This Birthday Cake Puppy Chow is a confetti-filled, sweet-and-salty snack that tastes just like a slice of Funfetti cake but with added crunch. It’s perfect for birthday celebrations or just an afternoon pick-me-up to brighten your day!
What’s in the Mix
This Birthday Cake Puppy Chow is packed with flavor and crunch. And it couldn’t be easier to make! A full list of ingredients with measurements is available in the printable recipe card below.
- White Melting Chocolate – White chocolate coats everything in a creamy, sweet shell.
- Salted Butter – Salted butter helps to make the chocolate creamy and adds a touch of savory to balance the sweetness.
- Rice Chex Cereal – This cereal is the classic for puppy chow. It’s super crispy with lots of little pockets to catch all of the white chocolate.
- Funfetti Cake Mix – This is where all the birthday cake flavor comes from. See notes below for heat treating.
- Powdered Sugar – This is the signature puppy chow finish.
- Rainbow Sprinkles – Toss these in for more color and crunchiness.
This is How We Do It
This mix comes together in no time, and cleanup is minimal. It’s the perfect quick dessert or snack!
- Melt the chocolate and butter. Stir the two together in a saucepan over low heat until completely smooth, then take it off the stove once the mixture is melted.
- Coat the cereal. Add the Chex to a large bowl and pour the chocolate mixture over the cereal. Carefully combine the two until all of the Chex pieces are coated.
- Mix the coating. Place the Funfetti cake mix, powdered sugar, and sprinkles in a large resealable plastic bag.
- Shake it up. Place half of the coated cereal in the bag, seal it tight, and shake until everything’s fully covered.
- Spread it out. Spread the coated cereal onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Repeat and rest. Do the same with the remaining cereal, and let the whole batch cool and set at room temperature. Or, pop it in the fridge for a quicker set.
- Store. Once the chocolate has set, transfer the puppy chow to an airtight container and store at room temperature
5S Philosophy 👩🏻🍳
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- Salt – All the salt you need comes from the salted butter, which keeps the puppy chow balanced.
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- Seasoning – The cake mix brings in warm vanilla flavor without needing to measure out extra extracts or flavorings.
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- Sauces – The melty chocolate-butter mix works kind of like a sauce — it holds everything together.
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- Swaps – You can swap Rice Chex for Corn Chex or Crispix. You can always swap out the Funfetti mix with vanilla or yellow cake mix and add extra sprinkles.
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- Senses – The smell of the warm chocolate and butter combo will have you ready to dig into this deliciousness. The texture is crunchy, light, and absolutely addictive — you might want to make a double batch! And the pop of rainbow sprinkles makes this puppy chow a showstopper.
Storage and Freezing
You can easily make this a day or two ahead of time — it actually tastes even better once it sets and the flavors settle in.
How to Store
You don’t need to refrigerate it, but if your kitchen is warm or humid, you can keep it in the fridge instead.
Can I Freeze Birthday Cake Puppy Chow?
Freeze the puppy chow in a sealed container or zip-top bag for up to a month. Just let it come to room temperature before serving.
Recipe FAQs
These are actually the same thing! The name just depends on where you’re from — Midwesterners tend to say “puppy chow,” while “muddy buddies” is the version made by Chex.
Yes, just make sure you’re using gluten-free Chex cereal and a gluten-free cake mix.
You can try vanilla almond bark. Just be sure it melts smoothly and isn’t too thick before you pour it on the cereal.
Heat Treating Cake Mix
Uncooked cake mix has a small chance of containing some yucky things, so to prevent this, pasteurize it at home. You can choose to do this or take the small risk. I take the small risk.
The issue is that Funfetti cake mix has sprinkles, and these will melt during the process. If you do want to heat treat, use a plain white cake mix, heat treat it, and then, after it cools, stir in 1/2 cup of rainbow sprinkles.
Microwaving is the quickest way. Place raw cake mix into the microwave and heat on high for 20-45 seconds. Please be mindful that all microwaves are different. Watch the flour closely so it doesn’t burn.
The oven is another good option; simply place it in a thin layer on a baking sheet at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 5-ish minutes. Just make sure it doesn’t burn. This should be plenty to kill off any potentially harmful bacteria.
More Puppy Chow Recipes
If you can’t get enough of this easy treat, we have good news! There are lots of other ways to make puppy chow for all sorts of holidays and seasons.
Birthday Cake Puppy Chow
Ingredients
- 2 cups white melting chocolate
- 1/2 cup salted butter
- 8 cups Rice Chex cereal
- 8.25 ounces funfetti cake mix*
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons rainbow sprinkles
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the 2 cups white melting chocolate and 1/2 cup salted butter, stirring until smooth. Remove as soon as it melts.
- Pour the mixture over the 8 cups Rice Chex cerealin a large bowl. Toss gently to cover evenly without breaking the cereal.
- Combine the 8.25 ounces funfetti cake mix*, 1 cup powdered sugar and 2-3 tablespoons rainbow sprinkles in a large plastic bag.
- Add half of the tacky cereal into the bag, shaking until covered. Using your hands or a slotted spoon, remove it to a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Repeat with the rest of the cereal.
- Allow to set at room temperature in the fridge.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge.
- If you’ve tried this recipe, come back and tell us how it was in the comments or star ratings.
Notes
Nutrition
