These Maple Dot Cakes with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting are a play on the viral dot cake trend, but with a Vermont twist! They’re small in size but big in flavor, and each cup is layered with gluten free maple cake, brown butter cream cheese frosting & topped with crunchy maple sprinkles. They make for the perfect single serve dessert for parties, gifting, or any time you want a dessert that feels as cute as it tastes!
Have you seen the viral dot cake trend going around on social media?? It feels like every other video I see is either taste testing the OG dot cakes, or re-creating them at home. Yet, when I brought this up to Kyle, he had no clue what I was talking abut lol. Guess it depends on your algorithm! In case you haven’t heard of them, they’re pretty much these mini cakes with frosting & coated in a layer of nonpareil sprinkles.
The original dot cakes are pretty basic, I’m not gunna lie. So I wasn’t really tempted to recreate them, until I thought of this fun and unique version….maple dot cakes with brown butter cream cheese frosting! Inspired by my Vermont roots, and an ode to Vermont summers with a maple creemee in hand. They’re filled with gluten free maple cake layers, brown butter cream cheese frosting & topped with maple sprinkles.
Now I’m not all that much of a baker, but these are pretty dang simple to whip up. The maple cake is made with a handful of simple, wholesome ingredients like greek yogurt, avocado oil and sweetened naturally with pure maple syrup. The brown butter cream cheese frosting really takes these up a notch, with its caramel-like flavor. And it’s rounded out with the perfect crunch from those maple sprinkles.
Why You’ll Love these Maple Dot Cakes with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- They are a fun & unique take on the viral dot cakes taking over social media!
- This is perfect for my Vermonters, or fellow maple lovers.
- The brown butter cream cheese frosting adds notes of caramel & butterscotch which takes this to the next level!
- The maple cake is gluten free and made with simple, wholesome ingredients.
- These make for the best single serve dessert when you’re hosting.
What You Need to Make these Mini Gluten Free Maple Cakes with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
For the Maple Cake:
- Eggs: 2 large eggs!
- Greek Yogurt: This adds moisture to the maple cake, while also adding a boost of protein & probiotics. I prefer full-fat plain greek yogurt or skyr, but this should also work with low-fat or non-fat.
- Maple Syrup: This cake is naturally sweetened only with pure maple syrup!
- Neutral Oil: Pick your favorite…avocado oil, vegetable oil, etc!
- Vanilla Bean Paste: Or vanilla extract.
- Gluten Free 1-to-1 Flour: These maple cakes are fully gluten free by using a gluten free 1-to-1 flour, like this one from King Arthur Flour or Bob’s Red Mill. You can also substitute normal AP flour, but expect the batter to be a little more runny.
- Baking Powder: To help the maple cake rise.
- Kosher Salt: To enhance all the flavors, and who doesn’t love a touch of salt with their maple!?
For the Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Unsalted Butter: This will get browned, which brings a warm, nutty flavor that almost gives this frosting some caramel or butterscotch vibes! It pairs perfectly with the maple cake in my opinion.
- Cream Cheese: To add creaminess to the frosting, while also toning down the sweetness a bit. I prefer to use full-fat but this should also work with low-fat (Neufchâtel cheese).
- Powdered Sugar: To sweeten this brown butter cream cheese frosting…you don’t need a ton!
- Maple Syrup: This helps thin out the frosting a bit, as well as enhancing the maple flavor.
- Vanilla Bean Paste: Or extract!
- Kosher Salt: Just a pinch.
For Topping:
- Maple Sprinkles: If you’ve ever been to Vermont, you’ll know that at some ice cream shops, you can get your creemee topped with these delicious maple sprinkles! They’re pretty much just little bits of maple candy and you can order them on Amazon if you’re not local to Vermont.
How To Make these Gluten Free Maple Dot Cakes
Preheat Oven & Mix Together Dry Ingredients:
First, preheat your oven to 350F, then lightly grease a 9×13″ baking pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. In a small bowl, mix together the GF flour, baking powder & kosher salt. Set aside.
Whisk Together Wet Ingredients & Combine Wet with Dry:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, greek yogurt, maple syrup, oil & vanilla until smooth. Then, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients & switch to a spatula to stir until just combined.
Bake Maple Cake & Let Cool:
Next, pour maple cake batter into the prepared baking dish, then transfer to the oven to bake for 18-20 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.
Brown the Butter & Let Cool:
Meanwhile, add your cubed butter to a small pan over medium-low heat. Once melted, start stirring/whisking constantly until the milk solids at the bottom turn golden brown and you can smell a nutty aroma — this usually takes about 5 minutes. Remove brown butter from the pan and pour it into a heat-safe bowl. Transfer to the fridge until solidified but still soft enough that it indents when you touch it, about 45-60 minutes.
Prepare Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting:
Add chilled brown butter to the bowl of a stand mixer (can use a hand mixer instead) fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until the butter is smooth. Then, add in the softened cream cheese and beat again until creamy and no chunks remain. Add the powdered sugar, maple syrup, vanilla & a pinch of kosher salt, then continue beating until for 2-3 more minutes, until light & fluffy.
Assemble Dot Cakes with Frosting:
Once the cake has cooled, use your paper cups to cut circles out of the cake, pressing down firmly to create cake rounds that fit perfectly inside. You will likely only have space for 8 rounds, but you can use the scraps to make 1-2 additional dot cakes. After you have added one cake layer to the cup, spread on some of the brown butter cream cheese frosting, and top it with one more cake layer, followed by another layer of frosting. Level off the frosting so that it’s flush with the top of the cup.
