Spring Funfetti Cake Pastel (Printable View)

Light vanilla cake flecked with colorful sprinkles and topped with whimsical pastel buttercream.

# What You Need:

→ Cake

01 - 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
03 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
04 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
05 - 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
06 - 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
07 - 4 large eggs, room temperature
08 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
09 - 1 cup whole milk, room temperature
10 - 1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
11 - 2/3 cup rainbow sprinkles

→ Pastel Buttercream

12 - 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
13 - 5 cups powdered sugar, sifted
14 - 1/4 cup whole milk
15 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
16 - Pinch of salt
17 - Pastel pink food coloring gel
18 - Pastel blue food coloring gel
19 - Pastel yellow food coloring gel
20 - Pastel purple food coloring gel

# How To Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line two 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
03 - In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes.
04 - Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract.
05 - In a separate bowl, whisk milk and sour cream until combined.
06 - Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Mix just until combined.
07 - Gently fold in the rainbow sprinkles using a spatula.
08 - Divide batter evenly between the prepared pans and smooth the tops.
09 - Bake for 28 to 32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
10 - Cool cakes in pans for 10 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.
11 - Beat butter until smooth and creamy, approximately 2 minutes.
12 - Gradually add powdered sugar, mixing on low speed until incorporated.
13 - Add milk, vanilla, and salt. Beat on high speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
14 - Divide buttercream into four bowls. Tint each with a different pastel color using food coloring gel.
15 - Dollop or pipe colored buttercream onto cooled cake layers as desired. Swirl colors together for a marbled pastel effect.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The buttercream is so silky and forgiving that even if you slightly overbeat it, those pastel colors still turn out Instagram-worthy.
  • You can actually taste the sprinkles in every bite instead of them just being decoration, which feels like a small miracle.
  • It's the kind of cake that makes people smile before they even taste it, which honestly matters more than perfection.
02 -
  • I once skipped sifting the powdered sugar and spent ten minutes beating out lumps that never fully disappeared—sifting takes sixty seconds and saves you that headache.
  • Room temperature ingredients aren't a suggestion; they're the difference between a silky batter and one that splits apart and looks curdled before it even hits the oven.
  • If your buttercream seems grainy after you add the powdered sugar, don't panic—keep beating it on high for another minute or two and it'll smooth out like magic.
03 -
  • Pull everything out to room temperature before you start—it's the easiest hack for preventing curdled-looking batter and dense crumb.
  • If you're making this for cupcakes, reduce baking time to 22-24 minutes and watch them carefully since smaller cakes bake faster.
  • Make the buttercream while the cakes cool so it's the perfect consistency for spreading by the time they're ready.
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