Vanilla cupcakes, but make them colorful! Today I’m sharing the best Funfetti cupcake recipe. Moist, fluffy, and tender, these festive little cupcakes are perfect for birthdays, celebrations, or just any random Tuesday.
What makes funfetti so celebratory anyways? Is it the crazy colors? Also, has anyone noticed funfetti becoming an incredibly trendy thing over the past few years? We can blame it on social media and trendy rainbow foods. I’m definitely not mad about it! I have loved and will always love funfetti anything. I also read this fun article from the New York Times about how Funfetti has become super trendy that you may find interesting. Reading about food trends and how they relate to current culture is kind of a fun pastime for me, so if you’re even half as interested in that kind of stuff give it a read!
Ok and now onto the baking.
The Best Funfetti Cupcakes
These cupcakes are a joy to make and delicious. They’re super moist, fluffy, and loaded with colorful sprinkles. A perfect dessert for celebrations, birthdays, or just when you’re feeling like baking something with a little more ~pizazz~.
I tested this cupcake recipe over 10 times to try to get them absolutely perfect. Who knew such a simple dessert could case so much headache? Playing with things like cake flour vs. all purpose flour, buttermilk vs. whole milk, what proportions to use in the frosting….
Here’s what I learned:
- All-purpose flour has more structural integrity: I really wanted to make cake flour work in this recipe. I love using it when making any sort of cake and think it would be a staple in all of our pantries. However, I also wanted to make sure these cupcakes had nice domed tops. Cake flour, being as finely milled as it is, did not give me the structural integrity needed to do this with this particular recipe. To compensate, I added a little cornstarch to all-purpose flour to create a mock cake flour to use for these cupcakes.
- Adding a little cream cheese to the frosting makes a huge difference: cream cheese adds a slight nuance and tang to the flavor that prevents the frosting from being overly sweet.
- Use both butter and oil for the best texture: butter helped add richness and fluffiness while oil added moisture. The combination of the two of them led to an ultra tender yet moist funfetti cupcake.
How to Make The Best Funfetti Cupcakes
- The first step is to whisk the dry ingredients together, including flour, baking powder, cornstarch, and salt.
- Stir buttermilk and vanilla together and heat in the microwave for 10-15 seconds to bring them to room temperature.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar, and oil for a few minutes, then egg and egg white. Continue beating all of this together on medium-high speed for 3-4 minutes, or until the mixture is very light and fluffy. Make sure to consistently scrape down the sides of your bowl throughout.
- Now it’s time to add the flour and buttermilk. Alternate between the two, starting with a bit of the flour, all the buttermilk, and then the remaining flour and sprinkles. This will make it easier to combine all of the flour without overmixing the batter. Make sure to mix only until the flour is just combined.
- Bake in the oven to 20-23 minutes, or until the cupcakes are just set. You can test this by gently tapping the tops, which should spring back when done. Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting them.
- Make the frosting by whipping all of the ingredients together in the bowl of a stand mixer until light and fluffy. It’s that easy!
- Frost the cupcakes using a piping tip (I used Wilton’s 1M tip) or simply using a knife. Top with more sprinkles to finish them and enjoy!
Let me know if you have any questions! Here to help either in the comments or via email.
How to Store Leftovers
Store leftover cupcakes in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days. Avoid keeping them in the fridge, where they are more likely to dry out due to the cold.
Did You Make This Recipe?
If so, I’d love to hear from you! Please leave a rating and/or comment to spread the love and help others find this recipe.
Also feel free take a picture and share it with me on Instagram @toppedwithhoney. Looking forward to seeing the best funfetti cupcakes you can make!
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And of course, click on this link to explore more cake and cupcake recipes. 🙂
The Best Funfetti Cupcakes
The Best Funfetti Cupcakes
Equipment
- 12-cup cupcake pan
- cupcake liners
- stand mixer or hand mixer
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- 8 tbsp (one stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg white
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup buttermilk, shaken
- ¼ cup sprinkles + more for topping
Vanilla Frosting
- 12 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 3 oz plain cream cheese, softened
- 3¼ cups confectioners (powered) sugar
- 1½ tbsp heavy whipping cream
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C and line a 12-cup cupcake pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt together. Set this aside for now.
- Prepare the buttermilk by quickly heating it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds to bring it to room temperature, and then stir in the vanilla.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter, oil, and sugar together until fluffy (2-3 minutes). Then scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the egg, followed by the egg white, and continue beating on medium-high speed for another 3 minutes.
- Reduce the speed and add ¼ of the flour mixture, followed by all of the buttermilk, and then the remaining flour. Mix until the flour is just combined. Then, turn off the mixer and fold ¼ cup of sprinkles in using a flexible rubber spatula.
- Spoon batter into the cupcake pans, filling to no more than ¾ full. You'll get 15-16 cupcakes. Bake for 20-23 minutes, or until cupcakes are set. Let the cupcakes cool for 10 minutes in the pan before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely.
- To make the frosting, start by beating the butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Then add the powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla. Starting on low speed, begin bringing the ingredients together, slowing increasing the speed up to medium-high once you're confident that powdered sugar won't go flying everywhere.
- Add the heavy whipping cream, and then. continue beating at medium-high speed for 3-4 minutes until the frosting is light and fluffy, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed.
- Spread or pipe the buttercream onto the cooled cupcakes. Top with more sprinkles and enjoy!
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