This no-bake homemade granola bars recipe is easy to make and tastes just like birthday cake! Top with white chocolate chips and sprinkles!
Ingredients in Birthday Cake Flavored Homemade Granola Bars
- 2 cups quick cooking oats
- 1 cup crispy rice cereal
- 2/3 cup dry yellow cake mix
- 1/4 cup salted butter
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 4 tablespoons sprinkles
- 3 tablespoons white chocolate chips
This recipe is loosely based off of my Chocolate Chip Granola Bars. With this birthday cake version, I wanted to create a homemade granola bar that was satisfying and wholesome with oats, rice cereal and honey, but tasted more sweet like dessert. To be exact, I wanted it to taste just like birthday cake batter with the sprinkles and all!
How To Make Homemade Granola Bars
This granola bar recipe is so easy and quick. There’s no prepping required, and very little clean up needed! Simply heat, cool and eat!
- Start this recipe by preparing an 8×8 pan and then mix the oats, rice cereal, yellow cake mix and 2 tablespoons of sprinkles together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan melt butter, brown sugar and honey on medium-high heat until combined and completely melted. Once the mixture begins to bubble, turn the heat down to low and stir for 2 minutes.
- Remove the saucepan from the burner and stir in the vanilla.
- Pour the hot butter mixture over the oat mixture. Stir well. You want to make sure all of the dry ingredients are fully coated.
- Transfer the granola bar batter into the prepared pan and push down granola with the back of a spoon or spatula to flatten it.
- Evenly sprinkle the chocolate chips and the remaining 2 tablespoons of sprinkles over top. Again, use a spatula or the back of a spoon to gently press them down.
- Cover the bars with plastic wrap and place the pan in the refrigerator to set for 1 hour. After at least 1 hour, remove from the fridge and cut into bars.
How to Store
Not only do these homemade granola bars taste delicious, but they also last a really long time. Because most of the ingredients in the bars are shelf stable and the sugar acts as a natural preservative, these bars will keep well in the fridge for well over a week. Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
These bars also freeze really well and will stay fresh for about 3 months in the freezer. Wrap the granola bars individually and then place them in a freezer safe bag in the freezer. I suggest writing the “to eat by” date on the baggie so that you won’t forget. Then you can simply pull them out when you need a ready-to-go snack or breakfast. These are so convenient for quick snacks on-the-go!
Tip!
Have some fun with your sprinkles! During the Christmas holidays add red and green sprinkles, for a Halloween treat use orange and black, for Easter use pastel colors, for 4th of July use red, white and blue. The options are endless!
Pin for later:
Cake Batter Granola Bars
PrintIngredients
- 2 cups quick cooking oats
- 1 cup crispy rice cereal
- 2/3 cup dry yellow cake mix
- 1/4 cup salted butter
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 4 tablespoons sprinkles
- 3 tablespoons white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Spray a 8×8 pan lightly with nonstick spray.
- Mix your oats, cereal, cake mix and 2 tablespoons sprinkles together in a large bowl.
- In a small saucepan melt butter, brown sugar and honey on medium high heat until melted. Once it begins to bubble change heat to low and stir for 2 minutes.
- Remove saucepan from burner and stir in your vanilla.
- Pour your hot mixture over your oats mixture. Stir well. You want to make sure every single piece of oats and cereal is coated.
- Pour your mixture into your greased pan and push down with spatula to flatten it.
- Sprinkle chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons sprinkles over top evenly. Gently use a spatula to press down.
- Cover with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator to set for 1 hour.
- Take out and cut into bar sizes. Store in airtight container in refrigerator to keep them fresh.
Lindsey @ American Heritage Cooking says
Cake batter granola bars?! Snack time just got super exciting!!!!! Mmmm this should be the perfect swap out for my current blah afternoon snack of plain greek yogurt and cinnamon. {I said it was blah}
John@Kitchen Riffs says
I’ve never had Poutine, but always figured not being able to move for awhile after eating it was probably pretty inevitable! Anyway, lovely granola — you done good. And we’ll do good when we make it. Thanks.
Shikha @ Shikha la mode says
Aahahha I LOVE poutine – you can get it in some places in SF now, and it’s a dangerous thing because I also end up not moving once I eat it.
