The Viral Dot Cake, but Homemade

If you’re a sprinkles lover, you will absolutely love dot cake.

Crunchy, colorful sprinkles, creamy frosting, and tender cake all in a portable cup, perfect for spooning. As soon as I saw dot cake, I was sold. I love little single-serving size desserts and I love sprinkles. I immediately thought: meal prep sprinkle cake? I’m in! For simplicity, I started with a boxed cake mix (with a couple of add-ins to make it even better) and topped off the dot cakes with homemade cream cheese frosting and loads of nonpareils, aka, round rainbow sprinkles.

Dot cake is so viral right now

Dot cake is experiencing a viral moment and there are people in NYC lining up for hours to buy cups from The Dot Cakes from Butterfield Markets. The naysayers say it’s just cake in a cup, the dot cake lovers are making dot cake TikToks, and whether you like it or not, people have feels about dot cake.

Dot cake feels

I, too, have feels about dot cake. I am deeply in love with cake and frosting and sprinkles and will take any excuse to make and eat it, especially if it’s boxed cake mix. There’s something about boxed cake mix that has childhood nostalgia baked right in. Add sprinkles to the cake batter and on the frosting and I’m cheesin’, as the kids like to say. While I won’t say that you need to make this, I think it’s a super fun and easy dessert that’s portable and great for sharing. Imagine meeting up with a friend and pulling out a dot cake cup and spoon for them out of your bag, so cute.

What is dot cake

Dot cake is, as The New York Times put it, is “cake in a cup.” That’s it: cake in a cup topped with frosting and dipped in round sprinkles. Some people say dot cake tastes suspiciously like box mix. I think that’s part of the charm: a lot of other people are saying it tastes either like childhood or like a simpler time before the weird future we all live in now.

How to make dot cake

I like to keep things easy by starting with box mix.

1. Mix. Make the cake according to the instructions on the back of the box, subbing the water for whole milk and adding an extra egg. Stir in 1 tsp of vanilla and if desired, 1/2 cup sprinkles (jimmies, the kind for inside sprinkle cakes).
2. Bake. Pour the batter into a parchment-lined cake pan and bake until a toothpick comes out clean and the top springs back when you gently press it.
3. Cool. When the cake is done, remove from the oven and let cool completely.
4. Make. While the cake is cooling make the cream cheese frosting. Whip together (either by hand or with a stand mixer) softened butter and cream cheese. When smooth, gradually add in icing sugar. Finish by stirring in a bit of vanilla.
5. Cut. Now that the cake is cool and the frosting is ready, it’s time to pop the cake into the cup. You can either use the cup to cut directly into the cake or use a cookie cutter that’s the same size as your cup. I like to use a cookie cutter because it’s a little less messy. Either way, you want the cake to fit snuggly into your cup of choice, about 1/3 inch from the top. If you need to do two layers, you can frost between the layers for extra decadence, or not, of course.
6. Frost. Once that cake is in the cups, add frosting and use the back of a butter knife to smooth the frosting across the top of the cup to create an even layer of frosting.
7. Sprinkle. Carefully pour your sprinkles into a shallow dish, one that’s wider than your frosted cup. Dip into the sprinkles or spoon on, making sure to get an even, crunchy layer of sprinkles. I recommend dipping, because these sprinkles can get everywhere.
8. Enjoy. Enjoy immediately with a spoon or cover and pop into the fridge for when the cake cravings strike.

Dot cake ingredients

• box cake mix – I like standard white or vanilla cake mix. If you have a favorite brand, go with that.
• whole milk – instead of water, we’re going to use whole milk to add a bit of fat back into the cake, giving it a richer texture.
• eggs – typically most box mixes call for 3 eggs. By adding an extra egg, you introduce more fat and liquid, making your boxed cake extra moist and rich. It’s an easy hack to making your cake taste homemade.
• oil – I like oil in cakes more than butter even though substituting butter is a common hack. Butter tends to solidify at room temp and especially in the fridge, so if you want your dot cake to stay soft and tender, use oil.
• vanilla – a lil extra bit of vanilla in the cake mix will give off bakery vibes and add a nice layer of flavor in the cream cheese frosting.
• butter – no butter in the cake batter, but definitely butter in the frosting. Make sure your butter is at room temp so it’s easy to whip.
• cream cheese – cream cheese frosting is the best frosting because it has a nice balance of sweetness and tang. In my opinion, it pairs well with all cake and I especially like it here, when you’re spooning it out of a cup.
• icing sugar – icing needs icing sugar because the light and fine texture icing sugar mixes into frosting without it being grainy.
• sprinkles – the dots on dot cakes are nonpareil sprinkles, the round, hard, rainbow sprinkles that are crunchy and have the special ability to bounce around and get lost in corners of your kitchen. Typically, they’re a rainbow mix, but they come in all different colors so you can have fun with it.

