Happy birthday or other celebration coming up that calls for a cake? Try out something new and make this Rice Krispie treat cake instead of in regular cake. This dessert treat is super delicious, simple to make and can be decorated anyway you like.
What is a rice krispie treat cake?
A Rice Krispie treat cake is simply regular rice krispie treats ( butter, marshmallows and Rice Krispies cereal ) shaped and decorated like a traditional cake. This simple three ingredients no bake dessert looks just as fancy as a cake, tastes great, but can be made and put together in 15 or 20 minutes.
This Rice Krispie treat cake is perfect for birthday celebrations, anniversary or any other party or holiday where you would typically serve a cake. The fun thing about this treat is that you can decorate it anyway you like to fit the party or occasions theme.
Variations
Like most Rice Krispie treats, this cake can be made in several different variations. If you want to make sure it's up a little bit or make it more elaborate, here are a few ideas:
- Add more layers: you can make your cake one layer, two layers or even more layers. Add or subtract as many layers to your cake as you want.
- Use cake mix: you can add a little cake mix to your Rice Krispie treats to make it a variety of different flavors including yellow cake, funfetti cake, chocolate cake or even lemon cake.
- Flavor it: you can also make your cake flavor from various add-ins. Try a little Nutella or Bischoff Cookie dough spread you could even add chocolate and peanut butter or pumpkin spice.
- Make it colorful: add a little food coloring so your cake is a different color. Celebrating something like christmas? Make one layer red and the other green.
- Use a different pan: instead of using a traditional round cake pan, use a long sheet pan, a bundt cake pan or a ring cake pan to make your cake a different shape.
- Make it a shape: you can also get special cake pans that are shaped things like hearts, butterflies or numbers if you're celebrating a birthday.
- Get creative with decorations: you can decorate this treat just like you would any other cake. You can get super elaborate and use fondant and make flowers and other decorations. Or you can simply apply little icing and some sprinkles.
How to Make these treats
These treats are just as simple as original Rice Krispie treats. You simply use that recipe and then put them in a cake pan add a little icing and sprinkles and you're good to go.
Supplies
- spatula
- large stock pot or Microwave Safe Bowl
- Measuring Cup
- 3 different sized round pans
Ingredients
- 12 Cups Rice Krispies Cereal
- 32 oz of Jet Puff Marshmallows
- 8 Tbs Salted Butter
- (optional) non-stick canola oil spray
- icing
- Sprinkles
Instructions
Step One
Gather together your cake pan, measuring cups, microwave safe bowl or pot, spatula, Rice Krispies cereal, butter, icing and sprinkles.
Note: if you want to make multiple layers or a larger cake you'll need to double or even triple your batch of ingredients.
Make sure you have pre-greased your pan and spatula well. To do this, you can use a little butter or a few sprays of a nonstick cooking spray. Either work well as long as you use enough to get a consistent coating.
Step Two
Your first step is to melt your butter and your marshmallows together well. This can be done either on the stove top in a pot or a bowl in your microwave.
Stove top in a pot
- Grab 8 tablespoon of butter and add that to your pot.
- Heat your butter on low while stirring once in awhile.
- When your butter has almost fully melted, grab your 32 oz of marshmallows and add that to your pot with your butter.
- Keep your heat at low while you melt your marshmallows.
- Stir marshmallows frequently while heating.
- When your marshmallows have almost fully melted, take them off the heat and continue to stir them until they finish melting.
In a bowl in the microwave:
- Toss together your 8 tablespoons of butter and 32 oz of marshmallows in a bowl that can be used in the microwave.
- Pop the bowl in the microwave for 30 to 60 seconds and heat the butter and marshmallows.
- Stir your butter and marshmallows together and then put it back in the microwave for 30 seconds.
- Continue doing the heating and stirring at 30 second intervals until your marshmallows are melted.
Step Three
Go ahead and measure 12 cups of rice krispies cereal. Then, slowly add the cereal to your marshmallow mixture while stirring it together.
Step Four
Take your round cake pans and place your treat mixture into each one. Lightly press it down with your spatula.
Step Five
Now, you want to let your treats cool for a bit. This usually takes around 30 minutes. Set them aside while they cool.
Once they have cooled, we can put them together decorate them and cut them. Go ahead and put some wax paper or a large plate out. Take your first round cake pan and turn it upside down on the wax paper and gently tap the bottom until your Rice Krispie treats onto the paper.
Step six
Grab your icing and go ahead and ice the top and sides of your Rice Krispie treat.
Grab your second round cake pan and turn it upside down on top of your first tree and again gently tap the bottom until it comes out of the pan.
Take your icing and ice the top and sides of the second treat.
Repeat for your third layer.
Step seven
If you'd like to decorate your cake with sprinkles candles or anything else now would be the time to do that.
Finally, you can cut your cake into slices and enjoy!
Pro Tips
- Don't smash your cereal: if you press too hard on your cereal you can crush it. This makes your treats more harder and compact and less soft and chewy. So, when you're folding cereal in and when you're pressing it into a cake pan, you want to make sure that you are doing so lightly.
- Make sure you have fresh marshmallows: if your marshmallows have been opened and become stale or if they're disabled and have become stale your treats will not be as soft and chewy as you desire. Make sure to use fresh and unopened marshmallows for the best texture in your treats.
- Make sure it's cool: in order to make sure that your cake keeps its shape and both ran putting it together and and cutting your slices and to make sure icing doesn't smell you'll want to make sure that your treats are fully cool before you put them together. If you want this process to speed up a little bit you can put it in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes just be careful not to leave it in too long or your treats can become hard.
Rice Krispie Treat Cake
Equipment
- Spatula
- 3 round cake pans
- large stock pot
- Large mixing bowl
- measuring cups
Ingredients
- 32 oz Marshmallows
- 8 tbs Salted Butter
- 12 cups Rice Krispies cereal
- Icing
- Sprinkles
Instructions
- Make sure you have all of your ingredients and supplies.
- Use butter or non-stick cooking spray to pre-grease your pans and spatula.
- First melt your butter and marshmallows together. This can be done on the stove or in the microwave. Stove instructions are in the post above, microwave instructions are below.
- Toss 8 tbs of butter in a bowl with 32 oz of marshmallows.
- Toss the bowl into the microwave and heat for 30 - 60 seconds
- Stir the marshmallows and butter together, then heat again for 30 seconds.
- Heat and stir for 30 second intrervals until marshmallows are completely melted.
- Fold in 12 cups of rice krispie cereal with your marshmallows.
- Transfer treat mixture into your three pans and gently press it down into each pan.
- Allow around 30 minutes for treats to cool.
- Flip your first pan over onto a plate so that treats come out of pan, ice top and sides.
- Then, flip next pan over onto first treat and ice the second layer.
- Do the same for the third layer and ensure all layers are iced.
- Add sprinkles all over cake.
Nutrition information provided is just an estimate and may vary based on specific ingredients used.