Birthday Cake Rice Krispie Treats

Celebrate the big day with these Birthday Cake Rice Krispie Treats. Each thick and chewy marshmallow cereal bar is filled with rainbow sprinkles topped with a layer of frosting. They are even flavored to taste like birthday cake.

If you are having a birthday party for a Rice Krispie Treats lover then these birthday cake treats will make the perfect dessert.

Not only do these treats look like birthday cake, but they taste like it too.

To make these treats you'll start by making the ultimate Rice Krispie Treat Recipe, which has the perfect proportions of salted butter, marshmallows, and Rice Krispies Cereal.

Then you'll add a splash of cake batter flavoring, lots of sprinkles, and a thick layer of frosting.

Add birthday candles and you've made a deliciously easy birthday cake that kids of all ages and even adults will love.

Ingredients

butter

• For the very best flavor be sure to use European-style Salted Butter when making your birthday treats.

marshmallows

• We conducted a taste test of 20 different Rice Krispie Treats and found that the cereal treats made using Jet-Puffed Marshmallows had a wonderful vanilla flavor without being overly sweet. They also had the perfect chew. When tasters pulled the treats apart they were gooey but not overly sticky.
• Some store-brand marshmallows, like those from Kroger, have a nice flavor but are far too sticky for our recipe. If that is what you choose to use, you will want to add more cereal, about 1 cup to this recipe. Just know that your cereal mixture will be a little stickier to mix.
• Dandies are a brand of vegan marshmallows that have amazing flavor. They are firmer than other marshmallows and are very difficult to melt. Tasters really enjoyed the flavor of the marshmallows in the cereal treats but felt they weren’t worth the fuss to use unless making vegan Rice Krispie Treats.

cake batter flavoring

• Some birthday cake cereal treats call for adding powdered cake mix to the recipe but it's really not safe to eat raw flour without it being heat-treated, so I used cake batter flavoring instead. The oil-based flavoring adds wonderful birthday cake flavor to your marshmallow cereal treats.
• You can order the cake batter flavoring from Amazon or get it at cake decorating supply shops. 

crisp rice cereal 

• In our taste tests, our tasters preferred the flavor and texture of Kellogg's Rice Krispies Cereal. It is our go-to brand of cereal.
• If you decided to use store-brand marshmallows and they feel too sticky be sure to add extra cereal (up to an extra cup if needed).

rainbow sprinkles

• Use rainbow Jimmies to add a pop of color to your birthday cake crispy treats. You can also use rainbow nonpareils if you don't mind the hard crunch of the tiny sugar pearls.

frosting

• Make homemade buttercream or simply open some tubs of store-bought frosting. Either will work fine.

Supplies

9x13-inch pan

• If you are using a pan with a nice non-stick surface your treats will most likely come right out, but I always grease my pan with a bit of butter or non-stick cooking spray just to ensure they will slide out easily.

saucepan or microwave-safe bowl

• If you melt the butter and marshmallows on the stove, you'll need a large saucepan.
• Use a large microwave-safe bowl if melting the butter and marshmallows in the microwave.

extra-large mixing bowl

• So that the treats do not stick to your bowl, grease it with butter.

You can find the items needed to make these treats on amazon (commission earned for any sales at no additional cost to you).

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Instructions

Stovetop method:

1. Grease your mixing bowl, pan, and spatula.
2. Pour the Rice Krispies Cereal into the bowl and set aside.
3. Begin to melt the salted butter in a large saucepan set over LOW heat.
4. Add the marshmallows and stir to blend with the melted butter.
5. Continue to heat the marshmallows, stirring often, until about 75% of the marshmallows are melted.
6. Remove from the heat and stir vigorously until melted.
7. Stir in the cake batter flavoring.
8. Pour over the Rice Krispies cereal and stir until the cereal is all coated with marshmallows.
9. Allow the bowl to rest for about 5 minutes to cool slightly.
10. Reserve 1 ½ tablespoons of the rainbow sprinkles for the top of the treats.
11. Sprinkle the remaining rainbow sprinkles over the cereal mixture and stir just to incorporate the sprinkles.
12. Spread into an even layer in a well-buttered 8-inch or 9-inch pan.
13. Let the treats cool for 30 minutes.
14. Then spread the frosting over top.
15. Sprinkle the remaining sprinkles over the top of the frosting.
16. Allow the bars to cool for at least 1 hour before cutting them into rectangles or squares.

Microwave Method:

1. Combine the butter and marshmallows in a large microwave-safe bowl.
2. Heat on high power for 1 minute then remove and stir until the melted butter blends with the marshmallows.
3. Keep stirring until the marshmallows melt.
4. If needed, reheat for 15-30 second increments, stirring after each, until the marshmallows are fully melted.
5. Stir in the cake batter flavoring.
6. Pour over the cereal and stir until the marshmallows have evenly coated the cereal.
7. Let the bowl of cereal mixture rest and cool slightly for about 5 minutes.
8. Reserve about 1 ½ tablespoons of the rainbow sprinkles then toss the remaining sprinkles into the cereal mixture and stir just to incorporate.
9. Spread the cereal mixture into an even layer in a well-buttered pan.
10. Let the treats cool for 30 minutes.
11. Then spread the frosting over top.
12. Sprinkle the remaining sprinkles over the top of the frosting.
13. Allow the bars to cool for at least 1 hour before cutting them into rectangles or squares.

