Dot Cake

Name: Dot Cake
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 18 min
Total time: 43 min
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour; 1 cup granulated sugar; 2 tsp baking powder; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened; 2 egg; 1/2 cup whole milk; 2 tsp vanilla extract; 1 cup unsalted butter (for frosting), softened; 3 cups powdered sugar; 2 tbsp heavy cream; 1 cup rainbow nonpareils

The 2026 bakery-copycat trend: dome-frosted vanilla cake cups rolled edge to edge in a thick shell of rainbow nonpareils for a solid wall of color in every bite.

43 minMediumServes 12510 cal/serving

AmericanDessertOvenVegetarianLow-SodiumPork-FreeNightshade-Free

Cook this free in the appFree. No download, no account. The screen stays awake and each step can run its own timer.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 egg
1/2 cup whole milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup unsalted butter (for frosting), softened
3 cups powdered sugar
2 tbsp heavy cream
1 cup rainbow nonpareils

Instructions

1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
2

In a bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 tsp baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt.
3

In a large bowl, cream 1/2 cup softened unsalted butter and 1 cup granulated sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in 2 egg and 2 tsp vanilla extract.
4

Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in two additions, alternating with 1/2 cup whole milk, and mix until just smooth.
5

Divide the batter among the muffin cups and bake until a toothpick comes out clean, 16 to 18 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.
6

For the frosting, beat 1 cup softened unsalted butter (for frosting) until fluffy, then gradually beat in 3 cups powdered sugar and 2 tbsp heavy cream until thick and spreadable.
7

Mound a generous dome of frosting on top of each cooled cake, smoothing it down over the sides to fully cover the top.
8

Roll or press each frosted cake in 1 cup rainbow nonpareils, coating the entire dome and sides in an even, solid shell of sprinkles.

Cook this free in the appCooking it now? The app keeps the screen awake and times each step. Free, nothing to install.

Keep this recipe

Prints the ingredients and method only.

The American Kitchen 30 recipes from this kitchen in one printable PDF. $5, no account.

Questions

How long does Dot Cake take?

As written, 43 minutes: 25 of prep and 18 of cooking. The longest single stretch is step 5 (18 minutes): "Divide the batter among the muffin cups and bake until a toothpick comes out clean, 16 to 18 minutes."

What temperature do I cook Dot Cake at?

For Dot Cake, the oven is set to 350 F (about 175 C) in step 1. The longest stretch at that heat is 18 minutes, in step 5.

What should Dot Cake look like when it is ready?

Go by the cues in the method rather than the clock. Step 5: cook until a toothpick comes out clean. Step 6: cook until thick and spreadable.

What can I use instead of powdered sugar in Dot Cake?

The entry for Dot Cake calls for 3 cups powdered sugar. In its place: Blend granulated sugar with a teaspoon of cornstarch per cup until fine.

Can I make Dot Cake gluten-free?

Yes. The gluten in Dot Cake is 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour. Swap the flour for a 1-to-1 gluten-free baking blend (where it only thickens a sauce, half as much cornstarch also works). Everything else proceeds as written.

Does Dot Cake contain eggs?

Yes: 2 egg. The full allergen list for this entry is gluten, dairy and eggs. Packaged ingredients vary by brand, so check labels if the allergy is serious.

Serve it with

Cook this free in the app

Textual Chef is 4,551 plain-text recipes, free to read and free to cook from. No account, no paywall, no ads, no life stories. Open this one in the app and each quantity sits inside the step that uses it, so you read once and cook.

Every recipe is curated or public-domain sourced, written to one template and checked before it publishes. Nothing here is a scraped blog post.

Cook this free in the appNo download needed. It opens in your browser. The kitchen tools (planner, shopping list, pantry, import) are $5.33 a month billed annually; the first 30 days are free.