If you too saw the viral dot cakes and wanted to make a version, we’re sharing a dot cake recipe to make them at home! To make them we baked off a vanilla sheet cake. We then cut the cake into 8 3” rounds. The cake then gets topped with a little vanilla icing. After the icing, they get dunked in the signature sprinkles.

To make these, we used our go-to vanilla sheet cake recipe which is made with a combination of butter and coconut oil (based on the wonderful Bravetart’s recipe), cake flour, egg whites only, and three different vanillas for our favorite flavor. The result is a cake that is tender and moist, with a very delicate crumb that is still strong enough to be cut into round.

For the frosting, we used our favorite cream cheese icing rather than a classic American buttercream. We prefer this since it has a little more flavor and is a little less sweet. We also find that it sets up with the perfect consistency for spreading to get a clean press into the sprinkles.

The assembly is what makes these cakes unique. After spreading on the icing, the frosted cakes get pressed face-down into a plate of nonpareils, and the sprinkles coat the entire top in one clean, even layer. These cakes are incredibly simple to decorate, but look darling enough for a birthday party or event.

Tips for the Best Dot Cake

Don’t skip parchment paper. Parchment paper is what makes the cake easy to get out of the pan. Without the parchment paper, the sheet cake will stick to the side of the pan and will tear when you try to remove it. Since this recipe requires clean round cuts lining it will allow the rounds to come out.

Cool the cake completely before cutting. We know it’s hard to wait but this cake is very delicate. If you try to cut rounds from a warm cake, it will not hold. Give it at least 30 minutes at room temperature, or speed things up by putting the pan in the freezer for 15-20 minutes.

Use the ramekin as your cutter. The easiest way to cut the cake into rounds is by pressing the rim of the ramekin lightly into the top of the cake to score an outline, then use a sharp knife to cut along the line.

Use a small offset spatula for the frosting. A small offset spatula makes it incredibly easy to get the even layer of icing on these cakes. The flat layer of frosting is what the sprinkles get pressed into so it’s a key step to the cakes turning out!

Be generous with the nonpareils. Don’t be shy about the amount of sprinkles you put on the plate. The goal is to add on the sprinkles in one press. If there are not enough sprinkles on the cake, the top will be patchy.

Vanilla Dot Cakes

Prep Time 1

Cooling 30

Total Time 1 30

Servings 8

Ingredients

2 cups cake flour 240 g
1 teaspoons baking powder 5 ml
1/2 teaspoon baking soda 2.5 ml
1/2 teaspoon salt 2.5 ml
85 g coconut oil room temperature
85 g butter room temperature
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar 250 g
4 egg whites
1 Tablespoon vanilla bean paste
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon imitation vanilla extract optional adds nostalgic box cake flavor
1/2 teaspoon almond extract optional adds almond flavor if you don’t enjoy this leave it out
1 cups buttermilk 240 ml

Cream Cheese Icing:

1 stick butter 113 g
1 stick cream cheese 226 g or 8 ounces
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon almond extract optional
2 tablespoons vanilla bean paste or 1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar

Topping:

¼ cup nonpareils

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a 9 x 13 inch pan with parchment paper
In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside
In the base of a stand mixer or in a bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the butter, coconut oil, and sugar until pale, light and fluffy. This will take about 5 minutes on medium high speed. Scrape down the bowl halfway through
With the mixer still running, slower pour in the egg white and whip for 1-2 minutes until well combined
Add in the extracts and mix until well combined
Reduce the mixer speed to low and then add 1/3 of the flour mixture until just combined then add ½ of the buttermilk and repeat the remaining flour and buttermilk, alternating. You should start and end with the dry
Add the batter into a lined 9 x 13 inch pan and spread into an even layer. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean
Set aside to cool

Icing:

In the base of a kitchen aid or large bowl with a hand mixer, add softened butter and cream cheese
On medium high speed, beat the cream cheese and butter until fluffy (around 2 minutes)
Add salt, almond extract, and vanilla. Whip until combined
On low speed, add the powder sugar 1 cup at a time
Once all the sugar has been added, turn up the mixture and whip on medium high until light and fluffy (around 2 minutes)

Assembly:

Cut 8 rounds to fit into your ramekins (we used 3” souffle rounds and pressed them into the cake slightly to make an outline to cut with our knife)
Place the cake into the ramekin and top with 2 tablespoons of icing. Spread the icing with an icing spatula into an even layer
Add ¼ cup of sprinkles onto a plate and place the ramekin face down pressing slightly into the sprinkles so an even layer of sprinkles forms on top