Confetti Sprinkle Cupcakes

Make every day a special occasion with Confetti Sprinkle Cupcakes. Scratch-made and incredibly soft, these birthday cupcakes are speckled with rainbow sprinkles and topped with fluffy buttercream frosting.

I’m trying to live my best life, but I’m also trying to avoid salmonella. Sadly, the two cannot coexist. At least not when I’m standing in front of a bowl of cupcake batter begging me to eat it. Okay, it didn’t actually say ‘eat me’, it said ‘bite me’ which is more of an insult than an invitation. But it’s hard to take offense when it’s spoken in the giggly voice of Pillsbury’s Doughboy.

Is it just me or has everybody eaten so many box cake mixes in their life that they hear Poppin’ Fresh hoo-hooing every time they bake? It’s not an auditory hallucination, I’m being haunted by Pillsbury’s pudgy mascot. I should probably see a somebody about that, like a psychiatrist. Or a ghostbuster.

I don’t know if a shrink or Dan Aykroyd would be better suited for the job, but I do know why the doughboy is taunting me. It’s because I’m on a mission to get every home baker to switch from store-bought cake mixes to scratch made. I’m all for convenience, but there’s no comparison between cakes made with fresh pantry ingredients and cakes made with preservatives.

The Pillsbury Doughboy may be 14 ounces of pure determination, but he’s no match for my 1,696 ounces. He’s also outmatched when it comes to my knockoff Funfetti cupcakes. I’m talking about smooth, creamy white cake batter dotted with colorful sprinkles that bakes up soft and fluffy every time. Try these from-scratch cupcakes for your next special occasion or just to spite the pasty Doughboy. Whether you’re eating them for a celebration or malice, they always taste sweet.

Before sharing the recipe for Sprinkle Cupcakes, here are a few tips to help you out:

Ingredient Tips

Cake flour gives cupcakes a tender, fluffy texture. If you don’t have this ingredient on hand then you can make a cake flour substitute using all-purpose flour and cornstarch. For this cupcake recipe, measure 1 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour into a bowl then remove 2 1/2 Tablespoons of flour. Next, add 2 1/2 Tablespoons of cornstarch to the bowl of flour then sift the mixture three times. Do not skip the sifting step since it’s essential for aerating the flour.

This recipe calls for heavy cream in the buttercream frosting. Whole milk passes as a substitute but may result in less fluffy frosting.

Use any kind of cupcake sprinkles you wish except nonpareil sprinkles because their color will bleed into the batter.

Egg whites, sour cream, milk and butter all need to be at room temperature before beginning.

Cupcake Preparation Tips

Always use the spoon and level method to measure flour. Scooping overpacks flour into the measuring cup which results in dry, dense cupcakes.

Only fill cupcake liners 2/3 full with batter before baking. Overfilling will cause the batter spill over the liner as it rises in the oven.

How to Store Sprinkle Cupcakes

Store cupcakes with buttercream frosting in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 days.

Freeze unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before frosting.

Whether you call these Happy Birthday Cupcakes, Funfetti Cupcakes or Sprinkle Cupcakes, everyone will call them delicious. Please leave a comment and review below after your next cupcake party. And, while you’re at it, sign up for my weekly Recipe Newsletter so you never miss a tempting recipe.

Finally, if you like desserts with sprinkles then you’ll love these Funfetti Cookies. Loaded with colorful sprinkles, these pillowy soft sugar cookies will bring a smile to your face and your stomach.

Sprinkle Cupcakes

Heather Wolf

Make every day a special occasion with Confetti Sprinkle Cupcakes. Scratch-made and incredibly soft, these birthday cupcakes are speckled with rainbow sprinkles and topped with fluffy buttercream frosting.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Cakes and Cupcakes

Cuisine American

Servings 18

Ingredients

  

Sprinkle Cupcakes

• 1 1/4 cups cake flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp sea salt fine
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 large egg whites room temperature
• 2 tsp imitation vanilla extract clear
• 1/4 tsp almond extract
• 1/2 cup full-fat sour cream room temperature
• 1/2 cup whole milk room temperature
• 1/2 cup confetti sprinkles

Buttercream Frosting

• 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
• 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup heavy cream room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract pure
• 1/8 tsp sea salt fine
• 4 – 5 drops pink gel food coloring
• confetti sprinkles

Instructions

 

Sprinkle Cupcakes

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add paper liners to a cupcake pan then set aside.
• Add cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt to a mixing bowl. Whisk until combined then set aside.
• Beat unsalted butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer until creamy and smooth — approximately 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed.
• Beat in egg whites, vanilla extract and almond extract until incorporated.
• Add sour cream then beat until combined.
• Reduce mixer speed to low then add dry ingredients to wet. Beat until just combined–no longer or cupcakes will be dry.
• Pour milk into the bowl then continue beating on low until batter is lump free. Avoid overmixing.
• Add confetti sprinkles then stir with a spoon until sprinkles are evenly distributed.
• Spoon batter into cupcake liners, filling 2/3 of the way.
• Bake cupcakes for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Avoid overbaking.
• Remove pan from oven and allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting with buttercream.
• Repeat baking process for remaining batter.

Buttercream Frosting

• Beat butter with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy — approximately 2 minutes.
• Reduce mixer speed to low then add powdered sugar, heavy cream, vanilla and salt. Beat on low until just combined then increase mixer speed to high and beat for 2 minutes until fluffy.
• Add a few drops of pink gel food coloring then mix until evenly distributed.
• Pipe buttercream onto cupcakes then top with confetti sprinkles.
• Store cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 days.

Keyword cupcakes, sprinkle