A sweet funfetti cake batter fudge that’s made with cake mix and packed full of colorful sprinkles. A great birthday cake alternative!
Welcome to another installment of a day in the life of a sprinkles addict.
I may be biased, but it’s not a bad addiction to have, though it is causing some tension in my marriage — Zach does not like sprinkles in his desserts, or at least not nearly as many as I do, and I may or may not be storing (literally) 30 pounds of sprinkles in our office.
It’s also making its way into my work life (I shook a sprinkle out of my scrub top in the hospital the other day — Idon’tevenknow), and I had to brush bright pink powder out of the crevice of my camera where I accidentally crushed a lone sprinkle.
I’ve presented to you plenty of sprinkle-stuffed desserts in the past — funfetti cookies, my FAVORITE funfetti cake, and even a recipe for DIY sprinkles, to name just a few, but I think this is the first time that I’ve worked sprinkles into fudge.
Today I have a simple, decadent, no candy thermometer required, cake batter fudge for you.
I do use box-mix cake batter here (I’ve waffled in the past on my preference for making things solely from scratch and incorporating box-mix for the most authentic flavor), but for this recipe cake mix resulted in the easiest and best tasting fudge of all of my taste-trials. If you’re concerned about using “raw” cake batter mix, I recommend cooking the cake mix in the oven for several minutes before using, just as I do with the flour in my cookie dough bites recipe.
I love making condensed milk fudge recipes (like my easy fudge recipe and hot chocolate fudge!) because of their simplicity — it’s just a matter of combining the ingredients on the stovetop and melting them together for sweet confection perfection.
This funfetti-packed cake batter fudge is very creamy, very sweet (cut it into small pieces!), and a little more than irresistible.
While I mentioned that Zach doesn’t like biting into sprinkles, I love the subtle texture that they make — it keeps things… interesting, fun, and (very) colorful. It’s also what I love about my cake batter buttercreams.
You can use regular sprinkles or nonpareils, or a mix of both (which is what I did here). The nonpareils give a little more of a crunch (I don’t want to say “gritty” because that sounds bad and it’s really a lovely texture, but I think that will give you a good idea of the taste), while the sprinkles are softer and less obvious.
Alright, well I’m off to sweep up some sprinkles and catch up on the lovely comments and e-mails that so many of you have sent in the past crazy-busy week (keep them coming!).
Enjoy!
More Recipes You Might Like:
Cake Batter Fudge
Ingredients
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk (397g) Make sure you are not using evaporated milk. Only condensed milk will work with this recipe.
- 2 cups Ghirardelli white chocolate chips (340g) I only recommend Ghirardelli chocolate chips for this fudge. I have had no problems with this brand whereas people have not had their fudge set up properly with other chips.
- 2 Tablespoons salted butter
- 1/4 cup white or "funfetti" cake mix (40g) not prepared -- just use the powdered mix straight out of the box. I use Pillsbury.
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons colored sprinkles or a mix of sprinkles and nonpareils + additional to sprinkle on top, if desired
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Combine condensed milk, chocolate chips, and butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Stir frequently until butter and chocolate chips are completely melted and mixture is well-combined.
- Reduce heat to low, and add cake mix and vanilla extract.
- Stir well, until cake mix is completely absorbed.
- Remove from heat and stir in 2 Tablespoons sprinkles/nonpareils. Immediately pour into prepared pan, use a spatula to gently smooth the surface.
- Decorate with additional sprinkles, if desired. Allow to cool to room temperature. If desired, chill in the refrigerator until completely firm before cutting and serving. It usually only takes several hours for my fudge to become completely firm, but since some people have had issues with their fudge setting (see note or see video) I recommend allowing it to chill overnight for best results.
Notes
Nutrition
Jess says
Hi I used the brands you recommended and followed all of your steps and my batch came out super sticky, taffy-like. Any suggestions?
Sam says
Hi Jess! How long has it been sitting?
Jess says
It sat over night.
Sam says
Honestly I really don’t know why it would have happened. I have tried to replicate this issue and have been unsuccessful. I’m sorry. 🙁
Food service directorr says
If it was nearly boiling (even just one or two heat bubbles) it would activate the gluten to solidify with the sugars to result in taffy.
carol Doti says
How long will theses keet? Can you freeze them
Sam says
Hi Carol! I’d say about 1 week at room temperature in an airtight container, about 2 weeks in the refrigerator, and yes it can be frozen and should last at least a month in the freezer. Enjoy!
Brian says
I love all your recipes! I had no problem with this one. Its relatively simple.
Sam says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Brian! 🙂
Morgan says
This was such a simple recipe! I made this for my daughters 5th birthday party and it was a total hit! I was so surprised how quickly my batch set up! This will definitely become a birthday tradition for my girls.
Sam says
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Morgan! 🙂
A. Kristner says
I should have paid attention to the bad reviews. I’m not a baker but have been craving fudge and this didn’t come out well at all. Its kinda my fault though because I normally don’t look at the reviews but still, this was a waste of a grocery store trip. I used these different chocolate chips from trader joes. It took 2 extra hours to set, and it was a sticky mess to cute. Disappointed.
Sam says
Hi A. Please take a second to re-read the recipe and watch the video, the type of chocolate chips that you use is *very* important. You can see me make the fudge perfectly in the video and it cuts very firmly.
Food service director says
If the fudge is heated to high it can also have the end result of ganoush.
Yes, even your preferred brand will do it.
Lots of trial and error.
At least the errors taste good in fudge!