This white chocolate funfetti bundt cake is the perfect birthday dessert! It's moist, full of flavor, and SO easy to put together. It's great for a first time cake-baker, or for an experienced baker wanting to make something simple but delicious.
I don't know what it is, but I've always had a soft spot for funfetti cake. Maybe I'm still a kid at heart, but a birthday doesn't feel complete without one. Funfetti just LOOKS like a party! (And this funfetti cake tastes like one too!)
I made this cake for my daughter's birthday a few weeks ago, and it was a crowd pleaser for both kids and adults! The kids were excited by its festive appearance, and the adults were impressed with its rich flavor. The not-so-secret ingredient that elevates this funfetti cake is the white chocolate--it adds a richness that can't be beat!
If you're looking for another great birthday dessert but not wanting to make traditional funfetti bundt cake, check out these cute mini chocolate Oreo cheesecakes! Cookies are also a great party treat, especially for a crowd, so check out some of these delicious cookie recipes as well:
The Simplicity of Bundt Cakes
For a long time, baking cakes intimidated me. There's just so many things that can go wrong! Trying to manage multiple layers, decorating the cake without getting crumbs in the frosting, plus piping the frosting PERFECTLY was always too much to stress about. Needless to say, I felt like the fairies in Sleeping Beauty baking a cake for Aurora's birthday. (Hopefully you know this reference, otherwise it may be time for a refresher on the old Disney classics!)
However, bundt cakes are MUCH simpler, without sacrificing on taste or texture. You don't have to put up with frosting in between layers, or making sure that the layers stack evenly. It's also much easier to decorate bundt cakes because their shape is already elegant. (Plus, there are lots of designs to choose from!)
Why White Chocolate?
The melted white chocolate added to both the cake batter AND the frosting really brings this cake to another level. Typical funfetti is delicious, but adding chocolate gives it a rich and milky taste that pairs perfectly with the funfetti flavor. Plus, doesn't chocolate just make everything better?
I also found that white chocolate pairs wonderfully with the cream cheese in the frosting as well. I typically love the richness that vanilla extract adds to cream cheese frosting, but it darkens the color. Though I still add a little bit of vanilla extract to this recipe, the white chocolate makes the frosting rich without changing the color.
Tips for the Perfect Funfetti Bundt Cake
- Make sure to use room temperature ingredients! Otherwise, the ingredients won't mix well together, and the batter will be lumpy. This applies to both the cake batter and the frosting. For the frosting, make sure that the cream cheese is softened so that it mixes well with the other ingredients. This is especially true when adding the melted white chocolate. If the cream cheese is cold, the chocolate will solidify before it is worked into the cream cheese, and you'll end up with hard chocolate chunks in the frosting. No one wants that!
- Dust the bundt pan with flour after oiling it. This will make it easy for the cake to come out of the pan. Just make sure to shake out any excess flour--you don't want to use any more than necessary. The flour makes a barrier between the oil and the cake batter so that the cake doesn't absorb the oil while baking, which would keep it from doing its job and make the cake oily.
- Wait until the cake is at room temperature before removing it from the pan. This will also ensure that it comes out without breaking. You can also gently separate the sides of the cake from the pan with a butter knife before removing it from the pan. There's nothing worse than removing a cake from the pan and having it break!
- Wait until the cake is COMPLETELY cool before frosting, otherwise the frosting will melt and slide off the cake! This has happened to me before, and it is SO frustrating. If short on time, you can put the cake in the fridge to speed up the process.
- DON'T use non-pareils sprinkles. Non-pareils are little round sprinkles that are great for decoration, but not in baked goods. When baked, their color tends to bleed throughout the cake, which isn't ideal when you want that nice "sprinkled" look that you get with funfetti cake. Use the colorful sprinkles that are cylinder-shaped, usually referred to as jimmies. I used these Betty Crocker rainbow sprinkles, and they worked great!
How to Pipe a Bundt Cake
There are lots of ways to decorate a bundt cake, whether with simple icing, powdered sugar, or frosting. I found that piping frosting was the easiest way to control the decoration and also keep it neat. I'm also not an expert on piping, but I still found this the simplest way to decorate!
