Lemon Funfetti Cake

This Lemon Funfetti Cake is bursting with zesty lemon flavor, colorful sprinkles, and a sweet lemon curd center – all topped with fluffy marshmallow frosting. Perfect for birthdays, spring parties, or any time you need a cheerful, crowd-pleasing dessert! 🍋✨🎉

🍋 Lemon Funfetti Cake – A Bright and Cheery Spring Cake

If you’re looking for lemon cake ideas that are perfect for spring, this Lemon Funfetti Cake is a must-bake! It’s light, fluffy, packed with citrus flavor, and full of colorful sprinkles – basically, happiness in cake form. Whether you need a showstopper for a celebration or a fun weekend bake, this cake with sprinkles will bring instant joy.

Fun side note: this was that cake I made for my daughter’s second birthday. I think it’s perfect for baby showers, birthdays, Easter, or any time you want a fun, colorful, lemony cake!

🛒 Ingredients & Substitutions

For the cake

• cake flour – Use all-purpose flour with 2 tablespoons removed and replaced with cornstarch per cup
• baking powder
• salt
• buttermilk – Sub with milk + 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar
• egg whites – Use 2 whole eggs instead of 4 egg whites. The texture will be slightly denser but still delicious.
• granulated sugar – Sub coconut sugar 1:1, though it will darken the color and give a slightly caramel flavor.
• lemon zest
• unsalted butter – Use ½ cup neutral oil (like canola or vegetable) instead of 1 stick of butter for the cake – results will be a bit more tender and moist.
• lemon extract
• rainbow sprinkles – Use jimmies or confetti sprinkles. Avoid nonpareils (the tiny round ones), which tend to bleed color into the batter and can make it look muddy. Swap for mini chocolate chips, freeze-dried fruit pieces, or colored sugar crystals.

For the frosting

• butter
• marshmallow crème – Swap with whipped cream cheese for a tangy twist
• powdered sugar
• vanilla extract
• lemon extract – Can be replaced with more lemon zest or juice, though flavor may be subtler

Optional filling and garnish

• lemon curd
• extra sprinkles

✨ Variations

• Make it as cupcakes (yields 24; bake 18–22 mins)
• Turn it into a sheet cake using a 9×13-inch pan
• Swap sprinkles for blueberries or poppy seeds for a fun spin
• Add a whipped cream topping for a lighter finish

🔥 Tips For Success

• Don’t overmix once the sprinkles are added – keep them vibrant!
• Room temperature ingredients make for smoother batter
• Use gel-based rainbow sprinkles; nonpareils tend to bleed into the batter
• Chill the cake before frosting for clean layers

❓ FAQs

Whether you’re planning a birthday party, Easter brunch, or just need a lemon cake to brighten your weekend, this lemon funfetti cake is a joyful pick. It’s everything you want in a lemon cake – bright, moist, and full of fun!

🍽️ Other Recipes You May Enjoy

• Easy Lemon Cobbler
• No-Bake Funfetti Cheesecake
• Homemade Lemon Curd
• Funfetti Pound Cake
• Lemon Bars

4.43 from 14 votes

Servings: 16 servings

Lemon Funfetti Cake

By Jamie Sherman

Bright, zesty Lemon Funfetti Cake packed with rainbow sprinkles, lemon curd filling, and fluffy marshmallow frosting – perfect for any celebration!

Prep: 30 minutes mins

Cook: 35 minutes mins

Inactive Time: 1 hour hr

Total: 2 hours hrs 5 minutes mins

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Equipment

• 2 cake pans
• mixing bowl
• hand mixer
• rubber spatula or wooden spoon
• wire cooling rack
• piping bags
• offset spatula

Ingredients 

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For the cake

• ▢ 2-1/4 cups cake flour
• ▢ 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1-1/4 cups buttermilk
• ▢ 4 egg whites
• ▢ 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 lemon, zested
• ▢ 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ▢ 1 teaspoon lemon extract
• ▢ 1 container rainbow sprinkles, 1.75 oz.

For the frosting

• ▢ 1 cup butter, softened, 2 sticks
• ▢ 1 jar marshmallow creme, 7 oz.
• ▢ 2 cups powdered sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ▢ 1 teaspoon lemon extract

Additional ingredients

• ▢ extra sprinkles
• ▢ lemon curd

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Instructions 

• Prep the pans: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 8 or 9-inch round cake pans. Set aside.
• Dry and wet mixes: In one bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, whisk the buttermilk with the egg whites.
• Cream and combine: In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and lemon zest until light and fluffy. Add the lemon extract. Add one-third of the flour mixture, then half of the buttermilk mixture. Repeat until all is added, ending with the flour mixture. Mix until smooth.
• Add the fun: Gently fold in the sprinkles.
• Bake: Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans. Bake for 30–35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• Frosting time: Beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the marshmallow crème and mix until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla and lemon extract. Beat until creamy.
• Assemble: Place one cake layer on a platter. Pipe a ring of frosting around the edge. Fill the center with lemon curd. Top with the second cake layer and frost the entire cake. Decorate with extra sprinkles, if desired.

Notes

• Store the finished cake in the refrigerator.
• Bring to room temperature for about 15 minutes before serving.
• Refrigerate any leftovers.

🧁 Cupcake Version

Yields: About 24 standard cupcakes

✅ Adjustments:

• No changes needed to ingredient quantities! The original recipe makes enough batter for 24 cupcakes.
• Baking time: 18–22 minutes at 350°F, or until the tops spring back lightly when touched and a toothpick comes out clean.
• Assembly tips:
  • Fill cupcake liners about ⅔ full.
  • Use a piping bag to swirl on the frosting once cooled.
  • For a fun twist, use an apple corer or small spoon to scoop out a bit of the center and fill each cupcake with lemon curd before frosting.

🎂 Sheet Cake Version

Pan Size: 9×13-inch

✅ Adjustments:

• Use the original recipe amounts — it fills a 9×13-inch pan nicely.
• Baking time: 35–40 minutes at 350°F, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Assembly tips:
  • Once cooled, spread lemon curd in a thin layer over the top of the cake.
  • Then spread frosting over the lemon curd (or you can skip the curd and just swirl the frosting right on top).
  • Top with sprinkles before the frosting sets.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice, Calories: 299kcal, Carbohydrates: 36g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 46mg, Sodium: 261mg, Potassium: 37mg, Fiber: 0.3g, Sugar: 30g, Vitamin A: 539IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 57mg, Iron: 0.2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Originally published on November 20, 2013. Updated on March 27, 2025.