Koko says
Ooh these look so pretty! Cake batter was my favourite thing in the universe as a kid. We’d be lucky if we ended up with half a baked cake by the time I was done “licking the bowl”.
Ashley @ My Midwest Table says
Yes, everything should taste like cake batter! I don’t think I could stop at one with these bars. Hope Toronto is fun!
Helen @ Scrummy Lane says
These are a great idea, Pamela. Healthy, but not TOO healthy. I like your philosophy!
Chris @ Shared Appetite says
Oh my gosh so jealous! I want to try poutine so bad!!! How was it? Besides the whole not being able to move after. And these cake batter granola bars sound awesome! I love cake batter flavored anything! Well, almost anything haha.
Trisha says
Suchhhh beautiful colours. I love making cake in any form – bars included. will give this a go. thaaaanks Farm girl x
Cindy @ Pick Fresh Foods says
Pamela these are super cute.! I love the purple sprinkles and that you added rice crisp cereal. These could easily double as a dessert and a healthy snack 😀
Jamie | Jamie's Recipes says
I love cake batter! My munchkins love granola bars so this looks like a winning combination in my book.
Granola bars are a favorite snack around here I can’t wait to try this version!
Mary Frances says
I’m always craving cake batter! And oats 🙂 Love this Pamela!
Alyssa @ My Sequined Life says
Cake batter everything would be quite nice!! Love the sprinkles, too. Such a great idea to switch them out for festive holiday colors!
Laura @ Lauras Baking Talent says
These look delicious! I love anything I can pass as healthy but contains cake mix 🙂 Have fun in Toronto!
Choc Chip Uru says
I am a big fan of these granola bars, delicious cake batter flavouring 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Cecile @ My Yellow Farmhouse says
Who would’ve ‘thunk’ it – cake batter in granola bars? Leave it to y.o.u. !! Now – about POUTINE!!!!!!!! Whenever we had visitors to our farm in St. Antoine de Tilly (near Quebec City), they’d always want to head right out to our neighborhood place for poutine!! And – I just wonder…. is the poutine in English-speaking Canada nearly as good as in Quebec? (Aaah – I’m just being prejudice!) Have you ever seen some of the photos I posted of my farm in Quebec? I think you’d like them. Damn… I miss it, but luckily I at least have the ‘farmhouse’ here in Massachusetts if not the farm!
Jamie@ Milk 'n' Cookies says
What a great idea! I would never have thought to put cake mix in granola bars. I have a feeling these would come in handy when u start to crave a sweet snack at 3 I the afternoon, but know I ought to choose something healthy. These are the best if both worlds!
Mary Frances says
These are so cute and festive, perfect for a kid’s party (or an adult’s party for that matter!)
Carol at Wild Goose Tea says
They are birthday party cute all right. Interesting in adding the cake mix. I will admit it got me curious!
Kelly says
These are the prettiest granola bars, I love that they double as dessert. The sprinkles are just so fun and girly too 🙂 Yay, so glad you got to try poutine too 🙂
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
They look wonderful! The sprinkles are such a fun touch.
Davida @ The Healthy Maven says
Please tell me you brought some of these with you to Toronto! Also where did you have poutine?! Try out prohibitions or Farmhouse Tavern’s poutine! Insanely good!
Nicole ~ Cooking for Keeps says
Everything SHOULD taste like cake batter, and I’d eat anything that tasted like it. And by gosh, are they pretty!
Shashi says
Ooooh I love cake! These fun looking bars are such a great idea Pamela!
Alice says
Love the sprinkles and the way you’ve whipped these up in a flourish. Such a great recipe, the best granola bars by far!
miss messy says
Ooo these sound wonderful. I love a granola bar as a snack to and I bet these taste divine!
Ashley says
Granola bars as dessert?? Awesome! Or a snack too : ) I love the sprinkles you have on them – such fun!
Sophie says
I love your tasty cool bars a lot! I love the pink & purple sprinkles on top too! I need them in my life, for sure! x
cheri says
Sounds like your having fun in Toronto, love these bars and the cute little sprinkles!
ela@GrayApron says
Nice, I like the colored sprinkles! 🙂 ela
marcie says
These granola bars double as dessert! I love it — they’re so fun and look delicious. 🙂