Cake Batter Rice Krispies

Cake batter rice krispy treats. I know what you're thinking, it's been done before. I'm late to the party. But I figure since this is a rice krispy treat blog it's something I need to make at least once. And it also just happened to be my girl's 7 month birthday! Whoo Hoo! (Who celebrates 7 months? Ahem, I strongly believe in taking every opportunity to make a dessert.)

So while originality may be slightly lacking in today's post, I figured I'd make up for it by throwing in a cute picture of my little one. Although maybe they are just cute to me. Typical parent who thinks their child is adorable. But she really is isn't she???

Anyhoo so these cake batter krispies are first flavored with a healthy dose of cake mix. To pump things up I even took the time to bake a cake and toss real cake pieces in with the krispies. Just because I love you guys so much. It has nothing to do with the fact that I am going to eat these after I finish writing this. None. These little chunks added to the chewiness of the treats.

Then of course there are the necessary rainbow sprinkles. Lots of sprinkles. Everywhere. Sprinkles all over the krispies, sprinkles all over my counter, sprinkles all over my floor... And then the frosting. Because who eats a cake without frosting? (I have strong opinions about frosting on cake. I believe the ratio should be somewhere along the lines of 50/50. No questions.)

And there you have it! I highly recommend you celebrate your 7 month birthday with these treats. Or your 8 month, or 9 month,.... or  9 1/2 month, I don't judge.

Cake Batter Rice Krispy Treats

4 Tbsp butter
6 cup marshmallows
scant 1 cup dry cake mix (yellow, white, or funfetti)
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups 1-inch cubed cake pieces (I just baked up 1/2 the box of cake mix I used above, or if you have leftover cake from something use that, or you can just leave this out if you must... I may not speak to you though)
6 cup krispies
Rainbow sprinkles
Canned cake frosting (or homemade for you superstars)

Mix together the rice krispies and cake cubes in a large bowl. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, turn the heat down to the lowest setting and add the marshmallows. Stir until the marshmallows are mostly all melted (this will take a few minutes--low and slow is key for perfect texture) stir in the cake mix and vanilla.

Once fully melted, take them off heat and pour over the rice krispies. Stir lightly to combine. I added my sprinkles here while mixing to ensure they were evenly added. Dump everything into a greased 9x9 pan. Let it sit for about 5 minutes, then with greased hands go in and flatten the top. Allow them to cool about 20 minutes. 

Now you can get creative or go simple. The simple way s to just frost the tops of your bars and call it a day. Definitely a winner. Or you can get extra crafty and make a layer cake: dump out your cooled bars on a flat surface. Cut n half with a serrated knife to create 2 "cake" layers. Frost the top of one, then place the second layer on top of that. Frost the top and sides as you would a cake and decorate with more sprinkles (of course). Bonus points if you cut out circles to make mini cakes! Enjoy!