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.
Cake Batter Flavoring
Some birthday cake cereal treats actually call for adding powdered cake mix to the recipe but it’s really not safe to eat raw flour without it being heat-treated. Cake batter flavoring will give you the same cake flavor in a safe way.
You can order the cake batter flavoring from Amazon or get it at cake decorating supply shops.
If you can’t find it you can simply eliminate the flavoring. Your cake squares will taste delicious with or without the flavoring.
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.
Birthday Cake Treats
Ingredients for a small batch:
(made in an 8-inch or 9-inch square pan)
- 8 tablespoons European-style Salted Butter (for the very best flavor)
- 20 ounces marshmallows (this is equal to two 10 ounce bags)
- 1 teaspoon cake batter flavoring
- 9 1/3 cups Rice Krispies Cereal
- 1/2 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)
*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.
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.
Ingredients for a larger batch:
- 12 tablespoons European-style Salted Butter
- 32 ounces Kraft Jet-Puffed marshmallows (you can two 16 ounce bags or three 10 ounce bags, the 2-ounce difference won’t make a difference)
- 2 teaspoons cake batter flavoring
- 14 cups Rice Krispies Cereal (add an extra 1 cup if using store brand marshmallows)
- 1 cup rainbow sprinkles (Jimmies)
- 2 cups frosting
- a 9-inch by 13-inch pan
You can find the items needed to make these treats on amazon (commission earned for any sales at no additional cost to you).
Let’s talk 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.
- Kroger brand did great in the flavor category but tasters found the treats made with these marshmallows to be just too sticky and chewy. The treats were really dense too. The marshmallows were also much more difficult to work with. These marshmallows were so sticky that they were hard to blend with the cereal. We found other store-brand marshmallows were very similar.
- 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.
How many cups of marshmallows are in my bags?
Mini Marshmallows:
- Each cup of mini marshmallows weighs approximately 1.67 ounces.
- A 10-ounce bag contains approximately 6 cups of mini marshmallows.
- A 16-ounce bag contains approximately 9 2/3 cups of mini marshmallows.
Standard (large) Marshmallows:
- Each large marshmallow is approximately 0.24 ounces.
- Each brand of marshmallow weighs slightly different amounts.
- 7-8 marshmallows = 1 cup of mini marshmallows
- There are approximately 40-48 marshmallows in a 10-ounce bag and 64-70 in a 16-ounce bag.
- Kraft Jet-Puffed Marshmallows are lighter than some other brands. If using them you’ll need 40 marshmallows for a recipe calling for 10 ounces and 64 for a 16-ounce recipe.
What about Dandies Vegan Marshmallows?
- Dandies Marshmallows are twice as heavy as traditional marshmallows.
- Each weighing in at about 0.4 ounces.
- There are 24 marshmallows in a 10-ounce bag.
- They don’t melt as easily as marshmallows made with gelatin so I’d only use these when making vegan birthday treats.
Stovetop method:
The ingredients listed below are for the small 8 or 9-inch square pan of treats. See the quantities listed above if you want to make a larger 9X13 inch pan of these crisp rice birthday cake treats.
- Begin to melt the 8 ounces of salted butter in a large saucepan set over LOW heat.
- Add the 20 ounces of 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 1 teaspoon of cake batter flavoring.
- Pour over the 9 1/3 cups of 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 1/2 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 a well-buttered 8-inch or 9-inch pan.
- Let the treats cool for 30 minutes.
- Then spread 1 cup of 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 into rectangles or squares.
Microwave Method:
The ingredients listed below are for the small 8 or 9-inch square pan of treats. See the quantities listed above if you want to make a larger 9X13 inch pan of these birthday rice crispy treats.
- Combine the 8 ounces of butter and 20 ounces of marshmallows in a large microwave-safe bowl.
- Heat on high power for 1 minute then remove and stir until the melted butter blends with the marshmallows.
- Keep stirring until the marshmallows melt.
- If needed, reheat for 15-30 second increments, stirring after each, until the marshmallows are fully melted.
- Stir in the 1 teaspoon of cake batter flavoring.
- Add the 9 1/3 cups of rice crispy cereal and stir to evenly coat the cereal.
- Let the bowl of cereal mixture rest and cool slightly for about 5 minutes.
- Reserve about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the rainbow sprinkles then toss the remaining sprinkles into the cereal mixture and stir just to incorporate.
- Spread the cereal mixture into an even layer in a well-buttered pan.
- Let the treats cool for 30 minutes.
- Then spread 1 cup of 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 into rectangles or squares.
If you love sprinkles you might also like these fun birthday recipes:
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.
Recipe
Birthday Cake Treats
Equipment
- 8-inch or 9-inch pan for a small batch of these treats
- OR a 9x13-inch pan for a large batch
Ingredients
Ingredients for a small batch (made in an 8 or 9-inch pan)
- 8 tablespoons European-style Salted Butter for the very best flavor
- 20 ounces marshmallows this is equal to two 10 ounce bags
- 1 teaspoon cake batter flavoring
- 9 1/3 cups Rice Krispies Cereal (add an extra 1/2 cup if using store brand marshmallows)
- 1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles Jimmies
- 1 cup frosting you can use homemade frosting or a store-bought frosting
Ingredients for a larger batch (made in a 9x13-inch pan)
- 12 tablespoons European-style Salted Butter
- 32 ounces Kraft Jet-Puffed marshmallows
- 2 teaspoons cake batter flavoring
- 14 cups Rice Krispies Cereal (add an extra 1 cup if using store brand marshmallows)
- 1 cup rainbow sprinkles Jimmies
- 2 cups frosting
Instructions
- Butter the inside of an 8-inch or 9-inch square pan for the small batch or a 9X13 inch pan for a large batch.
- 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 Rice Kripies Cereal into a very large mixing bowl.
- 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 1/2 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 a well-buttered 8-inch or 9-inch pan.
- Let the treats cool for 30 minutes.
- Then spread 1 cup of 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 into rectangles or squares.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- How many cups of marshmallows are in my bags?
- Mini Marshmallows:
- Each cup of mini marshmallows weighs approximately 1.67 ounces.
- A 10-ounce bag contains approximately 6 cups of mini marshmallows (so use 12 cups for the small batch)
- A 16-ounce bag contains approximately 9 2/3 cups of mini marshmallows (so use 19 1/3 cups for a large batch)
- Standard (large) Marshmallows:
- Each large marshmallow is approximately 0.24 ounces.
- Each brand of marshmallow weighs slightly different amounts.
- 7-8 marshmallows = 1 cup of mini marshmallows
- There are approximately 40-48 marshmallows in a 10-ounce bag and 64-70 in a 16-ounce bag.
- Kraft Jet-Puffed Marshmallows are lighter than some other brands. If using them you’ll need 40 marshmallows for a recipe calling for 10 ounces and 64 for a 16-ounce recipe.
- 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.
How to store your treats?
- Your cereal treats will taste best if eaten within the first few days but they will stay crispy and fresh for up to a week 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.
You might like these other fun rice cereal treat recipes…
Ice Cream Cone Rice Krispie Treats
Did you make this recipe and think it was great or do have any questions? Leave a comment below and don't forget to rate the recipe using the star rating system.
We love creating easy Rice Krispie Treats recipes to share with you and hope you find our tips and instructions helpful.
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