• Cake
  • Frosting
  • YouTube
  • My Favorite Tools
  • Nav Social Icons

  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Recipes
    • Cake
    • Cupcakes
    • Frosting
    • Ice Cream
    • Vegan
  • Cake Basics
  • Tutorials
  • Blog
  • About
  • Mobile Menu Widgets

    Connect

    Search

Sugar & Sparrow logo in script font

Sugar & Sparrow

Lifestyle and Cake from Portland Oregon

  • Cake Basics
  • Recipes
    • Cake
    • Frosting
    • Cupcakes
    • Ice Cream
    • Vegan
  • Tutorials
  • Book
  • Blog
  • About

Sprinkle Drip Cake Tutorial

January 6, 2020 · In: Featured, Seasonal, Tutorials, Valentines

This was originally a guest post I wrote for SprinklePop’s blog. It’s too good not to share here, because sprinkle drip cakes are so much fun to make with any sprinkle mix!

There are drip cakes, and then there are sprinkle drip cakes. And let me tell you, while both are pretty to look at, the sprinkle version is so much more fun! The sprinkle drip cake trend was popularized by one of my favorite cakers to follow on Instagram, @brittanymaycakes. To my knowledge, she’s the little genius behind putting sprinkles on top of a ganache drip, and I just had to give it a go because it looks so stunning – especially with this Bewitched sprinkle mix by SprinklePop.

add sprinkles to ganache drip cake

While any sprinkle mix will do for creating a sprinkle drip cake, I was really drawn to the vibrant color scheme of Bewitched. It’s a magical blend of pink, purple, teal, and yellow jimmies and spheres, plus gold and silver dragees to give it some extra bling. I decided to color the buttercream backdrop a deep fuschia (with Americolor soft gel past in Fuschia) to really compliment all of the sprinkle colors, but they’d look pretty on all sorts of buttercream hues. Just look at how pretty they are:

Betwitched sprinkles by sprinklepop

The essentials you’ll need for this look are a good pair of tweezers, the perfect sprinkle mix, and a great chocolate ganache recipe. I’ve got the perfect chocolate ganache recipe and white chocolate ganache recipe at the links below, with all the tips you need for successful drips. The tweezers make it easier to perfectly place the sprinkles (as opposed to using your fingers). And it’ll look incredible with any of SprinklePop’s gorgeous sprinkle mixes! Just pick your favorite and follow along the tutorial below:

You Will Need:

  • A chilled buttercream cake
  • 1 batch of chocolate ganache or white chocolate ganache
  • 8 oz bottle of Bewitched sprinkles (or other favorite sprinkle mix)
  • Tweezers

Step 1: Do A Test Drip

Before you get too crazy dripping your ganache, I always think it’s a great idea to do a test drip on your chilled buttercream cake. Make sure your ganache is room temperature and good drip consistency first, create one drip on the side of your cake, and wait until it stops traveling.

how to drip cake with white chocolate ganache

If your ganache is too runny or warm, it will travel all the way to the bottom of the cake quickly. If it’s too cold and thick, it won’t travel much at all. Adjust the consistency and temperature of your ganache if need be, and only continue the process of dripping your cake once you’re satisfied with the look of the drips.

Step 2: Drip The Sides Of The Cake

Once your ganache has passed the first drip test, continue dripping your ganache down the sides using either a squeeze bottle or the spoon method.

white chocolate ganache drip cake tutorial

It’s best to start by dripping every side before moving on to the top of the cake. This way you can better control the look of the drips from the side view and only fill what’s necessary on the top.

Step 3: Fill In The Top Of The Cake

When all the sides have been dripped, pour a small amount of ganache on the top of the cake and smooth it with an icing spatula or the back of your spoon.

white chocolate ganache drip cake tutorial

Be sure to only fill in the space that’s not yet covered with ganache, because adding too much might make your drips travel farther than you’d like. I always spread the ganache on top until it just reaches where the drips have started to cover on the top of the cake.

