These colorful funfetti cupcakes are the perfect treat to celebrate a special occasion or just for the fun of it! They’re fluffy and topped with a creamy vanilla buttercream, plus they’re free of eggs with gluten and vegan options included!

It’s hard to be sad when eating super colorful funfetti treats. I don’t know if it’s the bright rainbow colors or the fact that you’re eating sugar, but somehow it just makes your day better. My nephew’s birthday is in a few days and we celebrated his special day a little early this past weekend. He has such a fun and bubbly personality, so I knew I needed to make cupcakes to match. Funfetti all the way!

As soon as he walked in he was super excited and wanted to help me finish decorating the top. I gave him a few cupcakes I had just frosted and he was very thorough with the sprinkles. I mean, sprinkles galore! Needless to say, they ended up being his cupcakes since he was the only one who could truly appreciate that many sprinkles packed into a single cupcake!

Cupcakes

These cupcakes are egg free and can easily be made vegan by using dairy-free butter. My favorite vegan butter is Miyoko’s European Style Vegan Butter, which tastes and acts a lot like regular butter in baking. It also includes a gluten-free option, which uses a blend of gluten-free flours to get a fluffy texture without eggs! The cake has less sugar than most similar cupcake recipes, but you can probably cut back a little more if you truly wanted. The buttercream, which is also less sweet than most recipes, is plenty sweet enough, as are the sprinkles!

Sprinkles

As far as getting the colorful “funfetti” look in your cupcakes, you’ll need to use the right sprinkles. Rainbow jimmies are the kind you want to use, not the little colorful ball sprinkles (nonpareils) or the naturally colored sprinkles you can get from Whole Foods, which can bleed into the batter and become a jumbled colored mess in the final cake. If anything, you can save those sprinkles for decorating the top of the cupcakes after baking!

Buttercream

I included my standard vanilla buttercream for these cupcakes, but I have other recipes on the blog, including my lightly sweetened buttercream and naturally sweetened swiss meringue buttercream!

Substitutes

Milk: I use unsweetened original almond milk in all of my baked goods, but any plant-based milk or dairy milk will work in these cupcakes. Just keep in mind the flavor of the milk will affect the flavor of the cake, so if it’s a strong tasting milk, like soy or coconut, your cake will take on that flavor.
Butter: Although I am sensitive to many dairy products, I am not sensitive to butter, so I use regular organic unsalted butter in a lot of my baked goods. However, I do also like and use Miyoko’s European Vegan Butter with great results. That’s the dairy-free butter I recommend, but you are free to use your favorite brand. I haven’t tried with coconut oil, so let me know if you try it with success!
Oil: I use both butter and oil in these to give the cupcakes both flavor and a moist crumb. I typically use olive, vegetable, or avocado oil when baking, but your favorite neutral flavored oil should work fine in these cupcakes.
Flour: For the regular cupcakes, I use a combination of all-purpose and cornstarch, which mimics cake flour. Cake flour gives cakes a more tender crumb. If you don’t have cornstarch, you can use the equivalent amount of extra all-purpose flour.
Gluten-Free Flours: I use a blend of gluten-free flours to get a fluffy texture in these cupcakes.
- Start with a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend (with xanthan gum). I like King Arthur Measure for Measure GF flour and Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Baking Flour. I haven’t tried with another flour blend, but if you have one you like that is a cup for cup all-purpose substitute and that has xanthan gum or an equivalent binder, feel free to use it.
- To the blend, I add almond flour, which adds moisture and helps make the cake texture more fluffy. I don’t have a substitute for almond flour without altering the recipe to add more moisture. You can always follow the regular recipe using a gluten-free flour blend in lieu of all-purpose flour, just keep in mind that gluten-free flour blends are typically a little gummy on their own. You may need to add an egg to help with rise and texture.
- The last gluten-free flour is coconut flour, which I find helps the texture and adds fluffiness. I don’t have a recommendation to substitute the coconut flour, but you can use this vanilla cupcake recipe which doesn’t have coconut flour and just add sprinkles to the batter. Since the recipe makes less cupcakes, I’d add 1/4–1/3 cup of sprinkles instead of the full 1/2 cup. Unless you just love sprinkles, then by all means, use the full amount!

These cupcakes are light, fluffy, and delicious! They are so much fun to bake and eat. Enjoy!

Funfetti Cupcakes

Author: Joscelyn | Wife Mama Foodie
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 16 cupcakes 1x

Print Recipe

Description

Ingredients

Scale

Funfetti Cupcakes: (Gluten-Free option below)

1 1/4 cup milk of choice

1 teaspoon vinegar (apple cider or white distilled)

1/2 cup (4oz) softened butter (regular or dairy-free. I like Miyoko’s European Vegan Butter)

1/4 cup vegetable oil or other oil of choice

1 cup (228g) granulated sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups (306g) all-purpose flour

1/4 cup (30g) cornstarch

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles (jimmies, not nonpareils)

Gluten-Free Funfetti Cupcakes:

1 1/4 cup milk of choice

1 teaspoon vinegar (apple cider or white distilled)

6 tablespoons (3oz) softened butter (regular or dairy-free. I like Miyoko’s European Vegan Butter)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil or other oil of choice

1 cup (228g) granulated sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/3 cup (196g) gluten-free all-purpose flour blend* (I use King Arthur Measure for Measure GF Flour Blend)

3/4 cup (84g) almond flour*

1/3 cup (37g) coconut flour*

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles (jimmies, not nonpareils)

Vanilla Buttercream:

1 cup (8oz) softened unsalted butter, dairy-free butter, or vegetable shortening

3 cups (390g) powdered sugar (can use up to 1 cup (130g) more if you want it sweeter)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1–2 tablespoons milk of choice or water, more may be needed

additional sprinkles to decorate, optional

Instructions

Funfetti Cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line cupcake pan with paper liners. This recipe makes about 16 cupcakes, depending on how full you fill your liners.

Mix together milk and vinegar in a small glass container to sour. In a separate bowl, combine flour(s), baking powder, and salt, whisking until blended. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter until creamy. Add oil and sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy.

Add a third of the flour mixture to the creamed butter, beating until mostly incorporated. Pour in half of the milk, continuing to beat until well blended. Repeat with half of the remaining flour, then the rest of the milk. Finish with the rest of the flour, beating until well combined and batter is smooth. Stir in vanilla and sprinkles. (If making gluten-free cupcakes, let batter rest 5–10 minutes before folding in sprinkles. This helps the gluten-free flours absorb the liquid)

Scoop batter into paper liners filling 3/4 full. Bake in preheated oven for 18–23 minutes or just until cupcakes are fluffy and centers spring back with a light touch. Bake time varies depending on your oven and how full the liners are filled.

Let cupcakes cool thoroughly before transferring to a baking rack to cool completely. Cupcakes should be cool before frosting or buttercream can melt and slide off.

Vanilla Buttercream:

In a medium bowl, beat softened butter until creamy. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, alternating with vanilla and 1–2 teaspoons of milk, blending until well combined. Beat in additional milk if buttercream is too stiff. Spread or pipe over fully cooled cupcakes and top with sprinkles.

I used a Wilton 1M Star Tip to pipe the frosting on the cupcakes.

Cover well and store at a cool room temperature for 2–3 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Notes

*Blending gluten-free flours significantly improves the texture. I do not recommend subbing all-purpose with only a gf multi-purpose blend.

Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins

Funfetti Cupcakes