This cake batter frosting recipe is a buttercream frosting flavored with boxed cake mix and sprinkles making it a perfect funfetti frosting for birthday cakes and cupcakes!
Do you love eating cake batter straight from the bowl? Well, if that's the case this is the frosting for you! Plus, with only 5 ingredients you can make a batch in less than 20 minutes!
Ingredients
- Boxed Cake Mix: be sure to bake the cake mix to kill any bacteria in the raw flour.
- Sprinkles: optional, but make the frosting so much more fun!
- Milk or Cream: because this is used to thin the frosting you can use either
- Butter: you can use salted or unsalted. If using unsalted, you can add a pinch of salt to help cut the sweetness.
How to Make Cake Batter Frosting
Baking Raw Cake Mix
Since this recipe uses boxed cake mix, you'll need to bake the cake mix to kill any possibly bacteria in the raw flour.
This step is really easy, you spread the cake mix on a pan and bake at 350 ℉ for 3-5 minutes. If you have a cooking thermometer, you're looking to cook it to 160 ℉ . This normally takes about 3-5 minutes for 1 cup of cake mix spread fairly thin on a baking pan.
Be sure to keep an eye on it and check for browning. If it starts to brown around the edges, it's done. If it does brown, I recommend sifting it before you add it to the frosting as it can get clumpy. But, as long as it hasn't burned it still tastes fine even if the cake mix has browned a little around the edges. Be sure to let it cool completely before you add it to the frosting!
Making the Frosting
After you've cooked and cooled the cake mix, you'll make the frosting just like a normal American buttercream:
- Add the softened butter to a standing mixer or large bowl if using a hand held mixer. Then,
- Mix the butter for 3- 5 minutes until it is light and fluffy.
- Once it is fluffy, scrape down the bowl and add the cake mix and powdered sugar. Mix on low until it starts to incorporate.
- It will start look crumbly but keep mixing and it will come together. Once it comes together, increase speed and continue beating another 3-5 minutes until it is very light and fluffy.
- If desired, add a tablespoon or two of milk or cream to get the frosting to your desired consistency and mix another minute.
- Finally, if desired add any sprinkles or food coloring and mix again until incorporated. That's it!
Piping Funfetti Sprinkle Frosting
You can add sprinkles to any type of frosting, but I feel like sprinkles go especially well with cake batter frosting, turning this buttercream to the perfect funfetti frosting.
I personally like jimmies rather than nonpareils as they have a less hard texture. And, with jimmies you can still pipe the frosting, but you need to make sure you have a tip that is big enough. I used a Wilton 8B piping tip in the pictures and it worked fine. You can also pipe with a Wilton 1A.
Anything smaller and you might have issues with the piping tip clogging with the sprinkles.
Tips for Making Cake Batter Frosting:
- Make sure your butter is at room temperature. The perfect temperature is if you press your finger on it, it will indent easily. You don’t want the butter melted or greasy, but have very soft butter will allow the powdered sugar and cake mix to easily mix.
- If your powdered sugar is old and lumpy, sift it before adding it to the butter to ensure you have smooth and lump free frosting.
- Be sure to bake your cake mix to kill any bacteria. If the cake mix browns while baking, sift the mix to remove any clumps.
- Warm cake mix can melt the butter in your frosting, so be sure to let your cake mix cool completely before you add it to the frosting. You can put it in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes to help it cool down.
- Hate the extra step of adding cake mix or want to keep it gluten free? You can add 2 teaspoons of cake batter extract in place of the cake mix.
- Sprinkles sprinkles sprinkles! While they are optional, they go perfectly with cake batter frosting to create a funfetti frosting! I prefer jimmies as they have a more pleasant texture than nonpareils.
- If adding sprinkles, make sure to use a large piping tip like a Wilton 1A or 8B so the sprinkles don't clog the tip.
- You can also add food coloring just like normal frosting.
How long does this frosting last?
This recipe keeps in the fridge and freezer very well! Since it's so easy to make, it's preferable the day you make it, but it can last up to a week in the fridge or 2-3 months in the freezer. Be sure to keep it very tightly wrapped and/or in an airtight container so it does not take on any flavors of your fridge or freezer.
When you're ready to use the frosting, let it defrost in the fridge (if frozen) and soften up on the counter for a few minutes before remixing with a standing or hand-held mixer until it gets light and fluffy again.
Frosted cakes and cupcakes can be at room temperature up to a day as long as it's not too warm out.
Best Desserts for Cake Batter Frosting:
- Filling for Macarons
- Frosting and Filling for Vanilla or Devil’s Food Cake
- Whoopie Pie Filling
- Yellow Cupcake Frosting
- Cut-Out Sugar Cookie Frosting
- Brownie Topping
Looking for More Frosting Recipes? Check these out!
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Cake Batter Frosting
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup Yellow or White Cake Mix baked and cooled
- 2 Sticks Butter (1 cup) softened
- 3 cups Powdered Sugar
- 1-2 tbsp Milk or Cream optional
- 1/3 cup Sprinkles optional
- Food coloring optional
Instructions
- Spread the cake mix on a baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for 3-5 minutes
- Let cool completely before adding to frosting
- Using a standing mixer or handheld mixer with a large bowl, beat softened butter for 3-5 minutes on medium high until it is very light and fluffy.
- Add the cake mix and powdered sugar. Mix on low until it starts to incorporate and get crumbly, about 30-60 seconds.
- Once it starts to incorporate, turn to medium high and beat for another 3-5 minutes.
- If it is too thick, you can add a tablespoon or two of milk or cream to thin it out and continue mixing.
- If adding sprinkles or food coloring, add to the frosting and mix for another 15-30 seconds.
Notes
- Make sure your butter is at room temperature. The perfect temperature is if you press your finger on it, it will indent easily. You don't want the butter melted or greasy, but have very soft butter will allow the powdered sugar and cake mix to easily mix.
- If your powdered sugar is old and lumpy, sift it before adding it to the butter to ensure you have smooth and lump free frosting.
- Be sure to bake your cake mix to kill any bacteria. If the cake mix browns while baking, sift the mix to remove any clumps.
- Warm cake mix can melt the butter in your frosting, so be sure to let your cake mix cool completely before you add it to the frosting. You can put it in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes to help it cool down.
- Hate the extra step of adding cake mix or want to keep it gluten free? You can add 2 teaspoons of cake batter extract in place of the cake mix.
- Sprinkles sprinkles sprinkles! While they are optional, they go perfectly with cake batter frosting to create a funfetti frosting! I prefer jimmies as they have a more pleasant texture than nonpareils.
- If adding sprinkles, make sure to use a large piping tip like a Wilton 1A or 8B so the sprinkles don’t clog the tip.
- You can also add food coloring just like normal frosting.
- This recipe will be enough frosting for about 12 cupcakes if you're piping a generous amount of frosting or 24 if you're spreading the frosting with a knife.
- This frosting will keep up to a week in the fridge or 2-3 months in the freezer
Do the cupcakes need to go in the fridge or can they be left at room temperature for the next day?