The Best Quick Confetti Birthday Cake with Buttercream
This quick confetti birthday cake with vanilla buttercream is fluffy, fast, and full of happy sprinkles. It’s the perfect weeknight celebration cake that comes together in under 45 minutes with simple pantry ingredients.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 ½ cups (312g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
- 1 cup (240ml) whole milk, room temperature
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup (80g) rainbow sprinkles (jimmies)
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 4 cups (480g) powdered sugar
- ¼ cup (60ml) heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease two 8-inch round cake pans and line bottoms with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Add cold butter cubes to dry ingredients. Beat on low speed until mixture resembles coarse sand with some pea-sized butter pieces, about 2-3 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, and vanilla extract. Pour into flour-butter mixture and mix on medium speed until smooth and well-combined, about 1-2 minutes.
- Gently fold in rainbow sprinkles with a rubber spatula until evenly distributed.
- Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool cakes in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack. Remove parchment and cool completely.
- For buttercream: Beat softened butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time, beating on low. Add heavy cream, vanilla, and salt. Beat on medium-high for 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Place one cake layer on serving plate. Spread about ¾ cup buttercream on top. Place second layer on top. Apply thin crumb coat, refrigerate 15-20 minutes, then apply final frosting layer. Top with extra sprinkles if desired.
Notes
Use jimmies (long cylindrical sprinkles) not nonpareils to avoid color bleeding. Room temperature ingredients are key for best texture. For a dairy-free version, use plant-based butter and oat milk. For gluten-free, use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend with xanthan gum.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 480
- Sugar: 48
- Sodium: 320
- Fat: 24
- Saturated Fat: 14
- Carbohydrates: 65
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 5
Keywords: confetti cake, birthday cake, vanilla buttercream, quick cake, weeknight dessert, funfetti cake