Birthday Cake Pie Recipe with Classic Bakery Flavor
If you grew up on grocery store sheet cakes with sky blue frosting and rainbow sprinkles, this **Birthday Cake Pie** is your nostalgia in a slice. It...
Ingredients
- 1 9- inch pie crust homemade or store-bought, unbaked
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 large eggs
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup instant vanilla pudding mix or dry yellow cake mix
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract optional
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
- 1/3 cup rainbow jimmies sprinkles plus more for topping
- 1 cup cold heavy cream for topping
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar for topping
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract for topping
- 2 tablespoons sour cream or softened cream cheese for topping (optional, for tang)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Place the oven rack in the lower-middle position.
- Fit the pie crust into a 9-inch pie dish, crimping the edges. Prick the bottom and sides all over with a fork.
- Line the crust with parchment or foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Blind bake for 15–18 minutes, until the edges are just turning golden.
- Carefully remove the parchment and weights. Return the crust to the oven and bake 5–8 minutes more, until the bottom looks dry and lightly golden. Set aside to cool completely. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F (165°C).
- In a medium saucepan off the heat, whisk together the whole milk, heavy cream, eggs, granulated sugar, instant vanilla pudding mix or dry cake mix, and salt until smooth and well combined.
- Place the saucepan over medium-low heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens slightly and reaches the consistency of a loose custard that lightly coats the back of a spoon, 5–8 minutes. Do not let it boil.
- Remove the pan from the heat. Whisk in the vanilla extract, almond extract (if using), and melted butter until fully incorporated and glossy. Let the custard cool for 10–15 minutes, whisking occasionally to prevent a skin from forming.
- When the custard is warm but no longer hot to the touch, gently fold in 1/3 cup rainbow jimmies sprinkles just until evenly distributed.
- Pour the filling into the cooled pie crust, smoothing the top with a spatula.
- Bake at 325°F (165°C) for 15–20 minutes, until the edges are set and the center still has a slight wobble when you gently jiggle the pan.
- Transfer the pie to a wire rack and cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. Then cover and refrigerate until fully chilled and set, at least 3 hours or overnight.
- For the topping, combine 1 cup cold heavy cream, powdered sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract in a chilled bowl. Add the sour cream or cream cheese if using.
- Whip with a hand mixer or whisk until medium peaks form and the cream holds its shape but is still soft and billowy.
- Spread or pipe the whipped cream over the chilled pie. Sprinkle generously with additional rainbow jimmies on top.
- Slice with a sharp knife, wiping the blade between cuts for the cleanest slices. Serve cold.
Notes
Use jimmies-style sprinkles, not nonpareils, to prevent color bleeding in the custard.
Make sure the crust is fully cool before adding the filling to avoid a soggy bottom.
The pie is easiest to slice after chilling overnight.
For a stronger “boxed cake” flavor, use cake mix instead of pudding mix and add an extra pinch of salt.
The pie keeps covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; do not freeze, as the custard and whipped cream can separate.
Make sure the crust is fully cool before adding the filling to avoid a soggy bottom.
The pie is easiest to slice after chilling overnight.
For a stronger “boxed cake” flavor, use cake mix instead of pudding mix and add an extra pinch of salt.
The pie keeps covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; do not freeze, as the custard and whipped cream can separate.