Easy Funfetti Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

_{Delicious funfetti cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, made from scratch!}

With Spring here, I find myself wanting bright, cheerful desserts. What could be happier than cupcakes filled with sprinkles?! Just the sight of them brings a smile to my face. They’re super easy to make, and a great project to let the kids help out with.

This recipe is for a half batch, only 12 cupcakes, but can be doubled if you’re making these for a party. I’ve included the full recipe below too.

Making cupcakes from scratch

Sure you can buy a box of funfetti cake mix at the store, but these cupcakes are so easy to make and the colors pop when you compare them to the store bought version.

This is my favorite from scratch recipe for cupcakes. I love the flavor so much, I often eat several cupcakes with no icing! They’re just that good. The recipe is adapted slightly from an old Pillsbury cookbook that belonged to my grandmother, then my mom, and now me.

The original recipe is for a white cake (meaning egg whites only, no yolks) but here’s what I changed. I traded shortening for butter, because, FLAVOR! and egg whites for whole eggs. I halved the recipe because I often don’t need enough cake or cupcakes to feed an army, just enough for a weekend at home.

Here’s what we need to make Funfetti Cupcakes

Let’s gather our ingredients. We’ll need all purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, butter, milk, egg, vanilla, and sprinkles.

What kind of sprinkles should I use?

For funfetti cupcakes, we use the long cylinder shaped sprinkles, also called Rainbow Jimmies (they’re pictured above on top of the icing). We don’t want the little ball type sprinkles, these are called nonpareils and they are not cake batter friendly. They’ll turn into a giant mess. You can find the sprinkles I used at Walmart. Jimmies sprinkles come in a variety of colors, and they’re fun to switch up and make holiday themed cupcakes!

Tips for making the best cupcakes:

• Add the sprinkles last, and stir very gently! We’re basically folding them in, not stirring vigorously. This will keep the sprinkles from spreading too much color around the batter.
• For cupcakes that aren’t spilling over the sides: don’t overfill the cupcake liners. For the perfect size, fill to about 2/3 way full on the cupcake liners. (I have a hard time following this rule too, but it’s worth it to try.)
• Let the cupcakes cool before adding frosting. Trying to frost warm cupcakes will end up with melted icing that slides right off. No fun for anyone.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup softened butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 to 2/3 cup sprinkles (not nonpareils)

Icing:

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups confectioners sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a bowl of a stand mixer, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, butter and milk. Blend well at low speed, then beat 1 1/2 minutes at medium speed. Add egg and vanilla, and continue to beat 1 1/2 minutes on medium. Fold in sprinkles, and scoop batter into cupcake tin.
3. Bake for 12-15 minutes; cupcakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs clinging!
4. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes, then move cupcakes to continue cooling on a wire rack.
5. Prepare icing and spread onto cooled cupcakes.

Make the Icing:

While the cupcakes are cooling, prepare the icing. Cream together the softened butter & cream cheese until well blended, then add in the powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat on medium-high speed until creamy and smooth. Put in icing bag to pipe or smooth over cooled cupcakes with an offset spatula.

About this icing: This recipe makes a very soft icing, not sturdy and structured. If you want a firmer icing, you can reduce the amount of cream cheese and/or increase the amount of confectioner’s sugar.

For a double batch, use the following measurements. Same instructions apply!

Double Batch of Funfetti Cupcakes:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 1 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup sprinkles (not nonpareils)

Icing

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 4 cups confectioners sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla

Cake recipe adapted from Pillbury’s white cake 

Want more sprinkle fun?

Funfetti Sugar Cookies 
Pancakes with Sprinkles
Chewy Sugar Cookies with Sprinkles

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Baking!! Leave a comment and let me know if you make this recipe!