This homemade funfetti cake is 10x better than store bought cake mix and is almost as easy to make! Make this mini cake recipe to celebrate birthdays of all your favorite people!
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A Quick Note:
Though this recipe makes four adorable mini cakes our photos only show three. Why, you ask?
You may think we’re just trying to make our photos look artsy by using the rule of odds but sadly that was not the case.
We encountered a very excited dog under foot as I was transferring my first cake to the fridge to cool, and in true cinematic fashion, I tripped and that cake flew out of my hands and landed face down on the floor.
Did I cry? Internally, yes. The loss of a beautiful cake is a hard thing to bare.
(Don’t worry, the pup got sent out into the backyard to chase squirrels and nap in the sun so the other cakes were safe).
Kitchen fails are like a daily occurrence for me. I’m clumsy. I have misbehaved pets, and we’re currently renovating a house. My life seems to consist of a lot of mini disasters that you just have to laugh at or else you’ll cry.
But I feel as though I can’t be the only one with so many kitchen fail stories. Share your favorite fail down in the comments so we can all laugh and feel a bit better about our lack of perfection together!
Occasions to Make this Mini Homemade Funfetti Cake Recipe
Looking for an excuse to bake these adorable mini cakes? Here’s some good occasions to bake for!
- Birthdays
- Tea Parties
- Easter
- A Small Graduation Party
- Bridal Showers
- Today, tomorrow, and the next day. Because there is no wrong reason to enjoy a delicious cake
Tips for the Best Homemade Funfetti Cake
Tip #1
Don’t substitute all purpose for cake flour. It can be tempting to do so because no one wants to go buy special flour, but trust me. Cake flour will give a fluffier, lighter texture.
All purpose flour will result in a denser, dryer cake. So if you do choose to risk it and use all purpose flour, don’t say I didn’t warn you!
Tip #2
Use the wax paper butter wrapper to help prevent the cake sticking. This is one of my favorite baking hacks.
Not only does it make double sure that your cake won’t stick to the bottom of the pans, it also prevents any tearing of that center cake.
Plus, you are reusing what would otherwise just go to the trash, so give yourself a pat on the back for being so eco-friendly!
Method: Wipe the butter wrapper around the whole pan. Flour the pan as normal and then just plop that wax paper butter side up.
(PS do not do this if your butter wrapper is made of foil….you could burn the bottoms of your cakes)!
Tip #3
Make sure the cake is completely cooled before cutting with the biscuit cutter.
The very first time I made this cake recipe, I got impatient and did not wait until it was completely cooled before cutting. The result: a crumbly mess that was impossible to frost.
So keep your cool and allow that cake to cool completely before you pick up that biscuit cutter!
Tip #6
Save that excess cake! When you cut out your cakes, you’ll probably have leftover scraps.
Don’t let it go to waste. If you don’t eat it with your fingers like the cavemen we all are at heart, use the extras to make some cute birthday trifles or make some cake pops!
Tip #5
Do a crumb coat and chill the cakes for 20 minutes before frosting completely. This will help you perfect your outer frosting and get sharper, prettier edges. It will also make your life so much easier and prevent tearing and unsightly crumbs showing up in your finished product.
Don’t know how to crumb coat? Check out this handy dandy youtube video and become a pro real quick!
Tip #6
Top with an Edible Candle. I suppose this isn’t really a tip, just a really cute suggestion. Again sticking on the eco friendly tricks here, why waste a wax birthday candle when you could just eat the candle instead?!
Let me tell you about Let Them Eat Candles! They are pretty much the only birthday cake candles I buy now. They’re made of tasty chocolate and leave you with zero waste! Get yours here and have your cake and eat the candle too!
Special Materials for a Successful Mini Cake Recipe
Round Biscuit Cutter
Biscuit cutters make cutting out the cakes clean and easy. I used the medium sized one from this set (2.75in (7cm) in diameter) but you can use another size if you’d like (this may change how many mini cakes this recipe will yield).
Cake Leveler
This is optional, but I definitely think it’s worth it. Small cakes may show imperfections even more than larger cakes so an actually leveled cake is nice to have.
Reusable Piping Bags
Throwing away piping bags is not only bad for the environment but also such a waste of your money!
I only use these reusable piping bags for my baking because I refuse to spend more money than I need to and hate the idea that my frosting bags could one day kill a sweet baby sea turtle or something.
Gel Food Coloring
This is the set I use for all my recipes. Gel food coloring is always better than liquid if you are looking for that bright, vibrant color.
Sadly, the set I use doesn’t include white, so if you are wanting to make sure your daisy petals are actually white and not an off-white, you can get white food coloring here.
9″ Cake Pan
We only need one so use one if you already have one. But I like using heavy duty, lighter pans because they will give you a more even bake and won’t overbrown your bottoms as much.
A basic set of piping tips
This is the first set I bought years ago. It’s affordable and gets the job done! Both piping tips I used are from this little kit.
Decorate Your Homemade Funfetti Cake
Related Recipes
Fairy Bread Cake Mix Cookies
Strawberries + Cream Poke Cupcakes
Lilac Simple Syrup
Mini Homemade Funfetti Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1½ cup cake flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup milk room temperature
- ½ tbsp baking powder
- 3 egg yolks room temperature
- ½ cup rainbow sprinkles
Buttercream Frosting
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- ¾ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream
- gel food coloring yellow, purple
- white food coloring
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C. Grease and flour a 9 inch cake pan and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, sift together your cake flour, baking powder, and salt so that there are no lumps.
- In a separate bowl, cream together your butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy (about 3-5 minutes).
- Add your vanilla and one egg yolk at a time. Mixing until each is just combined.
- Now begin to add your flour and milk in alternating batches, mixing until just barely incorporated each time (Start by adding a third of the flour, then half the milk, then a second third of your flour, then the rest of your milk and finish with the rest of your flour).
- Whisk together until the flour streaks have just been incorporated and then fold in your sprinkled. DO NOT overmix your cake. Transfer to your cake pan and bake for 26-28 minutes. When inserted in the middle, a toothpick should come out clean with maybe a few crumbs sticking to it.
- Place the cake pan on a wire rack. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before flipping it over and removing it the cake pan. Let the cake cool completely on the wire rack before doing anything else with it.
Make the buttercream
- In a mixing bowl, use an electric hand mixer beat your butter until smooth. Add your vanilla and then slowly add the powdered sugar (¼ cup at a time). Once well combined, add your milk1 . I recommend adding the milk one teaspoon at a time until you reach your desired consistency.
- Divide the buttercream into 3 bowls. 1 cup in one bowl, ¼ cup in the other two bowls.
- Use your food coloring to dye the frosting to your desired colors. (I used gel food coloring from this set, 1 drop of purple, 1 drop of lemon. And several drops of this white food coloring).
- Transfer the white and yellow into their own reusable piping bags (reference the video above for the tips I used).
Assemble the Cakes
- Once completely cooled, use a biscuit cutter to cut out 4 cakes. (Save the leftover cake pieces for cake pops, trifles, etc).
- Frost your cakes and decorate as you'd like. (Follow the video above to decorate with daisies).
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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Final Notes…
You can never go wrong with an amazing homemade funfetti cake when you have something to celebrate. However, you can make funfetti even better when your turn it into this mini cake recipe!
Everything is just so much cuter when it’s miniature.
Take some time to enjoy the spring weather, a cup of tea, and these tasty little cakes!
And while you’re here, why not check out some of our other magical recipes to keep that sweet tooth satisfied!
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