Patriotic Funfetti Cake

Some desserts just look like summer, and this Patriotic Funfetti Cake is one of them! It is giving All-American Energy with the bright, playful patriotic sprinkles.  The confetti-like center is nostalgic, classic, and festive in the best way.

Each slice is an explosion of red, white, and blue, just like Fourth of July fireworks. This festive cake starts with two layers of fluffy, cloud-like white cake batter that has festive sprinkles folded throughout the batter. Each slice of this cake has that pop of red, white, and blue in every bite. The cake is frosted with a creamy vanilla cream cheese frosting and finished with a coating of red, white, and blue sprinkles. 

This Patriotic Funfetti Cake was made for celebrating!! It’s sure to be a show stopper and the perfect dessert to celebrate the Fourth of July or Memorial Day. 

Why You’ll Love this Patriotic Funfetti cake

• Perfect for patriotic holidays! Each slice is undoubtedly festive, making it the perfect dessert to serve at Memorial Day or Fourth of July cookouts.
• The cake is soft and fluffy! One of the worst things is biting into a cake that is too dry. Don’t worry, that won’t be the case for this recipe – we made sure of it! The addition of buttermilk and whipped egg whites in this cake makes the crumb super moist and fluffy.
• A beautiful centerpiece! This cake is an immediate showstopper. And the best part is that it is not very difficult to make, but looks cake-shop worthy!

How to Make Funfetti Cake, Step By Step

Step 1. Preheat the oven and line cake pans with parchment paper.

One of the most important steps in making this cake is the prep – preheating the oven and greasing and lining the cake pans. 

Start by preheating the oven to 350ºF. Next, grease two 9-inch cake pans and line the bottom of the pans with a piece of parchment paper. (See tips below for how to line the cake pans for easy removal.)

Step 2. In two separate bowls: Whip egg whites until stiff peaks form & Whisk dry ingredients together

Grab two separate mixing bowls. In one bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder and set aside. In the other bowl, use an electric handheld mixer to whisk together egg whites until stiff peaks form. Set this bowl to the side as well.

You will add both of these into the batter after you cream the butter and sugar.

Step 3. Cream butter and oil before mixing in sugar, eggs, and vanilla. 

Use an electric mixer with the paddle attachment to cream fats – you’ll be using butter and oil for this cake. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and oil on medium-high speed until it’s creamy. 

Mix in sugar and vanilla extract on high until smooth and whipped. The vanilla extract is going to add a delicious, subtle vanilla flavor to this cake batter.

Step 4. Alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk until a smooth cake batter comes together.

Next, lower the speed of your mixer to medium speed and alternate mixing the buttermilk and flour mixture into the creamed butter. 

This method will help to mix the flour into the batter as smoothly as possible, without overmixing. Scrape the sides of the bowl to mix in any loose flour.

Tip: Adding buttermilk to the cake is going to add moisture to the cake but also help give it a light and fluffy texture.

Step 5. Fold in egg whites and sprinkles. Fill two cake pans and bake.

Before you add the sprinkles to the batter, fold the whipped egg whites. Remove the bowl from the electric mixer and use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to gently fold the egg whites until combined. Lastly, gently fold in the sprinkles.

Split the batter between two cake pans and bake in the preheated oven for about 35-45 minutes until cooked through. See tips on how to test the cake for doneness below.

Cool the cakes completely on a wire rack before you ice the cake.

Step 6. Ice the cake and coat the outside with sprinkles.

This cake is iced with a vanilla cream cheese frosting. It’s super easy to make. Using an electric mixer, whip cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Mix in powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt until evenly blended. 

Spread a layer of icing over the top of one of the cake rounds before placing the second cake layer on top. Add another layer of icing to the top and ice the sides of the cake as well. Coat the entire cake with red, white, and blue sprinkles before serving.

Tip: The cream cheese and butter should be slightly softened. If they are too soft, the icing can become runny.

Tips for making Funfetti cake

• Line the cake pan with parchment paper. This will allow for clean and easy removal from the cake pan. It is a tried-and-true trick that will save you a lot of clean-up time, too!
• Room temperature ingredients. It is important that your butter, eggs, and cream cheese are room temperature so that you have a smooth batter. Chilled ingredients are harder to blend and can make a clumpy texture. This will help get you the cake texture you want.
• Whip egg whites into soft peaks and fold into batter. This is KEY for making a super soft and fluffy cake. The egg whites will be folded into the cake batter after you have made the batter. It may seem kind of backwards to stir in the eggs at the end of making the batter, but this technique will make the cake light and airy, while keeping the moisture. 
• Fold in sprinkles at the end. This way the color doesn’t dissolve into the batter. 
• Let the cake cool completely before icing. To avoid a runny, melty mess, make sure your cakes are cooled completely before icing the layers. 

Looking for more ways to deck out your patriotic cake?

If you’re looking for more festive ways to decorate your patriotic cake, here are some of our favorites: 

• Cover the cake with mixed berries: blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries. 
• Add festive red, white and blue icing: Reserve some icing or make some extra icing, color it red and blue and use a piping bag to decorate the cake.
• Top with sparklers for a festive presentation. Mini sparklers add a firework-like effect to the top of this patriotic cake! 

Making ahead? Here’s how to store your funfetti cake:

Wrap cakes in plastic wrap and place in cool, dry place for up to 5 days. 

You can also store the cake in the fridge for up to 7 days. But know that the fridge may dry out the cake a bit.

How to store leftover Iced Cake:

• Storing in the Refrigerator: Frosted cake will be good in the fridge for up to 5 days. Place your frosted cake in the fridge for about 15-20 minutes so that the icing on the cake can harden a bit. Cover with plastic wrap to avoid any odors from the fridge to seep into the cake. 
• Storing in the Freezer: Cake in the freezer will last up to three months. You can either store the cake as a whole or in slices. However, you store the cake, it is important to wrap the cake in plastic wrap and a layer of foil to prevent freezer burn.

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