Homemade Viral Dot Cakes (with No Artificial Dyes)
A buttery funfetti crumb, naturally colored sprinkles, and a simple assembly...
I’ve been seeing the viral dot cakes all over and wanted to make a homemade version with no artificial coloring or synthetic dyes. I love that they come together as little single-serve cakes, finished with a blanket of dots on top that are oddly satisfying. I used naturally colored sprinkles so you get that same bright, playful look without anything artificial.
Funfetti was my favorite growing up. I made the boxed version constantly in high school. I still have a soft spot for it and there’s something so nostalgic about it, but I looked at the ingredient list recently and couldn’t believe what was in something I used to eat by the spoonful: Red 40 Lake, Yellow 5 and 6, Blue 1, propylene glycol, BHT, and a long tail of additives I can’t pronounce. The candy bits alone have four artificial dyes. Half of it isn’t even real food, it’s dyes for color, preservatives like BHT to give a boxed mix a two-year shelf life, and fillers to hold it together, none of it there to make the cake taste better or do anything good for your body. Making it from scratch gets me the same funfetti I loved, with butter, eggs, and naturally colored sprinkles instead.
The kids and Anthony were the official taste testers on this one, and the cake didn’t last long! Elliott was pulling pieces straight from the pan before it ever made it into a ramekin, and I did too (I love a good cake without any frosting sometimes). It’s buttery with a fine, tender crumb and just enough vanilla, the kind of cake that holds up on its own without needing frosting to carry it.
The whole thing is easier than it looks. You bake one sheet cake, cut out rounds, stack them with buttercream in a ramekin, and flip the top into a plate of sprinkles. You’ll want a stand mixer or hand mixer to get the buttercream light and fluffy. We also fold naturally colored, naturally flavored sprinkles right into the batter, so the cake bakes up funfetti on the inside with little flecks of color in every slice.
I made a few swaps to keep the ingredients clean: grass-fed butter, pasture-raised eggs, organic cane sugar, unbleached flour, and aluminum-free baking powder. None of it changes how simple the recipe is, but it makes a treat I feel good about handing to the kids.
These are the kind of thing I'll keep making all summer, for birthdays, or any time the kids need a little something special. They had so much fun making them together! Full recipe below, plus everything we used to make them:
Viral Dot Cupcakes (No Artificial Ingredients)
Prep Time: 30 min Bake Time: 20–25 min Chill Time: 30 min Total Time: ~1 hr 45 min Serves: 4
Before You Start:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Line a 9 x 13 inch pan with parchment paper and lightly butter it.
Set out 4 ramekins for assembling later.
Bring butter, eggs, and milk to room temperature.
Measure all ingredients before starting.
Use naturally colored sprinkles (I used these ones for the top and these ones for the inside)
Find a round cutter or glass slightly smaller than your ramekins.
Make sure the cake is fully cooled before cutting or it will tear.
Ingredients
For the Cake
1½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1½ tsp aluminum-free baking powder
¼ tsp fine sea salt
½ cup salted grass-fed butter, softened
⅔ cup organic cane sugar
2 pasture-raised eggs, room temperature
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
½ cup whole milk or whole-milk buttermilk
3 tbsp naturally colored rainbow sprinkles
For the Buttercream
3/4 cup unsalted grass-fed butter, softened
2 cups organic powdered sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp heavy cream
Pinch fine sea salt
For the Dot Blanket
1 cup naturally colored rainbow nonpareils
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare your sheet pan with parchment and butter.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a stand mixer (or large bowl with hand mixer), beat butter and sugar on medium-high speed with the paddle attachment for about 4 minutes, until pale and fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time, mixing fully between each addition.
Mix in vanilla extract.
Turn mixer to low and add the dry ingredients and milk in this order: flour, milk, flour, milk, flour. Mix just until combined and no dry streaks remain.
Fold in sprinkles gently with a spatula so the colors stay intact.
Pour batter into prepared sheet pan and spread evenly into a smooth, level layer. (It will feel a little thick and low in the pan).
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the center springs back lightly and a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
Remove from oven and let the cake cool completely in the pan.
Use a round cutter or glass to cut out 8 circles, pressing straight down.
Make the Buttercream
In a clean bowl, beat butter on medium-high for 2 minutes until smooth.
Add powdered sugar gradually on low speed.
Add vanilla, heavy cream, and salt, then whip on medium-high for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
Assemble the Cakes
Place one cake round into the bottom of each ramekin.
Spread about 2 tablespoons of buttercream evenly over each base layer.
Place a second cake round on top and press gently.
Add a generous amount of buttercream on top of each cake.
Use a spatula or knife to spread it to the edges and smooth it completely flat with the rim of the ramekin, scraping off excess.
Add the Dot Blanket
Pour nonpareils into a plate.
Flip the ramekin over onto the sprinkles
Gently press to set, then tap off any loose sprinkles.
Optional: refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.
Serving Instructions
Serve straight from the ramekin with a small spoon. Keep chilled until serving so the buttercream holds and the natural sprinkles stay vibrant without bleeding.
Shopping List
Dairy
1¼ cups unsalted grass-fed butter (2½ sticks total)
½ cup whole milk or whole-milk buttermilk
1 tbsp heavy cream
2 pasture-raised eggs
Grains & Baking
1½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups organic powdered sugar
Pantry & Sweeteners
⅔ cup organic cane sugar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Leavening & Salt
1½ tsp aluminum-free baking powder
¼ tsp fine sea salt
Decorations
3 tbsp naturally colored rainbow sprinkles
2 cups naturally colored rainbow nonpareils