Maintaining all the flavor from my favorite vanilla cupcakes, these confetti cupcakes are soft, fluffy, and extra moist. Creamy vanilla buttercream and extra sprinkles are the perfect finishing touch. I guarantee you’ll use this birthday cupcakes recipe time and time again!
There’s nothing sweeter than a batch of vanilla cupcakes with sprinkles. Unless, of course, those cupcakes include a tall swirl of pink buttercream. Confetti sprinkle cupcakes are the quintessential birthday treat that never goes out of style. I’ve used this cupcake recipe for years and decided it’s time for a helpful video tutorial.
If you’re searching for the most perfect confetti cupcakes, I’ve got you covered!
One reader, John, commented: “These are absolutely fantastic. Perfect crumb, texture, aroma, and appearance. People beg me to bring these to parties now! ★★★★★“
One reader, Franchesca, commented: “Absolutely delicious! This was my first time making cupcakes, so I wanted to choose something relatively easy, and this one was definitely the right choice. Simple and clear instruction made them turn out so soft and fluffy and not overly sweet, which I loved. I made Sally’s strawberry frosting to go with them and it was so good! ★★★★★“
One reader, Dorci, commented: “I made these cupcakes for my son’s birthday and they were the best I’ve ever had! Extremely tender and moist, and the buttercream frosting was to die for. ★★★★★“
Confetti Sprinkle Cupcakes Texture
These confetti cupcakes are my vanilla cupcakes with sprinkles in the batter. The cupcakes are above standard; taking everything you love about professional bakery cupcakes and converting them into a homemade recipe. This cupcake recipe is proven successful time and time again. I use it as the base for chai latte cupcakes, Baileys coffee cupcakes, pistachio cupcakes, coconut cupcakes and more. Here’s why it’s loved:
- Bakery-style softness
- Extra fluffy
- Buttery vanilla flavor
- Super moist texture
Use These 4 *Magic* Ingredients
The perfect cupcake texture is the result of 4 magic ingredients.
- Creamed Butter: Make sure you use the correct room temperature butter.
- Egg Whites (no yolks): Egg whites lift up the crumb instead of weighing it down.
- Sour Cream: Sour cream leaves all the moisture.
- Cake Flour: Cake flour, instead of all-purpose flour, promises an extra soft texture. If you can’t get your hands on cake flour, use this cake flour substitute.
Without each, the cupcakes taste heavy, dense, and dry. You also need granulated sugar, vanilla extract, whole milk, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and sprinkles. 🙂
Video Tutorial: Confetti Cupcakes
Don’t Make This Mistake
Did you know that the amount of cupcake batter you use will MAKE or BREAK your results? The more cupcake batter, the more likely the cupcakes will overflow, sink, and/or burn. And the less cupcake batter, the more likely the cupcakes will quickly over-bake.
- Here’s the magic amount: Fill your cupcake liners 2/3 full, which is about 3/4 inch from the top of any basic cupcake liner. For a visual, see my vanilla cupcakes.
The amount of batter depends on the recipe. For example, when making my chocolate cupcakes, only fill the liner halfway. Most of my cupcake recipes include the amount in the recipe instructions, but when in doubt, fill about 2/3 full.
Bounce Back Test
You can determine if a batch of cupcakes is done in the oven by testing with a toothpick. Stick a toothpick into the center of the cupcake and if it comes out clean, they’re done.
But here’s what I do instead. Remove the cupcakes from the oven or leave them in, your choice. Gently press down on the center of the cupcake. If the cupcake bounces back completely, they are done. If your finger left a dent in the cupcake, they need more time. This bounce back test works for muffins, quick breads, and cakes too.
If you love baking cupcakes, here are more tested & loved recipes:
Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes, Carrot Cake Cupcakes, & Pumpkin Cupcakes
Decorated Confetti Cupcakes
Let’s share how I decorated these confetti cupcakes for the photos and video tutorial. I used my vanilla buttercream and tinted the frosting with 1 small drop of pink gel food coloring. I use the big Ateco 849 tip. It makes a GORGEOUS design. You can watch me pipe the frosting in the video tutorial above. I love this piping tip and used it for my peanut butter cupcakes too. Start in the center of the cupcake and swirl upward.
For a naturally pink option, try my strawberry buttercream frosting! Chocolate buttercream or white chocolate buttercream frosting would be great, too.
If you are looking for the same great taste and texture in a towering sprinkle loaded cake, try this confetti cake! Or if you are craving sprinkles for breakfast, try birthday cake pancakes or birthday cake cinnamon rolls.
