Ditch the box cake mix because these homemade Funfetti Cupcakes are EASY, and taste so much better! They’re moist and flavorful, topped with buttercream frosting and extra sprinkles, making them a favorite for birthdays and parties.

A homemade funfetti cupcake on a plate, with buttercream frosting and sprinkles on top.

My husband asks for the store-bought funfetti cake every year for his birthday,  but it only took one bite of this homemade version for him to agree they definitely taste better from scratch! 

How to make Funfetti Cupcakes:

  • In a large mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Slice the butter into pieces and add to the flour mixture. Mix on low until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
  • With the mixer on, add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the milk and vanilla and mix until batter is smooth. Fold in the sprinkles with a rubber spatula.
Cupcake batter in a mixing bowl with sprinkles added to it, to make funfetti cupcakes.
  • Fill the cupcake liners about two-thirds full. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool before frosting.
A cupcake pan with cupcake batter filling each cupcake liner.

Funfetti Frosting:

  • In a mixing bowl cream the butter for several minutes until light and fluffy, scraping the bowl down as needed. Gradually add the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla and mix until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
  • Frost the cupcakes (I used a Wilton 1M tip) and stir in sprinkles as desired.
Baked funfetti cupcakes on a plate, ready to be frosted.

Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:

To Make Ahead: The cupcakes and the frosting can both be made ahead of time. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely, then place in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 week. Refrigerate frosting separately for up to 2 weeks. Allow frosting to come to room temperature before using.

To Freeze: Allow cupcakes to cool completely, then store in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Frost the cupcakes frozen, if desired (allowing 30 minutes for them to thaw, before serving). To freeze frosted cupcakes, I suggest flash-freezing them on a tray for 30 minutes (to help the frosting keep its shape) before placing them in a freezer safe container.

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Recipe

A homemade funfetti cupcake on a plate, with buttercream frosting and sprinkles on top.
Prep 20 minutes
Cook 15 minutes
Total 35 minutes
Save Recipe

Ingredients
  

For the Cupcakes

For the Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners.
  • In a large mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Slice the butter into pieces and add to the flour mixture. Mix on low until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
  • With the mixer on, add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the milk and vanilla and mix until batter is smooth. Fold in the sprinkles with a rubber spatula.
    Cupcake batter in a mixing bowl with sprinkles added to it, to make funfetti cupcakes.
  • Fill the cupcake liners about two-thirds full. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool before frosting.
    A cupcake pan with cupcake batter filling each cupcake liner.

For the Frosting:

  • In a mixing bowl cream the butter for several minutes until light and fluffy, scraping the bowl down as needed. Gradually add the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla and mix until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
  • Frost the cupcakes (I used a Wilton 1M tip) and add sprinkles as desired.

Notes

Make Ahead Instructions: The cupcakes and the frosting can both be made ahead of time. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely, then place in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 week. Refrigerate frosting separately for up to 2 weeks. Allow frosting to come to room temperature before using.
Freezing Instructions: Allow cupcakes to cool completely, then store in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Frost the cupcakes frozen, if desired (allowing 30 minutes for them to thaw, before serving). To freeze frosted cupcakes, I suggest flash-freezing them on a tray for 30 minutes (to help the frosting keep its shape) before placing them in a freezer safe container.

Nutrition

Calories: 264kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 1gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 53mgSodium: 69mgPotassium: 51mgSugar: 24gVitamin A: 460IUCalcium: 26mgIron: 0.4mg

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I originally shared this recipe July 2014. Updated March 2021.

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About The Author

Lauren Allen

Welcome! I’m Lauren, a mom of four and lover of good food. Here you’ll find easy recipes and weeknight meal ideas made with real ingredients, with step-by-step photos and videos.

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Comments

  1. 2 stars
    Unfortunately this recipe came out very dry and dense. Flavor not great either. And had to make a second batch to get 2 dozen. Do not recommend.

  2. 5 stars
    I made these last night as a test run before my twin girls’ first birthday party, and wow! They are delicious! I even had to mix by hand with my potato masher because we just moved and I haven’t unloaded either of my mixers yet, and these turned out just fabulous. I am excited to make it again next week for my twins’ first birthday cake, thank you so much for the recipe!

