If you grew up in the 90’s, chances are you remember Dunkaroos. They were an after school staple for most of my friends (I was so envious) – crispy little graham cracker flavored cookies packaged with rainbow sprinkle frosting to dip those cookies in. What more could you want as a kid? To honor this nostalgic treat from my youth, I wanted to capture the flavors and textures of Dunkaroos, but in cake form! And with a little help from Amoretti Natural Birthday Cake Artisan Flavor, I was able to make it happen. Look at this Dunkaroos cake!
The Ultimate Dunkaroos Layer Cake
Let’s talk about the different layers in this Dunkaroos cake. It starts with a graham cracker flavored cake that’s super soft and moist, infused with finely crushed graham crackers to replicate the flavor of the original Dunkaroos cookies. Of course, the cookies are crunchy, so I had to add an element of crunch to this cake while maintaining the flavor integrity. I did that by crumbling up some Teddy Grahams, then tossing them with some melted white chocolate and rainbow sprinkles. This made the most delicious Teddy Graham clusters to sprinkle in between the cake layers and add that crunchy element!
You cannot have Dunkaroos without the iconic sprinkle frosting, and I knew that a simple vanilla buttercream wouldn’t do this cake justice. Instead, I used my favorite vanilla buttercream recipe as a base, but added a little Amoretti Natural Birthday Cake Artisan Flavor to capture that iconic frosting flavor. And of course, I folded in some rainbow sprinkles.
Recreating the Nostalgic Sprinkle Frosting
I really wanted to nail this Dunkaroos cake flavor-wise, so I went to my local grocery store and bought a pack of the real deal (they’re still around!). After sampling the original frosting, I tasted notes of vanilla cake batter and immediately thought of Amoretti Natural Birthday Cake Artisan Flavor. I’ve used it before in my Birthday Ice Cream Cake recipe to create birthday cake flavored ice cream, so I thought it might work well in the frosting. It ended up being perfect – exactly what this buttercream needed to recreate the iconic flavor of Dunkaroos frosting!
I started with my favorite vanilla buttercream recipe, but swapped all of the vanilla with Amoretti Birthday Cake Artisan Flavor. I didn’t need to use a lot to create that vanilla cake batter flavor – a little bit goes a long way! I really love Amoretti Artisan Natural Flavors because they are all-natural and never made with artificial ingredients, preservatives, or colors. I was able to get that nostalgic flavor with the best quality ingredients.
PS: This Birthday Cake Artisan flavor is part of my collection of favorites at amoretti.com! If you love what you see, use my code WHITNEY_10 at checkout for $10 off any order $30+
I love Amoretti Artisan Natural Flavors because they are concentrated (so you don’t need to use a lot), made with all-natural ingredients, and so versatile. They work for flavoring cake batter, frosting, cookie dough, macarons, ice cream, cheesecake, and more. If you want more ideas, check out this collection of recipes on my blog!
How to Assemble + Decorate a Dunkaroos Cake
After making all of your Dunkaroos cake elements, here’s how to put them together:
Place the first graham cracker cake layer on your turntable and add a layer of birthday cake buttercream as filling. Smooth it down until it’s about ¼ inch tall and add about ⅓ of the Teddy Graham clusters on top.
Add the next graham cracker cake layer on top and repeat the filling and stacking process. At this point I like to crumb coat the cake and place it in the refrigerator to firm up for 20 minutes before moving on.
To decorate this cake as pictured, you’ll frost the cake with birthday cake buttercream and create a smooth buttercream finish. Then, press some rainbow sprinkles around the bottom of the cake.
I topped the cake with buttercream swirls using Wilton Tip 4B, then garnished with more Teddy Graham clusters and rainbow sprinkles.
I think it turned out so cute! You can decorate this cake however you’d like, so feel free to get as creative as your heart desires.
Tips for Success
Here are a few tips that will set you up for success with this cake:
- Room temperature dairy ingredients. Be sure to have all of your dairy ingredients (butter, milk, eggs, etc) at room temperature before starting the cake and buttercream recipes. This will mean taking your dairy ingredients out of the refrigerator about 1 hour before starting.
- Amoretti Natural Birthday Cake Artisan Flavor. Use this to get the most nostalgic flavor for the buttercream. And don’t forget to enter my code WHITNEY_10 at checkout for $10 off any order $30+!
- Finely crush the graham crackers. It’s important to finely crush the graham crackers for the cake recipe. To do this, place the graham crackers into a large Ziploc bag and crush them with a rolling pin until the crumbs resemble sand.
- Piping the swirls. If you want to pipe swirls on top of the cake, reserve about 1 Cup of the birthday cake buttercream before folding the rainbow sprinkles into the rest of the buttercream. This way, you can use the un-sprinkled frosting to pipe with and won’t have to worry about sprinkles clogging up the piping tip.
- Frosting a smooth finish. When working with sprinkle buttercream, it can be tricky to get a perfectly smooth frosting finish. The sprinkles can end up dragging through the buttercream and create tunnels. Holding your icing smoother at a close angle while smoothing can help, but if you are having a hard time, pop the whole cake in the refrigerator. Let the frosting firm up, then fill in the holes and imperfections with a thin layer of buttercream. Works every time!
Whether you’re nostalgic for Dunkaroos or you’re making this cake for someone who loves them, I hope it’s an absolute hit!
