Sprinkle Buttercream Cake

Learn how to make this simple yet sophisticated sprinkle buttercream cake! 

This Sprinkle Buttercream Cake is made with soft dark chocolate cake layers that are filled with creamy vanilla buttercream that has sprinkles folded into it and mint-colored candy dripping over the sides. 

The chocolate cake is made with dark cocoa powder and freshly brewed coffee. The coffee enhances the chocolate flavor giving it a well-rounded taste not too sweet or bitter. The cake layers are perfectly moist and have the best texture, making it stable but very light, making it a crowd-pleaser. 

This buttercream frosting is an American-style buttercream which means it’s made up of butter and powdered sugar. Mix the two, and you’ll get a creamy buttercream. 

Once the frosting is made, then you will gently fold in rainbow candy-coated sprinkles. These types of sprinkles are perfect for adding to the frosting. The colors don’t bleed or create a muddy effect. 

You’ll learn the exact steps high-end bakers use to create bakery-worthy drip cakes! 

This cake is a next-level drip cake incorporating sprinkles into the buttercream frosting that gives it a fun and whimsical design. 

Tips for Success: 

• Read through all the ingredients and instructions so you can get a better idea of how much time and what you need to make this cake.
• A single batch of this cake recipe makes three 6-inch round cake layers or two 8-inch round cake layers. Double the cake recipe to make enough cake batter for three 8-inch cake layers.
• In this cake recipe, you need 1 cup buttermilk; if you don’t have any buttermilk on hand, you can easily use 1 cup whole milk mixed with 1 Tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar to make your own. 
• The dark chocolate cake recipe uses 1 cup of brewed coffee. The coffee enhances the chocolate flavor, but if you’d like to remove the coffee, replace it with 1 cup of hot water. The hot water will help you achieve the same results. 
• You can bake the cake layers ahead of time. Wrap the cake layers in plastic wrap and freeze for up to one month. 
• For the buttercream: Do Not use non-parels as those will bleed into the buttercream turning it into different colors. I suggest using candy-coated rainbow sprinkles for the best results. 
• You can make the buttercream without the sprinkles a day ahead and refrigerate them overnight. Then take them out to come back to room temperature. 
• Make sure the buttercream without sprinkles is at room temperature before re-whipping; if needed, add 1 Tablespoon of heavy cream to make buttercream smooth. 
• Mix sprinkles into the buttercream by hand with a rubber spatula for best results. If you use a mixer, the sprinkles could break apart too much, causing the colors to bleed, creating a multi-color frosting. 
• You can make the mint green water ganache drip several days ahead of time and refrigerate for up to one month. Then take them out to come back to room temperature. 
• Serve the cake at room temperature and use a hot knife to cut and get clean slices. 

What Tools You’ll Need to Make This Cake: 

• 5-quart, Stand Mixer with mixing bowl, paddle & whisk attachments
• 3, 6-inch cake pans or 2, 8-inch cake pans
• Offset spatula 
• 8-inch or 10-inch white cake board 
• Serrated knife or cake leveler 
• Turntable 
• Cake scraper or bench scraper
• Whisk or sifter
• Rubber Spatula
• Non-Stick Cooking Spray and Parchment Paper
• Ice Cream Scooper with Trigger Release (for dividing cake batter evenly)
• Piping Bags (I use reusable silicone bags)
• Ateco #865 French Piping Tip
• Squeeze Bottle 
• Mixing bowls 
• Measuring cups & spoons
• Rainbow sprinkles/Jimmies
• Cake Stand, optional

Here’s how to make this deletable sprinkle buttercream cake! 

Let’s Get Baking! 

How to Make Dark Chocolate Cake Layers

1. Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Spray three 6-inch round cake pans or two 8-inch round cake pans with non-stick spray, line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper, and spray again. Set aside.
2. In the stand mixer bowl fitted with a whisk attachment, stir together the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. 
3. Add the eggs and the vegetable oil on low until well incorporated.
4. Pour in the buttermilk and add brewed coffee. Mix on medium for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. 
5. Evenly distribute the cake batter among the three cake pans and bake for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
6. Remove cakes from the oven and let cool in pans for 10 minutes before inverting onto cooling racks to cool completely — wrap cakes in plastic wrap and place in the freezer to chill for 30 minutes. 