Print
Confetti Sprinkle Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 14 cupcakes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These soft and fluffy confetti cupcakes are above standard; taking everything you love about professional bakery cupcakes and converting them into a homemade recipe. For successful results, follow this recipe closely including using cake flour, only egg whites (no yolks), and sour cream. If desired, use chocolate frosting instead.
Ingredients
- 1 and 3/4 cups (207g) cake flour (spooned & leveled)*
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 3 large egg whites, at room temperature*
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (120g) full-fat sour cream at room temperature*
- 1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk at room temperature*
- 1/2 cup (80g) rainbow sprinkles* (plus extra for garnish)
- vanilla buttercream or your choice of frosting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 12-count muffin pan with cupcake liners. Line a second pan with 2 liners—this recipe makes about 14 cupcakes. Set aside.
- Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the egg whites and vanilla extract. Beat on medium-high speed until combined, then beat in the sour cream. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients until just incorporated. With the mixer still running on low, slowly pour in the milk until combined. Do not over-mix. Gently and slowly whisk in the sprinkles. The batter will be slightly thick.
- Pour/spoon the batter into the liners. Fill only 2/3 full to avoid spilling over the sides. Bake for 19-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. For around 30 mini cupcakes, bake for about 11-13 minutes, same oven temperature. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
- Frost cooled cupcakes with vanilla buttercream. I tinted it with 1 drop Dusty Rose Gel Food Coloring and used Ateco 849 piping tip. You can watch me decorate the cupcakes in the video above.
- Leftover cupcakes keep well covered tightly in the refrigerator for 3 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Cupcakes can be made ahead 1 day in advance, covered, and stored at room temperature. Frosting can also be made 1 day in advance, covered, and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use. Freeze frosted or unfrosted cupcakes for up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | 12-count Muffin Pan | Cupcake Liners | Piping Bags (Disposable or Reusable) | Ateco 849 Piping Tip | Dusty Rose Gel Food Coloring (for tinted frosting in pictured cupcakes)
- Cake Flour: If you can’t get your hands on cake flour, you can make a cake flour substitute. I suggest doing this twice, mixing it all up in 1 bowl then removing 1/4 cup since you need 1 and 3/4 cups in this recipe.
- Egg Whites: Using all egg whites is KEY to their soft and fluffy texture. Here is the egg separator I use and love! Here are some recipe ideas for leftover egg yolks.
- Whole Milk & Sour Cream: Whole milk and sour cream are strongly recommended for the best taste and texture. A full fat plain yogurt would work instead, though the cupcakes may not be as light. Same goes with a lower fat milk.
- Sprinkles: Do not use nonpareils (the little balls) as they quickly bleed their color.
- Why is everything at room temperature? All refrigerated items should be at room temperature so the batter mixes together easily and evenly. Read here for more information.
- Confetti Cake: I suggest following my recipe for Confetti Cake. Same great taste and texture as these cupcakes—and loaded with sprinkles!
Reader Comments and Reviews
How much can I lower the amount of sugar? Would these work with 3/4 cup of sugar instead of 1 cup?
Hi Jen, sugar is used for moisture and texture in baked goods as well as taste. You can certainly try reducing the sugar, but the resulting texture will be different than intended.
These are absolutely fantastic. Perfect crumb, texture, aroma and appearance. People beg me to bring these to parties now!
Wonderful! And yes totally understand.
Appreciate the quick response
Can I use liquid egg whites from the carbon?
Hi Leslie, Egg whites from a carton will work as long as they are 100% egg whites – not Egg Beaters or any other brand with added ingredients. Hope this helps!
I’m making these cupcakes for my daughters birthday 4pm on Saturday. In my haste to do as much as possible ahead of time I made the cupcakes at 2am Friday morning. Please tell me how to store them? In the fridge? Or room temperature is OK? Thank you for the very detailed instructions!
Hi Margaret, you can store the cupcakes covered at room temperature for 1 day or covered tightly in the refrigerator for 3 days. We hope she loves them!
Loved this recipe! The cupcakes turned out perfect and taste amazing! I did have to bake them a little longer than stated but think that is the fault of my oven. Will be trying the layer cake next!
I tried both of your sprinkles recipes this one and the sheet cake. Both were epic fails. You said in the notes you can use non dairy milks. I used oatmilk in one and almond milk in the other and both came out with a weird texture. I am a professional baker and have never had an alternative milk recipe fail like these did.
These were my first successful batch of cupcakes! So delicious that I want them again but was wondering if I could halve the recipe with same results? Thank you!!
