Frosted Birthday Cake Cookies
If you love classic birthday cake, these frosted birthday cake cookies bring all that nostalgic flavor into cookie form. Soft funfetti sugar cookies are topped with creamy cake batter buttercream and finished with sweet birthday cake crumbs. They’re colorful, festive, and packed with all the fun of a slice of birthday cake in every bite.
Frosted Birthday Cake Cookies
Everybody spread the word—we’re gonna have a celebration, and I’m bringing the frosted birthday cake cookies.
These cookies embody all the nostalgic fun of birthday cake into cookie form. Thick, soft, and chewy funfetti sugar cookies, fluffy cake batter buttercream frosting, and a ton of sweet birthday cake crumbs on top.
They’re colorful, festive, and packed with that classic birthday cake flavor everyone loves—because sometimes a sweet little celebration is exactly what we need, and it would be, it would be so nice.
If nostalgic birthday cake flavors are your thing, check out my funfetti cupcakes, funfetti cake, and funfetti rice krispie treats.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Simple to make: While there are a few steps involved, each one is straightforward and easy to follow. It just takes a little extra time to create these fun, bakery-style cookies.
- Birthday cake in cookie form: Soft funfetti cookies, cake batter frosting, and cake crumbs deliver that classic birthday cake taste in every bite.
- Fun and colorful: Sprinkles and cake crumbs make these cookies bright, festive, and perfect for celebrations.
- Perfect for parties: These cookies are great for birthdays, bake sales, or any occasion that calls for a fun dessert.
- Nostalgic and crowd-pleasing: These cookies capture that classic, sweet birthday cake flavor everyone loves.
Recipe Ingredients
Funfetti Sugar Cookies
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda + baking powder
- Salt
- Unsalted butter – Room temperature.
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs – Room temperature.
- Vanilla extract
- Rainbow sprinkles
Cake Batter Buttercream Frosting
- Unsalted butter – Room temperature.
- Powdered sugar
- White cake mix – Heat-treated to remove potential bacteria (see baking tips section below).
- Heavy cream
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
Birthday Cake Crumbs
- Cake flour – I don’t recommend using all-purpose flour in this recipe. Cake flour gives these crumbs their signature birthday cake flavor and light, crispy texture.
- Granulated sugar
- Light brown sugar
- Baking powder + salt
- Vegetable oil – Use your favorite neutral baking oil.
- Vanilla extract
- Rainbow nonpareil sprinkles
How to Make Frosted Birthday Cake Cookies
Make the funfetti sugar cookie dough.
Portion the cookie dough using a large cookie scoop and chill for 30 minutes.
Place the chilled cookie dough balls on a prepared baking sheet pan.
Bake and cool the funfetti sugar cookies.
Make the cake batter buttercream frosting.
Make the birthday cake crumbs.
Frost the cooled cookies with the cake batter buttercream frosting.
Pile the cookies high with the birthday cake crumbs.
Courtney’s Expert Cookie Baking Tips
- Use a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons) to portion the cookie dough to create round and uniform-sized cookies.
- Use jimmie sprinkles in the cookie dough for the best results. Nonpareil sprinkles can bleed color into the cookie dough and larger sprinkles won’t melt nicely into the cookie dough while baking.
- Don’t skip chilling the cookie dough. Chilling helps to control the spreading while the cookies are baking and helps to create that classic chewy sugar cookie texture.
- Immediately when the cookies come out of the oven, use the back of a spoon or a large round cookie cutter to gently shape the cookies into perfectly round circles.
- For the buttercream, heat-treat the cake mix to eliminate any potential bacteria. The easiest way to do this is in the microwave. Simply heat the cake mix in 30 second increments until it reaches 160℉ (71℃), which is about 60 seconds.
- For the birthday cake crumbs, use cake flour for the best taste and texture. Cake flour gives the crumbs their classic birthday cake flavor and light, crispy texture.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Cake mix should be heat-treated before using it in recipes where it won’t be baked, such as frosting or no-bake desserts. Raw flour in cake mix can contain harmful bacteria, and heating the mix to a safe temperature helps eliminate that risk. This quick step makes the cake mix safe to eat while still giving your recipe that classic birthday cake flavor.
Cake flour is recommended for this recipe because it gives the crumbs their light, tender texture and delicate crispness. It also helps create that classic birthday cake flavor, while all-purpose flour can make the crumbs denser and less crisp.
Yes! Use a medium cookie scoop (1 ½ tablespoons) to make the cookies half the size. The baking time will be a few minutes less—about 10-11 minutes. The yield of the recipe will double.
