, and then laid it all out for you in this super helpful guide to egg-free baking. For cakes and cupcakes, we recommend subbing in plain Greek yogurt (¼ cup of yogurt per egg) since this results in fluffy and slightly crisp on the outside cakes that have a really delicious flavor and hold together well.
Yep! Just substitute coconut oil for butter, almond milk for the cow’s milk, and a vegan cream cheese like Kite Hill for the cream cheese.
More of Our Easy Cake Recipes
If you tried these Funfetti Cupcakes, or any other recipe on the Fed & Fit website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let us know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
Gluten Free Funfetti Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- 1½ cups gluten free flour blend
- 2 teaspoons baking powder, sifted
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoons whole milk
- 3 tablespoons sprinkles
For the Frosting:
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened (use Kite Hill for dairy free)
- 4 tablespoons butter, softened (may substitute ghee)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Sprinkles, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, then set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the butter and sugar. Beat with an electric mixture until fluffy, then mix in the eggs and vanilla extract until fully combined.
- Add half the flour mixture to the butter mixture, then beat until the flour is fully incorporated, and add in the rest of the flour. Mix the milk into the batter, then stir in the sprinkles.
- Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners until they are 3/4 of the way full, then bake for 15 minutes, until the tops are browned and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool.
To make the frosting:
- Beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla on high until a creamy consistency is achieved, then add the powdered sugar to the cream cheese mixture, then beat to combine.
- Frost the cupcakes, top with sprinkles, and serve!
Recipe Notes
- For dairy-free: substitute coconut oil for butter and almond milk for the cow’s milk in the cupcakes.
- For refined sugar-free vanilla cupcakes: substitute coconut sugar in the cake, omit the sprinkles, and follow this recipe for a dairy and refined sugar-free frosting.
- This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled to make more cupcakes!
Nutrition
The recipe calls for milk but nowhere in the instructions does it say anything about milk . Just realized I never added it- eek! Hope these come out ok?
Hi! The milk is in step #4 just before stirring in the sprinkles!
HI! I am very exited to make these cupcakes! My only concern: I saw the note about how to make this dairy free and ghee is actually NOT dairy free. I just wanted to let anyone know, because I am dairy free myself. Otherwise, thanks for the amazing recipe!
Thanks for the note, Audra! We hope you enjoy the cupcakes!