Our bento cake recipe is perfect for any special occasion. These mini cakes are a tasty and a fun way to express art through baking.
These bento cakes are cute individual serving cakes and are such a fun size. They fit in a takeaway box, so these petite-sized desserts are the perfect gift to give. I mean, who wouldn’t want a mini-sized cake? And if you love this, you will love our gluten free lemon drizzle cake and gluten free carrot cake!
Bento box cake, or Korean bento cakes, originate from South Korea and are very popular in Korean cafes. Not only are they tasty, they are also a work of art. These cakes are often used as a canvas to create beautiful (and tasty) designs.
I love bento cakes because they are so easy to make and are the cutest size! You can easily pack them up and give them out as gifts. Then you don’t have to carry around a large cake box and worry about dropping it.
Some other cakes I love are our easy Dr. Pepper cake, chocolate orange cake, gluten free apple cake, drip cake and gluten-free lemon poppyseed cake. And for Christmas time, I love our eggnog cake. This black bottom pie and these cakesicles are also fantastic!
What you need
These adorable little cakes are so easy to make. They do not require a lot of ingredients and the hardest part (which really isn’t even that hard) is the assembly.
Prepared Cake Mix
For the cake, pick your favorite boxed cake mix. It is as simple as that. You can choose whichever flavor you would like too.
You will want a 15-22 oz box to make enough of these lunchbox cakes. But other than that, there really is no requirement for which cake mix you should get.
Top tip: Buy different flavors of cake mix to have multiple flavors of cakes!
Simple Syrup
Simple syrup makes everything better. It is sweet and tasty and just overall the best. Check out my Simple Syrup recipe, which is perfect for this lunch box cake recipe.
Cake Decorations
These are completely optional, but they make this recipe, even more fun. I’ve seen bento cakes that have fancy decorations or some that go with the minimalistic vibe. Either way, it is completely up to you when it comes to how you want to decorate (if at all) your cakes.
How to make it
Preparing Cakes
- Prepare a 12×17 inch half sheet pan with cooking spray then press a piece of parchment paper onto it
- Spread the prepared cake batter into the pan
- Bake at 350 degrees for 20-24 minutes or until the top is golden brown
- Let cool completely
- Using a butter knife, loosen all the edges around the entire pan then cover with parchment paper and a wire cooling rack and flip the sheet pan to release the cake
Assembling Bento Cakes
- Beat butter on medium speed with paddle attachment for 30 seconds until smooth then add in vanilla extract and continue mixing on low until completely mixed and incorporated
- Slowly mix in the powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time stopping at 1 1/2 cups to add in the heavy cream and finishing by adding the remaining powdered sugar and continue mixing on a low speed until the ingredients are fully incorporated
- Using an 8-inch circle biscuit type cookie cutter, cut out 12 circles of cake and set aside onto the wire cake rack
- Put a 9 inch square of parchment paper onto the surface you will be frosting on and top with just a touch of frosting then add the first cake circle on top of it and drizzle with 1 teaspoon of simple syrup
- Frost that first cake layer by spreading an even layer of vanilla buttercream on top of the cake and smoothing evenly
- Add the next cake layer on top that frosting and drizzle with another teaspoon of simple syrup then proceed to frost the entire cake with a thin layer (crumb coat) of buttercream and smooth with a spatula or scraper
- Continue until all your cakes are made then chill in the freezer for 10 minutes until the frosting is firm then remove and cover the cakes with a thicker layer of vanilla buttercream and smooth (if you prefer) then chill 10 more minutes in the freezer
- Carefully lift both cakes off the cake boards using the parchment paper and place them inside the bento containers
- Use the remaining buttercream to separate into different colors for decorating your cake by placing them in piping bags with different tips (you can even use gel frosting or sugar letters to write a message)
Buttercream Frosting Preparation
- Beat butter on medium speed with paddle attachment for 30 seconds until smooth then add in vanilla extract and continue mixing on low until completely mixed and incorporated
- Slowly mix in the powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time stopping at 1 1/2 cups to add in the heavy cream and finishing by adding the remaining powdered sugar and continue mixing on a low speed until the ingredients are fully incorporated
You may have heard of bento boxes, which are single serving lunch boxes in Japan. A bento cake is taking that idea of an individually-sized lunch and applying it to cake. The purpose of bento boxes is to easily pack and take a meal on the go. Now, you can do this with cake!
They are very easy to store and perfect for a fun surprise for a friend or family member. It is nice because the cake is already portioned out, so it is easy and delicious.
