Last Updated on February 21, 2021 by laurenpacek
Sean was nice enough to volunteer me to be the unofficial baker for his new coworkers' birthdays. Not that I mind. Really. Truly. It gives me an excuse to bake, and frees me from the responsibilities of having to eat the creations. One of his coworkers had a birthday recently, and her only request was "not chocolate".
Her request allowed me to return to a favorite recipe that I've made over and over - Homemade Funfetti Cupcakes.
However, that post was in desperate need of an update: the pictures from that post are from 4 years ago and are not the greatest. I also wanted to have the new post reflect the frosting recipe that I've been using lately - it's a classic buttercream frosting that comes from Joy the Baker's newest cookbook.
You'll need:
For the cupcakes (makes about 24 cupcakes) -
- 4 egg whites
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups cake flour, sifted
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar, sifted
- 1 tbs plus 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup sprinkles, plus more for decoration
For the frosting (makes about 4 cups) -
- 4 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 5-6 cups powdered sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup heavy cream/milk
- food coloring, optional
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan with liners. Set aside.
Combine the egg whites, vanilla, and milk in a bowl. Set this aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, sift together the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter and half of the egg mixture. Beat together on low speed with the paddle attachment. Scrape the sides of the bowl, add the remaining egg mixture, and beat until things are just combined.
Fold in the sprinkles with a spatula. Fill the cupcake liners halfway, and bake for 17-21 minutes.
Allow them to cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
To make the frosting, add the room temperature butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat it on medium speed until the butter is soft (~1 minute).
Add 2 cups of the powdered sugar, the salt, and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed until the powdered sugar is well incorporated.
Add another 2 cups of the powdered sugar, along with the heavy cream/milk. Beat on low speed, and add the additional 2 cups of sugar as needed to thicken the frosting.
Once you've achieved your desired consistency, beat the frosting on medium speed for about 4 minutes until the frosting is fluffy and smooth.
Frost as desired and garnish with more sprinkles.
These cupcakes are a classic, yet fun, choice that everyone will enjoy. One of the really fun things about them is that you can change up the color of the sprinkles and frosting to cater to your needs. Want something for St. Patrick's Day? Opt for green frosting and a medley of green sprinkles. Christmas? Red, green and white. Gathering where sports will be watched? Go with your team's colors! 
Leave a Reply