Birthday Cake Muffins (With Sprinkles!)
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure.Get festive with my easy, homemade birthday cake muffins inspired by the Little Bites party cake muffins recipe! These fluffy treats, dotted with sprinkles, and made with all natural ingredients, are a wholesome choice for breakfast and delicious enough for parties. Perfect for kids, but honestly, adults love them too!
I love this fun birthday cake muffins recipe! They are the perfect fusion of fluffy cake-like texture and portable convenience, making them a hit at any birthday party or a delightful surprise for your loved ones.
Whenever I make these muffins, it feels like a celebration! Made with pantry staples, it’s great for getting my kids involved in the kitchen. They’re always motivated to help out when they’re getting a sweet treat at the end of it!
You’ll notice that my muffins don’t have any frosting, but trust me, you won’t even miss it. Their fluffy texture and colorful sprinkles make them a hit at any gathering.
I’ve served them at birthday parties, for a breakfast or brunch treat, for an after school snack, and more! They are so tasty, I guarantee they will please even the pickiest eaters in your family.
And if you love these muffins, you might also enjoy my cranberry orange muffins and peanut butter muffins too!
👩🏽🍳 Why I Love This Recipe
With their vibrant colors and rainbow sprinkles, my muffins look and taste just like the Little Bites party cake muffins, but have no artificial colors or flavors, and are made with more wholesome ingredients! They’re a total upgrade on those store-bought funfetti muffins.
My recipe is made with simple ingredients and has easy-to-follow steps, so you’ll end up with perfect muffins every time. It’s straightforward and hassle-free, ensuring that even beginner bakers can achieve the best results.
For busy families like mine, these sprinkle muffins are great for school and work snacks. They are perfect for those hectic mornings when you need a quick, grab-and-go option. They take only 20 minutes to make and last for up to a week in the fridge, so I can make a big batch and use them for meal prep.
This recipe yields 32 muffins, which is enough to feed a classroom of kids and their teacher. It’s also great for serving a crowd at gatherings, celebrations, and potlucks. It definitely works for my family of 4 since they freeze and reheat well. I like to enjoy some fresh and save the rest for later!
I also love that this recipe is a copycat of Entenmann’s Little Bites Party Cake Mini Muffins. It looks like confetti cake but in muffin form and tastes just as good as the store-bought version!
These copycat Little Bites party cake muffins are a fantastic homemade alternative that you can feel good about serving to your family!
Latest Recipe Video!
🥘 Ingredients
You likely already have everything needed to make mini confetti muffins stocked in your kitchen. All you need are some simple pantry ingredients!
All-Purpose Flour: I like using all-purpose flour for this recipe because it provides the structure needed to make the muffins. You can use other flours like whole wheat flour, oat flour, or whole wheat pastry flour when making these happy birthday muffins. Just keep in mind the texture of the muffins will change slightly, and the muffins may be darker in hue. If you change the flour, I recommend testing for doneness at around the 10-minute mark. For a gluten-free version, use a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour with xanthan gum added.
Baking Powder & Baking Soda: Use both to ensure the muffins rise properly while baking.
Sugar: I used granulated white sugar to sweeten this treat. If you’re in a pinch, you can use brown sugar or coconut sugar, but it will change the moisture, color, and texture of the muffin slightly. For an added sugar-free option, you can omit the sugar, but the muffins will taste more like a biscuit.
Salt: This enhances the overall flavor of these birthday cake muffin bites. If you forget it, it tastes like something’s missing.
Milk & Greek Yogurt: Dairy adds moisture and ensures the muffins are soft. Use your preferred milk and yogurt, but I find whole milk and unflavored yogurt to be best. For a dairy-free version, I recommend non-dairy milk and vegan yogurt. Alternatively, you can use applesauce instead of the yogurt – start with 1/4 cup and increase if more moisture is needed.
Melted Butter: This enriches the flavor and helps bind the batter. Make sure it cools a bit before adding it to the batter. For a vegan option, use vegan butter.