If you love sprinkles you might also like these fun birthday recipes:

• Easy Funfetti Cake
• Funfetti Birthday Cake
• Funfetti Cake Batter Fudge

Tips

• Do not overheat your marshmallows or your treats will be too hard.
• Do not use old marshmallows. Marshmallows dry out as they age and using old marshmallows will produce treats that are difficult to chew.
• Do not press down too firmly on the cereal treat mixture when spreading it into your pan or your treats will be too firm.
• Do not pour the cereal into a hot pan. When the cereal gets too hot it softens. If the cereal softens too much, your treats will taste stale just after they are made.

Be sure to check out our Rice Krispie Treat FAQ page for great tips and tricks for making cereal treats including information about measuring marshmallows.

Video

Be sure to watch the video to see just how quickly these cake batter-flavored cereal treats speckled with sprinkles come together. The video may be at the top of the blog post or in the corner of your screen.

Storage

• Your cereal treats will taste best if eaten the day they are frosted but they will stay crispy and fresh for up to three days if stored properly in an airtight container or large zip-top bag.
• Using salted butter helps to increase the shelf life of a Rice Krispie Treat.
• Do not refrigerate the treats as they may become soggy and soft.
• You may freeze your cereal treats for up to 3 months but I'd recommend frosting them afterward.
  • Wrap the treats in plastic wrap or Glad Press ‘n Seal, then overwrap them in tin foil. Place them in a zip-top bag and freeze.
  • To thaw, remove the cereal treats from the freezer and let them sit, unwrapped, on the counter for at least 1 hour before unwrapping.
  • You can wrap the entire pan of treats or wrap individual treats depending on how you want to use them later.

More birthday treat ideas

Funfetti Treats

Ice Cream Treats

Rainbow Treats

Unicorn Treats

Recipe

Birthday Cake Treats

Beth Klosterboer

Thick cake-batter flavored Rice Krispie Treats are sprinkled with lots of rainbow Jimmies and are frosted and topped with even more sprinkles to look and taste like birthday cake.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 16

Calories 329 kcal

Equipment

• 8-inch or 9-inch pan for a small batch of these treats
• OR a 9x13-inch pan for a large batch

Ingredients

  

• 14 cups Rice Krispies Cereal (add an extra 1 cup if using store-brand marshmallows)
• 12 tablespoons European-style Salted Butter
• 32 ounces Kraft Jet-Puffed marshmallows
• 2 teaspoons cake batter flavoring
• 1 cup rainbow sprinkles Jimmies
• 2 cups frosting

Instructions

 

• Butter the inside of a 9X13 inch pan, the inside of an extra large mixing bowl, and a silicone spatula.
• Pour the Rice Krispies Cereal into the mixing bowl.
• Begin to melt the salted butter in a large saucepan set over LOW heat.
• Add the marshmallows and stir to blend with the melted butter.
• Continue to heat the marshmallows, stirring often, until about 75% of the marshmallows are melted.
• Remove from the heat and stir vigorously until melted.
• Stir in the cake batter flavoring.
• Pour the melted marshmallows over the Rice Krispies cereal and stir until the cereal is all coated with marshmallows.
• Allow the bowl to rest for about 5 minutes to cool slightly.
• Reserve 1 ½ tablespoons of the rainbow sprinkles for the top of the treats.
• Sprinkle the remaining rainbow sprinkles over the cereal mixture and stir just to incorporate the sprinkles.
• Spread into an even layer in your greased pan.
• Let the treats cool for 30 minutes.
• Then spread the frosting over top.
• Sprinkle the remaining sprinkles over the top of the frosting.
• Allow the bars to cool for at least 1 hour before cutting them into rectangles or squares.
• Decorate with birthday candles before serving if desired.

Notes

Small Birthday Cake Rice Krispie Treat (made in an 8-inch or 9-inch pan) Use these ingredient quantities to make a smaller treat. 

• 8 tablespoons European-style Salted Butter (for the very best flavor)
• 20 ounces of marshmallows (this is equal to two 10-ounce bags)
• 1 teaspoon cake batter flavoring
• 9 ⅓ cups Rice Krispies Cereal
• ½ cup rainbow sprinkles (Jimmies)
• 1 cup frosting (you can use homemade frosting or a store-bought frosting)
• an 8-inch or 9-inch square pan (you'll need a pan that is at least 2 inches tall)

TIPS

• Do not overheat your marshmallows or your treats will be too hard. 
• Use fresh marshmallows as old marshmallows that have dried out will make dry treats. 
• If you use store-brand marshmallows that are stickier than our recommended Jet-Puffed Marshmallows, be sure to add extra cereal. 
• Do not compact the cereal treats in the pan or your treats will be too hard. 
• Do not pour the cereal into a hot pan of melted marshmallows because the cereal will get too warm causing it to soften and making your treats taste stale. 
• Allow the treats to cool for at least 30 minutes before spreading on the frosting or your frosting may melt. 

Storage

The treats will taste best if eaten the day they are frosted. The frosting will eventually soften the treats. You can store the frosted treats in an airtight container for up to 3 days. 

Keyword birthday cake, birthday party desserts, Cake Batter Rice Krispie Treats, rice krispie treats