This funfetti snack cake with cream cheese frosting is truly the most delicious, rich, fun cake! The perfect cake for any day of the week, because cake is for celebrating the everyday. It’s so easy, made in one bowl, and ridiculously good! This cake is loaded with all the sprinkles and topped with the most luscious cream cheese frosting! If you’re wondering, a snack cake is just a cake, it’s just a fun name! The technical definition is below!
What is a snack cake?
I recently came across snack cakes and they intrigued me so much. What is a snack cake? It’s basically just a cake, but in one layer, topped with frosting, and incredibly easy to make. I found this exact definition from “The Kitchn” and it’s the perfect description! “As their name suggests, snacking cakes are not for birthdays, or anniversaries, or going-away parties. They are for whenever the craving for cake and frosting hits, for baking on a whim and consuming casually, like on a Wednesday afternoon.”
What you need for funfetti snack cake with cream cheese frosting:
- Unsalted butter- You can use salted butter if that’s what you have! Just decrease the salt in the recipe to 1/2 tsp. You can also substitute with vegetable oil!
- Granulated sugar- You can use white sugar or cane sugar as well. I haven’t tested coconut sugar so I’m not sure how that would work.
- Eggs- The eggs help to bind the recipe and really help give it taste and texture. Make sure these are room temperature as well (on the counter for at least an hour) to help the recipe bind together better.
- Vanilla extract- No baked good recipe is complete without vanilla extract in my opinion. It’s key!
- All-purpose flour– I typically bake with all-purpose flour. Almond and coconut flour do not have the same measurements so they will not work in this recipe. However, gluten-free 1:1 all-purpose flour should work just fine. Make sure to find one with xantham gum, I love Bob’s Red Mill, but any should do.
- Sea salt- Salt is key in a baked good, because it really helps to bring out the flavor!
- Baking powder- Helps to inflate the cake!
- Baking soda- Helps to produce a light and fluffy and perfectly cooked funfetti cake.
- Buttermilk- This is what gives the cake the soft pillowy texture. You can easily substitute with whole milk mixed with 1 tsp white vinegar, apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. Mix the two ingredients in a bowl and set aside for about 5 minutes to let it curdle. Non-dairy milk should work, but I haven’t tested!
- Sprinkles- This wouldn’t be funfetti without sprinkles! Make sure you use jimmy sprinkles for this cake! They’re the long, rod-like sprinkles. Other types like nonpareils will bleed into the batter and won’t turn out the same.
Tips for making:
- Make sure not to overbake the funfetti cake- You want the cake to still be pretty white with some browning around the edges. You just want a toothpick to come out clean!
- Let it cool completely before frosting- If the cake is still warm, the frosting will melt all over it and won’t turn out as pretty!
- If you don’t love cream cheese frosting, you can always substitute with my buttercream frosting!
If you love these, you may also love:
- Fluffy Lemon Poppyseed Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Funfetti Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars
Alright, let’s get to making the recipe! Enjoy friends!
Funfetti Snack Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
This funfetti snack cake is truly the most delicious, rich, fun cake! The perfect cake for any day of the week, because cake is for celebrating the everyday. It's so easy, made in one bowl, and ridiculously good! This cake is loaded with all the sprinkles and topped with the most luscious cream cheese frosting!
Servings 12
Equipment
- 9×9 baking pan
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour spoon & leveled
- ¾ tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 1 cup buttermilk (or whole milk with 1 tsp vinegar)
- 1 cup sprinkles (2/3 for cookies, 1/3 for topping)
For the Frosting:
- 2 cups powdered sugar packed
- 4 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of sea salt
- 1-2 tbsp milk (you can use heavy cream, half & half, whole milk)
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
- If you're using whole milk instead of buttermilk. In a small bowl, pour in the whole milk and 1 tsp vinegar (I used apple cider). Let stand for about 5 minutes until it starts to look curdled.
- In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs, one at a time. Mix and then add the other. Add vanilla extract and mix until combined.
