Earlier this week I was asked if I had a scratch recipe for Funfetti Cupcake Clones. My friend liked the box version (Betty Crocker’s is called Rainbow Chip and Pillsbury’s is Funfetti), but she’s living in Europe where it’s hard to find. I didn’t have a scratch version, but was up for the challenge! Especially since Fuzz was returning from a camp out and could use a special treat.
Funfetti Cupcake Scratch Recipe
Using my current favorite white cupcake recipe and the type of sprinkles I had on hand, I made these. The cakes were as light and tight crumbed as mix, but had a homemade flavor. My only issue was I skimped on the sprinkles. Next time I’ll use a couple of tablespoons rather than 1. Also, I used the tiny ball type sprinkles. Funfetti and Rainbow Chip are both made with larger sprinkles or tiny candies.
Tie Dye Cupcakes
Since I had the sprinkles out and the kitchen was already a mess, I decided to experiment with some tie dye cupcakes. Thinking 3 different colors plus the original color of the batter would be enough, I spooned out random amounts of batter and mixed in yellow, blue, and red gel color. The cupcakes looked like this.
Recipe
Funfetti Cupcakes with Scratch White Cake
Ingredients
- 3 1/4 cups sifted cake flour (330 grams)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
- 5 large egg whites room temperature
- 14 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (196 grams)
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar (343 grams)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract optional
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
- Colored Sprinkles 1-2 tablespoons
Vanilla Icing
- 3 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 8 tablespoons butter unsalted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-3 tablespoons whipping cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 standard muffin tins with paper liners.
- Have all ingredients measured out and ready to go.
- Mix the cake flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl and set aside.
- In bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in 2 tablespoons of the sugar (from the original 1 3/4 cup) and keep beating until whites are almost stiff. If they get too stiff, they’re more difficult to fold in, but you want them to have plenty of volume. With a large rubber scraper, remove the whites from the stand mixer bowl and set aside in another bowl.
- Add butter to stand mixer bowl and beat until creamy. Gradually add sugar and beat for about 5 minute, scraping sides of bowl often. Beat in salt, vanilla and almond extract (if using) and continue scraping sides.
- Beginning and ending with the flour mixture, add the flour and the milk alternately (flour, milk, flour, milk, flour). Scraping and mixing until batter is relatively smooth.
- Fold the egg whites into the batter. At this point, you can decide how you want to dress up the cupcake batter. You can add mini chocolate chips, a couple of tablespoons of sprinkles, or divide the batter among little cups and dye it with gel paste.
- Divide batter evenly among the cupcake pans and bake on center rack for 22 minutes. Let cool and spread with vanilla icing.
- To make the icing, mix the sugar and butter on low speed of an electric mixer. Increase speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes, scraping sides of bowl often. Add vanilla and a tablespoon of the cream. Continue beating, scraping sides and adding cream until you get the right consistency. Taste and add salt if needed (only if using unsalted butter).
- Add vanilla and cream and continue to beat on medium speed for 1 minute more, adding more cream if needed for spreading consistency
Party Girl
This will be a perfect substitute for a cake at my daughters Tye Dye (or Tie Dye) party. Depending on the number of cupcakes you are making you can even arrange them in a peace sign formation for a real 60’s Tye Dye feel! Thanks for the great recipe!
Anna
Mitch, thanks! I’m glad you found the recipe useful and that the directions were clear. Hooray.
Melissa, I know what you mean about little kids not eating the “stalks”.
Mitch
Thank you! I am one of the funfetti lovers in Europe and can’t get the box mix. Made these yesterday and they are fantastic. The cake recipe is a new favorite. Your directions, as always, as great.
melissa
These look so fun and great for kids! Whenever we are at a birthday party, most of the kids just eat the icing and waste the cake. I bet they would eat it if they had the cool colors or sprinkles. 🙂
Anna
RAM, about the bleeding. I think the sprinkles are supposed to bleed just a little. That’s what gives the cakes their speckled appearance.
Lynette, thanks! We subscribe to Family Fun and I did see those cupcakes. I didn’t use as many colors as they did, though.
Lynette
Anna – check out the pictures here for the rainbow cupcakes that were recently made for st. patty’s day. I admit, I was one of the people who commented and posted a pic of my own cupcakes – the only problem with making them was how labor intensive they were! I think I stood for an hour or so pouring it tbsp by tbsp into each muffin cup! They looked great though. I’ll have to try your recipe for white cake the next time I need to make some! Great looking tie dye cupcakes!
take a look! http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/taste-a-rainbow-cupcakes-842128/
Allison
They look great! So fun! My cake turned out really good so thank you so much for the recipe! I’ll send you a photo once my computer gets out from under the weather!
Heather - Ghost Baker
Thank you! I LOVE funfetti cupcakes. I tried a recipe once for homemade funfetti and it was not at all the same. I have missed the boxed funfetti, but I just can’t justify the trans fat and other things.
justJENN
LOVE the tie dye ones!!!
Ram
Thanks for posting the Funfetti Cupcakes, now I got an idea on what to bake on my dear husband’s birthday. How did you keep the sprinkles from bleeding?
Chris Mower
Just the name and pictures alone make me want to bake these RIGHT NOW!!
Christine
These are cute cupcakes!!! I will do this on my daughter’s birthday! Thanks for sharing!
vanillasugar
now that is cool. i wonder if there are any dyes out there that are safe to eat? like at whole foods? i’ve always wondered about that.
Anna
Michele — I complained about the little sprinkles being too small, but they didn’t sink, so I guess that’s a plus. You said you used Rainbow Candy Coated chips. I looked them up and it says the rainbow candy coated ones are actually made with chocolate, so they must be heavier. I’m not sure if that’s really the case with the ones you used, but my advice is to try with regular sugar candy sprinkles. Something like these.
http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=1829AFB8-423B-522D-F191C6A3B50232AD&killnav=1
snooky doodle
THESE LOOK SO NICE!!! I LOVE THE COLOURFUL THEY ARE. 🙂
[email protected] & Dreams
These funfetti cupcakes are so much fun-my daughter would love them.
Michele
I once tried to make Funfetti Cupcake Clones but with Rainbow Candy Coated Chips instead of sprinkles. I guess they were too heavy because they sank to the bottom even though I tried tossing them with flour beforehand. Any suggestions? (Or perhaps take this as a word of warning.)
Kim Fluck
Yum… I think that blue color is “Cookie Monster” blue. I am having a horrible sweet tooth now that I saw this post! Looks super fun, too!
Anna
Ha! Debbie, that’s a good sign. How cute.
The tie dye (I keep wanting to spell it tye dye) ones were kind of fun, but I’m working in an all-white kitchen these days and not getting the dye everywhere is rather difficult. But I think it was worth it.
If anything, these are worth trying so you can get an idea of what a good white cake is like. Make sure you sift the flour, cream the sugar and butter well, etc. etc. and you will get great results.
Debbi
My son just tried to eat the computer screen. No joke. He is begging me to make these now!
Anna
Ha! Yeah, the first cross-section didn’t have enough blue in it so I went ahead and cut open another one.
Sue
Whoa! Just like that there’s a different photo with more blue in it! It’s like magic!!! 🙂
Sue
I think the tie dye cupcake you cut for the photo has almost the perfect amt. of blue. 😉
Katrina
Awesome. I’ve made rainbow cupcakes twice for the boys. They are so fun. And I just posted some “funfetti” rice cereal treats using the new Post Cupcake Pebbles Rice Cereal. Fun stuff!