Cake Batter Rice Krispie Treats
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Say hello to your new favorite no-bake dessert! These Cake Batter Rice Krispie Treats are the party-ready version of your favorite childhood snack. They are infused with real cake mix and topped with a fudgy frosting.
My Favorite Birthday Cake Alternative
My easy and gourmet cake batter rice krispie treats are bursting with colorful personality and flavor. They have everything you love about classic rice krispie treats–the chew, the crunch, and the sweet, nostalgic taste–but with a party flair from cake mix and fudgy frosting. They are so fun!
These treats do require some time standing over the stove, but there’s no turning on the oven, and they can be ready in a matter of minutes. They are thicker and more decadent than your average rice krispie, and each bite is absolutely loaded with the flavor of cake batter and sprinkles!
The cake batter fudge icing on top has white chocolate base infused with cake mix and vanilla. It’s a quick, perfectly smooth, candy-like frosting that perfectly complements the crunchy rice krispies. Just like the treats themselves, it’s easy to make and full of flavor.
Now let’s get this party started! 🎉
What You Need
Besides the obvious ingredients (rice krispies cereal and mini marshmallows) you will also need:
- Sweetened condensed milk. Make sure you don’t accidentally grab evaporated milk. These are sold right near each other and can be easy to mistake for one another, but they are very different.
- Butter. Unlike most of my recipes, I recommend using salted butter here.
- Cake mix. You know I’m a from-scratch kind of girl, but in this case, it’s hard to beat the “cake batter” flavor you get from boxed cake mix. I like to use white cake mix, but yellow or even strawberry would work too. And remember, you’re using just the cake mix itself here, not the add-ins (eggs, oil, etc.).
- White chocolate chips. These will create the base for our fudgy cake batter frosting.
- Sprinkles. We’ll add these to our cake batter rice krispies and on top of the fudgy frosting too, because I firmly believe you can never have enough sprinkles (and if you’re here, I’m sure you feel the same!).
SAM’S TIP: I’m not a big fan of using funfetti cake mix for this recipe simply because the sprinkles tend to melt and make for a muddled, messy appearance 🙁. If you are in a pinch, you could always use it and toss in extra sprinkles at the end though.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Cake Batter Rice Krispie Treats
- Cook the butter and condensed milk over medium-low heat until the butter is completely melted.
- Add the marshmallows and stir until they start to melt, then add cake mix and stir that in too. Keep cooking until the marshmallows are completely melted.
- Reduce the heat and stir in the vanilla extract, then add the cereal and stir until everything is mostly combined.
- Remove from heat and quickly fold in the sprinkles until evenly incorporated.
- Spread into a greased 9×13 pan (don’t pack it too tightly!).
- Make the frosting by cooking the white chocolate chips and remaining condensed milk over low heat until the chocolate chips are melted. Add cake mix and vanilla and stir until combined.
- Spread the frosting over the treats, then top with more sprinkles.
- Let cool before cutting and serving.
SAM’S TIP: If you have concerns about E.coli in the raw cake mix (I talk more about this in my cookie dough dip post), you can heat it in the microwave in 10 second intervals until it reaches 160F (71C) before using.
Frequently Asked Questions
These cake batter rice krispie treats are best fresh, but you can make them a day or two in advance if you like. You’ll want to store your treats in an airtight container at room temperature where they will last for about 3 days. I don’t recommend storing them in the fridge (it makes them too hard!).
The most likely reason is packing them too firmly into the pan. You want to make sure to press them in so they stick together after cutting, but don’t pack them too tight! This can also happen from cooking the marshmallows on too high of a heat, so make sure you keep the heat low during and after that step.
Yes! If you can find gluten free rice krispies cereal and gluten free cake mix, you should be good to go. As always, it’s important to check that all of your ingredients are gluten free before serving to gluten sensitive guests.
This recipe serves as a wonderful birthday cake alternative for someone who doesn’t love traditional cakes (and it even looks like a real frosted cake before you slice it up!).
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
Cake Batter Rice Krispie Treats
Equipment
- 13×9 pan
Ingredients
Rice Krispie Treats
- ½ cup (113 g) salted butter, cut into pieces,, plus additional for greasing pan
- ¼ cup (78 g) cup condensed milk, see note
- 10 oz (283 g) marshmallows
- 1 cup (135 g) white cake mix, heat treated, see note
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 8 cups (233 g) crisped rice cereal
- ¼ cup (40 g) colored sprinkles
Cake Batter Frosting
- 1 ½ cup (226 g) white chocolate chips
- 1 cup (312 g) condensed milk, see note
- ½ cup (130 g) white cake mix, heat treated
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (40 g) colored sprinkles
Instructions
- Prepare a 13×9" baking pan by lightly greasing with butter. Set aside.
- In large saucepan over medium-low heat, combine butter and condensed milk and stir until butter is completely melted.½ cup (113 g) salted butter, cut into pieces,, ¼ cup (78 g) cup condensed milk
- Add marshmallows, once they begin to melt stir in cake mix.10 oz (283 g) marshmallows, 1 cup (135 g) white cake mix, heat treated
- Reduce heat to very low and stir in vanilla extract.2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Stir in cereal and stir.8 cups (233 g) crisped rice cereal
- Remove pan from heat, scatter in sprinkles and stir until they are distributed through mixture. Spread into prepared pan.¼ cup (40 g) colored sprinkles
Cake Batter Frosting
- Prepare the frosting by combining white chocolate chips and condensed milk in small saucepan over low heat. Stir frequently until chocolate chips are completely melted.1 ½ cup (226 g) white chocolate chips, 1 cup (312 g) condensed milk
- Gradually stir in cake mix and vanilla extract until cake mix is dissolved.½ cup (130 g) white cake mix, heat treated, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Remove from heat and immediately spread over rice krispie treats.
- Sprinkle with ¼ cup colored sprinkles.¼ cup (40 g) colored sprinkles
- Allow to cool at least 30 minutes before cutting and serving.
Notes
Condensed milk
You will need an entire 14 oz can for this recipe, but it is divided between the treats and the frosting. Measure out 1/4 cup (78g) to add to the cereal, and then use the rest for the icing.Cake mix
Because the cake mix contains raw flour, you will need to either use a thermometer to ensure your mixtures reach 160F (71C) or (easier) heat the cake mix in the microwave until it reads 160F (71C) when temped with an instant read thermometer.Different varieties of cake mix
I recommend using white cake mix and stirring in sprinkles rather than using Funfetti cake mix because the sprinkles melt very quickly so it’s best to add them as late in the game as possible. You can certainly use Funfetti (or even yellow cake mix) in a pinch, though.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This was the perfect birthday alternative for my husband who hates the texture of cake! It had all the right flavors. We had a bit of a mishap with spilt condensed milk on our carpets haha, but nothing that a carpet cleaning can’t fix! Thanks for the recipe, this is a repeat for sure.