Dunkaroos Layer Cake
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Cake
- 1/2 Cup (52g) graham crackers, ground into crumbs about 7 squares
- 2 1/2 Cups (265g) sifted cake flour* DIY recipe in notes
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 Cups (170g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/4 Cup (60ml) vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 Cups (300g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 Cup (120g) sour cream, room temperature
- 1 Cup (240ml) whole milk, room temperature
BIrthday Cake Buttercream
- 2 Cups (452g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 7 Cups (840g) powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp Amoretti Natural Birthday Cake Artisan Flavor
- 3 Tbsp whole milk, room temperature
- pinch of salt, or to taste
Teddy Graham Clusters
- 1 Cup (70g) Teddy Grahams (or graham crackers), roughly chopped
- 1/3 Cup (57g) white chocolate chips, melted
- 2 Tbsp rainbow sprinkles
Garnish (Optional)
- 1/4 Cup rainbow sprinkles
Instructions
Make the Graham Cracker Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F (177ºC) and prepare three 6-inch or two 8-inch cake pans by spraying the sides with baking spray and fitting a parchment or wax paper circle to the bottom of each pan.
- Grind the graham crackers into fine crumbs by either using a food processor or placing them into a large ziplock back and crushing them with a rolling pin. Place the graham cracker crumbs into a medium sized bowl and add the sifted cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer and large bowl), beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and paddle and add the sugar and vegetable oil. Cream together on medium-high speed for 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl and paddle once in between. Turn the mixer to low and add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl and paddle as necessary. Once all the eggs are added, turn the mixer to high speed and beat for three minutes.
- Add the vanilla and sour cream and continue mixing for one minute. Turn the mixer to low speed and add all of the dry ingredients at once until just combined, then add the milk in a steady stream. Scrape down the bowl and paddle once more and mix on low for about 30 seconds. Do not overmix.
- Pour the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans and bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. Cool the cakes for five minutes before releasing from the pan and continuing to cool on a baking sheet or wire rack.
Make the Birthday Cake Buttercream
- Using the paddle attachment on your stand mixer, cream the butter on medium-high until it’s creamy and light (almost white) in color, about 7 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and paddle as needed.
- Turn the mixer to low speed and add the powdered sugar a few cups at a time, scraping down after each addition and making sure each is fully incorporated before adding the next one.
- Add the Amoretti Natural Birthday Cake Artisan Flavor, milk, and salt. Mix on low speed for another minute until fully incorporated.
Make the Teddy Graham Clusters
- Prepare a baking sheet by lining with parchment paper and set aside.
- Roughly chop the Teddy Grahams and place them in a medium bowl. Pour the melted white chocolate over the Teddy Grahams, followed by the rainbow sprinkles. Use a rubber spatula to fold the ingredients together until the Teddy Grahams are coated and form clusters.
- Pour the Teddy Graham clusters onto the lined baking sheet and allow the white chocolate to set, about 10 minutes.
Assembly
- Once the graham cracker cakes are completely cooled, level them to your desired height. Add a swipe of birthday cake buttercream onto a cardboard cake circle and place the first cake layer on top. Add a layer of birthday cake buttercream as filling, then sprinkle about ⅓ of the Teddy Graham clusters on top before adding the next cake layer. Repeat the filling and stacking process with the remaining cake layer(s). Crumb coat the cake with birthday cake buttercream, then place it in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes to let the buttercream set firm.
- To create the look pictured, frost a smooth buttercream finish with birthday cake buttercream, then press a border of rainbow sprinkles onto the bottom third of the cake. Use Wilton Tip 4B to pipe swirls with the reserved (un-sprinkled) birthday cake buttercream around the top edge of the cake. Top each buttercream swirl with rainbow sprinkles and fill in the center of the cake top with Teddy Graham clusters.
Notes
- The graham cracker cake layers can be made ahead and stored at room temperature, covered tightly in plastic wrap, for up to two days. Alternatively, you can cover with plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to two months before thawing to room temperature.
- The birthday cake buttercream can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it, bring it back to room temperature and re-mix in your stand mixer to bring it back to smooth buttercream consistency.
- The Teddy Graham clusters can be stored in an airtight container in the at room temperature for up to two weeks.
Disclaimer: I was compensated by Amoretti for my work of creating this project, styling, filming, photographing, and writing about their products. As always, all opinions are honest and my own. Thank you for supporting brands that support Sugar & Sparrow.
Hi- is there any way to make this vegan?
Thank you!
Hi Rimi! I’ve never tried making this recipe vegan, but you are welcome to use your favorite vegan substitutes and experiment. Another option is to use one of my vegan cake recipes as a base (vegan vanilla cake: https://sugarandsparrow.com/vegan-vanilla-cake-recipe/ or eggless vanilla cake with dairy free milk: https://sugarandsparrow.com/eggless-vanilla-cake-recipe/) and add graham cracker crumbs to it for the cake layers, then use a double batch of my vanilla buttercream recipe flavored with the Amoretti Birthday Cake Artisan Flavor: https://sugarandsparrow.com/vegan-vanilla-buttercream-recipe/ hope that helps!
Would using amoretti natural Graham cracker Artisan flavoring in the cake batter be a good idea??
Hi Jaclyn! I didn’t realize they had a graham cracker artisan! Yum. You could totally add a little of that (2 tsp or so) to this cake recipe along with the vanilla or start with my vanilla cake recipe and add 1-2 Tbsp of the Artisan flavor: https://sugarandsparrow.com/vanilla-cake-recipe/
Could you use this recipe to make cupcakes?
Yes! Fill the tins no more than 2/3 full and bake at 350F for 14-18 minutes. Enjoy!
I made this recipe and in the instructions it calls for salt, but doesn’t give you the quantity and it asks for oil, but never tells you when to add in the oil … might wanna fix and adjust your recipe
Thanks so much for catching those mistakes, Christina! I fixed them. Hope you loved this recipe!
It actually came out great!! (I kinda guessed when /how much to add and it was fine). Can’t wait to try it again with the adjustments!! Thanks so much! Love your recipes!