Hi Kasey, we’re so glad you loved these cupcakes! Halving the batch should work just fine. For the 1.5 egg whites, we’d use 1 egg white + take another egg white, whisk it, and then measure half.
I made these recently and they turned out okay. They were not as light and fluffy as say a white boxed cake mix. They were quite dense. I weighed the ingredients with a kitchen scale, so I am certain it was not my error. The flavor is good on these, but basic. I’m thinking if I made these again I’d include maybe some vanilla bean paste or seeds from vanilla bean to make these a little more exciting.
Hi V, thank you so much for giving these a try. If they seemed overly dense, it’s possible the batter was over mixed. These cupcake tips may be helpful to review, too. You can absolutely add some vanilla bean paste/seeds–delicious! Thanks again!
I am making the cupcakes rather than standard cupcake
Pans im using jumbo muffin pans can
I do that just longer baking time?
Hi Ron, we haven’t tested this cupcake batter in a jumbo muffin tin so can’t say for sure. Let us know if you give it a try!
Is this batter thick enough to make in a springform? I’m trying to make my son a smash cake, my smallest cake pan is a 4.5inch springform. I definitely will be using this recipe for cupcakes for everyone else. Thank you!
Hi Vicki! This batter will work just fine in your 4.5 inch pan – just be careful not to fill with too much batter. You could bake 2-3 smaller layers (one at a time) for a layered cake.
hi there,
Can I successfully double this recipe?
Hi Alex, for best results, we recommend making separate batches (especially for the cupcake batter, so you don’t accidentally over mix which results in dense cupcakes).
I made these cupcakes and your buttercream tonight and they turned out perfectly fluffy and the sprinkles stand out! Whenever I need a dessert recipe I head to your page!
I followed the recipe closely and made them 24 hours before they were served and had them stored in the refrigerator. They were delicious but very dense, almost like pound cake. Does this usually happen after refrigeration? What did I do wrong?
Hi Teage, We’re so happy to help. First, thank you so much for trying this cupcake recipe. If the cupcakes taste dense, the following will help– first, spoon and level the cake flour into the measuring cup. Do not PACK it into the cup. Second, make sure the butter is room temperature and not melted in the slightest. I actually have a helpful Room Temperature Butter guide that will help you with that. Third, only fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full. They’ll look a little empty– that’s ok. Fourth, bake the cupcakes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. What’s better, however, is to lightly poke the cupcake with your finger. If the cupcake bounced right back, they’re done. They could have tasted dense because they were under-baked. And finally, use room temperature ingredients, especially the eggs. Hope all of this helps for next time!
Followed the recipe closely, and to be honest it all ended up nothing like the picture. I also understand the role of the sour cream is to give that moisture to the cupcakes, but mine turned out soggy, buttery (not in a hood way) and waaayyy too oily. Delicious, obv because they are sweet, but prob won’t cook it again. I remade the batch following a more simple recipe and the second attempt was a greater success. Recommend finding an easier alternative.
Hi Gabriela, I wonder if it’s the type of sprinkles you used. Some sprinkles can leak and bleed so much that it negatively affects the texture of the cupcakes.
Where do I get these sprinkles? Love the vibrant colors and the stars!
They are by the brand Sweetapolita!
Love your recipes and when my friends ask, I send them straight to you Sally. I made another of your Confetti layer cakes, it was a little dry (and I’ve made dozens of your recipes that are ‘save recipe and make again’. I really want to try again with this funfetti cupcake that includes sour cream. Which Sweetapolita sprinkle blend is used in the cake? Which sprinkles (with stars) are on top (if different)? Thanks.
Hi! The sprinkles are from Sweetapolita, and I’m not sure they make the same mix/medley anymore. I think the current “Pep Talk” medley is similar with the stars, or Bright Skies or Rainbow Crunchy Sprinkles.
Hi! I’m making a layer cake using both your chocolate and confetti recipes. I thought I would make this cupcake recipe so as not to have too much excess batter. About how many cups of batter does this make? I just finished reading your conversion article and am deciding between an 8/9 inch round cake. Thanks!
Hi Rebecca, this cupcake recipe yields about 3-4 cups of batter. Here is our recipe for confetti cake and if you only need a single layer, we have this single 9-inch round sprinkle cake, too!
My child saw a picture of marble cup cakes and asked if I can make him marbled confetti cup cakes. Do you have advice on how to change the flavor to chocolate like you did with the marbled cup cakes? Thank you
Hi Claire! We would follow our marbled cupcakes recipe, adding sprinkles (about 1/4 cup) to the vanilla batter.