For the cookies, jimmie-style sprinkles hold their shape and color well. Nonpareils tend to bleed into the cookie dough and make it look gray. However, nonpareils work better in the birthday cake crumbs because they more easily distribute throughout the crumbs and help create the perfect crispy texture.
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Frosted Birthday Cake Cookies
Ingredients
Funfetti Sugar Cookies
- 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp (1 tsp) baking soda
- ½ tsp (0.5 tsp) baking powder
- ½ tsp (0.5 tsp) salt
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 1 ¼ cups (250 g) granulated sugar
- 2 (2) large eggs (room temperature)
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (40 g) rainbow sprinkles
Cake Batter Buttercream Frosting
- ½ cup (75 g) white cake mix
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 2 ½ cups (300 g) powdered sugar
- 3 tbsp (44 ml) heavy cream
- 2 tsp (2 tsp) vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp (0.25 tsp) salt
Birthday Cake Crumbs
- ¾ cup (95 g) cake flour
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp (24 g) light brown sugar
- ½ tsp (0.5 tsp) baking powder
- ¼ tsp (0.25 tsp) salt
- ¼ cup (60 ml) vegetable oil
- 2 tsp (2 tsp) vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp (20 g) rainbow nonpareil sprinkles
Instructions
Funfetti Sugar Cookies
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, cream the unsalted butter and granulated sugar for a few minutes until light and creamy. Add in the eggs and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
- Add in the flour mixture and mix on low speed until the cookie dough comes together. Fold in the rainbow sprinkles until they are well dispersed throughout the cookie dough.
- Portion the cookie dough using a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons) and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet pan. Chill the cookie dough balls for 30 minutes.
- While the cookie dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 350℉ (177℃). Line baking sheet pans with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
- Place the chilled cookie dough balls on the prepared baking sheet pans, allowing room for spreading. Bake the cookies for about 12-13 minutes until the edges are set and the centers are slightly underbaked. Cool the cookies on the pan for 2 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Cake Batter Buttercream Frosting
- First, heat-treat the white cake mix. Pour the cake mix into a microwave-safe bowl. Heat the cake mix in the microwave for 30 seconds and then stir. Repeat this process until the cake mix reaches 160℉ (71℃), about 1 ½ minutes total. Run the cake mix through a fine mesh strainer and then set aside to cool.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer, whip the room temperature unsalted butter for 5 minutes until light, pale, and creamy.
- Add in half of the powdered sugar and mix on the lowest speed until the sugar is combined with the butter. Add the remaining half of the powdered sugar and the heat-treated white cake mix and continue to mix on low speed until fully combined.
- Add in the heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt, and continue to mix on low speed until combined and smooth. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure the ingredients are well incorporated.
- Increase the speed on the mixer to medium and whip the buttercream for about 2 to 3 minutes until it is smooth and creamy. Turn the mixer to low speed and mix the buttercream for several minutes to remove any air bubbles.
- Optional: To smooth out the buttercream, melt ½ cup of the frosting in the microwave for 15 seconds. Pour the melted frosting back into the mixing bowl and mix the frosting on low speed until the buttercream is super smooth and creamy.
Birthday Cake Crumbs
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (177℃). Line a baking sheet pan with parchment paper.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Add in the vegetable oil and vanilla extract and stir until the dry and wet ingredients are fully incorporated and large clusters form. Add in the rainbow nonpareil sprinkles and stir until they are well dispersed throughout the mixture. Break up any larger clusters with a spoon.
- Spread the birthday cake crumb mixture onto the prepared baking sheet pan. Bake the crumbs for 10 minutes. After baking, cool the birthday cake crumbs to room temperature and then break them up into small crumbs.
Decorating the Cookies
- Fill a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1A piping tip with the cake batter buttercream frosting. Pipe a swirl of the frosting onto the cookies and spread evenly with an offset spatula. Top the cookies with a generous amount of the birthday cake crumbs.
Notes
- Room temperature: Store the frosted cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 days.
- Refrigerator (cookie dough): Chill the cookie dough balls in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Transfer the cookie dough balls to a resealable storage bag and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Bake as directed.
- Refrigerator (frosted cookies): Store the frosted cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Serve at room temperature for the best taste and texture.
- Freezer (cookie dough): Store the portioned cookie dough in a resealable storage bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. To use, thaw the cookie dough for an hour and bake as directed.
- Freezer (frosted cookies): Store the baked and frosted cookies between sheets of parchment paper in a storage bag or airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
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About Courtney
Baker | 80s Lover | Cookbook Author
Courtney is a self-taught home baker and cookbook author of “Girls Just Wanna Bake Cupcakes”. She loves to create new and unique recipes while simultaneously listening to 80s music.
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