Birthday Cake Shots
Birthday Cake Shots are rimmed with colorful sprinkles and made with RumChata and Cake Vodka. They are the perfect way to celebrate a birthday or any celebration!
When you celebrate a birthday with DIY cocktails, you have to go all out. This is an incredibly fun and unique cocktail recipe that will make your friends’ and loved ones’ special day even more memorable. Birthday Cake Shots are fun and festive for any occasion!
Birthday Cake Shots
Although these might look like the familiar everyday jello shot these are actually colorful liquid shots. This one combine cake flavored vodka and RumChata for the best tasting birthday cake shot!
The tasty tiny cocktails come in individual shot glasses and are made up to look as festive as an actual birthday cake. The sweet mix of two special liqueurs makes an interesting blend that definitely calls to mind the taste of a birthday cake.
This simple birthday cake shots recipe pays dividends in presentation and reception. Make a batch for the next birthday party you want to celebrate, even if it’s your own!
What do Birthday Cake Shots Taste Like?
The short answer is: They taste like little mini birthday cakes, or slices of one big birthday cake (however you want to look at it). Birthday cake shots are about more than just the taste. There is a look and a feel to them as well. Birthday cake shots have a mouthfeel that is fuller bodied.
This is in equal parts due to the liquor used in the beverage Cake vodka and Rum Chata. I’ll explain more about how each of these unique liquors impact the drink. The result of this combination is a heavier thicker feeling liquid that helps with the perception of tasting a sweet, buttery and slightly tangy birthday cake.
Of course, the first thing you do is taste with your eyes. As far as visual presentation for birthday cake shots goes, there is a lot to drink in.
These shots first start out in different colors. soft pastels make great birthday cake simulations, then there is the rim of the shot glasses, coated with vanilla frosting and then dipped in fabulous colorful sprinkles for an extra special surprise with these exceptionally celebratory shots.
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What is Cake Vodka?
It’s exactly like it sounds. Cake vodka is one of the many varieties of flavored vodka that adds unique tinges of sweetness to any cocktail, or simple shot. While flavored vodka has been around for quite awhile, cake vodka is unique in that cake isn’t a flavor so much as a category of food.
On the surface cake vodka would have more in common with something like meat vodka than, say cherry or vanilla vodka. However cake vodka is not the only foray into this multi dimensional flavoring. There is a whipped cream Vodka also and it tastes just as you might expect.
You may not realize it when you are eating cake, but many of its properties do translate into the alcoholic beverage. It’s more than just sweet vanilla flavoring. It truly has the body and mouthfeel reminiscent of eating a piece of cake. There is a slight tang to round out the sweetness and give the cake vodka more depth.
You don’t have to chew it, obviously, but it’s a good enough copycat to fool your brain into thinking of cake when you drink it. Obviously, with power like this there are limitless implications, for adding a twist to all of your favorite vodka cocktails, but the best place to start is with colorful birthday cake shots.
How To Make Birthday Cake Shots
- Stir the two liquors together and separate into four small bowls. Dye each bowl a different color with the gel food coloring.
- Dip the shot glasses into the frosting and then into a shallow bowl of sprinkles.
- Pour your colored shots into the glasses and chill for an hour before serving.
Why is It Important to Chill Vodka for Birthday Cake Shots?
It isn’t always necessary to chill vodka. In fact, there are reasons why you shouldn’t. However this birthday cake shots recipe calls for chilled vodka. The chilling part of the recipe serves an important purpose.
It’s very common to keep vodka cold. It’s the number one spirit that most people keep in the refrigerator. You can even store it in the freezer because vodka won’t freeze at temperatures above -16 degrees. People enjoy the taste of chilled vodka and often prefer it to room temperature vodka.
However, it’s by no means necessary to keep vodka cold under normal circumstances. The truth of the matter is that chilling vodka makes the flavor more subdued. This is something to keep in mind when you have really good vodka vs a flavored vodka that masks the nuances of the base liquor.
So why chill it? Although the flavor of the vodka becomes less pronounced, the body of the liquid also becomes more viscous. The thickness of the vodka helps contribute to the birthday cake effect we aim to create with these adorable shots.
RumChata VS Baileys
There are two key components to making these delicious birthday cake shots. The cake flavored vodka is only one piece of the puzzle. With Rum Chata the picture becomes complete. RumChata is a cream liqueur made with (you guessed it) rum. Typically, the cream liqueur of choice has been Bailey’s Irish cream for decades. RumChata is not the only alternative cream liqueur by any stretch of the imagination. However it does have some unique and compelling qualities that make it a better choice for a cocktail like this one.
Although Baileys has a taste altogether different and is backed by Irish whisky, which differs strongly from spiced rum, Bailey’s does offer a similar tasting cinnamon and vanilla flavored variety. There are a few notable differences about Rum Chata that make it a superior choice over Bailey’s. First is flavor, which has a light cinnamon note that goes so well with rum. The fat content in Rum Chata is also significantly lower than that of Baileys. Finally, RumChata has a better shelf life, lasting several years at room temperature or up to 6 months one opened without refrigeration.
Where Does RumChata Come From?
The name RumChata is a combination of the words rum and horchata, a creamy, yet dairy free spiced beverage. However, RumChata is not fair free. The newish liqueur arrived on the bar scene in 2009 and is made from 5 time distilled Caribbean Rum and Wisconsin dairy creamer. The 27.5 proof liqueur has an ABV percentage rate of 13.75. In the last decade Rum Chata has taken off across the country as America’s new favorite alcoholic creamer. Besides being enjoyed as a cocktail ingredient, RumChata is also enjoyed on the rocks as a beverage unto itself.
Birthday Cake Shots! A must try
Since these have become such a huge hit they are a must make for us now. Luckily they are a cinch to make and make such a pretty presentation. If your short on time you can skip the gel food coloring and sprinkles but I would put in the extra few minutes. It is so worth it. Everyone will be so impressed by these birthday cake shots.
OTHER RECIPES YOU WILL LOVE:
RumChata Cheesecake Pudding Shots
Ritz Cracker Salted Caramel Icebox Cake
Cherry Oreo Icebox Cake
No Bake Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
Frozen Strawberry Lemonade
Birthday Cake Shots
Ingredients
- 1/4 Cup Betty Crocker ready-to-spread Vanilla Frosting
- 1 teaspoon of Pink, Purple, Blue, and Green, gel food color – divided
- 1/4 cup of Rainbow Sprinkles
- 1 cup of Cake Vodka – chilled
- 1 Cup of RumChata
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix the Vodka and RumChata.
- Divide the mixture into 4 large Ramekins, or small bowls.
- Add the food Gel Food Coloring to each dish, making the 4 colors, pink, purple, blue and green. Stir well to mix
- Place the Vanilla Frosting around the tops of the disposable shot glasses, and dip the shot glasses in the Rainbow Sprinkles.
- Place the shot glasses on a Cookie Sheet.
- With a small Ladle, add the Vodka mixture to the shot glasses, and place the cookie sheet with the shot glasses in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours before serving.
- Serve, and Enjoy! Makes 8 – 1/4 cup shots
Disclaimer
Any nutritional data I provide is an approximation and actual dietary information can vary based on ingredients and proportion sizes.