Dot cake supplies

If you want the look of store bought dot cakes, you can get 8 ounce ice cream cups off amazon but they are absolutely not necessary. All you need is a straight sided cup or a ramekin. For the nonpareils, they’re readily available in the baking aisle at the grocery store, or of course, online as well. I made mini ones with some tiny glass ramekins I have.

Dot cake controversy

There is a bit of dot cake controversy though: people are saying dot cakes are problematic because the sprinkles on top resemble cortadillo, a classic Mexican cake. Cortadillo is an iconic pink-frosted sheet cake with nonpareils on top. I have to admit I see the resemblance, but I think cake with sprinkles belongs to all of humanity. We should share the sprinkle wealth.

Dot cake tips and tricks

• Cake scraps – use any cake scraps you have and just break them up and pop them into a cup. You won’t be able to tell the difference once you frost and sprinkle.
• Freestyle it – speaking of cake scraps, you can straight up use your hand to break up your cake and put it into the cups, the cake doesn’t need to be perfect or flush, especially if you’re using paper cups where you can’t see the sides.
• Perfect it – if you’re not the kind to freestyle and want perfectly shaped dot cakes, pop your cake into the freezer for 10-15 minutes so it hardens and becomes more stable. It will be less crumbly when you cut it out. To ensure a perfect fit, use your container and a knife to score the cake, then cut along the line.
• Freeze – if you want to freeze your dot cakes, I recommend making them up to the iced part, then freezing. When you want to enjoy, let the cake thaw to room temp, then add the sprinkles. This way, the sprinkles will stay fresh and crunchy.
• Offset spatula – I love offset spatulas so much and having one while you’re frosting will make you feel like a pro, so I say get one.

Don’t forget to run your spoon over the surface of the sprinkles, tapping on them to create that AMSR moment before digging in.

Alright, I’m off to eat cake in a cup! Chat soon and happy dot-caking

xoxo steph

PS If you love sprinkles, you’ll love these soft and chewy sprinkle cookies. And if you’re looking for more cake in a cup, try this
2 minute mug cake too!

Dot Cake Recipe

If you’re a sprinkles lover, you will absolutely love dot cake.

Serves 8

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

• 1 box cake mix of choice
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup neutral oil
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles optional
• 1/2 cup butter room temp
• 8 oz cream cheese ~1 box, room temp
• 2 cups icing sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup nonpareil sprinkles

• Heat the oven to 350 F and line a 13 x 9 baking pan (or pan/pans that holds 14-15 cups) with parchment paper.

• Add the cake mix, milk, oil, and eggs to a large bowl and either mix on medium speed or beat by hand vigorously for 2 minutes. Stir in the rainbow sprinkles, if using.

• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 24-30 minutes, checking at the 25 minute mark with a toothpick inserted into the center. When the toothpick comes out clean, remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.

• While the cake is baking, make the frosting. Add the butter and cream cheese to a bowl and either whisk on medium speed or by hand, until the butter and cream cheese are light and creamy.

• Slowly add in the powdered sugar, mixing on low. Stir in the vanilla.

• When the cake is completely cool, either use a round cookie cutter or your dot cake cup of choice to cut out rounds of cake, making sure the cake comes to about 1/3 inch from the top of the container.

• Add frosting to the cups and use an offset spatula or back of a butter knife to smooth the frosting so it’s even and flush with the top of the cup. Wipe off any excess cake or frosting off the sides.

• Grab a large dish to catch any stray sprinkles and use a spoon to spoon the sprinkles on top, making sure it has complete coverage. Alternatively, you can put the sprinkles in a bowl and dip the tops.

• Repeat as needed and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts

Dot Cake Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 486
Calories from Fat 230

% Daily Value*

Fat 25.6g39%

Saturated Fat 11.5g72%

Cholesterol 105mg35%

Sodium 378mg16%

Potassium 77mg2%

Carbohydrates 59.5g20%

Fiber 0.01g0%

Sugar 42.7g47%

Protein 5.9g12%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.