Step 4: Place The Sprinkles

Let the ganache rest in the refrigerator for about five minutes while you pour the sprinkles into a small bowl. After refrigerating for just those few minutes, the ganache drips should be sticky, but set enough to ensure that adding sprinkles won’t drag them down.

adding sprinkles to drip cake
adding sprinkles to white chocolate ganache

Using your tweezers, place the sprinkles onto the ganache one by one until you achieve the look you’re going for. This could take anywhere from 20-30 minutes, depending on how precise you want to be, but trust me. It’s so worth it!

Step 5: Keep On Decorating

While you can stop after you’ve created your sprinkle drip, I believe that when it comes to SprinklePop sprinkles, more is more!

sprinkle drip cake by sugar and sparrow

Before I dripped the cake, I added a border of Bewitched sprinkles to the bottom edge, and after creating the sprinkle drip I added a buttercream border to the top of this cake using Wilton Tip 6B, then filled in the entire top of the cake with even more sprinkles. So fun!

drip cake with sprinkles

Ready to create your very own sprinkle drip cake? Just grab a bottle of your favorite sprinkles and let the fun begin!  

By: Whitney · In: Featured, Seasonal, Tutorials, Valentines · Tagged: cake decorating, cake tutorial, cake with sprinkles, colorful cake, ganache drip cake, pink cake, sprinkle drip cake, sprinkle ganache drip, sprinklepop, sprinkles, sugar and sparrow, white chocolate ganache

you’ll also love

heart shaped cake tutorialEasy Heart Shaped Cake Tutorial
gold drip cake tutorialGold Ganache Drip Cake Tutorial
blackberry crisp layer cake recipe by sugar and sparrowBlackberry Crisp Layer Cake

Join the List

Stay up to date & receive the latest posts in your inbox.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Claudia Machado says

    January 28, 2019 at 4:16 pm

    Ola que prazer imenso poder estar te enviando esta mensagens belíssimo teu trabalho vou continuar trabalhando e quem sabe um dia

    Reply
    • Whitney says

      January 29, 2019 at 9:12 am

      Olá Claudia! Muito obrigado! Você é tão gentil.

      Reply
  2. Aimee says

    February 12, 2019 at 8:13 am

    Your cakes are fabulous! I bought these sprinkles to make my daughters cake this past weekend, and I thought putting the sprinkles on the bottom of the cake would be the easiest! I was wrong — I made a huge mess! I know you use tweezers for the sprinkles on the drip, but what about the bottom. I used my fingers, but, yet, I know I must have done it wrong!!!! Thank you so much if you have a moment to help me out!

    Reply
    • Whitney says

      February 12, 2019 at 10:13 am

      Hi Aimee! Sprinkles are a messy job for sure! I usually put a baking sheet underneath the cake turntable to collect the extra sprinkles, and for applying them to the bottom border of the cake I use my hands as well. I always make sure that the buttercream is still sticky before I apply sprinkles to it (not chilled or anything) and use the palm of my hand to gently press the sprinkles onto the side of the cake.

      Reply
  3. Susan says

    March 1, 2019 at 10:02 am

    Omg – could you tell me where to find the butter cream cake recipe?!!!!!

    Reply
    • Whitney says

      March 1, 2019 at 2:44 pm

      Hi Susan! My vanilla buttercream recipe can be found here: http://www.sugarandsparrow.com/vanilla-buttercream-recipe I used Americolor Fuschia to color it.

      Reply
      • Susan says

        March 4, 2019 at 8:36 pm

        Thank you! I’m having your cake made for my 50th! I’m super excited!!!

        Reply
        • Whitney says

          March 5, 2019 at 2:27 pm

          How fun!! Happy birthday!!

          Reply
      • Michaeline says

        March 22, 2021 at 5:34 pm

        Isn’t that bitter?

        Reply
        • Whitney says

          March 22, 2021 at 9:24 pm

          If you’re wondering about the color gel used for the buttercream, it’s not bitter at all. The reason I love AmeriColor is because it produces rich colors without altering the taste of what you’re coloring!

