Cake Decorating Rice Krispies
Sculpted or shaped cakes can seem quite intimidating. However, with the help of cake decorating rice krispies these decorative cakes come together a lot more easily than you’d think.
A batch of these rice krispies can bring a challenging cake shape to life while making the process so much more manageable.
I’ve used this technique on several of my animal cakes, including my elephant cake and my Patrick Star cake, and it’s a total game-changer.
I highly recommend using them for a larger shaped cake, especially when you want to avoid weighing down your cake with loads of additional cake or frosting.
What Makes These Cake Decorating Rice Krispies Different than Regular Rice Krispies?
These cake decorating recipe krispies don’t include one very important ingredient that most rice krispie treats have – butter!
By omitting the butter, these set firmly once they’ve cooled. This allows you to compress them into whatever shape you need, and easily frost them.
What Type of Cereal Should I Use?
Any type of puffed rice cereal will work in this recipe!
I usually use classic rice krispies, but sometimes I use cocoa krispies or even strawberry rice krispies to make whatever cake flavor I’m making.
I don’t recommend using different types of cereal that have a different shape because they’ll be harder to shape smoothly.
What Type of Marshmallows Should I Use?
I find mini marshmallows melt down the most quickly and easily. However, you can use full-sized marshmallows if needed!
Cake Decorating Rice Krispies Recipe Yield
This recipe makes about 4 cups of rice krispies.
This recipe can easily be halved or doubled to decrease or increase the yield as needed.
For my elephant cake, I used about 4 cups of these cake decorating rice krispies.
My Patrick Star cake was slightly larger, and I ended up using about 6 cups of these rice krispies to make his legs. I also used strawberry rice krispies to match the strawberry flavor of the cake.
Storage & Make-Ahead Tips
Finished rice krispie shapes can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, they can be frozen for up to 1 month.
Let them come to room temperature before decorating or attaching to cakes to avoid condensation or softness.
Tips for Making the Best Cake Decorating Rice Krispies
- Grease your hands with non-stick spray before handling the rice krispies. This will make them much easier to shape.
- Don’t overheat your marshmallows! Heat them just until soft and fluffy—otherwise they’ll be too hot to handle.
- Firmly press the rice krispies together to compact them into a firm shape. This will make them easier to frost.
- As you shape your rice krispie shapes, hold them against or next to your cake to make sure they’re the right size and shape.
- The ideal time to make these is once you’ve crumb-coated your cake. This way, you can shape them and add them to your cake while you’re still warm and flexible.
- Press the rice krispie shapes against your chilled cake when they’re still a bit warm to help them easily adhere to your cake.
- The rice krispies will firm up as they cool down. If they harden before you’re done shaping them, pop the bowl back in the microwave for 10-second intervals until they’re easier to handle.
Let Me Know What You Think!
If you try this recipe for cake decorating rice krispies, I’d love to hear what you think! Let me know your thoughts by sharing a comment and rating below.
Don’t forget to tag me @chelsweets and use #chelsweets so that I can see your amazing creations on social media!
Cake Decorating Rice Krispie Treats
Ingredients
Cake Decorating Rice Krispie Treats
- 4 cups mini marshmallows 200g
- 6 cups puffed rice cereal 160g
Instructions
Cake Decorating Rice Krispie Treats
- Place 4 cups of mini marshmallows in a heatproof bowl and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds at full power.
- Stir then heat in 15-second intervals (stirring between) until the marshmallows look soft and are mostly melted.
- Pour in 6 cups of rice krispies or puffed rice cereal and stir until the cereal is fully coated in melted marshmallows.
- Grease your hands with cooking spray then create whatever shapes you need. I recommend firmly pressing the rice krispies together to compact them into a firm shape. This will make them easier to frost. Finished rice krispie shapes can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. They can also be frozen for up to 1 month. Let them come to room temperature before decorating or attaching to a cake to avoid condensation or softness.
Video
Notes
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Tips for Making the Best Cake Decorating Rice Krispies:
- Grease your hands before handling the rice krispies. This will make them much easier to shape.
- Don’t overheat your marshmallows! Heat them just until soft and fluffy—otherwise they’ll be too hot to handle.