Eggs: This acts as a binding ingredient. The muffins come out moist and fluffy. For an egg-free version, I suggest flax eggs.
Pure Vanilla Extract: I love the flavor of vanilla in this birthday cake muffin batter! Vanilla also helps enhance the sweetness of these muffins, without needing extra sugar.
Sprinkles: This adds a rainbow effect that makes these funfetti muffins festive. I like using naturally colored sprinkles to avoid artificial colors. However, if you prefer a brighter, more vibrant look, feel free to use standard sprinkles!
🔪 How To Make Birthday Cake Muffins
Watch the video above to learn how to prepare my sprinkle birthday cake muffins with ease. Then follow these detailed instructions to ensure your muffins turn out perfect every time! My helpful tips will guide you through each step.
Prep & Combine Dry Ingredients: First I preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (176 degrees Celsius). In a mixing bowl, I whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt until well combined.
Combine Wet Ingredients: In another large bowl, I whisk together the milk, yogurt, eggs, vanilla and melted butter.
Mix Wet And Dry Ingredients: Then I’ll pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently stir to combine. Be careful not to over-mix to keep the muffins light and fluffy.
Add Sprinkles: Gently fold in ¾ of the sprinkles into the batter, reserving some to top the muffin batter before baking.
Add To Muffin Tray: I evenly divide the batter between a mini muffin tray and I always like to sprinkle the reserved sprinkles over each muffin.
Bake, Cool & Enjoy! Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean and the muffins are lightly golden brown. I allow the muffins to cool in the tray for 5 minutes before removing and cooling completely on a cooling rack.
💭 Expert Tips
My #1 Secret Tip for making this birthday cake mini muffins recipe is to avoid over-mixing your batter! It’s a common mistake that leads to dense, chewy, tough muffins.
I always use a spatula or wooden spoon to gently fold the wet and dry ingredients together until just combined. A slightly lumpy batter is perfectly fine! This helps keep the muffins light and airy.
Other Tips To Keep In Mind:
- Don’t overmix when adding sprinkles to the batter – I try to gently fold in ¾ of the sprinkles to prevent the colors from bleeding and turning the muffins grayish. I also reserve some to sprinkle on top before baking for more vibrant muffins.
- Avoid overfilling the muffin trays by filling each cup about 2/3 full to allow space for the muffins to rise. For my birthday muffins recipe, overfilling can cause the muffins to overflow and bake unevenly.
- Monitor the baking time closely, as mini muffins bake quickly and can become dry if overcooked. I typically start checking for doneness at the 10-minute mark by inserting a toothpick or skewer into the center; if it comes out clean or with a few crumbs, they’re ready.
- Give them time to cool down. Let the muffins cool in the tray for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. This helps them set properly and prevents them from becoming too moist at the bottom.
📖 Variations
Mix-Ins: I love adding all kinds of mix-ins to these delicious birthday cake-flavored mini muffins! Some of my favorites include mini chocolate chips, blueberries, strawberries, chopped almonds, chopped walnuts or pecans, or a little bit of orange zest for additional flavor.
Toppings: While my recipe doesn’t include frosting, for a more decadent feel, pipe vanilla icing on top with additional sprinkles. You can also use a cream cheese frosting or add a drizzle of chocolate or caramel sauce on top. They’ll taste better than the funfetti muffins from Little Bites!
Vegan: Use vegan butter, a flax egg, vegan yogurt and a plant based milk. You can also use applesauce instead of the yogurt – I recommend starting with 1/4 cup of applesauce and increasing if you need more moisture.
Make Regular Sized Muffins: To make 12 standard size muffins, I recommend increasing the baking time to 15-16 minutes (or until an inserted toothpick or skewer comes out clean).
🍽 Serving Suggestions
Always cool the muffins completely before serving. These work for all occasions, no matter the time of day! Here are some of my favorite ways to serve them:
Breakfast: Enjoy them as a sweet morning treat with a warm mug of coffee. My kids typically love these birthday party muffins with a tall glass of cold milk or plant-based milk.