- Next, add in the flour, sea salt, baking powder and baking soda and mix until well combined.
- Slowly pour in the buttermilk or whole milk mixture and mix while adding it in until the dough is soft.
- Fold in 2/3 cup of sprinkles with a spatula very gently until just incorporated.
- Bake for about 30-40 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean! The edges will be lightly brown, and you want the top soft but set.
- Once done, cool on the baking sheet for about 5-10 minutes and then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the Frosting:
- Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl cream together the butter, cream cheese and vanilla extract.
- Add in the powdered sugar and sea salt and mix until well combined. Add 1 tbsp milk of choice and mix. If you want it a little thinner, add one more. Set aside.
To assemble Cake:
- Once the cake is completely cooled, spread icing all over the top. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/3 cup of sprinkles or more if needed. Enjoy!
Notes
For Storing: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. Best enjoyed thawed at room temperature before eating.
For Freezing Fully Made: Freeze cake fully cooked and frosted in a freezer bag in individual slices in the freezer! You can store in the fridge first so the icing hardens and then store right in the freezer! Lasts for about 3 months and actually delicious straight from the freezer!
For Freezing to Assemble Later: You can wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap and then a freezer bag once it’s completely cooled and freeze it! When you’re ready for it, thaw in the fridge, make the icing, and ice!
Funfetti Layered Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
For my son's 3rd third birthday, I decided to test making the snack cake into a layered cake. It turned out PERFECTLY and all the kids went crazy over it!
Servings 20
Equipment
- 2 9×9 cake pans
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 2½ cups granulated sugar
- 4 eggs room temperature
- 3 tsp vanilla extract
- 4½ cups all-purpose flour spoon & leveled
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 cups buttermilk (or whole milk with 1 tsp vinegar)
- 2 cups sprinkles (2/3 for cookies, 1/3 for topping)
For the Frosting:
- 6 cups powdered sugar packed
- 12 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 12 tbsp unsalted butter room temperature
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of sea salt
- 3-6 tbsp milk (you can use heavy cream, half & half, whole milk)
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
- If you're using whole milk instead of buttermilk. In a small bowl, pour in the whole milk and 2 tsp vinegar (I used apple cider). Let stand for about 5 minutes until it starts to look curdled.
- In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs, one at a time. Mix and then add the other. Add vanilla extract and mix until combined.
- Next, add in the flour, sea salt, baking powder and baking soda and mix until well combined.
- Slowly pour in the buttermilk or whole milk mixture and mix while adding it in until the dough is soft.
- Fold in 1½ cups of sprinkles with a spatula very gently until just incorporated.
- Divide batter between two spray & lined 9in cake pans.
- Bake for about 45-55 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean! The edges will be lightly brown, and you want the top soft but set. Cover lightly with a piece of foil halfway through baking to make sure it doesn't get too brown.
- Once done, cool on the baking sheet for about 5-10 minutes and then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the Frosting:
- Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl cream together the butter, cream cheese and vanilla extract.
- Add in the powdered sugar and sea salt and mix until well combined. Add 1 tbsp milk of choice and mix. Then, keep adding another tbsp until you get the consistency you prefer! Set aside.
To assemble Cake:
- Once the cake is completely cooled, cut each cake in half to create 4 layers.
- Spread a thick layer on icing on each one until you have 4 layers. Ice outside of the whole cake and top. Sprinkle on the remaining sprinkles & enjoy!
Notes
For Storing: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. Best enjoyed thawed at room temperature before eating.
For Freezing Fully Made: Freeze cake fully cooked and frosted in a freezer bag in individual slices in the freezer! You can store in the fridge first so the icing hardens and then store right in the freezer! Lasts for about 3 months and actually delicious straight from the freezer!
For Freezing to Assemble Later: You can wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap and then a freezer bag once it’s completely cooled and freeze it! When you’re ready for it, thaw in the fridge, make the icing, and ice!