Confetti cupcakes with rainbow sprinkles scattered through the cake batter make for a sweet, simple, and colourful dessert! Just like homemade funfetti cupcakes, these sprinkle-filled cupcakes are the cutest thing in town. A simple vanilla cupcake is mixed with rainbow sprinkles for a sweet colourful dessert, great for kids.
These are made with yogurt for an extra boost of flavour and a bit more rise in the cakes - no milk needed. The yogurt makes for a very soft, fluffy cupcake. Top with some vanilla buttercream and extra sprinkles for an easy, fun look.
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Ingredients
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Sprinkles: the small round sprinkles as pictured give a more subtle confetti look than bigger sprinkles, so use whatever you prefer. These are naturally coloured so they're not quite as bright after baking.
- Yogurt: if you don't have yogurt, sour cream or crème fraîche are good substitutes. We haven't tested this recipe with milk and wouldn't recommend using it - milk won't result in the same rise as yogurt, which reacts more strongly with baking soda.
- Make it dairy-free: use a good vegan butter and yogurt. For vegan confetti cupcakes, use our vegan vanilla cake recipe and add sprinkles.
Method
Step 1: beat the sugar and butter, then mix in the eggs one at a time. Beat in the yogurt and vanilla on low.
Step 2: mix in the dry ingredients on low speed, then fold in the sprinkles.
Step 3: divide the mixture evenly between muffin cups.
Step 4: bake until golden, cool fully, and frost.
Top Tips
- Don't worry about the texture: if the batter curdles a little bit when the yogurt is added, this is normal. It'll come together again when the flour mixture is added.
- Don't over-mix: the most common cause of tough cupcakes, if you mix too long after adding the dry ingredients, your cupcakes will be hard and have a chewy texture.
- Quickly warm up eggs: for a quicker fix, pop the eggs into a bowl of warm (not hot!) water for 15-30 minutes if you forgot to take them out ahead of time.
Recipe Notes
There is a slightly higher dome on these cupcakes compared to our dairy-free cupcakes, which were developed specifically for a flat top for decorating. Since funfetti cupcakes are already adorable as is, we figured that a simple buttercream topping with extra sprinkles works best with a slight dome.
As with most cake recipes, use room temperature eggs here. Cold eggs will cause the butter to seize when they’re added and can make it curdle. Just leave your eggs out at room temperature for a couple of hours before adding.
How to Store
Storage: keep un-frosted cupcakes in a sealed container at room temperature for up to three days. Frosted cupcake will have to be refrigerated.
Freezing: transfer fully cooled cupcakes to an airtight container and freeze for up to two months. They might be slightly dry after thawing, but will be almost as good as fresh.
FAQ
What is the secret to moist cupcakes?
One of the most important things for moist cupcakes is not to reduce the sugar content. Sugar acts as a liquid, so if you reduce it, you'll end up with dry cupcakes!
What is the secret to good cupcakes?
For perfect cupcakes, follow the recipe exactly (no substitutions!), use room temperature ingredients, and don't over-mix.
Does cupcake batter need to rest?
Cupcake batter doesn't need to rest unless specified in the recipe. Batter that hasn't rested will have a more delicate, light crumb.
More Cakes and Cupcakes
If you make this Confetti Cupcake recipe or any other cupcake recipes on the Baked Collective, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more baking, follow along on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
Rainbow Sprinkle Confetti Cupcakes
Equipment
- 12-cup muffin tin
- muffin cups
- Stand or hand mixer
- Mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Wire rack
- Measuring cups and spoons or a digital kitchen scale
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose white flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup softened butter
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- â…” cup unsweetened yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup rainbow sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a standard 12-cup muffin tin.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a medium bowl. Whisk to fully combine.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the sugar and butter together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. A standing mixer can be used for this recipe, with the whisk attachment.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating between each addition to fully incorporate them.
- Add the yogurt and vanilla and mix again to combine (see note on curdling).
- Add the flour mixture to the large bowl and beat on low speed until just combined. There can be a few streaks of flour at this point.
- Add the sprinkles to the batter and mix again until evenly incorporated, being careful not to over-mix.
- Scoop the batter evenly into the prepared muffin cups and bake for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of a cupcake comes out clean.
- Cool the cupcakes for about 10 minutes before removing from the tin and cooling completely on a wire rack before frosting.
- The cupcakes can be stored for up to 3 days in an airtight container without frosting, or frozen up to 6 months.
Notes
- Don’t worry if the batter curdles a little bit when the yogurt is added, this is normal. It’ll come together again when the flour mixture is added.
- The small round sprinkles as pictured give a more subtle confetti look than bigger sprinkles, so use whatever you prefer. These are naturally coloured so they’re not quite as bright after baking.