funfetti cupcake on a surface

When it comes to celebrating, there’s nothing better than doing so with sprinkles. These One-Bowl Funfetti Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting make getting the party started easier than ever! Fluffy-soft, flavorful, flecked with rainbow hues and topped with a cheesecake-like frosting, these cute and colorful cupcakes are the perfect sweet pick-me-up for days like these.

funfetti cupcakes on a surface

Hello! I made you One-Bowl Funfetti Cupcakes.

Hello hello! It has been a minute, hasn’t it? If you’ve been following along on Instagram or Facebook, you probably know that in the last month, we:

  1. MOVED! OMG, yes. In quarantine times. We did it all ourselves. My body is sore forever. But we are here and happy and in a home, finally. <3
  2. Celebrated THREE birthdays + Mother’s Day: Addy’s birthday in April, then my birthday, Avery’s birthday and Mother’s Day all in a row last week. We are officially maxed out on partying.

To say we are exhausted is truly an understatement, but each day is one day closer to feeling normal again. We still need to break down one bajillion moving boxes and put our bed back together, but hey! I did make cupcakes. Really winning at priorities here.

How to Make One-Bowl Funfetti Cupcakes

Funny story: I actually didn’t make these cupcakes for any of our birthdays. In fact, I made a strawberry cake for Addy’s birthday, a cherry cake for Avery’s birthday and I indulged in some ah-mazing Tillamook cookie dough ice cream for my birthday. That being said, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to make these super-fun rainbow vanilla cupcakes with a cheesecake frosting. They just scream “celebrate!” to me and since we’ve been doing a whole lot of that lately, I felt like bringing these treats into the fold, as well.

These cupcakes are:

  • Super-soft.
  • Majorly fluffy.
  • Full of true vanilla flavor.
  • Speckled with pretty rainbow sprinkles.
  • Topped with a tangy and smooth cream cheese frosting.
  • Made in ONE BOWL.
  • Done in ONE HOUR.

They’re perfect for graduation. They’re perfect for holiday weekends. They’re perfect for birthdays, of course. They’re perfect for stress-baking during quarantine. They’re perfect for anytime, just because.

Making these cupcakes is so easy, you could do it with one hand tied behind your back. Just whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder and salt), then beat in the wet ingredients (eggs, oil, milk and vanilla). Gently fold in the sprinkles, then divide the batter between your paper-lined muffin cups. Bake until golden, let cool and frost! Seriously that simple.

close-up of a funfetti cupcake

Why You Should Always Pair Funfetti Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Here’s why this pairing works so ridiculously well: The soft, fluffy but sturdy vanilla cupcake base is sweet yet mild. The cream cheese frosting is tangy and creamy, with notes of fresh lemon. Together, they yield a cupcake that features all the textures, tastes and visual appeal you want in a cupcake.

The cream cheese frosting is as simple to make as the cupcakes: Just beat together butter and cream cheese, then add powdered sugar, milk, lemon juice and lemon zest until a smooth, creamy and slightly fluffy frosting forms. If the frosting is too thick, add a touch more milk; if the frosting is too thin, refrigerate it in the bowl for about a half-hour to 1 hour to let it firm up a bit. Then pipe it or spread it onto your cupcakes, top with more sprinkles and enjoy!

funfetti cupcake cut in half on a plate with other cupcakes on a surface

Tips for the Best Cupcakes

As always, let’s cover some pro tips for making these cupcakes extra-celebration-worthy:

  1. Be sure to use jimmy sprinkles in this recipe — those are the long, rod-like sprinkles that are waxy in texture. Nonpareils or decorating sugars will bleed in the batter, leaving you with a gross-colored cupcake rather than a pretty one with flecks of rainbow hues.
  2. Once the cupcakes are frosted, store them in the refrigerator. Cream cheese frosting doesn’t hold up too well to prolonged periods of time at room temperature, so after a while it might weep or start to melt. If you keep the frosting refrigerated, you’ll keep those cupcakes perky until it’s time to celebrate.
  3. Not a huge fan of cream cheese frosting? Try chocolate frosting instead!

Whether you have a reason to celebrate or just need a little added color and sweetness in your life lately, these cupcakes are your new fun friend (no social distancing required).

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funfetti cupcake on a surface

One-Bowl Funfetti Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

★★★★ 4 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Stephanie
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 24 cupcakes 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American
Print Recipe

Description

Fluffy-soft and flavorful sprinkle-flecked vanilla cupcakes topped with a smooth, sweet cream cheese frosting. These easy treats are a party in cupcake form!

Ingredients

Scale

For the cupcakes:

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 4 eggs
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil*
  • 1 cup milk**
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles, plus more for topping***

For the frosting:

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
  • 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
  • 2–3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

Instructions

  1. First, make the cupcakes: Heat oven to 350°F. Line 24 standard-size muffin cups (two 12-cup pans) with paper liners.
  2. In a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt until well combined. Add eggs, oil, milk and vanilla; beat with an electric hand mixer or in the stand mixer with a paddle attachment on medium speed until smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Use a spatula to gently fold in sprinkles (if you stir them in too much, the colors will start to bleed).
  3. Divide cupcake batter evenly among paper liners so each cup is about 3/4 full. Bake 15-20 minutes or until cupcakes are baked through with lightly golden, domed tops. Cool cupcakes in pan 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
  4. Meanwhile, make the frosting: In a large bowl using an electric hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat butter and cream cheese on high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in 2 cups powdered sugar, milk, lemon juice and lemon zest until smooth. Beat in just enough of remaining 1 cup powdered sugar until frosting is thick but spreadable. (If the frosting seems too thin to pipe or spread, refrigerate covered for 30 minutes to 1 hour.)
  5. Pipe or spread frosting on top of cupcakes. Top with more sprinkles, if desired. Store frosted cupcakes in refrigerator up to 2 days.

Notes

  • Recipe adapted from The Kitchn.
  • *Swap vegetable oil for canola oil, or melted and cooled butter.
  • **You can use any alternative milk you like for this recipe, such as oat milk or almond milk.
  • ***Be sure to use jimmy sprinkles for this recipe (aka the long, rod-like sprinkles); nonpareils will bleed into the batter.

Keywords: rainbow cupcakes, sprinkle cupcakes, vanilla funfetti cake, vanilla cake with sprinkles, cheesecake frosting

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