If you’ve been on TikTok or Instagram, you’ve seen dot cakes everywhere. Tiny cakes in small glasses, coated in rainbow sprinkles, selling out in under an hour at $11 a cup in New York City.
It tastes like something worth standing in line for (but no worries, you don’t have to). I was seeing them everywhere and craving a post-dinner, cleaner-ingredient version I could enjoy on a regular basis.
This version has around 30 grams of protein, takes 30 minutes, and uses a two-ingredient frosting. It reminds me of my viral baked protein brownie pudding!
What Is A Dot Cake?
A dot cake is a single-serve mini cake served in a small glass or jar, frosted thick, and completely coated in rainbow nonpareil sprinkles. The “dots” are the sprinkles.
The original comes from The Dot Cakes, a mother-daughter business from Roslyn, New York, sold at Butterfield Market on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.
TikTok picked it up in spring 2026, Today covered it, and within weeks Butterfield was selling out within an hour of restocking with a two-cake-per-person limit.
If you love single serve treats, my chocolate chip mug cake is a great next bake!
The Ingredients You Need (with A Two-Ingredient Protein Frosting)
- Simple Mills Vanilla Cake Mix: The almond flour base gives this cake a denser, more substantial crumb than a conventional box mix. Any vanilla cake mix works as a straight swap, including gluten-free 1:1 blends.
- Vanilla protein powder: I use Be Well by Kelly because it mixes in without a chalky finish and the vanilla reads as cake batter rather than supplement. Cake batter protein powder works even better if you have it. Used in both the batter and the frosting.
- Egg: Don’t swap for egg whites here. The whole egg is what gives the cake enough structure to hold together for the sprinkle flip.
- Milk: Any kind works. Dairy or non-dairy, whatever you have. Coconut oil: Melt it before mixing. Keeps the crumb moist. Without it, the protein powder dries the cake out fast.
- Miss Jones vanilla cake frosting: Thick enough to hold its shape through the flip without sliding off. Thinner frostings won’t grip the sprinkles. Used in the frosting layer mixed with protein powder.
- Rainbow nonpareil sprinkles: Round ball sprinkles only, not rod-shaped jimmies. The round shape is what lets them pack tightly together and coat the surface evenly for the dot look.
Love healthy cake batter treats? Try my cake batter protein balls and cake batter protein shake next!
How to Make a Protein Dot Cake
Step 1. Mix the cake batter: Whisk the cake mix, protein powder, egg, milk, and coconut oil together until the batter is smooth.
Step 2. Bake the protein cake: Pour it into and 8oz (1 cup) ramekin, using all the batter. The cake needs to bake up level with or just above the rim. Bake 20 to 22 minutes.
Step 3. Make the protein frosting: Mix the frosting and protein powder until smooth.
Step 4. Frost the cake: Spread the frosting across the top of the cake in an even layer, pressing all the way to the edges.
Step 5. Season the chicken: Pour the nonpareils onto a plate. Flip the cake face-down onto the sprinkle plate and press gently around the edges with your fingers until the full frosted surface is coated. Serve right away.
Getting the Sprinkle Coating Right
First, let the cake cool completely. I rushed this once and, just like all cakes, the frosting melted even though it was almost all the way cool.
Second, the top of the cake has to be flat. A domed surface means the sprinkles coat the center peak and fall off the sides. Level it with a serrated knife before you frost it if needed.
Third, when you flip, go slowly. Invert the cake face-down onto the sprinkle plate and press gently around all the edges with your fingers. Pick it up and check. If there’s bare patches, press those spots back down.
Fourth and final, use nonpareils, not jimmies. The ball shape lets them pack tightly together and coat a flat surface without gaps. That dense, crunchy layer is where the dot cake look comes from!
Swaps and Substitutions
Cake mix: Any vanilla cake mix works as a direct swap. Chocolate cake mix for a chocolate version.
Protein powder: Cake batter protein powder gives this an even stronger birthday cake flavor if you can find it. I love Be Well by Kelly protein for just about all my smoothies ., high-protein desserts, and high-protein breakfasts.
Greek yogurt frosting: Three tablespoons plain Greek yogurt mixed with two tablespoons Cool Whip and a Tablespoon of protein powder. Chill it for five minutes before spreading so it firms up enough for the flip. It’s sightly softer than the Miss Jones version but it holds.
Dairy-free: Plant-based milk in the batter and any dairy-free vanilla frosting in place of the Miss Jones.
Make-Ahead and Storage
This cake is best right after you flip it in the sprinkles.
To get ahead, bake the cake up to two days in advance and store it covered in the fridge. Mix the frosting up to two days ahead and keep it refrigerated separately. Dip in sprinkles right before eating.
More High-Protein Desserts
- Protein cinnamon rolls
- Greek yogurt date bark
- Protein Reese’s eggs
- Protein chocolate chip cookies
- Greek yogurt fruit dip
- Protein puppy chow
Protein Dot Cake
Save this Recipe!
Ingredients
- 5 Tablespoons Simple Mills Cake Mix
- 2 Tablespoons vanilla protein powder I use Be Well by Kelly
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons milk any kind
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil melted
- 2 Tablespoons vanilla cake frosting I used Miss Jones
- 2 teaspoons vanilla protein powder
- Nonpereil rainbow sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 1 cup (8oz) ramekin or oven safe bowl with nonstick spray.
- Whisk the cake batter: In a small mixing bowl, mix together the cake mix, protein powder, egg, milk, and coconut oil until smooth. Transfer to the greased ramekin. It should be filled almost all the way to the top (you want it to bake taller than the edges).5 Tablespoons Simple Mills Cake Mix, 2 Tablespoons vanilla protein powder, 1 egg, 2 tablespoons milk, 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- Bake the cake: Bake in the preheated oven for 20-22 minutes, until a toothpick insert in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Remove and let it cool completely. You can put it in the fridge or freezer to speed it up. If you used the correct size baking dish it should bake up perfectly level with the top of the glass. You can cut off some of the top so it’s flat.
- Frost the cake: Mix the prepared frosting and protein powder in a small dish until smooth. Use a knife or offset spatula to frost the cake in an even layer so it's level with the top of the baking dish.2 Tablespoons vanilla cake frosting, 2 teaspoons vanilla protein powder
- Dip into sprinkles: Pour the rainbow sprinkles on a plate. Turn the frosted cake upside down into the sprinkles, gently pushing the edges in so the sprinkles cover the entire cake. Lift the cake and double check it's completely coated. Press back down into bare areas if needed. Enjoy right away or refrigerate overnight before eating.Nonpereil rainbow sprinkles
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe by: Molly Thompson of What Molly Made | Photography by: Sierra Inn
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