When I was growing up, Funfetti cake mixes were always my favorite. Funfetti is a white cake mix studded with rainbow sprinkles that make the finished cake bright and festive. Those splashes of color won me over early, and Funfetti was my first pick for birthday cakes. This year Funfetti celebrates its 25th anniversary, and I was invited to join the celebration and experiment with Funfetti-inspired baking. Instead of baking the mix straight from the box, I reinvented it into something different—still party-ready: Funfetti tuiles.
Tuiles are thin, buttery wafer-like cookies named for their tile-like curved shape (tuile means “tile” in French). They bake flat and are shaped by hand while still warm so you can twist them into curved tiles, cones, or crisp bowls. My Funfetti version begins with a cup of Funfetti cake mix instead of a traditional tuile batter, so the cookies come out far more colorful than a classic recipe.
The finished tuiles are crisp and buttery with a hint of vanilla from the cake mix. The sprinkles add a festive look and a touch of texture. Some of the cookies I shaped into the classic curved tuile; others were rolled into small ice cream cones or pressed into muffin cups to form bowls for ice cream.
One cup of cake mix makes a large batch of tuiles—you don’t need a whole box. Egg whites, sugar, and melted butter are combined with the cake mix to create a spreadable batter. Because boxed cake mixes contain leavening, it’s important to spread the batter very thinly so the cookies bake up crisp rather than cake-like. To get them thin enough, I use a simple technique: place a small dollop of batter on parchment, fold the paper over, and press the batter into a very flat circle through the paper. Then unfold and bake. The batter may look overly thin before baking, but it spreads and crisps nicely in the oven.
The batter comes together quickly and the cookies bake in minutes, but you must work in small batches (two to four at a time) so you can shape each tuile while it’s warm and pliable. Don’t worry if the first few aren’t perfect—you can return a cooled tuile to the oven for a few seconds to soften it before reshaping. For best texture, serve the tuiles within a few hours of preparing them so they remain crisp.
Funfetti Tuiles
3 large egg whites, room temperature
1 cup Funfetti cake mix
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until slightly foamy. Stir in the cake mix, sugar, and melted butter until the batter is smooth and well combined. Place a sheet of parchment the size of your baking sheet on the counter. Spoon one tablespoon of batter onto half the parchment, fold the paper in half to cover it, and press the batter through the paper into a very thin circle. Carefully peel the parchment apart—the batter should be nearly translucent.
Bake 5–7 minutes, until the tuile is light golden (the darker it browns, the crisper it will be). Quickly peel the tuile from the parchment and shape while still warm:
- U-shape: drape over a rolling pin.
- Bowl: press into a muffin cup and allow to set.
- Cone: twist into a cone shape and hold for 30+ seconds until it starts to hold.
- Tube: roll into a small tube and set seam-side down.
If a tuile firms up before you finish shaping, return it to the oven for about 20 seconds to soften, then reshape. Allow the shaped tuiles to cool completely before using. Yield is about 36 tuiles, depending on size.
These colorful Funfetti tuiles are a playful way to use cake mix beyond the usual birthday cake—perfect for parties, dessert bars, or serving with scoops of ice cream for a nostalgic, festive treat.