- As you shape your rice krispie treat shapes, hold them against or next to your cake to make sure they’re the right size and shape.
- Press the rice krispie shapes against your chilled cake when they’re still a bit warm to help them easily adhere to your cake.
- The rice krispies will firm up as they cool down. If they harden before you’re done shaping them, pop the bowl back in the microwave for 10-second intervals until they’re easier to handle.
Nutrition
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How long do these last for?
How long will these last if covered in chocolate and sugarpaste too? Thank you
Hi , can I ask how long they last once covered in fondant? Thanks
Followed instructions, weighed ingredients but rice crispie mix is still quite pliable ….. not great for the plane wings I was hoping to make ??
Hi I’m about to make a Buddha head cake for my daughter 50th. I’m thinking that I could use this idea for the nose and lips before fondant.
I’m nit professional just do it for fun for grandkids. Am I buying off more than I can chew ?
Hi did my comment. One through ?
I have to make a tea pot and cups for a Alice-in-Wonderland cake and I’m making the shapes cups and teapot ahead of time I know what size they need to be How long can you store them before they’re no good anymore
The weights are really off with the rice cereal if got?? 1cup is 90g not 6 cups?? Is that going to through off my project?
Hi Kell! 1 US cup of puffed rice cereal (like rice krispies) is 15g. What type of rice cereal are you using? Are you accidentally including the weight of the cup measure?
@Chelsweets, I’ll go by the cups to check but did want to call out that the box of Rice Krispies in the US is 1.5 cups = 40g which would be 160g (not 90) for 6 cups. You listed 15g per cup but it’s closer to 26.66g per cup.
Hi Jamie,
You are totally right!! This is the one thing I usually measure by volume rather than weight when I’m baking, I apologize for the error! I’ve updated the recipe card to reflect the correct weight. Thank you!
@Bryce, oops sorry i missed your reply so sorry. I will also go by the cups measurement instead of weight Have a wonderful day
@Chelsweets is the gram weight on the current recipe card updated? I measured 1 cup to be 25g so 6 cups would be 150g?
Hi Theresa,
So sorry for the confusion, some of my recipe card metric measurements have been glitching lately!! It should be about 160g of rice krispie cereal! Hope that helps, happy baking!
Hi – so the recipe ingredients say 6c cereal, but the instructions say 5c. Could you clarify?
Hi Lisa,
I am so sorry for any confusion!! It should be 6 cups of rice krispies. I’ve updated the instructions to match the ingredients section of the recipe card. The ratio in general should be 2 parts marshmallows, 3 parts cereal. Hope that helps, happy baking!
Hello, thanks so much for the recipe. Do you think this would stay fresh enough to eat after 5-7 days if it’s covered with ganache? I made a different recipe previously and they went very soft after a day and were not pleasant to eat. They were made and then covered in buttercream for 1 day prior to serving.
Hi Rachel,
I haven’t eaten this recipe after that long of a duration, but it will definitely stay firm for 5-7 days if covered in ganache! I would think the ganache would prevent them from going stale too, but I’m not sure. I’m sorry I can’t be of more help! Please let me know how it turns out if you do make it that far in advance <3
This worked great! I’m using the same technique this weekend… is it okay to fully frost the cake before adding on the rice krispy treats (rather than just the crumb coat) or will that mess anything up?
Hi Christie,
Yay!! You can totally frost the cake fully, then add the rice krispies. I usually just do the crumb coat because I usually find it easier to smooth the second coat of frosting over both the krispies and the cake. But it’s all about preference, and that should work just fine. Happy baking!
Can you cover rice crispy treats on a cake with buttercream instead of fodant or modelling chocolate?
Hi Bailey,
Totally! That’s what I normally do on my animal cakes 🙂 It works great and tastes great!!
I recommend wearing plastic gloves, also sprayed with oil. A lot less messy and you definitely won’t burn yourself if the marshmallows are a wee bit too hot.
That is a great tip Lynda! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Would I be able to cover the RKT sculpture with buttercream? I don’t use fondant or sugar paste on my cakes.
Hi Naomi,
Absolutely! That’s what I do on all my animal cakes 🙂 Happy baking!
