Funfetti Sheet Cake

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An easy homemade sheet cake recipe full of plenty of sprinkles, topped with a creamy, colorful funfetti buttercream, and ready to help you celebrate any occasion!

If you’ve been hanging around for any period of time, you probably have got the memo that funfetti is kind of my thing.

For basically every category on my blog, I have a funfetti recipe to share. And while I have a funfetti bundt cake recipe, I realized I did not yet have a funfetti sheet cake recipe. Imagine the audacity!

Well, my friends, that had to be remedied right away. And thus, this funfetti sheet cake was born. And even better, I’m sharing it on my site’s 8th birthday!

Another year of sharing my recipes, another year of sprinkles.

Based off of my white/vanilla sheet cake recipe, this funfetti version features the addition of colorful sprinkles, almond extract, and a deliciously creamy funfetti buttercream frosting. What more could you ask for in a birthday celebration?

This funfetti sheet cake recipe is basically all of my funfetti dreams come true. There are sprinkles in the batter, sprinkles in the frosting, annnnd sprinkles on top.

There is no shortage of color or delicious birthday cake-inspired flavor in this easy recipe, and it has to be one of my favorite funfetti creations yet.

But, if you’re like me and you just can’t get enough of the funfetti desserts, you have to try my homemade funfetti cupcakes, funfetti donuts, funfetti biscotti, or funfetti cheesecake. But it doesn’t stop there, I have an entire funfetti category for you to look through and find your next baking project.

Ensuring that your butter, heavy cream, and egg whites are all at room temperature will make for a seamless creaming of ingredients. This is what makes for a perfectly fluffy cake with a light, yet tight crumb.

The other ingredients in the recipe will already be at room temperature, so having everything at the same temperature will make your funfetti sheet cake batter come together like a dream.

Once you’ve allowed your ingredients set at room temperature, gather your other ingredients. You’ll need flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, vanilla extract, almond extract, and sprinkles.

One thing I want to note is that we will only be using the egg whites for this confetti sheet cake recipe. You can save your yolks for another recipe (like homemade lemon curd or homemade peach curd), or freeze them for thawing and adding to your scrambled eggs.

The funfetti buttercream is a subtle twist on my base buttercream recipe, which shows up in various forms throughout my blog. There is a lemon version, as well as strawberry, chocolate, coffee, and even a molasses buttercream!

This creamy funfetti buttercream uses that same base recipe, but adds in a colorful splash of sprinkles and some almond extract for that true “birthday cake” experience. And I have to be honest, it’s one of my favorite versions so far.

All you need is some unsalted butter (softened to room temperature, of course), some powdered sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract, a pinch of salt, some milk or cream, and your favorite sprinkles.

Just be sure not to use nonpareils, as they tend to bleed really easily and we don’t want them to muddy up the buttercream. You can definitely use a mix that contains nonpareils, but you don’t want to have them as your main sprinkle component if that makes sense.

To get started, preheat your oven to 350°F (177ºC) and spray a 9″ x 13″ baking pan with some of my homemade cake release, OR grease and flour the pan.

Blend everything together until well combined, or for about 1 minute. Add in the softened butter and mix until it resembles sand. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again until everything is uniform.

Combine the heavy cream, egg whites, and extracts in a pourable bowl or large measuring cup, and mix gently with a fork until blended.

Then, turn your mixer on to medium-low speed and add half of the cream and egg blend to the crumb mixture and blend until smooth. Then, add the remaining cream and egg and blend again until everything is incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for 30 seconds, or until smooth.

Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and add in your sprinkles. While you can use a blend with nonpareils, make sure that most of your sprinkle blend consists of large sprinkles. These bleed less during baking, and tend to hold their color and shape better.

Once you’ve added your sprinkles, fold them in gently with a silicone spatula until evenly incorporated.

Once your batter is fully combined, pour it into your prepared 9″ x 13″ baking pan, and spread it out evenly.

Bake in the preheated oven for 32-34 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the sheet cake.

Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire cooling rack. Let your funfetti sheet cake cool completely before frosting it. This typically takes 1-2 hours, depending on how cool or hot you keep your home.

It’s really quite simple to make buttercream if you’re using quality ingredients, and most importantly: room temperature butter.

In a large clean bowl (or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), add your softened butter and beat on medium speed until creamy, or about 2 minutes.

Switch the mixer to low, add in your powdered sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt. Then, add the cream and continue to mix until everything comes together.

Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until completely combined, smooth, and creamy. Taste and adjust the amount of salt to your liking, beating to incorporate it.

Add in your sprinkles, and mix or fold them in until evenly dispersed throughout the buttercream frosting.

If you want an extra dose of funfetti goodness, sprinkle the perimeter of your cake with additional sprinkles, OR decorate as desired. A few rosettes of buttercream would be a simple, yet fabulous addition. Sheet cakes are supposed to be easy, so decorate it as little (or as much) as you want!

If you want to freeze your funfetti sheet cake, you can totally do that. Just make sure it’s wrapped well and it will freeze for up to 2 months. Just thaw and serve when you’re ready to enjoy.

If you didn’t love sheet cakes before, you’re going to be obsessed with them now. Nothing is easier than baking up a cake, cooling it, and frosting it right in the pan.

Sheet cakes are perfect for novice bakers, or for those in a time crunch. They are the perfect dessert for bringing to potlucks, barbeques, and even birthday parties!

And if you want to learn ALL about buttercream, including all of my best tips and tricks earned over 10+ years of baking, you’ll want to pick up my ebook: The Home Baker’s Guide to Basic Buttercream. I’ll show you how to convert recipes, how to made adaptations for allergies and dietary needs, and over 25 American buttercream recipes for your cake baking pleasure!