Homemade Funfetti Cupcakes

CakeCupcake

May 31

These are the cupcakes you bring to a party when you want people to think you put in way more effort than you actually did.

Yield: 24 cupcakes | Prep Time: 5 minutes | Bake Time: 15-17 minutes | Total Time: 22 minutes

What Makes These Irresistible?

Let’s be real: these are the cupcakes you bring to a party when you want people to think you put in way more effort than you actually did. They’re fluffy, buttery, loaded with rainbow sprinkles (aka edible happiness), and topped with a swirl of frosting that could make a grown adult weep. And good news, no fancy cake flour or pastry chef skills required. Just basic pantry stuff and a willingness to make a small mess in the kitchen.

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Ingredients

For the Cupcakes

1/2 cup vegetable oil (105g)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temp (113g)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (300g)
4 eggs, room temp (200g)
2 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract (26g)
3 cups all-purpose flour (375g)
1 teaspoon salt (6g)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder (10g)
1 1/3 cups buttermilk (320g)
1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles (55g)

For the Buttercream Frosting

1 cup unsalted butter, room temp (227g)
4 1/2 cups powdered sugar (600g)
2 tablespoon vanilla extract (13g)
1/2 teaspoon salt (3g)
2-4 tablespoons milk

Instructions

For the Coconut Cupcakes

Preheat your oven. Set it to 350°F (180°C). Line 20 cupcake tins with liners unless you enjoy the spiritual pain of scraping baked batter off metal. Set aside.
Make the batter. In a large mixing bowl (stand mixer preferred, hand mixer if you’ve got strong wrists), beat together the room temp butter and oil until it stops looking weird and separated—about 3 minutes.
Add the granulated sugar slowly while beating on high. You're aiming for pale, fluffy, and vaguely luxurious—2 to 3 minutes.
Add your eggs one at a time. Mix well after each and scrape the bowl like someone who knows how to bake. Stir in the vanilla. Beat for 3 more minutes to trap all that sweet, sweet air.
Dry meets wet: Whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder in a separate bowl. Alternate adding this and the buttermilk to your wet mixture—start and end with dry. Don’t overmix it, unless you want dense cupcakes that taste like regret.
Sprinkle the chaos: Fold in your rainbow sprinkles with minimal existential questioning. A few lumps in the batter? That’s fine. You? Less fine, but we’re baking through it.
Bake: Scoop the batter into your liners—use a 1/4 cup measure or a large cookie scoop. Bake for 20–25 minutes until they spring back when touched and look lightly golden. Let them cool in the pan for a few, then transfer to a rack. Do not frost a warm cupcake unless you’re into frosting soup.

For the Buttercream Frosting:

Frost the cupcakes: Beat the room temp butter and powdered sugar together until fluffy and kinda dramatic—about 2 minutes. Add vanilla, salt, and milk one tablespoon at a time. If it starts getting runny, stop with the milk. Beat for another 3 minutes until it’s spreadable and cloud-like.
Decorate accordingly: Pipe the frosting on with a star tip or slap it on with a butter knife, whatever matches your energy. Add more sprinkles because joy is finite and you deserve it.

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