This Birthday Cake Puppy Chow tastes exactly like cake! Just four simple ingredients and you have an easy snack the kids will beg you for! If you love easy birthday treat ideas, be sure to check out my No-Bake Birthday Cake Lasagna.
What is Birthday Cake Puppy Chow?
So you might be wondering what the heck this crazy creation is. Chex cereal is coated in almond bark that has been flavored with dry vanilla cake mix and rainbow jimmies. It tastes exactly like cake! But now the real test begins… can you stop with one handful? Doubtful. Puppy Chow is what we call this in the Midwest. Other folks refer to it as Muddie Buddies or Monkey Munch. They are all the same thing and are meant for humans, not animals.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Four simple ingredients make up this treat!
- Chex Cereal: I used Rice Chex cereal. You can use any brand of rice squares breakfast cereal.
- Almond bark: I don’t recommend using white chocolate morsels in this recipe as it will produce a different flavor. It won’t be bad, but you are missing the fresh almond flavoring component. If you have vanilla candy coating you can use that and add 1 teaspoon of almond extract. (That doesn’t work with white chocolate morsels as it will seize and be a mess.)
- Dry Cake Mix: You can use most flavors of cake mix but we prefer vanilla, white, or yellow cake mix. Just to be clear, you simply measure out the DRY cake mix, you do not prepare the mix according to directions. It is sprinkled over the coated cereal just like confectioners’ sugar. If you have any concerns about using the dry mix, you can heat this in the oven for 5 minutes at 200°F.
- Rainbow Sprinkles: Look for a jar of colorful sprinkles, also known as ‘jimmies’ or nonpareils.
Can This Recipe Be Doubled?
Yes! You can easily double this recipe. Just make sure you have a large enough bowl to mix the ingredients in and that you can work in batches when coating the cereal with almond bark.
How to Store Birthday Puppy Chow
You can store the puppy chow in an airtight container (or in the bag you made it) on the counter or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, but I doubt it will last that long! (That is the official answer about storing in the refrigerator; I have never refrigerated puppy chow.)
Puppy Chow Variations
I love all of the easy ways you can change up muddy buddies. Some of my favorite variations are:
- Lemon Puppy Chow
- Classic Puppy Chow
- Banana Cream Puppy Chow
- Puppy Chow Bars
- Orange Creamsicle Puppy Chow
- S’mores Puppy Chow
More No Bake Treats
Birthday Cake Puppy Chow
Ingredients
- 4 cups Rice Chex cereal
- 8 ounces almond bark
- ⅔ cup rainbow sprinkles (jimmies)
- 1 cup dry white cake mix*
Instructions
- In a small microwave-safe bowl, add almond bark. Melt in 30-second increments, stirring between, until smooth and creamy.
- After the almond bark has melted, stir in the sprinkles.
- Pour the cereal into a large bowl and then pour the almond bark mixture over top. With a spatula, stir well, making sure every piece is coated.
- Pour the cereal into a large plastic sealable bag and then sprinkle the cake mix over top. Close bag and shake until well coated.
- Place mixture on a sheet pan and allow to set.
Video
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
My birthday is on Monday…I’ll make some for the office to enjoy 🙂 Thanks
Amanda, with there being so many recalls on flour, would not cooking this cake mix based treat still be okay for children?
When will you be posting the recipe for Brownie Puppychow? It sounds sooooo yummy!
Is it really safe to eat the cake mix? I thought uncooked flour was bad to consume.
Would this work with chocolate chips instead of almond bark, or maybe vanilla chips?