Colorful Vanilla Sprinkle Cake (Printable View)

Soft vanilla cake with colorful rainbow sprinkles throughout, finished with smooth buttercream frosting for any celebration.

# What You Need:

→ Cake

01 - 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
03 - 1/2 tsp salt
04 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
06 - 4 large eggs, room temperature
07 - 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
08 - 1 cup whole milk, room temperature
09 - 3/4 cup rainbow sprinkles (jimmies)

→ Buttercream Frosting

10 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
11 - 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
12 - 2-3 tbsp milk or cream
13 - 2 tsp vanilla extract
14 - Pinch of salt
15 - Extra sprinkles for decoration

# How To Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans and line bottoms with parchment paper.
02 - Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
03 - Beat butter and sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes.
04 - Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla extract.
05 - Alternately add flour mixture and milk to butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Mix until just combined.
06 - Gently fold rainbow sprinkles with spatula, taking care not to overmix.
07 - Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Smooth tops and bake for 25-30 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
08 - Cool layers in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
09 - Beat butter until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and salt. Beat until light, fluffy, and spreadable.
10 - Frost top of one cooled layer, place second layer on top, and cover entire cake with remaining frosting. Decorate with extra sprinkles.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The rainbow speckles peeking through each slice make everyone smile before they even take a bite
  • Buttercream that stays perfectly spreadable without being too sweet or stiff
02 -
  • Room temperature ingredients are not optional, cold butter creates curdled messes that never quite recover
  • Overmixing after adding sprinkles turns your batter gray and sad, fold gently and stop immediately
03 -
  • Weigh your flour if possible, too much flour creates dry cake and no celebration should involve dry cake
  • Add a teaspoon of almond extract to the frosting for that undeniable bakery flavor everyone asks about

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