Birthday cake dessert cups are an easy, no bake dessert that is perfect for any celebration! A vanilla cookie crust, birthday cake flavored no bake cheesecake filling, and plenty of rainbow sprinkles make this treat irresistible! Tastes just like birthday cake!
Birthday Cake Dessert Cups
Who doesn’t love the taste of birthday cake? Kids and adults alike can’t help the flavor of cake batter with rainbow sprinkles! This recipe is a fun twist on classic birthday cake!
These birthday cake dessert cups have layers of birthday cake flavor. A vanilla cookie crust topped with birthday cake cream made from cake mix (don’t worry, it’s safe to eat after we heat-treat it). Add as many colorful sprinkles as you can!
Make these dessert cups for a kid’s birthday party, picnic, bake sales, and anywhere you need a special sweet treat! Who needs birthday cupcakes and ice cream cake when you can have these cute little cups? One bite and you will make lots of friends and be the best birthday celebrator around!
Ingredients for Birthday Cake Dessert Cups
- Vanilla sandwich cookies – Crushed vanilla sandwich cookies (Golden Oreos) create the crust and also are sprinkled on the tops of the dessert cups.
- Butter – Salted or unsalted works just fine! Melt the butter in the microwave in 15 second intervals.
- Rainbow sprinkles – Rainbow sprinkles are in the crust, filling, and on top!
- Cream cheese – Room temperature.
- Granulated sugar – For sweetness.
- Vanilla extract – Add a bit of vanilla extract for extra birthday cake flavor!
- White cake mix – See below how to heat-treat the cake mix so it is safe to eat! The cake mix adds classic birthday cake flavor.
- Heavy cream – To help the filling whip up to be light and creamy.
Tools & Supplies for Making Birthday Cake Dessert Cups
How to Make Birthday Cake Dessert Cups
These dessert cups are super easy to make! It is a no bake recipe, so you don’t have to turn on your oven. You can make the recipe in less than 20 minutes!
- Mix together vanilla sandwich cookie crumbs, melted butter, and rainbow sprinkles.
- Portion the crumbs into 28 2-ounce plastic cups. Use one of the plastic cups to press the crumbs into the bottom of the cup.
- Cream together cream cheese and granulated sugar until combined and smooth.
- Add in heat-treated white cake mix and vanilla extract. (See “recipe tips” below on how to heat-treat cake mix).
- Add in heavy whipping cream and whip on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
- Stir in rainbow sprinkles.
- Fill a piping bag with the cheesecake mixture. Pipe the mixture into the cups until about 3/4 full.
- Top each dessert cup with additional vanilla cookie crumbs and rainbow sprinkles.
- Seal the cups with a lid and chill. The cups can be served immediately or stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Birthday Cake Dessert Cups Recipe Tips
How to heat-treat the cake mix
To reduce the presence of potential bacteria in the cake mix, heat treat it! Simply place it in a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave for 30 seconds, until it reaches 165 degrees F. Some people prefer to bake raw flour or cake mix in the oven, but I find this way to be easier, less messy, and much faster! Check out the short video below on how to do this!
Sprinkles bleeding color
The rainbow sprinkles on the top have a tendency to start to bleed color after several hours in the refrigerator. If you would like to prevent this, I recommend adding the rainbow sprinkle topping before serving.
Plastic cups
The plastic cups with lids can be found on Amazon or at your local party supply store. You can also use cupcake liners if you wish!
Yield
This recipe makes approximately 28 2-ounce cups. This is an estimation. You may have a few more or a few less depending on how much filling you pipe into the cups!
Vanilla sandwich cookie crumbs
Use a food processor to make the cookie crumbs. You can also place the cookies into a sealable plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin or other appropriate object! Be sure the crumbs are very fine for best results!
Storing and serving
These dessert cups can be stored in the refrigerator for about 2 to 3 days. I love serving these dessert cups right out of a cooler at parties or picnics! The dessert cups can stand out at room temperature for about an hour.
Click here to see a quick video on how to make birthday cake dessert cups! Follow Cake Me Home Tonight on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube for more recipe videos and baking tutorials!
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Birthday Cake Dessert Cups
Equipment
- 28-2 oz. plastic cups
- Electric hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment
Ingredients
- 2 cups crushed vanilla sandwich cookies
- ¼ cup salted or unsalted butter melted
- 1 tbsp rainbow sprinkles
- 8 oz cream cheese room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup cake mix heat treated (see tips)
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
- 2 tbsp rainbow sprinkles
- additional cookie crumbs and rainbow sprinkles
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine vanilla sandwich cookies and melted butter. Mix to combine. Add in rainbow sprinkles and mix until well dispersed.
- Portion the crumbs into 28 2-ounce plastic cups using a small cookie scoop or spoon. Use one of the plastic cups to press the crumbs into the bottom of the cup.
- In a mixing bowl, combine room temperature cream cheese and granulated sugar. Cream together with an electric hand mixer on medium speed until combined and smooth.
- Add in white cake mix and vanilla extract and continue to mix.
- Add in heavy whipping cream and whip on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
- Add in rainbow sprinkles and fold to combine.
- Fill a piping bag with the cheesecake mixture. Pipe the mixture into the cups until about 3/4 full.
- Top the each dessert cup with additional vanilla cookie crumbs and rainbow sprinkles.
- Seal the cups with a lid and chill. The cups can be served immediately or stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Notes
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Comments & Reviews
What brand sprinkles do you hast? I haven’t had luck finding tasty sprinkles. Thank you!
My favorite go-to brand for rainbow sprinkles is Hoosier Hill Farm! I purchase them from Amazon!
Can I freeze them?
Yes! They can absolutely be frozen!