Here, I used a plain piping tip in the largest size I had. Following the grooves on the cake, I would pipe starting from the middle of the cake and moving outward, and then back in to the center of the cake again. I did this to get as much frosting on the cake as I can--I love lots of frosting! This technique also has a neater look than just ending the piping stripe on the outside of the cake. I alternated between having the piping reaching the bottom of the cake, and halfway down the side for a more decorative look. For a better idea of what I'm explaining here, look at the picture above!
If you're planning to add sprinkles on top, make sure to add them immediately after piping, otherwise they won't stick very well. I made this mistake, and ended up having to press the sprinkles onto the frosting by hand. It was way too time consuming and not worth the effort!
How to Store Leftovers
Because this frosting has cream cheese, I recommend storing leftovers in the refrigerator or freezer. Slice the cake into individual pieces, wrap them in plastic wrap, and then store them in an airtight container before refrigerating to preserve the freshness. This cake tastes better at room temperature, so storing the slices individually will make it easier to bring the cake back to a warmer temperature before eating again.
This cake will last in the fridge up to 5-7 days, and up to 3 months in the freezer if stored properly.
Adapt this Funfetti Bundt Cake for Any Holiday
I know that funfetti is typically associated with birthdays because of the bright variety of colors, however, with some small changes this cake can be made for a variety of celebrations!
It's all about the coloring--easily switch out the color of sprinkles and/or add some food coloring to the frosting. For Valentine's Day, use pink and red sprinkles. For the Fourth of July, try some red sprinkles and add some blue food coloring to the frosting. You could even do the similar changes for Halloween or Christmas--you get the idea! Get creative with the colors and let me know how it goes! This funfetti bundt cake can be so versatile without even changing the flavor of the cake.
If you make this white chocolate funfetti bundt cake, I'd LOVE to hear about it. You can leave a comment below the recipe, or if you post a picture on Instagram, make sure to tag me! Getting any feedback on my recipes is both rewarding AND helpful as I write and edit recipes in the future.
White Chocolate Funfetti Bundt Cake
Ingredients
Cake Batter
- 3 cup all purpose flour (plus extra for dusting the bundt pan)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 4 oz white chocolate, melted
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 2 egg whites, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- ¼ cup canola oil
- 1 cup rainbow sprinkles (not nonpareil), plus extra for decoration
Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 4 oz white chocolate, melted
- 3 tablespoon heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4-5* cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325° F. In a large bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, then set aside. In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and the canola oil, then set aside.
- In a standing mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl halfway through.
- Add the melted white chocolate to the standing mixer, and mix on medium speed until the white chocolate is mixed in. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure it's evenly mixed.
- Add the vanilla extract, almond extract, eggs, and egg whites to the standing mixer, and mix on medium speed until well combined. Again, make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add ⅓ of the flour mixture to the standing mixer, and mix on lowest speed. Once mostly combined, add in ½ of the oil/buttermilk mixture and mix in on lowest speed. Repeat with another ⅓ of the flour mixture, then the remaining oil/buttermilk mixture, and then the last ⅓ of the flour mixture. Don't overmix.
- Using a spoon or silicone spatula, fold in the sprinkles, being careful not to overmix.
- Spray a bundt pan generously with cooking spray. Dust every nook and cranny of the bundt pan with flour. Then turn it upside down over the sink or trash can and shake out any excess flour. Add the cake batter to the bundt pan, and smooth over the top with a silicone spatula. Bake for about 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with only some moist crumbs (no raw batter).
- Let the cake cool in the pan until it reaches room temperature. Then invert it onto a cake plate.
Frosting
- Add the cream cheese to a standing mixer and cream on high until fluffy. Then add in the melted white chocolate, mixing until well combined. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl halfway through.
- Add the heavy cream and vanilla extract, mixing on high until well combined. Then add in the powdered sugar one cup at a time*, sifting it into the standing mixer with a strainer, mixing well in between each cup. Mix on high until fluffy, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl.
- Wait to frost the cake until it has completely cooled. Either pipe the frosting, or frost with a silicone spatula. Add extra sprinkles for decoration (optional). Enjoy!
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