Snack: This party muffins recipe also pairs well with oat milk hot chocolate or this cinnamon-flavored healthy hot chocolate. For a more adult version, I like to serve them with a mocha latte, Biscoff latte, beetroot latte, or a golden latte.
Dessert: I love serving these as little “cakes” when I have people over – they’re great with individual scoops of vanilla ice cream for everyone in attendance.
🫙 Storage Directions
At Room Temperature: Once the muffins have cooled completely, I transfer them to an airtight container and store them in a cool dry place for up to 4 days.
In The Fridge: To extend the shelf life, I’ll also store them in the fridge where they will keep for up to 7 days! Let them come to room temperature on the countertop before serving.
To Freeze: Once the muffins have cooled, I’ll transfer them to a freezer safe container and store them in the freezer for up to 1 month. To defrost, I just leave them out at room temperature until they have thawed, then I’ll warm in the microwave for 10-20 seconds until slightly warmed through.
❓Recipe FAQs
Start checking for doneness at the 10-minute mark by inserting a toothpick or skewer into the center of a muffin. If it comes out clean or with just a few crumbs, they’re ready. Avoid over-baking to prevent them from becoming dry.
Yes, you can prepare the batter and store it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Let the batter sit at room temperature for a few minutes and give it a gentle stir before baking.
Allowing the muffins to cool completely prevents condensation from forming in the storage container. This helps keep the muffins from becoming soggy and preserves their texture.
Gently mix the batter and use fresh baking powder and baking soda for best results. I also make sure all my ingredients are at room temperature so they blend easier. This helps the muffins rise evenly.
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📋 Recipe Card
🎥 Watch How to Make It
Birthday Cake Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup melted butter
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F / 180 C.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl until well combined.
- In a separate bowl whisk together the milk, yogurt, eggs, vanilla and melted butter.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and gently stir to combine. Do not over-mix.
- Gently fold in ¾ of the sprinkles into the batter, reserving some to top the muffin batter before baking.
- Evenly divide the batter between a mini muffin tray and sprinkle reserve sprinkles over each muffin.
- Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
- Allow the muffins to cool in the tray for 5 minutes before removing and cooling completely on a cooling rack.
- Store muffins in an airtight container in a cool dry place for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 1 month.
Notes
- Gently fold the sprinkles into the batter, do not over mix as the color from the sprinkles will begin to run through the batter.
- Do not over mix the batter as this will result in chewy, tough muffins.
- To make these muffin gluten free substitute the flour with gluten free flour.
- Be sure to use a well greased muffin tray, non stick tray or muffin liners.
- Freeze the muffins in an airtight container for up to a month. To defrost simply leave them out at room temperature for an hour and enjoy.
I made these for my daughter to take to school for her birthday and they were a hit! Not too sugary like frosted cupcakes but still fun and celebratory. Perfect!
Yay! That’s exactly what I was going for with these muffins. So glad they turned out well for you!
Great video! Made the mini muffins and these were a hit at an office party this week!
Awesome! Thanks so much!
These were so much fun and I can’t wait to make them again for the next birthday party!
So happy to hear that Sisley!
Oh wow – these are absolutely amazing for the occasion! My only problem is that I would need to make a whole bunch, because they won’t last long… too good!
Haha I totally get it! These go fast in my house too!
Light and fluffy, and delicious, these bite-sized birthday muffins are a real treat! Everyone enjoyed them!
Aw yay! So happy to hear that Heather!
These muffins are so fun and kid friendly! Can’t wait to give these a try the next time someone celebrates a birthday in my household.
Totally!! I can’t wait for you to try them! 🙂
These are so perfect! Will be making them again for the next birthday in our house.
Yay!! Enjoy! 🙂
These are so cute and tasty! Easy to make and always a hit at breakfast time!
Thanks so much Holley!