  3. 3 stars
    Flavor is good but made them one day in advance and wrapped well and they are very dense. Im a baker so I measured/weighed ingredients . I have an oven thermometer. I’m not sure what went wrong.

  4. 5 stars
    I don’t normally leave reviews, but after seeing some of the negative reviews on this recipe I felt the need to.
    I made these cupcakes for my toddler’s birthday and they turned out amazing!! In the past when I’ve made cupcakes from scratch they turned out dry, but these were not dry at all. Frosting was amazing and held up well, wasn’t watery at all. All of my guests were raving about how great they were, several asked for the recipe! Use this recipe next time you need cupcakes from scratch!!!!

  5. 5 stars
    Divine!
    My older sister made these for me on my birthday and they were so good. I am trying to figure out how to convert to a full cake!

  6. 5 stars
    I love this recipe. Yes, it does not make 20 servings like the recipe suggests, but it’s a very good recipe. I don’t use butter in my cakes or cupcakes so I swap the 1/2 cup butter for 1/2 cup oil. They come out so fluffy, moist and flavorful. My go-to funfetti cupcake recipe!

  7. I only got 12 cupcakes and needed 15. The recipe turned out dry. I use convection so cut the bake time by 7 minutes so I could begin toothpick test. These are dry. Not sure why. I bake all the time and this process was very different from other recipes,

    1. 2 stars
      As far as another reviewer who said they were dry, mine were not overbaked . I watched them closely. First, raw batter. Checked again after just a few min and took them out with moist crumbs on skewer. How long should you mix at the end after adding the milk ? “Until smooth ” is how long ? Any ideas as to what went wrong? Thanks.

  8. 5 stars
    This recipe was super easy, even for the baking challenged like myself. I made double the recipe and added an extra egg because mine were small. Cooked for 18 minutes and they were PERFECT. I managed to get the double recipe to stretch out to 30 mini cupcakes. I will definitely make again.

  9. 4 stars
    Great taste but barely made 13 cupcakes. Selected this recipe because of the number of cupcakes. I figured when it said 20, I’d at least get 18 (I only needed 15). Now I need to make another 1/2 batch. I’d also recommend using weight vs volume as it is more accurate in baking. King Arthur baking has a great weight chart of just about everything.

    1. 2 stars
      Super easy to follow recipe. With that said, they came out super soft and fluffy…. But within an hour or so, they became really dense. I also tasted flour, which wasn’t pleasant. No big deal.. this was my first attempt at homemade cupcakes, but I don’t think I’ll use this recipe again. Not sure where the 20 cupcakes came from, I got a total of 12, 12.5 if we’re being really specific.

  10. 1 star
    I’m so confused by the high ratings on this recipe. I own a home baking business and decided to try a new funfetti cupcake recipe. As soon as I started, I had a weird feeling about this recipe. It didn’t seem right. I should have trusted my instincts. I needed 24 cupcakes. I started off doing the normal batch (which says it makes 20) to see how they turned out first. It only made NINE. I was shocked. I quoted my client based on this recipe and had to triple the recipe to get the amount I needed. After all that, the bake was weird and the texture wasn’t like cupcakes I’ve made before. I made chocolate and vanilla cupcakes the same day and they were perfect with a soft fluffy dome. Not sure what’s so off with this recipe, but unfortunately I will not be using it again.

  11. Have you made these in mini cupcakes? I would like to do 24 regular cupcakes and 24 mini cupcakes but I’m not sure how to adjust the recipe

  12. 4 stars
    These cupcakes are delicious. The only strange thing was the texture of the batter. It looked like oatmeal, when they went in the oven I was worried. However, they came out perfect. I have the same comment about the icing. It was very runny after adding the liquid, I had to add an additional 2 cups of icing sugar. A very important thing to note is the sprinkles, the amount was perfect. Overall great!

  13. I made these cupcakes for my toddler’s birthday party. I followed the recipe exactly, and decorated the cakes to look like cat faces.

    They were a hit (which was good because I didn’t have a backup plan). It was my first time baking from scratch, and i was thankful for such a simple recipe to follow.

