This sprinkle frosting recipe only uses 6 ingredients and comes together in 5 minutes! It’s perfect for frosting cakes, cupcakes, and more!

At first, I was nervous I wouldn’t be able to smooth the frosting onto a cake because of the sprinkles, but it’s totally doable!

You also can pipe with this frosting as long as you use a large, round piping tip.

How to Make Sprinkle Buttercream Frosting

To make sure this sprinkle frosting turns out as amazing as possible, let’s walk through each step together.

I’ve also included a video tutorial of the process below.

Step 1: Beat the Butter

Beat the unsalted butter on a medium-high speed for a minute with a mixer until smooth.

Step 2: Mix in the Vanilla and Salt

Next, add the vanilla extract and fine salt. This vanilla gives the frosting a wonderful flavor and the salt helps balance out the sweetness of the frosting. Beat on low until the ingredients are incorporated. 

Then slowly mix in the powdered sugar and heavy cream on a low speed. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula.

Step 3: Make the Frosting Extra Smooth

Beat on low until the ingredients are fully incorporated and the desired consistency is reached. 

If you plan to color the buttercream, add in the gel food coloring once the frosting is fully mixed and beat on low until it reaches the desired color.

To make the frosting extra smooth, stir it by hand with a rubber spatula for a minute or two right before you use it. It’s an arm workout, but it’s worth it! Push the frosting back and forth and spread it around the side of the bowl.

This will push out any extra air and make it easier to smooth onto cakes or pipe.

Step 4: Mix in the Sprinkles

Then fold the rainbow sprinkles into the frosting with a rubber spatula.

Cover the buttercream flush with plastic wrap or immediately place it in a piping bag. Otherwise, it will crust if it’s left sitting out!

Substitutions & Swaps in This Funfetti Frosting Recipe

Below are some swaps and substitutions that can be made in this frosting recipe.

• Unsalted Butter – If you only have salted butter on hand, you can use it in place of the unsalted butter. Just be sure to omit the salt that this frosting recipe calls for.
• Powdered Sugar – I find most powdered sugar in the US works great and doesn’t need to be sifted. Some organic brands can give the frosting an off-white color, so stick to regular / non-organic powdered sugar if possible.
• Heavy Cream – You can use light whipping cream or heavy whipping cream in this recipe. The higher fat percentage of cream gives the frosting a really nice consistency. If you don’t have any cream, you can use whole milk but use 1 Tbsp less as it will thin the frosting more than cream.
• Rainbow Sprinkles – Make sure you’re using the long rainbow sprinkles that are called rainbow jimmies! They work best and won’t bleed into the frosting.

How Much Frosting Does this Recipe Make?

This recipe makes about 7 cups of frosting. This is enough to frost a 7-inch or 8-inch layer cake with 3 layers, or frost about 3 dozen cupcakes.

You can also halve or double this recipe as needed. A double batch can be made in a 5 qt Kitchen Aid Mixing bowl.

If you’re struggling to figure out how much buttercream you need for a larger cake, check out my buttercream calculator.

What Can I Frost with This Sprinkle Buttercream Frosting?

The sky’s the limit when it comes to using this frosting. Cakes, cupcakes, cookies, macarons, you name it!!

I’ve used it to frost my vanilla layer cakes, vanilla cupcakes, rainbow macarons, and even my buttercream cookies!  

Funfetti Frosting Troubleshooting

While this recipe is pretty straightforward, sometimes people do run into issues making it.

One of the hardest parts is getting the consistency of your buttercream just right.

There are a few different factors that influence the consistency of your frosting.

It’s a delicate balance between the temperature of your kitchen, the brand of butter you use, the temperature of your butter, and the amount of heavy cream you use.

The easiest way to see if your frosting is the right consistency is the spatula test! I check the consistency of every batch of frosting I make using this test.

To test your frosting, firmly press a rubber spatula into your frosting and pull directly up. Turn the spatula right side up and look at the frosting on the tip.

The frosting should form a somewhat soft peak that has a little curl on the end. It’s stiff enough to hold up that curl but soft enough to create that little curl.

Unfortunately, I don’t have a picture of this test with this buttercream, but hopefully, the picture above using my vanilla buttercream helps you visualize what we’re looking for.

If the frosting is too stiff and sticks straight up, add additional cream (1 Tbsp at a time).

If the frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar (a quarter of a cup at a time).

Or if your frosting looks broken, add in more room-temperature butter, 1 Tbsp at a time until it comes back together.

You can also chill it in the fridge for 10-minute intervals if you think your butter was too warm.

After each adjustment, be sure to retest the frosting with your spatula before using it.

Tips for Making the Best Sprinkle Frosting

• Make sure the butter is at room temperature before making this frosting.
• If your powdered sugar contains cornstarch (most brands in the US do) there’s no need to sift your powdered sugar.
• Make sure you’re using the long rainbow sprinkles that are called rainbow jimmies! They work best and won’t bleed into the frosting.
• Gently fold the rainbow sprinkles into the buttercream with a rubber spatula to avoid breaking them into smaller pieces.
• If you are making frosting for a cake, mix the buttercream at the lowest speed for a couple of minutes before folding in the sprinkles. This helps remove any extra air that might have been incorporated during the mixing process.

Can This Sprinkle Frosting Be Made in Advance?

I don’t recommend making this frosting ahead of time. The red sprinkles tend to bleed if they sit in the frosting for an extended period of time and will turn the base frosting pink when stirred.

It’s best to make this frosting just before you plan to use it.

A frosted cake can last in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to a month. The buttercream locks in all the moisture, keeping the cake fresh and delicious!

If you cut into the cake and have leftovers, use any remaining frosting to cover the cut section to keep it moist and store it in the fridge for up to a week.

Let Me Know What You Think!

If you make this sprinkle frosting recipe, I’d love to hear what you think of it! Please leave a rating and comment below.

Don’t forget to tag me @chelsweets and #chelsweets so that I can see your amazing creations on social media.

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