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Viral TikTok Dot Cake Recipe (with Yogurt Frosting)

  • 20 Minutes Prep1 Hour 15 Minutes Total
  • 12 Servings

Okay, so if you haven’t seen the dot cake all over your TikTok feed yet, where have you been? This thing blew up for good reason – it’s basically a rainbow-covered cake that secretly takes very little effort to pull off at home. And instead of the usual buttercream, using Yoplait Protein Vanilla yogurt mixed into cream cheese makes it a bit tangy, a bit sweet, and way lighter than what you’d get from a tub of store-bought frosting.

Ingredient List

For the Vanilla Cake

  • 1 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

For the Yogurt Frosting

  • 2 cups Yoplait Protein Vanilla yogurt
  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened
  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

For Decorating

  • 12 small ice cream cups
  • 1 cup rainbow nonpareil sprinkles

Preparation

  1. Heat your oven to 350°F. Grease 40x30x5cm/15x12x2inch solid rectangular pan and line the bottom with parchment.
  2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set that aside.
  3. In a bigger bowl, whisk the sugar, oil, eggs, milk, and vanilla until smooth and combined.
  4. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and stir just until it comes together – don't overdo it.
  5. Tip the batter into your prepared pan and bake for 22–25 minutes. You'll know it's ready when a toothpick stuck into the center comes out clean.
  6. Let the cake cool completely – this part matters, don't rush it.
  7. For the frosting, beat the cream cheese until it's smooth and a little fluffy. Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla, mix again.
  8. Fold in the Yoplait Protein yogurt until the frosting is fully combined and creamy.
  9. Time to create the cake layers: cut out rounds that are the same size as your ice cream cups, cutting closely to get 24 rounds.
  10. Pop a round into each cup and spread frosting overtop, then add the next layer and frost up to the brim of the cup.
  11. Pour the nonpareil sprinkles onto a dish and carefully press the top of the frosted cups into the sprinkles and press down until every inch is covered. Be generous – more is definitely more here.
  12. Store your finished dot cakes in the fridge to have them last for a few days, if they’re not devoured sooner!

Tips

  • An offset spatula is your best friend. It makes getting smooth, even frosting a lot less frustrating.
  • Short on time? Use a box mix. There's zero shame in grabbing a boxed vanilla, yellow, or funfetti cake mix. Bake it according to the package directions, then follow along from the frosting and sprinkle steps. Nobody needs to know.
  • Making it gluten free is easy. Swap the all-purpose flour for a good 1:1 gluten-free flour blend – the kind that already has xanthan gum in it works best. Just double-check that your sprinkles are also certified gluten free, since nonpareils sometimes share equipment with wheat products.

Mix It Up – Flavor Pairings

Part of the fun of a dot cake is making it your own. Here are a few combinations worth trying with Yoplait Protein yogurt:

FAQs

What Are Dot Cakes?

Think small, individual cakes served in ice cream cups – soft vanilla sponge, creamy frosting, and absolutely smothered in rainbow nonpareil sprinkles. That sprinkle coating gives them the “dotted” look they’re named for. They look like you queued two hours for them at some trendy bakery, but honestly? You can throw them together at home without too much drama.

Why Are Dot Cakes So Popular?

Sprinkles are just happy, aren’t they? These photograph like a dream, they taste as good as they look, and the recipe isn’t intimidating – you don’t need to be a baker to pull them off. That’s kind of the sweet spot for anything that goes viral. Impressive enough to share, easy enough that people actually bother making them.

What Are the Viral Dot Cakes?

The ones that broke the internet came from a New York bakery called Dotcakes at Butterfield Market – $11 each, two-per-customer limit, and a queue to match. That kind of exclusivity gets people talking. Home bakers started reverse-engineering them almost immediately, TikTok did its thing, and suddenly everyone’s kitchen was covered in rainbow sprinkles.