As a kid, there was pretty much no bigger score than opening your lunchbox and seeing that bright blue Dunkaroos tube. You were instantly the coolest kid at the lunch table, with people offering up their Uncrustables, their chips, and their juice boxes in hopes that you’d trade them for your sweet treats. In case you missed it, Dunkaroos are back – they’ve relaunched at select stores, but are still pretty tough to find. So, I did what any normal person would do, and made a cake that tastes just like them. Behold – Dunkaroo cake.
The Cake
This cake is a basic funfetti, but lightened up. I am a firm believer in making a slightly healthier version of your favorite dishes, so I’m always experimenting with reducing sugar/butter, sneaky swapping in healthier ingredients, and lowering the caloric load that comes with eating cake on the regular (sorry not sorry). For this funfetti cake, I reduced the sugar down to just half a cup, whereas most cake recipes call for a cup or more (eek!). If you remove the sprinkles, you’re left with a plain vanilla cake which is super versatile!
Another trick is to create a ‘half cake’ AKA prevent yourself from eating a whole dunkaroo cake. For those unfamiliar with the half-cake trick, here’s what I do:
Simply frost one side, flip the other on top, and frost normally!
This way, you end up with a two-layered cake, but only one half of it, which is perfect if you’re a small family (or a hungry single person). You can also leave it as one layer and frost the entire thing – it’s just as delicious.
If you have more of a crowd and want an entire 9″ two layer cake, then double the entire recipe and frost accordingly!
The Frosting
This frosting is just as good as the one you’d find in that iconic blue tube. It starts as a basic buttercream (yep, I reduced the butter/sugar there too and it’s still insanely good), and I added in Cool Whip, which is low in calories, to fluff this frosting up. I whipped the frosting in my KitchenAid Mixer, which makes frosting (and life) so much easier. If Funfetti isn’t your thing, omit sprinkles and you’ve got a fluffy vanilla frosting that can go on just about anything. Also, you can substitute the milk with a plant-based milk if need be!
Dunkaroo Cake
Equipment
- 9″ cake pan
- Mixing Bowls
- Stand Mixer
- Cooling Rack
- Baking Sheet
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 c sugar
- 1/2 tbsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp canola oil
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup milk can sub non-dairy milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup rainbow sprinkles
- 1/2 cup nilla wafers crushed (Teddy Grahams work great too)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp dark brown sugar
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 2.5 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 tbsp milk up to 1 tbsp – add as needed to reach desired consistency
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup Cool Whip whipped topping
- 1/4 cup rainbow sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Crush your nilla wafers, mix with cinnamon and dark brown sugar, and put on a parchment – lined baking sheet. Bake at 350F for 10 minutes
- Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt in a bowl and whisk together
- In a separate bowl, whisk together canola oil, egg, vanilla, milk
- Pour wet ingredients into dry, whisking together until fully combined
- Add in sprinkles and mix until they’re evenly dispersed
- Spray cake pan with cooking spray (or grease with butter) and pour in cake batter
- Bake cake at 350F for 28-30 min, until a toothpick comes out clean
- Let cake cool in pan for 5 minutes, then put it on a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting
- For frosting, cream butter and powdered sugar together until smooth, then add milk and vanilla to thin out consistency. Next, add cool whip and whip the frosting so it's light and fluffy. Lastly, fold in the sprinkles
- To assemble your cake, put about 1/2 cup of frosting for a middle layer, top with cookie crumbs, stack the next cake tier, and then frost the entire cake, topping it with cookie crumbs and more sprinkles.
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