Birthday cake nostalgia in a daily wholesome breakfast? Yes, please! Enjoy these birthday cake baked oats on your special day, or any day of the week. This recipe is a great option to keep you satisfied all morning, providing a nice blend of carbohydrates, fat, and protein.
Ingredient Notes
Here’s a photo of all the ingredients you’ll need, along with selected ingredient notes:
- Oats – Rolled oats are ideal for this recipe. You can also use instant oats in a pinch. Do not use steel cut oats; they are too firm to use in this recipe.
- Neufchâtel cream cheese – Also known as light cream cheese. This makes the frosting topping a bit richer!
- Sprinkles – It wouldn’t be “birthday cake” style without these! 😉 Of course, if you don’t have any, you can still make the rest of the recipe – these just add that extra bit of fun.
- Maple syrup – Pure maple syrup is used to lightly sweeten both the oats and the frosting. Because pure maple syrup is dark brown, note that the frosting will not be perfectly white. If aesthetics are important to you, feel free to use powdered sugar in the frosting instead.
Instructions
Yes, this recipe takes a bit longer than pouring a bowl of cereal – but you’ll be glad you took the time! You’ll find the full recipe amounts and instructions in the recipe card below, but here’s a helpful overview with photos and tips.
Start by greasing a small oven-safe ramekin or dish.
Place all the ingredients for the baked oatmeal except the sprinkles in a blender cup or small food processor bowl, and blend until smooth.
Stir in the sprinkles, then pour that into the ramekin or dish.
Bake it for 15-30 minutes. The specific time will depend on whether you’re using a wider dish (shorter) or deeper dish (longer); start checking at the 15-minute mark. You can test for doneness the same way you do for a cake – put a toothpick in the center and if it pulls out clean, it’s done.
While that’s baking, you can make the frosting by mixing together the light cream cheese, Greek yogurt, vanilla, and maple syrup.
When the oats are done, let them cool slightly, then add the frosting and a few extra sprinkles. Boom, breakfast is served!
Recipe FAQ
Here are some common questions that may come up as you’re preparing this recipe:
Birthday cake baked oats are best made when you plan to enjoy them, however you can make it in advance and store it in the refrigerator to eat within 4 days. In this case, it’s recommended to keep the baked oats and frosting separate. Reheat the baked oats in the microwave until slightly warm, then add the frosting.
The most common cause of a dry finished dish is overbaking the oats. Be sure to start checking on them early in the cooking process, and cook until just cooked through. The recipe can also turn out dry if you mistakenly add too many oats or not enough liquid ingredients.
If you purchase certified gluten free oats, then your baked oatmeal will be gluten free. (And double check that any other ingredients used are gluten free).
Nutrition Benefits
As a dietitian, running coach, and food lover myself – here’s why I love this recipe:
- Provides healthy carbs to fuel your fitness – or support recovery after a tough workout
- Contains 16 grams of protein, key for muscle repair and recovery
- Provides 23% of your daily calcium needs, essential for active women to support bone health
- Provides 15% of your daily iron needs, a key mineral for runners involved in oxygen transport in your blood to your muscles
- Contains 38% of your Vitamin B12 needs, necessary for producing energy in the body
- Provides 18% of your daily magnesium needs, a mineral many active folks fall short on (more than 40%!)
More Oatmeal Recipes
If you’re looking for more fun oatmeal recipes to start your morning right, be sure to give one of these a try:
- Peanut butter and jelly oatmeal
- Cranberry walnut overnight oats
- Pop tart baked oats
- Caramel pumpkin overnight oats
- Matcha oatmeal
- Chocolate banana baked oatmeal
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do! If you get a chance to try this, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
Birthday Cake Baked Oats
Ingredients
For the baked oatmeal:
- ½ cup dry rolled oats
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp milk
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- 1 large egg
- ½ tbsp melted butter
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp sprinkles
For the topping:
- 1 tbsp Neufchâtel cream cheese, softened (aka light cream cheese)
- 1 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- Extra sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a small oven-safe ramekin or dish (I like using ceramic onion soup bowls; they’re a little wider and so it will cook faster).
- Place all the ingredients for the baked oatmeal except the sprinkles in a blender cup (oats, baking powder, salt, milk, maple syrup, egg, melted butter, and vanilla). Blend until smooth, then stir in the sprinkles.
- Pour into the ramekin and bake for 15-30 minutes (less time for wider dishes, more time for deeper dishes – start checking at 15 minutes). The oats are ready when a toothpick pulls out clean from the center.
- Meanwhile, prepare the ingredients for the topping by mixing together the light cream cheese, Greek yogurt, vanilla, and maple syrup.
- When the baked oats are done, let cool slightly, then add the topping. Add a few extra sprinkles on top. Enjoy!
Notes
- The icing will be a very light brown color because of the maple syrup, this is normal! If you’d prefer white icing for aesthetic purposes, substitute powdered sugar in place of the maple syrup.
Nutrition
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