Who loves sprinkles? Everyone. And who loves sprinkles baked in cake batter? No one more than me. I love this recipe because these cupcakes scream birthday, eat me, and happy all at once. This funfetti cupcake recipe is for fluffy moist vanilla colorful cupcakes swirled high with a homemade marshmallow frosting. Perfection.
I can’t say that funfetti cupcakes remind me of my childhood because the first time I had one I was definitely close to 20! But they are the first bake I truly fell in love with. I used to make box mix funfetti cupcakes for any whisper of a birthday, decorate them in smarties, and call it a day. I honestly wish I had photos of these early bake days! I have come a long way since then and have ditched the boxed mix for these homemade funfetti cupcakes.
Ingredients for Funfetti Cupcake Recipe
You will need these simple ingredients to make these easy funfetti cupcakes.
· Sunflower oil
· Extra-large eggs
· Granulated sugar
· Self-raising flour
· Salt
· Full cream milk
· Vanilla essence
· Rainbow sprinkles/ vermicelli
Sunflower oil – most of my cupcake recipes use sunflower oil instead of unsalted butter in the cupcake batter. The reason is that I find the cupcake is lighter (because who doesn't love fluffy cupcakes), still tastes great and you don’t need to worry about forgetting to take the butter out of the fridge hours in advance. Sunflower oil is a vegetable oil but can’t be substituted for just any other oil. So, make sure to look at labels while shopping. If you can't find sunflower oil, try canola oil or grapeseed oil as an alternative.
Vanilla essence – yes you read that right, essence. I believe there is a time and place for vanilla extract but for these cupcakes, the essence is just right. I like the familiar flavor that it gives. But if you are an extract-only kind of baker, go right ahead.
Ingredients for Homemade Marshmallow Frosting
· Egg whites
· Castor sugar
Egg whites – I use extra-large eggs when baking, but it is always best to weigh the egg whites when making marshmallow frosting for accuracy. Be sure to separate the eggs properly so that no egg yolks contaminate the whites. Otherwise, start again.
Castor sugar – when making marshmallow frosting it is best to use castor sugar because of its fine grain. Castor sugar melts easily into the egg whites and allows for a smooth frosting after whipping.
Equipment Needed
· Electric mixer, stand, or electric hand mixer
· Cupcake liners
· Cupcake pans
· Piping bag and nozzle
· Double boiler
Electric mixer – the cupcake recipe can easily be made with a hand whisk. However, the marshmallow frosting will need to be whisked at high speed for up to 10 minutes. I am not sure about you but my arms just aren’t up to the hard work.
Double boiler – what is a double boiler? It is simply a saucepan filled with water set over a stovetop at medium heat. A heatproof bowl is then set over the saucepan so that the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water but the water heats the bowl gently. So, as long as you have a stove, a saucepan, and a glass or metal bowl, you have a double boiler.
How to Make Homemade Funfetti Cupcakes
- Add the eggs, oil, and sugar to a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and beat until light and fluffy
- Sift the dry ingredients, flour, and salt
- Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture, beat until just combined
- Add the vanilla to the milk in a jug
- Add the milk mixture to the cupcake batter slowly with the mixer running
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again
- Use a rubber spatula to fold through the rainbow sprinkles
- Fill the cupcake papers ¾ of the way and bake in a preheated oven for 12 minutes
How to Make Marshmallow Frosting
- Place the egg whites and the castor sugar in the bowl of a double boiler
- Whisk gently and continuously until the sugar has melted and the mixture is warm to the touch
- Transfer the mixture to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and beat on high speed for 10 minutes. The frosting is ready when it is glossy and you see stiff peaks.
- Fill a piping bag with the marshmallow frosting and pipe a swirl on each cupcake, top with extra sprinkles
Tips for Making the Perfect Funfetti Cupcakes
For the best results when making a batch of homemade funfetti cupcakes follow the tips below
- Use room temperature ingredients.
- Use long colorful sprinkles over nonpareils or 100s and 1000s as they keep their color better when baking.
- Make sure you are using an oven thermometer when baking the cupcakes.
- Do not overfill the cupcake papers as this could result in flat or sunken cupcakes. ¾ of the way filled is the perfect amount.
- When making the marshmallow frosting, don’t allow the water to boil as this can overheat the egg whites and cause them to scramble.
- Once the frosting is ready, pipe the cupcakes immediately as the frosting will lose its gloss and texture with time.
How to Store Confetti Cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting
Marshmallow frosting is best eaten soon after it has been made. So, my recommendation is to eat these cupcakes within two days but preferably soon after frosting.
The cupcakes can be made a day in advance and covered in plastic wrap in the cupcake pan or stored in an airtight container. But the marshmallow frosting cannot be made in advance.
These are the best funfetti cupcakes and the ultimate birthday cupcake, so I hope you give them a try! If you have any questions or comments, please leave a review below or find me on social media at @with_love_kitty
Looking for a recipe to use up those extra egg yolks? Try this delicious White Chocolate Créme Brûlée recipe. Or if you are looking for a different frosting try the classic vanilla buttercream try the frosting from my No-Fail Vanilla Cupcakes or the cream cheese frosting from these Mini Carrot Cake Loaves.
Happy Baking
With Love,
Kitty
📖 Recipe
Funfetti Cupcake Recipe with Marshmallow Frosting
Equipment
- 2 cupcake pans
- 24 cupcake liners
Ingredients
Funfetti Cupcakes
- 120 ml sunflower oil
- 3 extra-large eggs
- 250 grams granulated sugar
- 250 grams self-raising flour
- pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
- ½ cup funfetti sprinkles
Marshmallow Frosting
- 6 egg whites
- 300 grams castor sugar
Instructions
Funfetti Cupcake Recipe
- Preheat the oven to 170°C and line two cupcake pans with 24 cupcake liners.
- Place the oil, eggs, and sunflower oil in a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat at medium-high speed for about 3 minutes until light in color.
- Sift together the flour and the salt.
- Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture, at once. Beat briefly until just combined.
- Add the vanilla to the milk in a jug and slowly pour the milk mixture into the cupcake batter, with the motor of the stand mixer running at medium-low speed.
- Once the milk has been added, scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again briefly. Ensure there are no lumps in the batter.
- Fold through the funfetti sprinkles using a rubber spatula.
- Pour the cupcake batter into a jug and fill each cupcake paper ¾ of the way full. Bake in a preheated oven for 12 - 15 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the cupcake comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool before decorating.
Marshmallow Frosting
- To make the marshmallow frosting, add the sugar and the egg whites to a bowl of a double boiler set over medium heat.
- Whisk continuously until the sugar has melted and the mixture is warm to the touch.
- Transfer the mixture to a bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat at high speed for about 10 minutes. The frosting is ready when it is white, voluminous, and glossy.
- Transfer the meringue frosting to a piping bag fitted with your chosen nozzle and pipe a swirl on each cupcake. Decorate with sprinkles and enjoy!
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