If you love cake batter in just about everything then you are going to love this cake batter frosting! Super easy to make. It will bring out the kid in you.
When it comes to cake mix around this blog, you will be hard pressed to find any recipes that will use it. I’m all about baking from scratch.
Except when I can stir some into some frosting. Now that’s a different story.
Cake mix stirred into buttercream? Yes please.
Ingredients Needed
- Unsalted Butter
- Confectioners sugar
- Heavy Cream
- Vanilla
- Cake mix – You need to heat treat the cake mix first. Read below as to how. It’s easy!
- Sprinkles
Heat Treating The Cake Mix First
This frosting contains cake mix to give it that true “cake batter” taste, but eating raw flour, or cake mix, in this case. Eating raw flour can contain harmful microbes, such as E.coli, and it’s recommended you heat treat the cake mix first.
To heat treat the cake mix, simply spread the 1/2 cup onto a baking sheet and bake at 350oF for about 5 minutes until the cake mix has reached a temperature of 160 degrees. Then be sure to let it cool before adding it to the frosting or it will melt your frosting.
How To Make This Cake Batter Frosting
To make this cake batter frosting, I started by using the The Best Vanilla Buttercream Frosting ever. It’s a typical frosting that is made with softened butter and confectioner sugar. You can read more here about the different types of frosting. It’s easy to make and whip up. The key is to make sure to whip it long enough so it becomes very airy and fluffy. So let’s do this….
Start by creaming your softened butter. You can use a hand mixer or a stand mixer. I prefer my stand mixer so that I don’t have to do the heavy lifting.
Then add in your powdered sugar. Add it in slowly – 1/2 to 1 cup at a time. And then cream until smooth. Make sure your mixer is OFF before you add the powdered sugar.
Once all the powdered sugar is added you want to then add in your heavy cream and vanilla extract. You could also use milk but I love the richness of the heavy cream.
The second trick to this buttercream is to make sure to whip that frosting for 8 minutes. Yup, 8 whole minutes. It makes the frosting light as a cloud, almost like whipped cream in the end.
Once the frosting has been whipped for 8 minutes, then you want to stir in the cake mix. You could make your own homemade cake mix or buy some. I love that they make cake mix that has no preservatives or artificial flavors!
And last but not least you want to add in your sprinkles. Make sure the sprinkles are added in last and you don’t stir too much on too high of a speed so you smash the sprinkles.
Make sure your mixer is off before you add the sprinkles and mix. The mix on low until mixed together.
Tips For Making This Cake Batter Frosting:
- Soften Your Butter – Make sure your butter is softened. You can soften your butter quickly 3 different ways. But just make sure that it’s unsalted butter. Different brands of butter will use different amounts of salt in their salted butter so it’s best to control the amount yourself.
- Add in your powdered sugar a little at a time. So you don’t have a powdered sugar blizzard all over you and the rest of your kitchen. Cover your mixing bowl with a towel or damp towel to keep the powdered sugar from escaping from the bowl.
- Use The Right Sprinkles. Make sure you are using the sprinkles (or jimmies they are called) and not non-pareils that can sort of dissolve into the frosting.
- Store your buttercream properly. If not using right away, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Whip Again. If you store the buttercream in your fridge, then you will need to rewhip the frosting until fluffy again before you use it.
I think this could work with other styles of buttercream as well like Italian Meringue Buttercream or Swiss Meringue Buttercream . I then used this cake batter frosting on my Easy Vanilla Cupcake Recipe-and turned them into these Funfetti Cupcakes.
How Do I Store Buttercream?
You can keep your buttercream at room temperature if you plan to use it right away (1-2 days max).
You can also store in the refrigerator for 5 days. You will just need to re-whip it again in your stand mixer to get it to a spreadable consistency.
If you don’t plan to use it within a week, it can be frozen.Or freeze for 2 months according to Bluprint. I just let mine thaw in the refrigerator overnight, or on the counter for a few hours. And again, just re-whip again until it’s smooth and spreadable.
For more help on making buttercream icing check out my Ultimate Guide To Making The Best Buttercream Icing Ever!
For a complete tutorial, read how to store leftover buttercream here.
How Many Cupcakes Or Cake Will This Cake Batter Frosting Cover?
- For Cupcakes – This recipe will generously frost 12 cupcakes. I like to pipe a pretty tall amount of frosting on each cupcake. So if you don’t use as much as I do as in the photos, then you might get more frosted (around 24 cupcakes). For help on decorating cupcakes, be sure to check out my The Ultimate Guide To Baking Cupcakes At Home .
- For Cake – This frosting will cover a 9 x 13 sheet cake or a 2 layer 8-inch or 9-inch cake.
To Make This Cake Batter Buttercream You Will Need:
- Kitchenaid Mixer– I use my Kitchenaid Mixer to make my frosting because it takes 8 minutes to mix.
- Mixing Bowls- (I have an assortment of mixing bowls but these bowls are my go to)
- Good quality whisk and spatula. These are a must and something you will use all the time!
- Angled spatula (if you do not want to use a piping bag for your frosting)
- Piping Bags- I like to use disposable 18-inch pastry bags
- Piping Tips- I use Atecco tips (for this cupcake I used the closed star tip)
If you love this recipe, then be sure to let me know by leaving a comment and star rating below!
Cake Batter Frosting
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup vanilla cake mix *heat treated
- 1 1/4 cups (20 tablespoons, 283 grams) butter unsalted, softened
- 2.5 cups (313 grams) powdered sugar icing or confectioners sugar
- 2 Tbs. heavy cream
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sprinkles
- Decorating Bags
- Wilton 2D Tip
- Mixer
Instructions
- Heat treat the cake mix first. Preheat your oven to 350oF. Spread the cake mix onto a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes until the flour reaches a temperature of 160 degrees. Cool completely before adding to frosting.
- Cream the butter first until light and fluffy.
- Then add in the powdered sugar, with the mixer off 1/2 cup at a time. And the mix on low until combined.
- Then increase the speed for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add the vanilla extract and heavy cream.
- Mix for 8 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add the cooled, heat treated cake mix.
- Fold in the sprinkles until evenly combined.
- When ready to use, with a pastry bag and tip attached, pipe the frosting on each cupcake. Decorate with additional sprinkles.
Notes
- Soften Your Butter – Make sure your butter is softened. You can soften your butter quickly 3 different ways. But just make sure that it’s unsalted butter. Different brands of butter will use different amounts of salt in their salted butter so it’s best to control the amount yourself.
- Add in your powdered sugar a little at a time. So you don’t have a powdered sugar blizzard all over you and the rest of your kitchen.
- Use The Right Sprinkles. Make sure you are using the sprinkles (or jimmies they are called) and not non-pareils that can sort of dissolve into the frosting.Â
- Store your buttercream properly. If not using right away, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
- Whip Again. If you store the buttercream in your fridge, then you will need to rewhip the frosting until fluffy again before you use it.
Terry says
Just wondering if you bake your dry cake mix at low temp first, because I’m hearing that eating raw flour can be risky, due to the fact that bacteria can be alive in it.
Heather says
Hi Terry, thank you for bringing this to my attention – yes you are correct! You should heat treat the cake mix first. I’ve included a step on how to do in so in the recipe and post.
Peaches says
5 Cups of butter? 10 sticks???
Heather @Boston Girl Bakes says
Thank you for catching this- 5 sticks of butter- I’ve fixed this recipe so it’s all set now!