Christmas Sprinkle Cake
Fluffy, flavorful vanilla butter sprinkle cake frosted with a festive sprinkle frosting. This cake is simple, universally popular, and perfect for the holidays!
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Sooo…confession. I made this cake in the summer. Like, early summer. Like, early June. Which is technically still spring. But, I’m a teacher and gotta do what I gotta do.
I also needed to clear out cakes from my freezer, and I had these cake layers and some frosting and just went for it.
Plus, Christmas in June is never a bad idea.
This was also my first time making a sprinkle frosting like this. Usually, you frost a cake and add sprinkles later. But I love the clean look of stirring the sprinkles in. And it wasn’t as hard to work with as I expected! You just need to be patient and make sure you have enough heavy cream in the frosting to keep it spreadable.
I hope you try it out for the holidays!
Why this recipe works
The use of cake flour is key in this cake. You can use store bought or make your own (see note below). It’s lighter and lower in protein, making it ideal for more tender desserts. Another key factor is using both European style butter (for the fluff factor) and a tiny bit of oil (for moisture). Using all oil yields a delicious, super moist cake, but it’s just never as fluffy as those boxed kinds (even though the stupid boxes call for using nothing but oil, which is just some kind of trickery in my opinion…but I digress…). So, beating butter and sugar gives that ideal fluff and adding just a bit of oil helps retain moisture.
Another interesting factor is that I used both granulated and brown sugar here. Brown sugar just gives such a deeper, almost caramelized flavor. Plus, it adds moisture! Win-win! Along with the brown sugar, adding more vanilla than your average recipe is key in making this cake so flavorful. You need at least a tablespoon before you get any real flavor.
Finally, the sprinkles! It’s important to fold them in gently and just until mixed so that you don’t over-mix the cake and don’t cause color streaking in the frosting. They will create such a fun, festive look and just a hint of crunch!
Key ingredients
Cake flour. You can make your own. For this recipe, you’d want to use 4 1/2 tablespoons (1/4 cup plus 1/2 tablespoon) cornstarch and add that to 1 3/4 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons flour. Sift and whisk twice before using in the cake.
Baking powder. Be sure it’s fresh—not open for longer than 6 months (regardless of the expiration date on the box).
Salt. Sea salt is ideal.
Butter. European butter is best for this recipe, as it has less water.
Sugar/brown sugar. Using both adds a bit more flavor and moisture, without making the cake dark.
Eggs. Use fresh, large, room temperature eggs.
Oil. Just a tiny bit of oil (avocado, grape seed, or canola) helps keep this cake moist.
Vanilla. Use pure extract, not imitation.
Whole milk. Whole milk will make a better cake.
Vanilla buttercream. You can use any frosting you’d like, but I think this cake is perfect with classic vanilla. Chocolate is another great option!
Sprinkles. Jimmies are the most classic tasting here, but you can use any sprinkles you like as long as they’re not too thick or large.
How to make christmas sprinkle cake
1. Sift and whisk flour, baking powder, and salt.
2. Beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. 2-3 minutes minimum on medium high. I usually beat it for about 5 minutes, because we use organic sugar that tends to take longer to break down.
3. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat on medium 30-60 seconds after each addition.
4. Beat in oil and vanilla. Beat on medium 30 seconds.
5. Alternate adding flour and milk on low. Beat on low until mostly combined, with some flour still unmixed—the next step will take care of that.
6. Fold in sprinkles. Do this gently and just until mixed.
7. Bake. Pour into prepared cake pan(s) and bake until a toothpick comes out with just some moist crumbs. I did a half recipe in an 8x8 pan for these photos, but you could also make three 6” layers, two 8” or 9” layers, or a 9x13 quarter sheet cake.
8. Make the frosting while the cake cools. You can also make this ahead and refrigerate for 1-2 weeks or freeze 1-2 months. Just let it come to room temperature on the counter for a few hours then beat with a hand mixer for about a minute to fluff it back up THEN stir in the sprinkles. Do not add the sprinkles until you are ready to frost or the color may bleed.
9. Frost and decorate as desired. I did a small cake for these photos, but you can decorate in any way you like.
Enjoy!
Tips and FAQ’s for this recipe
Make your own cake flour!
I often make my own, because it’s so easy. One cup of cake flour is just 2 tablespoons cornstarch plus 7/8 cup all-purpose flour. Our, in simpler terms, 2 tablespoons cornstarch scooped into a 1 cup measuring cup then you scoop enough all-purpose flour over that to equal 1 cup (be sure to level it off with the back of a knife). Or, for a more mathematically accurate option for this exact recipe: use 4 1/2 tablespoons (1/4 cup plus 1/2 tablespoon) cornstarch and add that to 1 3/4 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons flour. Sift and whisk twice before using in the cake.
What kind of sprinkles should I use?