          Reply
  4. Cathy Eccersley says

    January 11, 2020 at 4:01 am

    Fab tutorial which I can’t wait to try out! Do you know if Hersheys cookie and creme chocolate should be classed as white or milk, for ratio purposes? Thank you.

    Reply
    • Whitney says

      January 13, 2020 at 9:28 am

      Hi Cathy! I would classify the Hershey’s Cookies & Creme Chocolate as white chocolate, since that’s what’s used as the base. I’ve never turned a chocolate bar with bits like oreo inside into a ganache recipe before, but it sounds heavenly and I hope it turns out well!

      Reply
  5. Sharon Baskin says

    March 1, 2020 at 7:00 am

    This cake is a phenomenal design! Could you please tell me what buttercream you used and how you got that fabulous color? Thanks So much!

    Reply
    • Whitney says

      March 2, 2020 at 11:30 am

      Thank you, Sharon! I used my Vanilla Buttercream Recipe (https://sugarandsparrow.com/vanilla-buttercream-recipe/) and used Americolor Fuschia to achieve that rich color: https://amzn.to/32HAqpz

      Reply
      • Rachel Creegan says

        September 24, 2022 at 10:41 pm

        This is such a beautiful cake, I love the color! It’s so vibrant and fun, I want to make one right now!!

        Reply
        • Whitney says

          September 27, 2022 at 11:04 am

          Thanks so much, Rachel!

          Reply
  6. Crystal says

    August 5, 2020 at 5:05 pm

    Hello,

    I used your recipe for the white chocolate ganache but I only had half and half and it was super thin. Does the heavy cream really make that much of a difference? Or maybe it was too warm or not enough white chocolate chips? The drips were not pretty like yours. Thank you

    Reply
    • Whitney says

      August 6, 2020 at 11:15 am

      Hi Crystal! Yes, the additional fat in heavy cream is essential for thickening the ganache. It won’t set up right with half and half, so next time be sure to use heavy whipping cream!

      Reply
  7. Sharon says

    December 5, 2020 at 5:06 pm

    Hi! I love your site 🙂 I had done little cakes and dipped them in chocolate ganache (1.5 cream to 1 part chocolate ratio). After waiting a bit, I put my sprinkles on top. I used sprinkles with natural colouring. To my horror, after an hour or so, the sprinkles seem to have “lost” their colour!? Is it due to the natural colouring? The ganache wasnt too warm went I put them on. I think I have to remake the entire batch but dont know how to put on the sprinkles then, cos they would have faded by the time they get to the client.

    Reply
    • Whitney says

      December 7, 2020 at 3:39 pm

      Hi Sharon! I’m so sorry to hear that! It must have something to do with the natural coloring of the sprinkles fading when they come in contact with the wetness of the ganache. I have only ever tried this technique with sprinkles that have a waxy coating over their colors, I think that coating helps lock the color in. I would try the technique again with sprinkles that have that protective layer.

      Reply
  8. Heather Beaver says

    January 26, 2023 at 10:56 am

    I love your cakes and tutorials! Quick question though, how do you do a drip cake on a 2 tiered cake? I’m doing a drip on the first cake and then on the additional 6 inch cake tier I’m putting on top. Just wondering if I place the 2nd cake on top before filling in the center area of the drip on the base cake?

    Reply
    • Whitney says

      February 5, 2023 at 8:35 pm

      Hi Heather! I’ve never dripped a two tiered cake before BUT I did find this video from my friend Georgia who has: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bKS5BfH3SQ hope that helps!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Next Post >

Painted Buttercream Cake Tutorial

Primary Sidebar

Welcome to Sugar & Sparrow

Welcome to Sugar & Sparrow

Helping you whip up pretty desserts with confidence and creativity. And hopefully sharing a few laughs with you along the way!

Learn More

Connect

let’s bake!

