There’s nothing more satisfying than making a little snack cake covered in frosting just because you want to! This little 8×8 confetti sprinkle snack cake gives you permission to eat cake without the need for a special occasion.
My chocolate snack cake and chocolate chip snack cake get rave reviews – several people have said they remind them of the “just add water” cake mixes from their childhood – so when my daughter asked for a sprinkle cake, I knew just what to do.
This vintage, one-bowl recipe is made with simple baking staples (no eggs, butter, or milk!) and just 10 minutes of prep time. You get a soft, moist, single-layer cake studded with mini chocolate chips and sprinkles in no time.
I topped it with a layer of homemade chocolate frosting and even more sprinkles, but I suppose that’s optional. It is lovely on its own with a glass of milk.
Much like my cream cheese funfetti bars, it is perfectly adorable for small gatherings, mini celebrations, or just because! I’m a big proponent of cake just because.
Confetti Sprinkle Cake
Why you’ll love this recipe
- It’s a single-layer cake the size of a batch of brownies, which is perfect for a few people. Or just you and your leftovers!
- Soft, moist, buttery (yet no butter involved!), and loaded with sprinkles.
- Customize the cake with your favorite flavor of frosting.
- An easy one-bowl recipe for minimal clean-up.
Helpful Tools
Ingredients
Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this recipe, why you need them, and possible substitutions. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card with measurements.
Jump- All-purpose flour: Measure the flour accurately for best results. You don’t want to add more flour than needed; otherwise, your cake won’t be soft and fluffy.
- Brown sugar: For sweetness, extra caramelized flavor, and moisture.
- Baking soda: This is the leavening agent that gives the cake its rise and soft crumb.
- Salt: Brings out the flavors in the cake.
- Water: Helps keep the cake moist as it steams while baking.
- Vegetable oil: Also to keep the cake soft and moist.
- White vinegar: This acid reacts with the baking soda, providing an ultra soft crumb.
- Vanilla extract: A flavor enhancer.
- Chocolate chips and sprinkles: I use mini chocolate chips and rainbow sprinkles. Jimmies are great as they tend not to bleed like other kinds.
- For the frosting: Unsalted butter, softened to room temperature, powdered sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, salt, and hot water. You’ll find more tips and tricks in my 5 minute frosting recipe.
How to make a Confetti Snack Cake
This section shows you how to make this recipe, with process photos showing the steps to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
Jump- Step One: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Then, add in the water, oil, vinegar, mini chocolate chips, and sprinkles. Stir to combine.
- Step Two: Pour the batter into a prepared 8 x 8 baking dish and bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 35–40 minutes.
- Step Three: Once it is golden and baked through, let the cake cool on a wire rack before adding the frosting.
- Step Four: Whisk together the ingredients for the frosting until smooth. When the cake has cooled completely, use an offset spatula to spread the frosting across the top. Finish with extra sprinkles!
- Swap the vegetable oil for unsweetened applesauce for a lower-fat version. The cake itself will be slightly denser.
- If you’re opposed to oil, you can also use melted butter, but this recipe originated during the Depression era when butter was scarce.
- Line the pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick spray. I like to leave a bit of the paper hanging over the sides so I can use them to lift the cake out when I’m ready.
- I have good luck using Walmart’s Great Value brand rainbow sprinkles. Some brands can bleed into the batter. Nonpareils are notorious for this, so avoid them if you can.
- Add a color theme to your cake depending on the occasion. For example, you could use green and red sprinkles for Christmas, black and orange for Halloween, pink and white for Valentine’s Day, and green for St. Patrick’s Day.
- Use a different frosting for variation in flavor and color. Vanilla buttercream, raspberry frosting, cream cheese frosting, etc.
Storage & Leftovers
How to store leftovers
You can keep the cake at room temperature for up to 3 days. Keep it covered in an airtight container so it doesn’t dry out.
Freezing Instructions
Confetti sprinkle snack cake can be frozen for up to 3 months with or without the frosting. Wrap it in plastic wrap and keep it airtight in a freezer bag. Thaw in the fridge overnight and bring it to room temperature before serving.
If you still need to add frosting, you can whip up a quick one while the confetti cake sits out.
FAQs
How many pieces of cake can I get from a snack cake?
You can get 9 generous pieces or up to 14 smaller pieces.
Is confetti cake the same as funfetti cake?
A funfetti cake is the brand name of a store-bought confetti cake. Since ours is made from scratch, it remains a confetti sprinkle snack cake.
Can I make this cake without frosting?
Sure you can! You can replace the frosting with a dusting of powdered sugar, or serve it plain with a scoop of ice cream on the side!
Need more easy cake recipes? Try these:
Click here to view my entire collection of cake recipes.
Did You Make This?
If you made this recipe, I’d love to know how it went in the comments section below.
You can also tag me on Instagram – @melissa_ppplates or share a pic in the Persnickety Plates Community Facebook group. I love seeing what you’ve tried!
Confetti Sprinkle Snack Cake
Ingredients
For the confetti cake
- 1 ⅔ cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup water
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup mini chocolate chips
- ¼ cup rainbow sprinkles
For the 5 minute chocolate frosting
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ Tablespoons hot water
Instructions
To make the confetti cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F set out an 8 x 8 baking dish.
- To a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt.1 ⅔ cup all purpose flour, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- Add in the water, oil, vinegar, mini chocolate chips, and sprinkles. Stir to combine.1 cup water, ⅓ cup vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon white vinegar, ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract, ⅓ cup mini chocolate chips, ¼ cup rainbow sprinkles
- Pour the batter into the baking dish and bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove and let cool on a cooling rack.
To make the chocolate frosting
- To a small mixing bowl, add the softened butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and hot water. Use a fork, or a whisk, to mix until smooth.2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 ½ Tablespoons hot water
- Once cooled, use an offset spatula to frost and sprinkle with additional sprinkles.
Notes
- Unsweetened applesauce can be used in place of vegetable oil, it just makes for a slightly denser cake. Melted butter can also be used.
- I generally slice into 9 generous pieces, but it can feed up to 14 with more reasonable pieces.
- To easily lift the cake from the pan, line with parchment paper and spray with non-stick spray.
- I have good luck using Walmart’s Great Value brand rainbow sprinkles. Some brands can bleed into the batter.
- If you want to skip the frosting, dust with powdered sugar.
- Store covered at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
