Funfetti Cake
Three fluffy vanilla cake layers dotted with rainbow sprinkles, filled and covered with smooth vanilla buttercream, then finished with piped peaks. Makes 12 generous slices. Batch yield: 1 three-layer 20 cm/8-inch cake, cut into 12 generous slices. One serving: 1 slice, one-twelfth of the decorated cake, approximately 263 g. Allow approximately 5 hours 30 minutes from starting with chilled butter to a cake ready to slice. Prep_minutes means non-oven elapsed time: 60 minutes softening butter, 30 minutes preparing tins and batter, 120 minutes cooling, 15 minutes stacking and crumb-coating, 20 minutes crumb-coat chilling, 20 minutes decorating and 30 minutes final chilling. The 15 minutes spent making buttercream overlaps the final cake-cooling period and is not counted twice. Preheating overlaps butter softening. Active preparation totals approximately 80 minutes. All three tins bake together on two shelves, so there are no sequential tray batches; allow 35 oven minutes in total. Cooling must be extended if the layers remain warm. Nutrition is estimated per one of 12 slices, including all buttercream and sprinkles. Appliances: Oven with two shelves and room for three 20 cm cake tins; Electric hand mixer; Refrigerator. Equipment: Three 20 cm/8-inch round cake tins, at least 5 cm/2 inches deep; Baking parchment; Kitchen scales; Measuring jug; Mixing bowls; Whisk; Sieve; Silicone spatula; Wire cooling racks; Skewer; Serving plate; Offset spatula; Piping bag; Large star piping nozzle; Cake knife. Allergens: Contains wheat, milk and egg. Sprinkles may contain soy, depending on the brand. Choose explicitly vegetarian sprinkles without gelatin, carmine or shellac, and check all product labels. Storage: Keep covered at a cool room temperature of 18–20°C for up to 1 day; refrigerate promptly in warmer conditions. Refrigerate in a covered cake container for up to 5 days total. Freeze individually wrapped slices in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw wrapped slices overnight in the refrigerator. Let refrigerated slices stand at room temperature for 30–45 minutes before eating for softer buttercream.
295 min
Prep
35 min
Cook
12
Serves
1141
Calories
Macros · per serving
7g protein
153g carbs
55g fat
Ingredients
For 12 servings
- 450 g Plain all-purpose flour
- 10 g Baking powder
- 5 g Fine salt, for the cake
- 466 g Granulated sugar
- 227 g Unsalted butter, softened, for the cake
- 10 g Unsalted butter, for greasing the tins
- 80 ml Neutral vegetable oil
- 15 ml Vanilla extract, for the cake
- 320 ml Cultured buttermilk, at room temperature
- 210 g Large egg whites, from approximately 7 large eggs, at room temperature
- 100 g Vegetarian rainbow jimmies, for the batter
- 450 g Unsalted butter, softened, for the buttercream
- 900 g Icing sugar
- 2 g Fine salt, for the buttercream
- 15 ml Vanilla extract, for the buttercream
- 60 ml Heavy whipping cream
- 25 g Vegetarian rainbow sprinkles, for decorating
Instructions
- 1
Allow about 60 minutes for both portions of butter to soften at room temperature. The butter should take a finger indentation but remain cool and hold its shape. During the final 30 minutes, bring the measured egg whites and buttermilk to room temperature. Keep their total time unrefrigerated before baking under 2 hours.
- 2
During the final 20 minutes of softening, preheat the oven to 180°C/355°F conventional or 160°C/320°F fan. Position two shelves so three 20 cm/8-inch round cake tins, each at least 5 cm/2 inches deep, can bake together with space for air circulation. Grease the tins with the 10 g butter and line their bases with baking parchment.
- 3
Whisk the flour, baking powder and 5 g cake salt together in a bowl. In a separate large bowl, beat the 227 g cake butter and granulated sugar with an electric hand mixer for 4–5 minutes, until noticeably lighter and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl.
- 4
Beat in the vegetable oil and 15 ml cake vanilla. Add the egg whites in four additions, beating briefly after each and scraping down the bowl. A slightly curdled appearance at this stage is acceptable.
- 5
On low speed, mix in one-third of the flour mixture, followed by half the buttermilk. Repeat, then add the remaining flour mixture. Stop as soon as the batter is combined. Fold in the 100 g rainbow jimmies with a spatula, using only a few strokes to limit colour bleeding. Do not taste the raw batter: uncooked flour and egg can carry harmful bacteria.
- 6
Divide the batter equally between the prepared tins, approximately 625 g per tin, and smooth the surfaces. Bake all three tins together for about 35 minutes, carefully swapping their shelf positions and turning them after 20 minutes. They are ready when the centres spring back lightly, the edges begin to pull away and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean or with a few dry crumbs.
- 7
Cool the cakes in their tins on wire racks for 15 minutes. Loosen the edges, turn out carefully and remove the parchment. Turn right-side up and cool on the racks for approximately 105 minutes more, until completely at room temperature, including the centres. Do not stack or frost warm layers.
- 8
During the final 15 minutes of cake cooling, make the buttercream. Sift the icing sugar. In a clean large bowl, beat the 450 g butter for 3 minutes until smooth and pale. Add the icing sugar in four additions on low speed, scraping the bowl between additions.
- 9
Beat in the 2 g buttercream salt, 15 ml buttercream vanilla and all the cream. Beat on medium speed for 3–4 minutes until fluffy, then on low for 1–2 minutes to reduce large air bubbles. The buttercream should spread smoothly while holding a piped ridge.
- 10
Once the cakes are completely cool, reserve approximately 225 g buttercream in a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle. Place one layer on a serving plate and spread with 200 g buttercream. Add the second layer and another 200 g buttercream. Set the final layer on top, flat underside facing upwards.
- 11
Spread approximately 200 g buttercream thinly over the top and sides to trap loose crumbs. Allow about 15 minutes for stacking and crumb-coating, then refrigerate the cake for 20 minutes, until the coating feels firm.
- 12
Spread the remaining buttercream, approximately 600 g, evenly over the top and sides. Smooth with an offset spatula. Pipe 12 peaks around the top edge using the reserved buttercream. Scatter the 25 g decorating sprinkles over the top and gently press some onto the sides. Allow about 20 minutes for this finishing stage.
- 13
Refrigerate for 30 minutes to set the decoration before cutting into 12 wedges. The finished decorated cake should weigh approximately 3.15 kg after baking moisture loss, giving slices of about 263 g each.
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