Could I make a ‘tree of life’ out of this? With large trunk and branches coming off and add fondant leaves? Wondering if this would work as making a cake for church, thank you
Hi Pat,
Great question! This recipe should work great for that. Just be sure to use something sturdy like ganache to help secure the fondant leaves to the rice krispie tree. Hope that helps, happy baking!
Hi love everything you have made. I have to somehow make an airplane a cessna it will sit on top of a 9×13 cake. Can you please give me guidance on how to do this with Rice krispies. Planning on using white buttercream frosting to frost the rice krispie plane. Help…. thank you. Lisa
Hi Lisa,
I’d recommend making the body of the plane with a small batch rice krispies, and making the wings and other accessories with bits of fondant or modeling chocolate. You should be able to cover the rice kripsies with white buttercream, then add on the fondant details. Hope that helps and that it turns out great! Happy baking!
Please read message below and email me thank you Lisa
I am having a go at making a sewing machine cake. This part will be the side and top part. Where the needle should be I will have a support. Will it need a a support the the rice crispies on the other side?
Hi Sian,
What a fun cake design! I don’t think you’d need another support on the other side for the rice krispies, especially if you use a ganache or thick layer of frosting to lock the rice krispie portion in place and cover it.
I haven’t had any trouble in the past supporting the rice krispie section on cakes. Hope that helps and that your cake turns out amazing!!
How far in advance can I make the rice crispy? I want to use it for a head and have the cake as the body, but I was hoping to cover it in modelling chocolate then fondant to seal it
Hi Emma,
You can make them pretty far in advance, I’d say up to two weeks! They won’t really go bad, they’ll just get a little bit stale. But once they’re covered in buttercream or modeling chocolate it should help with that! Hope that helps, happy baking!
I’ll be making a Tangled Tower out of this recipe. It will sit upon a tiered cake. I’m wondering if I will need a support dowel to stabilize the tower. Your input will be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much for your knowledge and sharing it.
Hi Teri,
I would recommend inserting a dowel though the center of the rice krispie tower and the cake, just to help keep it in place! Hope your cake turns out amazing, happy baking!
@Chelsweets, I tried this recipe and it hardened in 1 minute. I might be my month-old marshmallows, though . . .
Hi Jami,
Ah yes—that could definitely be the marshmallows! Older ones can lose moisture and make the mixture set up super quickly. Fresh marshmallows tend to melt more smoothly and give you a bit more working time before everything firms up. If you give it another go with a fresh bag, I bet you’ll see a big difference!
They do set as they cool, but you can always pop them back in the microwave in 10 seconds intervals until they’re more malleable and easier to work with 🙂 I do that all the time, especially when I’m shaping a bunch of stuff like legs and and arms and tails from one batch.
Hope that helps, happy baking!
I made this Elephant Cake for my grandson’s 6th birthday. Thank you for the amazing tutorial. Not Sure if I can upload a picture of it to “show-off” but I would love to show you.
I am so happy to hear that my tutorial was helpful Deb!! Sadly the comments section on here doesn’t let us upload pictures, but if you’re on social media you can tag me @chelsweets so I can see!! I would love to see it!
Can I use vegan marshmallows or do they not work so well. My granddaughters are vegan and I need to be able to mould pillars for a princess castle cake
Hi Julia,
Vegan marshmallows don’t melt down quite the same as regular marshmallows, but you should still be able to make it work! You will probably end up with some little pockets of marshmallows, but as long as a majority of the marshmallows melt down it’ll hold together just fine. I’d recommend using mini vegan marshmallows if you can find them, I think they’ll melt down more easily than the regular sized ones. If you try it, please let me know how it goes!
Hi, can the marshmallow be melted in a pan if you don’t have a microwave?
Hi Louise,
Great question! The rice crispy treats absolutely can be melted in a pan if you don’t have a microwave. Hope that helps, happy baking!
Can you make the krispies in advance? Maybe warm them up in the microwave?
Hi Brenda,
You absolutely can make these net advances and store them in an airtight container. And then when you do want to use them I would do exactly that just warm them up in the microwave a little bit until you can reshape them. Hope that helps, happy baking!
Recipe was so flimsy. It wouldn’t hold shape
@Alisha, after it cold it was a little better
Are you packing the rice krispies together with your hands as you form the shape? You have to really compress them! Hope that helps for next time <3