Recipe

Homemade Confetti Cake

A soft, buttery vanilla cake loaded with sprinkles and finished with fluffy vanilla buttercream. Bright flavor, clean steps, and big birthday energy.

By Matt Campbell

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4.8

A homemade confetti layer cake with vanilla buttercream, sliced to show a sprinkle-speckled crumb, on a white cake stand on a bright kitchen counter

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Confetti cake is basically joy you can slice. It is the cake that shows up to the party already wearing sequins, and honestly, we should all live with that kind of confidence.

This is my from-scratch version for Mom's Best Recipes: fluffy, buttery vanilla layers, plenty of sprinkles, and a vanilla buttercream that tastes like the good kind of nostalgia. The method is simple but intentional, with a couple tiny tricks that keep the crumb tender and the sprinkles bright (or at least as bright as sprinkles can be, depending on the brand) instead of sad and streaky.

Baking ingredients for confetti cake on a kitchen counter including flour, sugar, butter, eggs, milk, vanilla, baking powder, and rainbow jimmies in small bowls

Why It Works

Soft, plush crumb: A classic creaming method plus room-temperature ingredients gives you lift without dryness.
Bright sprinkle pops: We use rainbow jimmies because they typically bleed less than nonpareils.
Real vanilla flavor: Vanilla is the whole point here. A little extra makes the cake taste like more than “sweet.”
Frosting that behaves: The buttercream spreads smoothly, pipes cleanly, and sets up nicely for slicing.

Pairs Well With

Storage Tips

How to Store Confetti Cake

Room temperature (best texture): If your kitchen is cool, store the frosted cake under a cake dome for up to 2 days.
Refrigerator (longer storage): Refrigerate, well covered, for about 4 to 5 days. Let slices sit at room temp for 30 to 60 minutes before eating so the buttercream turns silky again.
Freezer: Wrap individual slices in plastic wrap, then foil. Freeze up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or for a couple hours at room temp.
Make ahead: Bake cake layers, cool completely, wrap, and refrigerate 1 day or freeze up to 1 month. Frost when ready.

Two cooled confetti cake layers wrapped tightly in plastic wrap on a kitchen counter, ready for make-ahead storage

Common Questions

What sprinkles are best for confetti cake?

Go with rainbow jimmies. Nonpareils (the tiny balls) tend to bleed their color faster and can leave you with streaky batter. (Some jimmies can bleed a little depending on brand, but they usually hold up much better.)

Why did my sprinkles sink?

Usually it is either a thinner batter or heavier sprinkles. Use jimmies, and gently fold them in at the very end. If you want extra insurance, toss the sprinkles with 1 teaspoon flour before folding.

Can I make this in a 9x13 pan?

Yes. Bake at 350°F in a greased 9x13-inch pan for about 35 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs and the center springs back. (For accuracy, the internal temp will be about 200 to 205°F.) Depending on your pan depth, do not fill it more than about 2/3 full.

Can I use cake flour instead of all-purpose flour?

You can. Swap by weight if possible. If using cups, cake flour is lighter, so the texture will be extra tender. The cake may dome a little less.

How do I keep confetti cake moist?

Do not overbake, and measure flour correctly. Also, let the cake cool completely before frosting so you do not trap steam that later dries things out.

A hand using a spatula to gently fold rainbow jimmies into vanilla cake batter in a mixing bowl

Matt Campbell

I have always had a huge passion for the culinary arts, people, working as a team, and so on. I wanted to pursue my love for cooking initially at Virginia Commonwealth University with a culinary arts degree; however, I instead decided to apply myself and acquire more practical skills. My end goal is to eventually open my own restaurant or similar establishment.

Kitchen Essentials

2 (8-inch) round cake pans (or 9-inch, see note in instructions)
Parchment paper rounds
Stand mixer or handheld mixer
Mixing bowls
Rubber spatula
Measuring cups and spoons
Wire cooling rack
Offset spatula or butter knife for frosting
Optional: cake turntable for easier frosting

I love fancy food, but confetti cake is my reminder that cooking is also allowed to be pure fun. The first time I tried to make one from scratch, I went in way too confident, dumped in whatever sprinkles I had, and ended up with a cake that looked like a watercolor painting in the wrong way. Still delicious, but chaotic.

Now I stick to jimmies, fold them in gently, and I do not overthink it. Confetti cake should feel like a friend showing up with good energy and a slightly crooked frosting job. Perfectly imperfect, then suddenly everyone is hovering around the counter asking for “just a tiny slice.”