June 28, 2017

Funfetti Bundt Cake

posted by Julie in Birthdays, Bundt Cakes, Desserts, Recipes
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Get ready to celebrate with this festive sprinkle-filled Funfetti Bundt Cake. Everyone’s favorite childhood cake flavor, baked entirely from scratch and turned into a bundt cake. It’s party time!

vanilla cake with glaze covered in colorful sprinkles on a white cake stand.

Another bundt cake?  Didn’t I just post one two days ago?  You betchya (this patriotic red white and blue bundt cake, to be exact).  So why two bundt cakes in a week?

Because today, friends, we are celebrating.  Six years ago today, I hit “publish” on my very first post here on Bunsen Burner Bakery — a dark chocolate cheesecake.

Six years – it doesn’t sound like that long ago, but I barely remember life back then.

Six years ago, I was a graduate student working on my Ph.D. in a pediatric oncology research laboratory.  I baked all the cakes for my labmates’ birthdays and they encouraged me to start a food blog as a means of sharing my recipes with them.

And here we still are, six years later.  Ph.D. finished. A move from Washington, D.C. to Philadelphia to join a biophysics lab as a postdoc. Buying a house. Adopting a dog. Adding a tiny human to our family.

Six years, but sometimes it feels more like sixteen.

I’ve made (and rekindled) some wonderful friendships through food blogging, have an automatic “interesting fact” about myself for job interviews, and now, it’s even become a way to spend time with my two year old.

We recently gave him an old point-and-shoot camera, and he stands up on a chair next to me, taking pictures of my photo setup while I do.  He’ll sit down at the computer and start pretend typing, telling me all about the recipe he’s food blogging.

“I blogging a salad!  I blogging pasta salad.  No, I blogging ICE CREAM SALAD!” <– he might be on to something there.  Ice cream salad, coming to Bunsen Burner Bakery soon!

All this to say: I had no idea a little hobby would turn into such a big part of my life.  Thanks to all of you who have joined me for the adventure!  Now let’s celebrate with cake!

Of course, it’s a bundt cake, because… Bundt Cake of the Month series.  And of course, there have to be sprinkles involved, because… I love sprinkles.  So why not make it the sprinkliest of sprinkle cakes: funfetti bundt cake!

two slices of funfetti bundt cake on dessert plates covered in sprinkles.

Ingredients and Substitutions

  • Eggs
  • Vegetable Oil: Use any neutral oil, like vegetable, canola, or grapeseed. The oil keeps this moist and fluffy for days, and not using butter results in a whiter cake color.
  • Milk: I always bake with whole milk, but you can substitute another high-protein milk, like pea protein milk or soy milk, to keep the cake dairy-free.
  • Vanilla Extract
  • Almond Extract
  • Flour: The cake is made with all-purpose flour, but to keep the cake gluten-free, you can use a 1:1 direct substitution gluten-free baking mix that includes xanthan gum.
  • Sugar
  • Baking Powder
  • Sprinkles
  • Confectioners’ Sugar
unglazed funfetti bundt cake full of sprinkles on a wire cooling rack.

Secret to Funfetti Flavor

With sprinkles inside and outside, this funfetti bundt cake is definitely ready to celebrate. 

At the heart of it, a funfetti cake is a generic white cake.  But have you ever noticed that there’s an extra little flavor?  White cake with sprinkles doesn’t quite capture that cake batter/funfetti experience.

The secret ingredient?  Just a little almond extract!

Less is definitely more with almond extract, so don’t overdo it — it’s not quite the same as vanilla extract, which is much more forgiving.

Allergic to nuts?  Leave it out (obviously!).  White cake with sprinkles is still delicious!

thick white glaze being poured over a bundt cake.

Add Lots of Sprinkles!

There’s no denying that sprinkles are what make funfetti cakes so much fun. They’re colorful and it’s hard not to smile when you see one! But sprinkles are more than just eye candy – they play a role in what makes funfetti cakes taste so good, too!

When you mix rainbow sprinkles into your cake batter, you’re not just adding a burst of color; you’re introducing pockets of moisture. How does this work? It’s time for my favorite subject… kitchen chemistry!

Kitchen Chemistry

Most sprinkles are made of sugar, and as they heat up during baking, they melt into the surrounding cake batter. As the sprinkles dissolve, they release more sugar and moisture throughout the cake. This moisture not only contributes to the cake’s overall texture but also keeps it fresh and tender, even days after baking.

Sprinkles: not just for looking pretty!

a sprinkle covered bundt cake with a thick white vanilla glaze.

Opaque Bundt Cake Glaze

While this is a simple vanilla glaze, I often get comments on how opaque it is. The trick is easy: just use less milk in the glaze!