Buttercream frosted cakes can last in the fridge for up to a week and up to a month in the freezer. Let the frosting harden a bit before placing plastic wrap loosely around the cake.
These little cakes are so perfect for tiny hands to decorate. They are just the right size! I loved seeing how my kids got so creative while decorating their treats. Remember, nothing ever has to be perfect. The way you decorate is just great!
Gift Giving
I love to give these bento cakes as gifts. I use these bento boxes to package them in and they work perfectly.
Tape a little fork to the top of your to-go box for a gift that packs BIG flavor in a small package. Since this recipe makes about 6 cakes, you can really make the day of lots of people!
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Bento Cake (Simple & Delicious!)
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 (15-22 ounces box) prepared cake mix of your choosing
- 2 teaspoons simple syrup
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (I recommend Kerrygold)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 2/3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature
Cake Decorations
- sprinkles (optional)
- gel frosting (optional)
Instructions
Preparing Cakes
- Prepare a 12×17 inch half sheet (or jelly roll) pan with cooking spray then press a piece of parchment paper onto it making sure to cover the bottom of the pan and press into the corners and up the sides of the pan
- Spread the prepared cake mix batter into the pan, making it as even as possible using a spatula to flatten if needed
- Bake at 350 degrees for 20-24 minutes or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, let cool completely
- Using a butter knife, loosen all the edges around the entire pan then cover with parchment paper and a wire cooling rack and flip the sheet pan to release the cake
Buttercream Frosting Preparation
- Beat butter on medium speed with paddle attachment for 30 seconds until smooth then add in vanilla extract and continue mixing on low until completely mixed and incorporated
- Slowly mix in the powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time stopping at 1 1/2 cups to add in the heavy cream and finishing by adding the remaining powdered sugar and continue mixing on a low speed until the ingredients are fully incorporated
Assembling Bento Cakes
- Using an 6-inch circle biscuit type cutter, cut out 12 circle of cake and set aside onto the wire cake rack, then cut out four 9-inch squares of parchment paper
- Put a 9 inch square of parchment paper onto the surface you will be frosting on and top with just a touch of frosting then add the first cake circle on top of it and drizzle with 1 teaspoon of simple syrup
- Frost that first cake layer by spreading an even layer of vanilla buttercream on top of the cake and smoothing evenly
- Add the next cake layer on top that frosting and drizzle with another teaspoon of simple syrup then proceed to frost the entire cake with a thin layer (crumb coat) of buttercream and smooth with a spatula or scraper
- Continue until all your cakes are made then chill in the freezer for 10 minutes until the frosting is firm then remove and cover the cakes with a thicker layer of vanilla buttercream and smooth (if you prefer) then chill 10 more minutes in the freezer
- Carefully lift both cakes off the cake boards using the parchment paper and place them inside the bento containers
- Use the remaining buttercream to separate into different colors for decorating your cake by placing them in piping bags with different tips (you can even use gel frosting or sugar letters to write a message)
Jess says
A bento cake? What an adorable idea! You’re right, these would make perfect gifts for people. SO fun!
Hayley Dhanecha says
I love the idea of individual cake, looking forward to making it again this week for my colleagues as I will be leaving. Can’t wait!
Nicole says
Super cute and convenient. The cake looks perfect and the right size.
Amy Casey says
I love the idea of individual cakes. I made this recipe for a dinner party and they were a hit! So delicious and cute.
Mikayla says
I had so much fun with my kiddo making these, he helped cut, assemble and decorate copiously with sprinkles. Perfect individual size!
veenaazmanov says
These cute little Bento cakes with delicious frosting and sprinkles are the perfect take away gifts for any occassion. Guest would love to have it for sure. Very creative and thoughtful too.
Linda says
These bento cakes are so adorable! I can see these as gifts at Christmas time and for a sweet treat for the kids’ lunches. Loved them with my favorite chocolate cake.
Jenny says
Thank god these yummy bento cakes are small. Else, I might be in trouble. Can’t wait to make them again. Thanks for sharing.
Kathryn says
These mini cakes are so perfect for lunch dessert! I love how mini they are and look so delicious! Thanks for the awesome idea, we LOVED this!
Erin says
This was such a fun idea I had to try it out! The recipients were very happy. Thank you!
Raksha Kamat says
I made this bento cake today by following your recipe. My kiddo loved these mini cakes and she now takes it to her school snack box. Her friends have also asked me to send few extra for them 🙂