4th of July Funfetti Cake

by Courtney Rich

Last updated on

4th of July Funfetti Cake – A patriotic funfetti cake, made with tender white cake layers, mixed with red, white and blue sprinkles, covered in a whipped vanilla buttercream.

After a couple of weeks away from the kitchen enjoying a little sand between my toes, it’s good to be baking again. I mean, yes, it’s hard to leave the fun-filled, carefree days of any vacation behind and return to the daunting tasks of unpacking, laundry, cleaning, and loads of work, but I do love getting back into my routine. And part of that routine is baking!

4th of July Funfetti Cake

I’ve had several requests lately for a funfetti cake, so I thought the upcoming holiday would be the perfect inspiration for this one. Of course, you can use any colored jimmies for this cake, but I do recommend using jimmies like THESE and not the sanding sprinkles. The sanding sprinkles you often see at the grocery store will bleed into the cake batter. The jimmies do a much better job of holding their color and shape.

This cake is tender and fluffy and full of flavor. You’ll actually notice in the recipe that I use clear vanilla extract. The clear vanilla extract has a slightly sweeter taste than pure vanilla extract and reminds me a little of the box mix flavor (but in a homemade-kind-of-way, of course!).

To decorate this cake, I frosted the entire cake using 6-inch cake boards on the bottom and top of the cake. Once you frost the sides of the cake, the boards allow you to hold the cake horizontally and roll it in a jelly roll pan full of red, white and blue star sprinkles. It’s much easier than it sounds, and I have a video on my Instagram account to show you how it’s done. You can also place the sprinkles on the side of the cake by hand.

For the top of the cake, I used the Wilton 32-star tip to make a crossover pattern in each color. I also added some of Sweetapolita’s Party in the USA sprinkle medley for a bit more fun.

4th of July Funfetti Cake

I hope you enjoy this 4th of July Funfetti Cake with your family and friends!! Check out THIS POST for some extra tips for adding sprinkles to the side of your cake! Also, make sure to follow me on Instagram @cakebycourtney for more tips and recipes on all things cake!

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4th of July Funfetti Cake

Yield 1 4-layer 6-inch cake or 3-layer 8-inch cake

4th of July Funfetti Cake.

Tender white cake layers with sprinkles and vanilla buttercream.

Ingredients

FOR THE VANILLA CAKE

  • 1 whole egg (I use extra large)
  • 3 egg whites (also extra large)
  • 1 cup (240 g) buttermilk, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons (8 g)  clear vanilla extract
  • 3 cups, plus 2 tablespoons (359.4 g) cake flour
  • 1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon (16 g) baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon (4.2 g) salt
  • 12 tablespoons (169.5 g) unsalted butter, room temperature 
  • 1/2 cup sprinkles

FOR THE VANILLA BUTTERCREAM

  • 2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter, slightly chilled
  • 6 cups (750 g)  powdered sugar, measured then sifted
  • 2 teaspoons (8.4 g) clear vanilla extract 
  • 3 tablespoons (43.3 g) heavy cream
  • Pinch of salt
  • *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping, you’ll want to make an extra 1/2 batch.

Instructions

FOR THE VANILLA CAKE

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare four 6-inch round cake pans or three 8-inch round cake pans by spraying each pan with non-stick spray, covering the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and spraying the parchment paper with the non-stick spray as well. Set aside.
  2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the whole egg, egg whites and clear vanilla extract. Set aside.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix on low speed for about 30 seconds.
  4. With the mixer on low speed, add the butter and buttermilk. Continue to mix on low until just combined and then increase to medium speed and mix for 1-2 minutes, until light and fluffy.
  5. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the egg mixture in two additions, beating on medium speed for about 20 seconds after each addition until just combined and all the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. Fold in the sprinkles.
  6. Divide the batter into the four 6-inch pans or three 8-inch prepared cake pans, using a kitchen scale to measure equal parts in each pan. (Use about 11 to 12 ounces of batter in each of the four 6-inch pans or 15 to 16 ounces of batter in each of the three 8-inch pans).
  7. Bake for 20-25 minutes (my cakes took 20 minutes), or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
  8. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes and then invert onto wire racks until completely cool. 

FOR THE VANILLA BUTTERCREAM

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy.
  2. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the powdered sugar, followed by the heavy cream, clear vanilla extract and salt.
  3. Continue to beat the frosting on medium-high speed for an additional 5 minutes.       
  4. Before frosting your cake, make sure to mix the frosting by hand with a wooden spoon to push out the air pockets. 

ASSEMBLY

  1. After leveling each of the cake layers with a cake leveler or serrated knife, place the first cake layer, top side up. For the 6-inch cake, add about 1/2 cup of frosting on the cake layer. For the 8-inch version, add about 1 cup of frosting. Spread over the cake layer as evenly as possible. 
  2. Repeat this step until you get to the final cake layer, which you will lay top side down.
  3. Apply a thin coat of frosting around the entire cake to lock in the crumbs. Freeze for 10 minutes.
  4. After the crumb coat is set, continue frosting and decorating the cake.

Courtney Rich

I’m a self-taught baker, obsessed with cake.

I long ago ditched box mixes in pursuit of melt-in-your-mouth, to-die-for flavor combinations, fillings and textures. I believe cake must be decadent, life-changing and worthy of celebration! And I believe anyone should be able to bake that kind of cake – and I’m here to teach you just that!

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Comments

  1. Just making this for a family gathering, can’t wait! Just wondering when or if you add sprinkles to the batter? Maybe I am reading it wrong and miss that detail.

    Reply

  3. I do not have clean vanilla extract. Do I need to go out and search for some or can I get away with making this cake with regular vanilla extract?

    Reply

    2. I would suggest getting some, (which you can find at most craft stores actually), because it adds a bit of sweetness like the flavor from the box mix.

      Reply

  4. I made this cake for my grand daughters birthday. Help!!! It looked beautiful but was heavy and dry:( What did I do wrong? I froze them for less than 48 hours with two layers of plastic wrap and put them in a ziplock bags. Looking for some help, my last cake was also dry. I froze it also…

    Heidi
    (A cake baker wannabe)

    Reply

    1. Hi Heidi, I’m so sorry to hear that. This cake should be light and fluffy. Freezing them won’t change the texture – my guess is that you may have added too much flour, over mixed the batter, and/or overcooked the cakes. I always spoon in my flour to the measuring cups and level off with a knife. You want to do low speed on the mixer once you add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. And you oven may be running hot, so the time I give might have been too long.

      Reply

  6. This looks lovely! I’m hoping to make something similar for my son’s birthday! I was planning on making two layers in 10 inch rounds. Should I double the recipe and how long will it take to bake in the 10 inch pans? Thanks!!!

    Reply