Sprinkle Buttercream 

1. In the stand mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
2. Turn the mixer to low and add the salt and vanilla. 
3. Next, gradually add powdered sugar, followed by the cream. Mix on medium-high speed for about 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
4. Receive 1 cup of white (no sprinkle) buttercream for piping.  
5. Add rainbow sprinkles to the remaining buttercream and mix by hand with a rubber spatula. (Note: Do Not use non-parels as those will bleed into the buttercream turning it into different colors). 
6. Before decorating, use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to push out the air bubbles. (You may need to repeat this step when frosting the outside of the cake). 

Mint Green Water Ganache Drip 

1. Add white candy metals in a medium glass bowl with 1-2 yellow pieces, a few blue pieces, and a small handful of green candy melts. This combination will create a mint green color.  
2. Melt mint green candy melts in the microwave. Heat for 30 seconds at a time until the chocolate candy melts have mostly melted. 
3. Then mix in the warm water with a rubber spatula. Continue to mix until the chocolate and water are well combined and streak-free. 
4. If the candy melts look oily or broken, add 1 TBSP of warm water at a time until the mixture is smooth. (Note: If there are chunks of chocolate, melt for 10 seconds at a time until the chocolate is fully melted or pour the chocolate into a fine mesh sifter to remove any chocolate lumps). 
5. When ready to use, pour the chocolate into a squeeze bottle for a comfortable grip for decorating. If the water ganache drip becomes too cold and hardens, then heat in the microwave for 5-10 seconds, stir to make sure it’s all the same temperature. (Note: Don’t overheat, or chocolate will separate, and you’ll have to remix, you may need to add more candy melts or warm water).  

Putting It All Together

1. Remove the cake layers from the freezer and unwrap the cake layers. Next, use a serrated knife to cut off the dome of the cakes to make the layers flat and even. 
2. Add a small amount of buttercream onto the center of the cake board. Layer one dark chocolate cake, cut side up onto the cake board. Add a 2/3 cup of sprinkle buttercream over the cake using an offset spatula to spread buttercream and make it even. 
3. Place another cake layer cut side down over the top. 
4. Repeat the process for another two layers — Crumb coat with sprinkle buttercream and freeze for 30 minutes. 
5. Add a thicker layer of sprinkle buttercream to the cold cake. Use an offset spatula and cake scraper to make the sides as smooth as possible. 
6. Place in the freezer to chill for 10-15 minutes. 
7. Squeeze and drop the mint green water ganache, drip over the sides and on top. Use the offset spatula to smooth the top of the cake. 
8. Fill a piping bag ⅔ of the way with white buttercream that’s fitted with a #865-french piping tip—pipe dollops on the top of the cake. 
9. Serve the cake at room temperature and enjoy! Use a hot knife to cut and get clean slices. 

You May Also Enjoy: 

• Rainbow Drip Cake
• Ice Cream Cone Drip Cake
• How to Decorate Your First Cake (free course)
• Cake Decorating for Beginners (masterclass)  

This Sprinkle Buttercream Cake tutorial is simple and perfect for a last-minute sweet treat. With this cake design in your back pocket, you’ll always have a tasty and beautiful cake that’s a winner!  

I’m so excited to see your Sprinkle Buttercream cake creations. Please feel free to email me here at xokatierosario@gmail.com with any questions you may have; I’ll be happy to help! 

Happy Decorating! 

Hey, if you liked this tutorial, you really should check out Cake Decorating for Beginners, my signature masterclass. I coach you on everything I teach on these cake tutorials on a deeper level so that you can uplevel your baking and decorating skills. We 10x it to get the results you want most impressive cakes that your friends and family will love. Like any new skill, it’s essential to learn from the ground up to build a foundation so that you can take on any cake challenge. It is an investment your future self will thank you for. So check it out at XOKatieRosario.com/cake-masterclass. I will see you there! 

Watch The How-to Video Below: Coming soon!

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