I can’t be the only person who buys funfetti for one bake and then ends up ordering more immediately for 101 ideas thereafter. There is just something so enjoyable about using funfetti in baking – apart from when you spill the pot and it goes everywhere. That is always a nightmare! However, these cupcakes are literally just like a beaming smile with frosting on it. These cupcakes are really simple, but the addition of the sprinkles just bring them alive! Not a fan of the funfetti? Simply use this recipe to make yourself some deliciously light vanilla sponge cupcakes with a decadent vanilla buttercream instead. I decided to keep the base of this 100% vanilla to suit a variety of tastes – but you could easily use the white chocolate buttercream from my carrot cake recipe if you’d prefer. I can see that working a charm. You could even try a chocolate version.
These cupcakes are basically foolproof! You’d have a hard job of making this into a disaster (she says). I’ve made these cakes many times for friends, family and colleagues and they are yet to let me down. Every time I take them to work, they seem to fly out of the cake tin. Even my partner, who isn’t the biggest fan of sweet things, always asks to keep a few of these aside for himself! Such a compliment. If you fancy something chocolatey, you could also accompany these with a batch of either my boozy black forest or vegan chocolate cupcakes.
Oh and one last tip before the recipe – make sure your sprinkles are gluten-free. You’d be amazed at how many get that pesky wheat or other unnecessary ingredients added. There are plenty of great brands out there though! One I really like is baking time club who cover a range of dietary requirements. However, if you are fine with ‘may contain gluten’, there are plenty of supermarket own brands which have no gluten-containing ingredients. If you really want to jazz these up then you could also add sprinkles into the batter itself. Just make sure to buy quality funfetti for this to prevent the colour from fading during the bake.
Funfetti Vanilla Cupcakes
Equipment
- Oven
- Mixing Bowl x2
- Wooden Spoon
- Scoop
- Cupcake baking tray
- Wire rack
- Piping bag
- Piping nozzle
- Whisk
- Sieve
Ingredients
For the vanilla sponge
- 2 tsp Vanilla extract
- 185 grams Caster sugar
- 2 large Eggs
- 255 grams GF self-raising flour
- 1/4 tsp Xanthan gum
- 160 grams Dairy-free butter Recommendation: stork baking block
- 1/2 tsp Baking soda
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- 130 ml Dairy-free milk Recommendation: almond, coconut, GF oat or soya
For the buttercream icing
- 150 grams Dairy-free butter Recommendation: stork baking block
- 330 grams Icing sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 3-4 tbsp Dairy-free milk Recommendation: almond, coconut, GF oat or soya
To decorate
- 3-4 tbsp Funfetti sprinkles
Instructions
To make the vanilla sponge
- Pre-heat the oven to 190°C (conventional) or 170°C (fan)
- Line a cupcake tray with cupcake baking cases and set aside
- Sieve the flour, baking soda, baking powder and xanthan gum into a mixing bowl
- Add the caster sugar to the bowl and mix in
- Add the eggs and vanilla extract to the bowl containing the butter and beat together
- Add the melted butter and egg mixture to the bowl containing the flour mixture and fold in
- Finally, add in the dairy-free milk and whisk thoroughly, ensuring there are no clumps
- Using a scoop (or spoon), place the batter evenly into the baking cases and then pop into the oven
- Bake for 17-20 minutes (I do this in two batches)
- Once baked, remove from the cake tin and place on a wire rack to cool completely
For the buttercream and decoration
- Beat together the butter, milk, vanilla extract and icing sugar until a stiff but malleable buttercream forms (you can use a whisk to help remove any lumps)
- Carefully pipe the buttercream onto the cupcakes (if it is slightly too soft, pop the buttercream in the fridge to set slightly before use)
- Sprinkle generous amounts of funfetti onto the top of the cakes then tuck in and enjoy!
Notes
- Storage: in an air-tight container at room temperate for 3-5 days
