Sour Cream Funfetti Cupcakes

Let’s whip up homemade Sour Cream Funfetti Cupcakes today! These sprinkle cupcakes are the perfect dessert for a party or any get together and are easy to make from scratch (without the box mix.) All you need are a handful of pantry ingredients, rainbow sprinkles and a few chilled goods to make the BEST Confetti Cupcakes! 

2017 Update: The photos and recipe for these Sour Cream Funfetti Cupcakes were originally published in June 2011. The photographs, along with the text of this blog post and the recipe, were updated in June 2017.

We’re still celebrating The Speckled Palate’s sixth birthday today, and what better way to do that than by republishing one of my first recipes ever?

These Sour Cream Funfetti Cupcakes are just as good today as they were six years ago. They’re a classic (blog) bite-sized birthday cake for a reason.

But I’m going to go out on a limb and guess most of y’all weren’t here to check ’em out six years ago, so I gave the post a bit of a facelift with new photos, an updated recipe and a new-ish story, too. This is how we roll for birthdays, y’all.

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This funfetti cupcake recipe was inspired by a family friend’s wedding cake.

While I didn’t attend the wedding, I heard about their cake. Specifically, the FUNFETTI cake layer. And once I heard about it, I needed to mbake.

However, I didn’t want to run to the store to get the boxed cake mix. Instead, I dug around in my pantry and discovered I had ingredients to make funfetti. Specifically, sprinkles. Because those are essential in funfetti.

Funny story: The sprinkles I found in my kitchen that day? They were from my bachelorette party. And that’s all I’m gonna say about ’em. 😉

The one problem I ran into: I didn’t have cream cheese for the icing, and cream cheese frosting is my favorite (as opposed to a classic buttercream frosting.)

After digging in the fridge, I discovered sour cream. And turns out, the sour cream, much like cream cheese, balances out the sweetness of both cupcakes and frosting.

The end result is a colorful, delicious cupcake with a delicate crumb.

Why I love this recipe:

These are the best funfetti cupcakes because they are made completely from scratch.

Here are some things I personally adore about this recipe:

• These are tender vanilla cupcakes studded with colorful sprinkles and topped with a tangy, luscious sour cream frosting.
• These colorful cupcakes call for simple ingredients that you might already have in your pantry and refrigerator.
• They are the perfect birthday cupcakes because they just look like a celebration.
• Also, the recipe is simple enough that my 10-year-old can make them with little assistance, so this is a great recipe for beginner bakers!

Bake a batch of these homemade Funfetti Cupcakes next time you have something to celebrate!

More funfetti recipes to try to celebrate any occasion: Funfetti Dip | Funfetti Pancakes | Funfetti Cookies | Funfetti Sugar Cookie Bars

What you need to make this recipe:

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• Regular-sized muffin or cupcake tin
• Parchment paper cupcake liners
• Large bowl (plus an additional bowl or two)
• Hand mixer or stand mixer
• Rubber spatula
• 1.5-tablespoon cookie scoop
• Wire cooling rack
• Piping bags and frosting tips for decorating

Here’s what you need to grab from the store:

• Sour cream — this adds sufficient fat to the cupcake batter. I do not recommend using low-fat sour cream or Greek yogurt as a substitute. We also use some in the frosting for some tangy flavor. Again, there is no substitute.
• Unsalted butter — this is another important part of the cupcake batter and it needs to be at room temperature. Some cupcake recipes call for a neutral oil (like vegetable oil or canola oil), but this one does not. Please do not replace it with oil, as that will change the consistency of the batter.
• Granulated sugar — also known as white sugar, this adds sweetness to the batter. There is no substitute.
• Large eggs — instead of using egg whites (and whipping them to stiff peaks), we’re using whole eggs. I like to use the large variety from the grocery store.
• Pure vanilla extract — use the best vanilla you can afford. This adds subtle vanilla flavor to the cupcakes and also helps the other ingredients shine.
• Milk — I keep whole milk in my fridge for baking purposes. You could use a lower fat milk, if that’s what you have on hand.
• All-purpose flour — also known as AP flour, this is the base of the dry ingredients. I keep unbleached all-purpose flour in my house, but the regular kind works just fine. I have not tried using a gluten-free flour and do not recommend that at this time.
• Baking powder — this is our leavener. Be sure yours is fresh! Please note that this is different than baking soda.
• Kosher salt — I use a medium grain kosher salt in all my baked goods. (Diamond Crystal is my go-to brand.) You can use a similarly sized sea salt.
• Rainbow sprinkles — also known as rainbow jimmies, these are the colorful sprinkles you’ll want to add to the batter. Stay away from nonpariels, as I find those bleed color into the batter more than classic sprinkles.
• Powdered sugar — this is the sweetener used for the frosting. It’s sometimes referred to as confectioners’ sugar. There is no substitute.

Variations

If you want to vary it up a bit, here are a few things you could do:

Swap out the frosting. ​Use a classic vanilla frosting (or vanilla buttercream frosting) or make a chocolate frosting.

Make it seasonal. Use different colors of sprinkles for different holidays. For example, use red and green for Christmas; green and gold for St. Patrick’s Day, etc. The world is your oyster with this if you want to have some fun!

How to make the best homemade Funfetti Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners, and spritz with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside for later.

Measure the sour cream, softened butter and sugar into a large bowl. Use a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to cream them together. This should take 2-3 minutes.

Once the sour cream, butter and sugar are a smooth consistency, add the eggs and vanilla extract. Mix thoroughly and until the mixture is delightfully fragrant.

Pour in the milk, and gently stir into the other wet ingredients until smooth.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and stir until just combined.

Use a rubber spatula to fold the rainbow sprinkles into the batter. Be careful not to overmix or your cupcakes will not be as light.

Dollop the batter into the prepared cupcake liners. Fill ¾ of the way full with a cookie scoop. (I like to use a cookie scoop so that I can evenly measure them in, but you do you.)

Bake the cupcakes for 22-28 minutes in the preheated, or until tops are light brown and a toothpick comes out clean.

Let the unfrosted cupcakes sit on a wire rack until completely cool. If you do not do this, the frosting will melt off them.

How to make Sour Cream Frosting

While the cupcakes bake, measure the sour cream, powdered sugar, vanilla and salt into a large mixing bowl.

Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, whip the icing until well combined. The frosting will be smooth and shiny.

When the cupcakes have cooled, decorate with the frosting, and enjoy!

You can add more sprinkles to the top for garnish, too, if you’re into that.

How to store:

Store in an airtight container (these cupcake carrier containers are awesome) in the fridge for 2-3 days.

You can freeze the cupcakes without frosting for up to 3 months and defrost in the fridge.

Quick tips and tricks to the best cupcakes

• Follow the instructions. ​Veering off course from the recipe directions could land you in a place where your cupcakes do not look or taste as intended.
• How to store: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days max. You can store the unfrosted cupcakes and frosting separately, if making in advance, and decorate them right before serving.

Now who wants a cupcake of their own?

I wish I could share mine with each and every one of you — this is technically a birthday party, after all — but alas.

Scroll on down to get the recipe, and happy baking!