Any kind! I prefer jimmies, because they’re the most classic confetti cake sprinkle. However, you can use any kind you like. Nonpareils are another good option, but be careful not to mix too much or the color could bleed. I don’t recommend super large sprinkles or those jumbo nonpareils, as they are just uncomfortable to bite into and could cause the cupcakes to fall apart.
Don’t overmix the sprinkles
You want to gently fold them in (meaning stir by scraping along the edges then pulling that toward the middle at the end of your stir). Stirring to vigorously or too long could cause the sprinkles to dissolve and dye your cake a funny color. They will disperse a little more during baking, so don’t worry too much about getting them perfectly stirred in.
Can I make this ahead of time?
Yes! Depending on my schedule, I almost always make the frosting at least a few days ahead, whipping it quickly with a hand mixer before using. For the cake layers, I often bake my cakes the day before I plan to serve them. I let them cool completely then wrap them well in plastic wrap (I know, NOT eco-friendly), leave them on the counter overnight, then decorate them the next day. If I’m planning a rather intricate or time-consuming decoration, I’ll decorate them the night before and either refrigerate them or leave them on the counter, depending on the type of frosting/filling as well as the location (in fact, for outdoor parties I often freeze the cake then keep it in the shade until serving, when it will have warmed up just enough to cut without melting). You can also bake the cake further in advance and refrigerate (well wrapped) it for 1-2 days or freeze it for up to a month, but this can dry it out a little. It’s actually more ideal to freeze a frosted cake, if you have room. Simply freeze it for an hour then carefully wrap the whole thing with a few layers of plastic wrap. Leave the plastic on while it defrosts to allow the condensation to stick to the plastic, not the frosting.
Spoon then level your flour
Don’t scoop your flour! I never knew this until I started blogging, but it seriously makes a big difference. You will end up with roughly 25% more flour than the recipe called for if you just doonk (official baking term right there) your measuring spoon into the flour container and scoop. Gently spoon your flour into your measuring cup then level it off with the back of a knife. Trust me! It makes a difference.
Can I use a different frosting?
Yes! I’ve made this with marshmallow frosting and it’s so very delicious but a little on the sweet side (which I love). Another classic combo is chocolate frosting, which is a very cool look with the sprinkles. Beyond those options, you of course could use any frosting recipe you like, since vanilla cake pairs well with almost anything!
My cake tools
Here are my must-have tools I use for making this cake. Affiliate links provided.
All-rubber spatula (this makes scraping the bowl easier so the batter and frosting doesn’t get all over a wooden handle!)
Mesh sieve (because sifting is KEY for a fluffy cake)
Offset spatula for frosting
Christmas Sprinkle Cake
- prep time: 35-40 minutes
- bake time: 25-30 minutes
- total time: 1 hour, 10 minutes (plus cooling time)
servings: 12-16
Ingredients:
for the sprinkle cake
- 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (244g) cake flour, spooned then leveled
- 2 teaspoons (8g) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (3g) sea salt
- ¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 ⅔ cups (335g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons (27g) avocado or vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon (13g) vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240g) whole milk, room temperature
- ½ cup (about 150g) holiday sprinkles
to frost
- one batch vanilla buttercream
- ½ cup (about 150g) holiday sprinkles
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 325F/165C (350F/175C if at high elevation). Lightly butter and flour two 8” or 9” or three 6” cake pans. You can also use baking spray instead. Line with parchment paper (or use silicone liners).
- In a medium mixing bowl, use a large fine mesh sieve to sift then whisk together cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer), beat the butter on high until fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape the bowl as necessary, at least once.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing on medium until light and fluffy (about 30 seconds) and scraping the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and oil and mix on medium until well blended.
- Add half of the flour and mix on low until just barely blended. Add the milk and mix on low until just barely blended. Add the remaining flour and mix on low until just barely blended with some flour streaks still visible.
- Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in sprinkles until evenly mixed in. This will also help mix in the remaining streaks of flour.
- Divide evenly between your prepared pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes (less if using three 6” pans), or until a toothpick inserted in the middle cupcake comes out clean. Check early, as climate, elevation, and individual ovens can cause the bake time to vary.
- Let cakes cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
- While the cakes cool, make the vanilla buttercream. When ready to frost, stir in the sprinkles into the frosting gently, just until mixed in. Frost cake as desired. If you’re struggling to get straight edges, feel free to make more decorative swirls.
Enjoy!
If not eating right away, a fully frosted cake (or well-covered 9x13 cake) can be kept on the counter for 1-2 days, in the fridge up to 1 week (chill it then cover it well), or frozen up to 1 month (freeze for an hour then cover well with plastic wrap).
Keep a cut cake fresh by placing a piece of plastic wrap right against the cut sides then covering the entire cake well with more plastic wrap or in an airtight cake holder.
*I highly recommend European style butter! It has less water and makes a richer dessert.
