Scratch Funfetti Cake

funfetti cake

Schatzi: I don’t remember ever having eaten Funfetti Cake, so I’m not really sure what it is supposed to taste like, nor what the appeal is beyond the brightly colored sprinkles. But when someone on a messageboard I frequent waxed poetic about how much they loved it and longed to make one from scratch, I felt the need to compete.

I used the White Cake recipe from my Doubleday Cookbook since I didn’t have enough eggs for the Joy of Cooking’s recipe, and simply added colored jimmies.* I tried to pick out most of the brown ones, but it was very late at night, and I am no Martha. They were the only jimmies available at my neighborhood supermarket, but I’m sure there are varieties sans brown elsewhere. I think the cake would be prettier in three or four layers, but I wasn’t prepared for that large of an endeavor late on a Sunday night.

Eli says that it tastes right, and I believe him. Using shortening for an improved white color probably better approximates the taste and feel of a box cake, though a vegetable oil or mayonnaise recipe might come even closer. perhaps I’ll try one someday. Nix the almond extract and use more vanilla if you prefer, but the two together have a subtle complexity.

cooling funfetti cakes

• 2½ cups sifted cake flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup vegetable shortening
• 1½ cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ½ teaspoon almond extract
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2-3 tablespoons colored jimmies
• 4 egg whites, room temperature

1. Preheat oven to 375. Grease and flour (or Crisco butter & flour spray) two 9″ round cake pans. Stir flour, baking powder, and salt together, and set aside. In another bowl, cream 1¼ cups sugar and shortening together til light and fluffy.

2. Add vanilla and almond, then slowly add milk and dry ingredients, alternating wet with dry, and beginning and ending with dry. Mix in colored jimmies.

3. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until foamy, then add remaining sugar and beat to soft peaks. Gently fold eggs whites into batter until just blended. Pour into prepared pans, and bake 20-25 minutes, until cakes are slightly springy and pulled away from the sides of pans.

4. Cool in pans on rack 5 minutes, invert onto racks, and cool completely.

*Jimmies are the long variety of sprinkles.

a working mess

Eli helping out with the egg whites

completed cake, frosted in about four minutes. don't judge me.