I’m getting ready to bake this for a 5th grade rainbow party. Any tips if I need to double this recipe?
Thank you for all the baking advice. I’ve tried others and always come back to ‘should’ve stuck with Sally!’
Hi Mackenzie! We recommend making two batches instead of doubling for best results. We hope the cupcakes are a hit at the rainbow party!
I baked the original confetti cake recipe you had and really liked it, and I have baked several different recipes but there seems to be something missing. I would really like that one if you still have it. Thank you so much!
Hi Lorri, if you take a look at our Confetti Layer Cake recipe, you’ll see the old version is detailed in the recipe notes.
These confetti sprinkle white cupcakes are very delicious but I have a question, I put them in the refrigerator after they cooled and now they have little white spots on top of them, are they still safe to eat?
Hi Deb, that’s likely the sprinkles “settling” in the cooled cupcakes; they’re completely fine to eat.
For whatever reason I have a ton of buttermilk and no regular milk. How bad would it be to use buttermilk in this recipe?
Hi Andy, it would be best to use buttermilk to replace both the milk AND sour cream. (1 cup/240ml total) Enjoy!
Hi!
Can I use egg whites in a carton instead of separating out the white from the whole egg? I hate wasting the yolk!
Absolutely!
i love this recipe so much that i’m bookmarking it and using it for all our future birthday cakes!! i EVEN subbed the flour for Pamela’s GF flour because i was baking for a crowd with some celiac folks. these cupcakes turned out so good that i didn’t remember until about 10 minutes after i ate one that they were gluten free! i think that speaks volumes to how well written this recipe is. i got so many compliments on these cupcakes and people were so surprised that they were GF. i frosted them with your buttercream frosting (left it white) and i was almost more thrilled about the frosting. i’m baking your white cake this afternoon for my daughter’s 3rd birthday tomorrow (with gluten this time, HA) and i cannot wait to see how it turns out! thank you for this recipe!!!
I loved this recipe! I do need to make a two layer 9 inch round cake and was wondering if this would work for that?
Hi Sam, so glad you loved it! Here is everything you need to know about converting recipes to different Cake Pan Sizes. And here’s our three layer confetti cake as well.
This recipe made the best cupcakes, love it . Would it work just the same for a round cake? Am wanting to use this recipe to make 2 rounds.
Hi Debbie, this batter makes the perfect amount for a 3 layer, 6 inch cake. Or for a larger cake, you can use our confetti cake recipe. This cake pan sizes and conversions guide will be a helpful resource, too.
I was so looking forward to this recipe, because this site has the absolute best to-die-for-pumpkin spice cupcakes (ah-mazing!). I substituted cake flour for regular flour and cornstarch (all carefully measured/weighed), but unfortunately these cupcakes were awful. I may have done something completely wrong (All of my ingredients were at room temperature), because these turned out heavy, and pasty, and inedible. I had such faith that I baked 36 of them before trying any, and ended up throwing out every last one and baking an emergency set of batches from box mix. For using only egg whites, I felt like the directions didn’t include enough whipping of the egg whites. It just seemed like mixing them in, and then what is the point if you’re not getting them lightened and whipped up? Again, given the very high rating of other users, could just be my mistake. Go try the pumpkin spice cupcakes, turns out every time.
Hi Janet, thank you for trying these! You are right that you do not whip up the egg whites separately, you add them into the wet ingredients as if you were using whole eggs. Removing the egg yolks keeps them lighter, even if you don’t whip them separately. Whenever I have a failed batch of cupcakes, I like to crumble them up for parfaits or cake pops. Certainly not something you were planning, but just if it ever happens again with another recipe. I love those pumpkin cupcakes too. Thanks for the feedback!
Hi Sally! Just want to say thank you for all your fabulous recipes! This page is my go to whenever I want to bake 🙂 I have used this particular recipe any times, for nearly all our birthdays, and it never fails! Thanks again from Australia 🙂
One thing i forgot to ask: is italian buttercream is stable enough to pipe on these cupcakes?
Should be, yes!
Hi!! i was just wondering what frosting you used for these. Thank you!
Our vanilla buttercream is pictured here!
Hello! Have you tried this with birthday cake/cake batter flavoring? Just curious if it’ll make it better or not
Hi Rebecca, I haven’t used that in this particular recipe but have used it in similar cupcake recipes. It works nicely. You can add 1 teaspoon of it when you add the vanilla, and reduce the vanilla down to 1 teaspoon.