I start by adding together confectioners’ sugar and milk to form a paste-like consistency. Sometimes it seems a little too chalky and I have to add a splash more milk, mix thoroughly until smooth, and then add in a little more powdered sugar. You’re looking for the maximum amount of powdered sugar you can add while still having a spoon-able consistency to spread on top of the cake.

Then add sprinkles before the glaze has a chance to set. Then add even more sprinkles. Then take a picture and decide you need to add even more sprinkles. You should probably just go ahead and buy sprinkles in bulk to make sure you have enough!

slice of sprinkle-covered cake next to a cake stand.
  • Bundt Pan: This recipe is written for a 12-cup capacity metal bundt pan.
  • Stand Mixer: You can mix this cake by hand since there is no need to cream together butter and sugar, but it comes together so quickly using a stand mixer.
  • Sprinkles: My favorite sprinkles for baking, as they don’t bleed into the batter too much.
  • Almond Extract: The secret to true funfetti flavor!
  • Mixing Bowl: This set of glass mixing bowls has all the right sizes to mix together batters or glazes.
slice of colorful funfetti bundt cake on its side with one forkful removed.

Tips and Tricks for the Best Funfetti Cake

  1. New to baking in bundt pans? Looking for the best tips and tricks to ensure your cake doesn’t stick? Check out THIS POST for all my best bundt tips!
  2. Use good quality sprinkles!  Inexpensive sprinkles or nonpareil-style sprinkles will bleed into the batter.
  3. Don’t overbake the cake — this will result in a drier, crumbly texture.  Bake just until the edges begin to pull away from the pan and the top is springy when pushed back.  An instant-read thermometer should register as 200 ºF when inserted into the middle of the thickest part of the cake.
  4. After removing the pan from the oven, run a knife along the edges of the pan to loosen the cake slightly, then set aside to cool for 10 minutes before inverting on a wire rack.
  5. Make sure the cake is fully cooled before adding the glaze.  The glaze will not set and run off the cake if the cake is still warm.

More Sprinkle-Covered Desserts:

2017 Bundt Cake of the Month Series

thick slice of white funfetti bundt cake on a dessert plate.

Funfetti Bundt Cake

Yield: Serves 16
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

Get ready to celebrate with this festive sprinkle-filled funfetti bundt cake.  Everyone’s favorite childhood cake flavor, baked entirely from scratch and turned into a bundt cake.

Ingredients

For the Cake:

  • 4 large eggs, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup (149 grams) vegetable oil
  • 1 cup (227 grams) whole milk, room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 3 cups (360 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 1 3/4 cups (347 grams) sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (176 grams) rainbow sprinkles

For the Glaze:

  • 2 1/2 cups (284 grams) confectioners sugar
  • 1/4 cup (56 grams) milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup (88 grams) sprinkles (more if desired)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 °F.  Grease and flour a 12 cup metal bundt pan.
  2. Make the cake batter. Using an electric mixer on low speed, beat together the eggs, oil, milk, vanilla extract, and almond extract for 2 minutes, or until well combined.  Reduce speed to low and slowly add in the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Continue to beat until ingredients are fully incorporated and smooth.  Add in the sprinkles and mix until evenly dispersed.
  3. Bake the cake. Pour batter into the prepared bundt pan.  Bake 45 to 50 minutes, until a tester inserted into the cake comes out clean and the cake springs back gently when pressed with a finger.  Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack and cool completely before glazing.
  4. Make the glaze and decorate. To make the glaze, whisk together the confectioners sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth.  Add additional powdered sugar for thicker glaze or more milk to thin.  Pour over the cooled cake, letting the glaze drip down the sides of the cake.  Decorate liberally with sprinkles.

Notes

  1. Use good quality sprinkles!  Inexpensive sprinkles or nonpareil-style sprinkles will bleed into the batter. My favorite are these CK Products sprinkles which do not bleed.
  2. Don’t overbake the cake — this will result in a drier, crumbly texture. 
  3. After removing the pan from the oven, run a knife along the edges of the pan to loosen the cake slightly, then set aside to cool for 10 minutes before inverting on a wire rack.
  4. Make sure the cake is fully cooled before adding the glaze.  The glaze will not set and run off the cake if the cake is still warm.
  5. Cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. To freeze, wrap unglazed cake tightly in aluminum foil, followed by a layer of plastic wrap.  Defrost fully and bring to room temperature before glazing.  Glazed slices can be frozen, wrapped as above, but glaze may separate from the cake while thawing.

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© Julie (Bunsen Burner Bakery)
Cuisine: American / Category: Bundt Cakes
Funfetti Bundt Cake: Get ready to celebrate with this festive sprinkle-filled homemade funfetti bundt cake!  Everyone's favorite childhood flavor, baked from scratch with an easy recipe. Perfect for birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, or any day that needs a little extra cheer!
posted in Birthdays, Bundt Cakes, Desserts, Recipes
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