Dunk in Sprinkles & Enjoy:
Finally, pour maple sprinkles into a rimmed plate, tray or baking sheet. Dunk each cake into the maple sprinkles, pressing down so that the maple sprinkles stick to the frosting. Enjoy!
Substitution FAQs:
- Can I use normal AP flour if I’m not gluten free? Yes, you can easily swap this 1-to-1. Note that the batter may look a little more runny than the one shown in the video.
- Can I use almond flour, coconut flour or oat flour? Sorry, no! Each of these performs very differently, so the entire recipe would have to be reworked.
- Can I do a normal cream cheese frosting instead? If you don’t want to deal with the extra step of browning & chilling the butter, you can make a simple classic cream cheese frosting instead by just using softened butter.
- Where can I buy maple sprinkles? What if I can’t find them? These are available on Amazon, and many local Vermont stores will have them as well. If you’re not from Vermont and can’t get your hands on some, use your favorite sprinkles instead…I recommend chocolate!
- What containers should I make these dot cakes in? For that true dot cake feel, I assembled them in disposable paper cups (technically ice cream cups) but you can use any cup or jar (disposable or not) that’s about 3″ wide and 2.5″ tall. Using a different size is fine too, but it’ll change the yield & nutrition info for this recipe.
How Should I Store these Maple Dot Cakes with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting?
Due to the brown butter cream cheese frosting, it’s important that you store any leftover maple dot cakes in the fridge! If your paper cups came with lids, just pop those on and store them in the fridge for 3-4 days. Otherwise, you can wrap them with plastic wrap. Please note that the maple sprinkles will start to bleed & soften when stored in the fridge. Taste wise, they’re still great, but they look a little less pretty, so maybe wait to top with sprinkles until you’re ready to serve. If you are making these ahead of time, I recommend taking them out of the fridge 15-30 minutes before serving so the frosting has time to soften.
Find the full recipe below. As always, please let me know if you tried it by commenting below or tagging me on Instagram, @munchinwithmaddie_.
Looking for More Dessert Recipes?
- Gluten Free Blueberry Lemon Muffins
- Healthy Cosmic Brownies
- No Churn Cinnamon Roll Ice Cream
- Gluten Free Berry Crisp
- Key Lime Pie Cookies
- Honey Lemon Raspberry Cake
Maple Dot Cakes with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
- 9×13" baking dish
- parchment paper
- kitchen scale (optional)
- 2 small bowls
- medium bowl
- whisk
- spatula
- small pan
- hand or stand mixer
- wire rack
- offset spatula (optional)
- rimmed plate
Ingredients
For the Maple Cake:
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup full-fat plain greek yogurt or skyr (170g)
- â…” cup maple syrup (205g)
- ½ cup neutral oil such as avocado oil, vegetable oil, etc (102g)
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
- 1 ½ cups gluten free 1-to-1 flour or AP flour (186g)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp kosher salt
For the Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting:
- ½ cup unsalted butter cubed (113g)
- 8 oz cream cheese softened (226g)
- 1 cup powdered sugar (120g)
- 2 tbsp maple syrup (40g)
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
- pinch of kosher salt
For Topping:
Instructions
- First, preheat your oven to 350F, then lightly grease a 9×13" baking dish and line the bottom with parchment paper. In a small bowl, mix together the GF flour, baking powder & kosher salt. Set aside.1 ½ cups gluten free 1-to-1 flour, 2 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp kosher salt
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, greek yogurt, maple syrup, oil & vanilla until smooth. Then, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients & switch to a spatula to stir until just combined. If using GF flour, you can expect the batter to be a bit lumpy — that's okay!2 large eggs, ¾ cup full-fat plain greek yogurt or skyr, â…” cup maple syrup, ½ cup neutral oil, 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- Pour maple cake batter into the prepared baking dish, then transfer to the oven to bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then transfer it to a wire rack to finishing cooling.
- Meanwhile, add your cubed butter to a small pan over medium-low heat. Once melted, start stirring/whisking constantly until the milk solids at the bottom turn golden brown and you can smell a nutty aroma — this usually takes about 5 minutes. Remove brown butter from the pan and pour it into a heat-safe bowl. Transfer to the fridge until solidified but still soft enough that it indents when you touch it, about 45-60 minutes.½ cup unsalted butter
- Add chilled brown butter to the bowl of a stand mixer (can use a hand mixer instead) fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until the butter is smooth. Then, add in the softened cream cheese and beat again until creamy and no chunks remain. Add the powdered sugar, maple syrup, vanilla & a pinch of kosher salt, then continue beating for 2-3 more minutes, until light & fluffy.8 oz cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 tbsp maple syrup, 1 tsp vanilla bean paste, pinch of kosher salt
- Once the cake has cooled, use your paper cups to cut circles out of the cake, pressing down firmly to create cake rounds that fit perfectly inside. You will likely only have space for 8 rounds (4 dot cakes), but you can use the scraps to make 1-2 additional dot cakes. After you have added one cake layer to the cup, spread on some of the brown butter cream cheese frosting, and top it with one more cake layer, followed by another layer of frosting. Level off the frosting so that it's flush with the top of the cup.
- Pour maple sprinkles into a rimmed plate, tray or baking sheet. Dunk each cake into the maple sprinkles, pressing down so that the maple sprinkles stick to the frosting. Enjoy!maple sprinkles
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @munchinwithmaddie_ on Instagram and/or hashtag it #munchinwithmaddie.