Perfect Rainbow Sprinkle Birthday Cake
A reliable vanilla birthday cake recipe featuring rainbow sprinkles suspended evenly throughout the batter, ensuring no sinking and a tender, moist crumb.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 ½ cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 ½ cups Granulated Sugar
- ½ cup Unsalted Butter, softened
- 2 Large Eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 ½ tsp Baking Powder
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 cup Whole Milk
- 1 cup Rainbow Sprinkles (standard jimmies)
- 1 tsp Flour (for coating sprinkles)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan and dust with flour, tapping out excess.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy (3-4 minutes).
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla extract and mix until combined.
- Add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture on low speed. Pour in the milk, then add the remaining flour. Mix until just combined.
- Toss the rainbow sprinkles with a teaspoon of reserved flour to coat them.
- Gently fold the coated sprinkles into the batter using a rubber spatula.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
Notes
Coating sprinkles in a teaspoon of flour before folding them in prevents them from sinking to the bottom. Do not overmix the batter once flour is added to ensure a tender crumb. For gluten-free, use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. For dairy-free, swap butter for margarine and milk for oat/soy milk.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 38
- Sodium: 250
- Fat: 12
- Saturated Fat: 7
- Carbohydrates: 55
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 4
Keywords: birthday cake, rainbow sprinkles, vanilla cake, easy baking, sheet cake, celebration dessert