Sprinkle Cupcakes

Make every day a special occasion with Confetti Sprinkle Cupcakes. Scratch-made and incredibly soft, these birthday cupcakes are speckled with rainbow sprinkles and topped with fluffy buttercream frosting.

I’m trying to live my best life, but I’m also trying to avoid salmonella. Sadly, the two cannot coexist. At least not when I’m standing in front of a bowl of cupcake batter begging me to eat it. Okay, it didn’t actually say ‘eat me’, it said ‘bite me’ which is more of an insult than an invitation. But it’s hard to take offense when it’s spoken in the giggly voice of Pillsbury’s Doughboy.

Is it just me or has everybody eaten so many box cake mixes in their life that they hear Poppin’ Fresh hoo-hooing every time they bake? It’s not an auditory hallucination, I’m being haunted by Pillsbury’s pudgy mascot. I should probably see a somebody about that, like a psychiatrist. Or a ghostbuster.

I don’t know if a shrink or Dan Aykroyd would be better suited for the job, but I do know why the doughboy is taunting me. It’s because I’m on a mission to get every home baker to switch from store-bought cake mixes to scratch made. I’m all for convenience, but there’s no comparison between cakes made with fresh pantry ingredients and cakes made with preservatives.

The Pillsbury Doughboy may be 14 ounces of pure determination, but he’s no match for my 1,696 ounces. He’s also outmatched when it comes to my knockoff Funfetti cupcakes. I’m talking about smooth, creamy white cake batter dotted with colorful sprinkles that bakes up soft and fluffy every time. Try these from-scratch cupcakes for your next special occasion or just to spite the pasty Doughboy. Whether you’re eating them for a celebration or malice, they always taste sweet.

Before sharing the recipe for Sprinkle Cupcakes, here are a few tips to help you out:

Cake flour gives cupcakes a tender, fluffy texture. If you don’t have this ingredient on hand then you can make a cake flour substitute using all-purpose flour and cornstarch. For this cupcake recipe, measure 1 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour into a bowl then remove 2 1/2 Tablespoons of flour. Next, add 2 1/2 Tablespoons of cornstarch to the bowl of flour then sift the mixture three times. Do not skip the sifting step since it’s essential for aerating the flour.

This recipe calls for heavy cream in the buttercream frosting. Whole milk passes as a substitute but may result in less fluffy frosting.

Use any kind of cupcake sprinkles you wish except nonpareil sprinkles because their color will bleed into the batter.

Egg whites, sour cream, milk and butter all need to be at room temperature before beginning.

Always use the spoon and level method to measure flour. Scooping overpacks flour into the measuring cup which results in dry, dense cupcakes.

Only fill cupcake liners 2/3 full with batter before baking. Overfilling will cause the batter spill over the liner as it rises in the oven.

Store cupcakes with buttercream frosting in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 days.

Freeze unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before frosting.

Whether you call these Happy Birthday Cupcakes, Funfetti Cupcakes or Sprinkle Cupcakes, everyone will call them delicious. Please leave a comment and review below after your next cupcake party. And, while you’re at it, sign up for my weekly Recipe Newsletter so you never miss a tempting recipe.

Finally, if you like desserts with sprinkles then you’ll love these Funfetti Cookies. Loaded with colorful sprinkles, these pillowy soft sugar cookies will bring a smile to your face and your stomach.