Get my very best recipes, baking tips, and decorating tutorials sent to your inbox

Featured Posts

buttercream consistency

How to Make the Perfect Buttercream Consistency + Troubleshooting Tips

candy corn cake

Halloween Candy Corn Cake Tutorial

golden milk latte cake recipe

Golden Milk Layer Cake Recipe

Search

Archives

Follow Along

@sugarandsparrowco

Yellow Cake + Chocolate Frosting (aka Classic Birt Yellow Cake + Chocolate Frosting (aka Classic Birthday Cake) 🙌🏼 🥳 this one is extra nostalgic for me because it’s what my mama made for all my birthdays growing up 💛 this recipe rivals the box mix: super moist and fluffy layers of classic yellow cake (naturally colored with egg yolks) + silky smooth chocolate buttercream. Top with rainbow sprinkles for extra fun! 🎉⁣
⁣
Find this recipe linked in my bio + on page 147 of my book, Anyone Can Cake ✨⁣
⁣
#birthdaycake #yellowcake #chocolatefrosting #chocolatebuttercream #sprinkles #layercake #cakelover #cakesofinstagram #cake #bake #bakingfun #bakedfromscratch #anyonecancake #cakeideas #cakedecorating
Ombré Rainbow Sheet Cake 🌈🥳 for St. Patrick Ombré Rainbow Sheet Cake 🌈🥳 for St. Patrick’s Day or any day, because rainbow cakes are year round if you ask me 🫶🏽⁣
⁣
🎨 colors: custom mixed with @wiltoncakes color right food coloring system ⁣
🌈 piping tips: @wiltoncakes 1M for the rosettes, 104 for the ruffles, 32 for the swirls and stars⁣
⁣
#ombrecake #rainbowcake #sheetcake #cakedecorating #rainbow #stpatricksday #buttercreampiping #pipingskills #bakingfun #satisfyingfood #bake #cakeideas #cakelovers
I wish you could see that the inside of this cake I wish you could see that the inside of this cake had crushed Cadbury Mini Eggs sprinkled between each layer 😍 best Easter candy of all (name a better one, I dare you!) 🙌🏽 ⁣
⁣
#ombrecake #cadburyeggs #cakedecorating #chocolate #ganache #dripcake #eastercake #cakeideas #cakelover #bakingfun #cake
This Mint Chocolate Chip Cake is just so dreamy 😍🫠 if you’re a fan of the ice cream (or just mint chocolate in general) it’s a must try: layers of ultra-moist mint chocolate cake, mint buttercream studded with chocolate chunks, and decadent chocolate ganache 🙌🏽 find the recipe in my book, Anyone Can Cake AND there’s a version of this recipe that incorporates @girlscouts Thin Mint cookies at sugarandsparrow.com 💚 ⁣
⁣
#mintchocolate #chocolatecake #cakedecorating #chocolate #ganache #dripcake #mintchocolatechip #cakeideas #anyonecancake #bakedfromscratch #baking #cake #cakesofinstagram
I had to see how this fiber art inspired buttercre I had to see how this fiber art inspired buttercream piping looked on a sheet cake and I think I’m in LOVE 😍 obsessed with all these textures! Details: ⁣
⁣
🎨Colors: @americolor Fuchsia, Regal Purple, and Turquoise (each color in a pastel shade + a bold shade)⁣
🎂Piping Tips: @wiltoncakes tip 1M, 104, 4B, 233, 5⁣
👩🏽‍🍳Recipes: my one-bowl chocolate cake + vanilla buttercream (both found at sugarandsparrow.com)⁣
⁣
#satisfyingfood #chocolatecake #sheetcake #satisfying #cakedecorating #fiberart #buttercreampiping #pipingskills #buttercream #frosting #cakes #cakesofig #cakeart #bakinglove #cakelover #cakeideas #undertheseacake

Footer

On the Blog

  • Cake Basics
  • Recipes
  • Tutorials

Info

  • About
  • Privacy Policy & Disclosure

stay in the know

Copyright © 2023 · Theme by Sugar & Sparrow