I love this cake.

Pumpkin Spice Puppy Chow Surprise-Inside Cake!

Every little thing about it.  From the amazing chocolate flavor to the chocolate sprinkles to the glorious surprise waiting inside.

Delicious. Beautiful. (in my opinion!) and Easy.

Let’s get to it!

Pumpkin Spice Puppy Chow Surprise-Inside Cake!

After assembling the layers of this cake I covered it in a thin coat of buttercream.  I used about 1 cup of chocolate sprinkles and gently pressed them into the cake.

After the cake was covered I used a fondant smoother to press them in further and to get the clean, sharp lines you see here.  Although I lightened it a bit (we are already losing light so quickly here in Minnesota!) this picture is basically straight out of my camera.

But lets take a step back.  Just how did I assemble it?

Puppy Chow Surprise Inside Cake HOW TO

I started with three 6-inch chocolate cakes.  After chilling them, I used a 3-inch round cookie cutter and cut out the center of one of the cakes.

I then placed a thin layer of chocolate buttercream around the edge of the cake with the center cut out.

Puppy Chow Surprise Inside Cake HOW TO

Next, I placed the cake with the center cut out on top of one of the other layers, frosting side down.  We want the frosting to act as a glue.

I filled the cake with that fabulous Pumpkin Spice Puppy Chow.

Added another thin layer of chocolate buttercream around the edge.

Finally placed the last layer on top.

I chilled my cake at this point, as I find it easier to cover in frosting when the cake is stable and firm.

Cover with thin layer of chocolate buttercream and then sprinkles. (as directed above)

Pumpkin Spice Puppy Chow Surprise-Inside Cake!

And now we are back to here.

Ready to see the surprise?

Pumpkin Spice Puppy Chow Surprise-Inside Cake!

So fun right?

And totally delicious.  Pumpkin. Chocolate.  More chocolate.  Crunchy Chex® cereal bits.  It’s stinkin awesome!!!

For a cake.  I mean, it’s not world peace or anything. #da

Pumpkin Spice Puppy Chow Surprise-Inside Cake!

Here is the nitty gritty:

Prepare a batch of Pumpkin Spice Puppy Chow. (Give yourself a few hours for it to cool and harden.)

Prepare a chocolate cake (you can use box mix or this wonderful Chocolate Cake recipe) in three 6-inch round cake pans.
Remove cakes from pans and chill until they are very firm.

Prepare chocolate buttercream.

Follow directions above for assembly.

Chill cake until ready to serve.

Pumpkin Spice Puppy Chow Surprise-Inside Cake!

And there you have it!  How to prepare a Chocolate Buttercream Sprinkle Covered Pumpkin Spice Puppy Chow Surprise-Inside Cake!

Say that three times fast. 😉

If you like this cake be sure to check out my new book, Surprise-Inside Cakes!

Share with your friends!

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Meet Amanda Rettke

Amanda Rettke is the creator of I Am Baker, and the bestselling author of Surprise Inside Cakes: Amazing Cakes for Every Occasion – With a Little Something Extra Inside.Over the course of her 15+ year blogging adventure, she has been featured in and collaborated with the Food Network, New York Times, LA Times, Country Living Magazine, People Magazine, Epicurious, Brides, Romantic Homes, life:beautiful, Publishers Weekly, The Daily Mail, Star Tribune, The Globe and Mail, DailyCandy, YumSugar, The Knot, The Kitchn, and Parade, to name a few.

Reader Comments

  1. I just love your little blog!! Your cakes look AMAZING!! I’ve tried a couple of your frosting recipes – chocolate buttercream and the browning frosting and they are to die for! I also think its cool that you’re from MN as well!! It’s nice to hear about others in MN and see how talented they are!!
    I do have one question, though. How do you get the sprinkles on so close together without wrecking the cake? I tried it once, and I didn’t get them “covered” like you do. This cake and the McCormick cake are the ones I recall seeing with the sprinkles!!

  2. Shut. Your. Mouth. This has to be the best inside of a cake ever!!! I’m resisting the urge (just barely) to propose to you.

  3. LOVE!! And a fondant smoother to press in the sprinkles is GENIUS. I should have done that with my sprinkle cake – but in my defense I wasn’t really planning on photographing it. It didn’t even phase me to use it and your cake is PERFECT. Mine was all lumpy up close ha ha.

  4. Maybe there would BE World Peace if everyone ate a cake like this! You can’t hate someone while eating cake! 🙂 Love the tips on how to do the sprinkles!!

    Susan

  5. I will not be sharing it with my actual puppy, but I personally could gobble it up this “puppy chow” with cake delivery! 🙂

  6. Amanda – as always, I’m amazed at the beauty of your baking. Can you please be a little more specific about the sprinkles. You said you “gently pressed them into the cake” and then you used a fondant smoother to press them in further and get the clean, smooth lines. Well, I don’t even know what a fondant smoother is, but I am certainly willing to invest in one if my cakes can look like this. However, that simple fact alone, that I don’t know what a fondant smoother is, might suggest that I’m in over my head before I even get started. HELP!! I want to at least give it a try.
    Did you sprinkle them all over by hand and then gently mash them in?? How did you do the sides??

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