  14. I’ve made this recipe twice now and cannot get the frosting right. Or maybe it’s supposed to be more of a vanilla whipped cream than a buttermilk? Cupcakes are great, will make those again, but will probably not do the frosting again.

  15. 5 stars
    I was nervous because there were some really negative reviews. But I loved the simplicity of this recipe so I gave it a try. They turned out delicious! Moist, great flavor and not too sweet (I didn’t make the icing, just the cupcakes). We are living full time in our camper, and they still turned out great in my little camper oven! Don’t be led astray by the negative reviews! These are DELICIOUS cupcakes!

  16. 5 stars
    i’m not sure why all these comments are so horrible! these cupcakes were really yummy! i put cream cheese frosting on them instead and it was so good. I am very much not a chef and i appreciate how simple this was. these are so yummy and i highly recommend 🙂

  17. 5 stars
    I just baked these Funfetti cupcakes with my kids and it was a hit, even without the frosting!! Easy, moist and delicious. Thanks!!

  18. 5 stars
    I made these cupcakes and frosting and they were so delicious!
    I was wondering if I can use the same recipe for a cake?

  19. Oh my god these are the worst cupcakes on the planet for the love of god find a different recipe if I save one person from making this my life wasn’t a waste. I have absolutely no idea how this is rated so well but stay away it’s so brutal I don’t even think a dog would eat it

    1. Oh no! It sounds like our cupcakes didn’t quite hit the sweet spot for you. We’re sorry to hear that you didn’t enjoy them. As the saying goes, “you can’t please everyone,” but we still appreciate your feedback. Perhaps you could use the cupcakes as doorstops or paperweights instead? Just kidding! In all seriousness, we’re sorry the recipe didn’t work out for you and we hope you find a recipe that better suits your taste buds.

  20. 2 stars
    I am beyond disappointed in this recipe. Extremely bland, the icing tastes like butter. I’m a baker and have never had something come out so poorly. Looks like I’ll be sticking to my other go-to blogs. Do yourself a favor and avoid this cupcake recipe.

  21. 2 stars
    made these as they were highly reviewed but they came out hard after I left them in for the minimum suggested baking time and the icing was inedibily sweet.

  22. 2 stars
    Cupcakes were not soft or moist. Lacked any flavor. Icing was hard and tasted like pure sugar. Followed recipe exactly.

    I don’t usually leave reviews, but I made these for my daughter’s birthday.

    Disappointed!!!

  23. Hi Lauren,

    If I want to do a batch exactly like the recipe and then a second batch with regular vanilla cupcakes and chocolate frosting (I have the frosting recipe) could I just leave out the sprinkles and it’ll still taste good?

    Thanks!

  24. I made them for a school project and the frosting was way too sweet, the cupcake did not have any flavor to it. I do not recommend

  25. I halved this recipe and split the batter between 10 cupcakes. They didn’t fill quite 2/3, so they’re a little smaller than expected. It might have filled more of the cupcake tin if I split it between 8 or 9, but I think the way they turned out is fine, just a tad smaller or shorter than usual. I made them a day early. I’ll let you know how they taste tomorrow. 🙂

  26. 5 stars
    Made this into a cake. Doubled the recipe to fit into two 10inch cake pans – came out great! Icing was perfect too!

  27. 4 stars
    Great tasting cupcakes! Made them with my daughter (she’s 3) and she adores them!! Taste is amazing, icing is great. The only reason why I wouldn’t give a 5 star is because my batch came out very crumbly almost to the point of falling apart after the first bite. But this probabaly has less to do with the recipe and more to my lack of baking ability 😂

  28. 5 stars
    My daughter requests this cake for her birthday too, which happened to be yesterday. I saw this post and knew I had to try it from scratch. My daughter asked me what I did differently this year because it was “better than last year’s.” The whole family loved it! It was so moist and delicious. Safe to say this will now be my go-to. Thanks!

  29. Funfetti cupcakes were what my niece requested for her 16th birthday and she and the whole family loved them. They were so fun to make.

  30. My husband totally loves Funfetti Cake too! He’d for sure be stoked if I made these for him! Thanks! Pinned!

  31. Thanks for the cute printable and sharing your recipe! Those cupcakes are adorable!!

  32. Oh my goodness, these cupcakes look so delicious and that printable is adorable. Love it!