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My grandkids adore these Funfetti Cupcakes that are colorful and fun, and just right for little hands. I think their favorite thing about these cupcakes is the frosting. It’s lighter than my usual cream cheese frosting, but it still has the tangy cream cheese flavor. We’re making a homemade cake batter for these cupcakes and filling it with sprinkles. These are the perfect cupcakes for birthdays or special occasions.
My sweet grandbabies love it when I make any cupcakes, especially these Chocolate Cupcakes or these Strawberry Lemon Cupcakes. But the birthday request is always these Funfetti Cupcakes. Something about sprinkles just screams birthday — although we also like these cupcakes on a random Saturday when it’s nobody’s birthday!
What sets these cupcakes apart is the frosting. A lot of funfetti cupcake recipes are slathered in traditional buttercream frosting (and I do love my Easy Buttercream Frosting), but I wanted a cream cheese flavor without the heaviness of regular Cream Cheese Frosting.
Folding whipped cream into a cream cheese base gives you a frosting that pipes cleanly and holds its shape, but is soft and tangy rather than dense and super sweet. The frosting is sweet but not quite as much as the regular version.
And this cake is so, so good. I used buttermilk to keep it moist and, of course, butter. How can you make any cupcake without butter?!!
Testing results for funfetti cupcakes
- I typically use a mix of butter and oil when making any cake batter (like my reader favorite Moist Yellow Cake), but I found that with the addition of the buttermilk, these cupcakes were just fine with only butter.
- I tried using granulated sugar in the whipped cream frosting, but found that I preferred powdered sugar as it dissolved more cleanly and easily.
I hope you make this recipe. I think you’ll love it!
Ingredient notes
Here are a few things to know about the ingredients in this recipe.
➡️➡️➡️ The full ingredient amounts and instructions are listed below on the printable recipe card. Scroll below the recipe card for frequently asked questions and tips for success.
Sprinkles. Use jimmies, the little rod-shaped sprinkles, for the batter. They hold their color through baking.
Heavy whipping cream. Keep it cold, straight from the fridge, right up until you whip it. Cold cream whips faster and holds more air.
Cream cheese. Use full-fat block Philadelphia cream cheese, not the spreadable tub kind. It does double duty here, adding tang and stabilizing the whipped cream so the frosting is pipeable.
Pin this now to save it for laterHow to make funfetti cupcakes
Here’s how to make these funfetti cupcakes step by step.
- Sift the dry ingredients and set them aside. Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, then beat in the eggs one at a time and add the vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients in thirds, alternating with the buttermilk, and mix just until smooth. Fold in the sprinkles by hand.
- Scoop the batter into lined cups and bake until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool them completely before frosting.
- Whip the cold cream until fluffy. In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
- Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture, pipe it onto the cooled cupcakes, and finish with sprinkles.
Why this frosting works
Whipped cream on its own is lovely for about an hour, then it weeps and slumps. The cream cheese is what fixes that. Its fat and protein give the whipped cream a structure to hold onto, so the frosting stays pipeable and keeps its shape in the refrigerator for days.
You also get a flavor trade. Buttercream leans almost entirely on butter and powdered sugar, which tends to be rich and sweet. Folding whipped cream into a cream cheese base lightens the whole thing, and the tang cuts the sugar, so it tastes balanced against a cupcake that’s already pretty sweet.
Be sure to fold, not beat, at the end. Once the whipped cream is in, you stir gently just until it disappears into the cream cheese. Over-mixing here knocks out the air, and you’ll lose the light texture.
How to keep sprinkles from bleeding
Not all sprinkles behave the same in batter. Jimmies, the small rod-shaped ones with a waxy coating, hold their color through mixing and baking. That coating is what protects them, so the rainbow stays sharp.
Nonpareils, the tiny round balls, are the ones that cause trouble. Their color sits right on the surface with nothing to seal it, so they dissolve and streak the batter gray the moment they hit the moisture. Skip them for the batter and save them for the top if you like the look. Either way, fold the sprinkles in at the very end with a few gentle strokes and stop. The longer they sit in wet batter, the more color they give up.
Variations
- Mini cupcakes. This batter makes a good party tray of minis. Fill the liners two-thirds full and shorten the bake time.
- Almond. Add a quarter teaspoon of almond extract along with the vanilla for a bakery-style flavor.
- Cream cheese frosting swap. If you would rather skip the whipped cream step, my straight Cream Cheese Frosting pipes beautifully on these, too.
- Color theme. Match the sprinkle blend to a holiday or party palette, red and pink for Valentine’s, orange and black for Halloween.
And if you love confetti everything, try my Easy Funfetti Cake from Scratch and my Funfetti Sugar Cookies.
If you make this recipe, please leave a comment and ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below!
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Funfetti Cupcakes Recipe
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup buttermilk, room temperature
- ½ cup sprinkles (jimmies)
Whipped cream cream cheese frosting:
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream, chilled
- 8 ounces cream cheese, cold
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5 tablespoons sprinkles, to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a cupcake pan with liners.
- In a medium bowl, sift together 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Set the flour mixture aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened and 3/4 cup granulated sugar on medium-high speed for 3 minutes, until thick and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. The butter will turn very pale.
- Add 2 large eggs, room temperature one at a time, beating well and scraping down the bowl after each. Add 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and mix to combine.
- Reduce the mixer speed to medium and add the flour mixture in thirds, alternating with 1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature and scraping down the bowl. Mix just until combined and smooth, without overmixing. Fold in 1/2 cup sprinkles (jimmies) with a spatula.
- Divide the batter evenly among the liners, filling each about two-thirds full. An ice cream scoop works well here.
- Bake for 20 to 23 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack until the cupcakes reach room temperature.
Whipped Cream – Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a mixing bowl, whip 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, chilled on high speed for a minute or two, until fluffy and spreadable.
- In a second bowl, beat 8 ounces cream cheese, cold until creamy and whipped. Add the powder sugar in increments, tasting after each addition. I start with 1 cup and then add 1/4 cup increments. Stop when it tastes sweet enough to you. Mix in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
- Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture with a spatula, just until blended.
- Pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes and garnish with 5 tablespoons sprinkles, to garnish. Refrigerate the cupcakes until ready to serve.
Nutrition
Questions and tips
Make-ahead and storage
Make ahead. Bake the cupcakes a day in advance and keep them unfrosted at room temperature in an airtight container, then frost the day you serve. You can also make the frosting a few hours ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator, giving it a quick stir before piping.
Storage. Because the frosting is cream and cream cheese-based, frosted cupcakes need to stay in the refrigerator. They keep well covered for up to three days, and they taste best if you let them sit out for fifteen minutes or so before eating.
Freezing. Freeze the cupcakes unfrosted for up to three months. I lay them out on a baking sheet, place it in the freezer overnight, then wrap each frozen cupcake in plastic wrap and store them in a freezer bag. Thaw the cupcakes at room temperature before frosting.
Sinking usually comes from overmixing the batter after the flour goes in, which beats in too much air that then collapses. An oven running hot can do it too, since the cupcakes rise fast and fall. Mix just until the batter is smooth, and check your oven with a thermometer.
Soft or warm cream cheese and under-whipped cream are the usual culprits. Whip the cream until it holds firm peaks before folding, and make sure the cream cheese is not warm when you start. Another tip is to chill the bowl and beaters first, but I usually forget to do this and my frosting turns out fine.
