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Cozy Homemade Confetti Birthday Cake with Vanilla Buttercream

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This confetti birthday cake is a cozy, homemade hug in dessert form—impossibly tender, not too sweet, and topped with a cloud-like vanilla buttercream. It’s the perfect celebration cake for any occasion.

Ingredients

  • All-purpose flour, 2 ½ cups (315g)
  • Granulated sugar, 1 ¾ cups (350g)
  • Unsalted butter, 1 cup (226g), softened
  • Large eggs, 3, room temperature
  • Whole milk, 1 cup (240ml)
  • Vanilla extract, 2 teaspoons
  • Baking powder, 2 ½ teaspoons
  • Salt, ½ teaspoon
  • Rainbow sprinkles (jimmies), ½ cup (80g)
  • Unsalted butter, 1 ½ cups (339g), softened (for buttercream)
  • Powdered sugar, 4 cups (480g), sifted (for buttercream)
  • Heavy cream, 3-4 tablespoons (45-60ml) (for buttercream)
  • Vanilla extract, 2 teaspoons (for buttercream)
  • Salt, a pinch (for buttercream)

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease two 9-inch round cake pans with butter or non-stick spray, then line the bottoms with parchment paper circles. Lightly flour the sides of the pans, tapping out any excess.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the 2 ½ cups of all-purpose flour, 2 ½ teaspoons of baking powder, and ½ teaspoon of salt. Whisk for about 20 seconds to aerate the flour and distribute the leavening evenly. Set this aside.
  3. In a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer), beat the 1 cup of softened unsalted butter and 1 ¾ cups of granulated sugar together on medium speed for 3-4 minutes. You’re looking for a light, fluffy, almost pale yellow mixture. It should look like it’s doubled in volume.
  4. Add the 3 room-temperature eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with your rubber spatula after each egg. Then, beat in the 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. The mixture might look a little curdled at this point—that’s totally normal.
  5. With the mixer on low speed, add about one-third of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Mix until just combined—a few streaks of flour are okay. Then, add half of the 1 cup of whole milk, mixing until incorporated. Repeat with another third of the dry ingredients, the remaining milk, and finally the last third of the dry ingredients. Stop mixing as soon as the flour disappears.
  6. Remove the bowl from the mixer and grab your rubber spatula. Gently fold in the ½ cup of rainbow sprinkles with just a few strokes. You want them distributed evenly without over-mixing.
  7. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans. Use a kitchen scale for accuracy if you have one—each pan should have about 650g of batter. Smooth the tops with your spatula. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. The edges should be lightly golden and pulling away from the sides of the pan.
  8. Let the cakes cool in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Then, run a thin knife around the edges to loosen them, invert onto the cooling rack, and remove the parchment paper. Let them cool completely—at least 1 hour.
  9. While the cakes are cooling, make the frosting. In a large bowl, beat the 1 ½ cups of softened unsalted butter on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until it’s smooth and pale. Gradually add the 4 cups of sifted powdered sugar, about 1 cup at a time, beating on low speed to prevent a sugar cloud. Add the 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. Add the heavy cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, and beat on medium-high speed for 3-4 minutes until the frosting is light, fluffy, and spreadable. If i…
  10. Place one cooled cake layer on your serving plate or cake stand. Spread about ¾ cup of buttercream evenly over the top. Place the second layer on top, flat side down. Apply a thin crumb coat—a thin layer of frosting all over the cake to seal in any loose crumbs. Refrigerate for 15 minutes to set the crumb coat. Then, apply the remaining frosting in a thick, generous layer. Use your offset spatula to create swirls or a smooth finish. Top with extra sprinkles for that celebratory look.

Notes

Use jimmies-style sprinkles (long, skinny ones) to prevent color bleeding. Room temperature ingredients are crucial for best texture. Do not over-mix the batter. Let cakes cool completely before frosting. For a crumb coat, chill the cake for 15 minutes before final frosting layer.

Nutrition

Keywords: confetti cake, birthday cake, vanilla buttercream, homemade cake, sprinkle cake, celebration cake

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