This Dot Cake Recipe is my homemade version of the viral dot cake, made with soft vanilla cake, rainbow sprinkles, and a creamy vanilla cream cheese frosting. Instead of baking one large sheet cake and cutting out rounds, these are baked as a small round cake in ramekins, which makes them so much easier to assemble.
These delicious cakes are the perfect combination of soft cake, creamy frosting, and colorful sprinkles in every bite. They’re fun enough for a special occasion, cute enough for birthdays, and nostalgic in the best way. Basically childhood, but homemade.
If you love dessert recipes, you are also going to love my white chocolate chunk matcha cookie, brown butter oreo cookies & OH my cinnamon roll cookies!!
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Ingredients
- Eggs
- Granulated sugar
- Avocado oil
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Whole milk
- Christmas sprinkles
- Milk
- Vanilla instant pudding
- Condensed milk
- Cream cheese
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Make the cake batter!
Transfer to ramekins & bake!
Make the vanilla cream cheese frosting!
Layer & enjoy!!
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and lightly spray 4 ramekins with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, granulated sugar, avocado oil, and vanilla extract until smooth and fully combined.
- Add half of the dry ingredients, then half of the milk. Whisk until almost combined, then add the remaining dry ingredients and remaining milk. Continue whisking until you have a smooth homemade cake batter. No hand mixer is needed for this part.
- Gently fold in the rainbow sprinkles, being careful not to overmix so the colors don’t bleed too much into the batter.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared ramekins and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the cakes are puffed and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- While the cakes cool, make the vanilla cream cheese frosting. In a large bowl, beat the cold milk and vanilla instant pudding with a hand mixer until thick.
- Add the condensed milk, softened cream cheese, and salt. Mix again until smooth, fluffy, and creamy.
- Once the cakes are fully cooled, slice each cake in half, add a layer of frosting, then finish with more frosting and colorful sprinkles. The best part is how simple they are to decorate.
Substitutions
- Avocado oil → vegetable oil, canola oil, melted coconut oil
- Whole milk → 2% milk, oat milk, almond milk
- Rainbow sprinkles → Christmas sprinkles, rainbow dot sprinkles, seasonal sprinkles
- Vanilla instant pudding → cheesecake instant pudding, white chocolate instant pudding
- Condensed milk → powdered sugar, maple syrup, honey
- Cream cheese → mascarpone
Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- Whisk
- Measuring cups and spoons
- 4 ramekins
- Non-stick cooking spray
Storage
Store leftover dot cakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Since the frosting is made with cream cheese and pudding, these cakes should stay chilled until ready to serve.
For the best texture, let them sit at room temperature for 10–15 minutes before eating. I do not recommend freezing the assembled cakes because the frosting can change texture once thawed.
Top tips for Success!
- Do not overmix once the sprinkles are added, or the colors can bleed into the cake batter.
- Make sure the cakes are completely cooled before slicing and frosting, or the frosting will melt.
- Use softened cream cheese for the smoothest classic frosting texture.
FAQ
A dot cake is the latest viral dessert inspired by nostalgic snack cakes, usually made with a soft cake base, a creamy filling, and sprinkles on top. This version is made in ramekins for an easier homemade method.
Yes. You can bake the batter in a muffin tin or a small cake pan, but ramekins give each cake that cute, round shape and make assembly easier.
Yes, you can make a cookie version of the dot cake by sandwiching frosting between soft sugar cookies and topping them with sprinkles, but this recipe gives you the soft, fluffy cake texture of the original trend.
Related
Looking for other dessert recipes like this? Try these:
How to Make the Viral Dot Cakes (Dessert Recipe)
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly spray 4 ramekins with non-stick cooking spray and set them aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, crack in the eggs. Add the granulated sugar, avocado oil, and vanilla extract. Using a whisk, mix everything together really well until the mixture looks smooth, glossy, and fully combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Add half of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, then pour in half of the milk. Whisk until almost combined. Add the remaining dry ingredients and the remaining milk, then whisk again until the batter is smooth. You do not need a hand mixer for the cake batter — a regular whisk works perfectly.
- Gently fold in the Christmas sprinkles. Try not to overmix once the sprinkles are added so they don’t bleed too much into the batter.
- Divide the cake batter evenly between the 4 prepared ramekins. Smooth out the tops slightly, then bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes, or until the cakes are puffed, lightly golden, and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Let the cakes cool in the ramekins for a few minutes, then carefully remove them and transfer to a wire rack. Let them cool completely before slicing and frosting.
- To make the vanilla cream cheese frosting, add the cold milk and vanilla instant pudding mix to a large bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat really well for a few minutes, until the pudding becomes thick and creamy.
- Add the condensed milk, softened cream cheese, and salt. Continue mixing with the hand mixer until the frosting is smooth, fluffy, and fully combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed so there are no cream cheese lumps.
- Once the cakes are completely cooled, carefully slice each one in half horizontally. Add a layer of vanilla cream cheese frosting in the middle, place the top half back on, then spread more frosting over the top.
- Finish with extra sprinkles and serve. These taste like childhood, but homemade — soft vanilla cake, creamy frosting, and sprinkles in every bite.
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!
Food safety
We sometimes take for a granted that we have years (or decades) of cooking experience, that the average visitor may not. Add to, or remove from, the list below with health and safety tips.
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
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