A cake batter flavoured dip made without cake mix, so it stays smooth. Twelve servings, ten minutes.

Jimmies, not nonpareils

Half a cup, and the notes are specific for good reason.

Nonpareils are the tiny round balls, and their colour coating dissolves on contact with anything moist. Folded into a butter and sugar dip they bleed within minutes and turn the whole thing grey-brown.

Jimmies are the small rod-shaped sprinkles, and confetti are the flat discs. Both hold their colour.

This is the difference between a dip that looks like the photograph and one that does not.

Clear extracts keep it white

Which both extract lines note.

Standard vanilla extract is dark brown, and a teaspoon of it tints a white buttercream noticeably beige. Cake batter extract varies by brand but is often coloured too.

Clear versions of both are sold specifically for this reason. The flavour is the same; only the colour differs.

If you only have regular, the dip tastes identical and simply looks creamier rather than bright white.

Whip the butter first, alone

Two to three minutes on high before anything else goes in.

That time incorporates air, which is what makes this a dip rather than a dense frosting. Butter that has not been whipped alone gives a heavy, greasy result no amount of later mixing fixes.

Softened means it gives under a finger and holds the indent. Melted butter cannot hold air at all.

Sugar on low, then whip on high

Four cups added gradually on low speed, then two to three minutes on high once the cream and extracts are in.

Low speed first is practical: four cups of powdered sugar on high puts a cloud across the kitchen.

The high speed stage afterwards is where the texture comes from. It aerates the mixture and dissolves the remaining sugar.

Scrape the bowl down between stages, since the sugar packs into the corners.

Sprinkles go in last, folded

After all the whipping is done.

Whipping sprinkles at high speed breaks them up and accelerates the colour bleeding that jimmies are chosen to avoid.

Fold them through with a spatula until evenly distributed and stop.

The whipped topping is genuinely optional

Eight ounces, or two cups of whipped cream.

Without it this is a thick, rich buttercream style dip. With it, it lightens considerably and becomes more scoopable, closer to a mousse.

Fold it in before the sprinkles if you use it, which the method sequences correctly.

It also stretches the yield, so twelve servings become closer to sixteen.

No cake mix, deliberately

Which the description calls out.

Many versions of this dip use dry cake mix for flavour, and it gives a slightly gritty texture because the flour never hydrates. Cake batter extract delivers the same flavour with none of that.

There is also a food safety point: raw flour in a no-bake dip is not advisable, since flour can carry bacteria that only heat destroys. Using extract avoids the question entirely.

Let it soften before serving

Fifteen to twenty minutes out of the fridge, which the notes give.

A butter-based dip sets firm when chilled, and cold it is difficult to scoop with a cookie or a graham cracker.

Room temperature is when it is at its best.

Serving

With mini vanilla wafers, teddy-shaped graham snacks or graham crackers, which is what the recipe suggests.

At 335 calories a serving this is rich. Something plain to dip with suits it better than anything sweet.

Adjusting the consistency

Too thick, add heavy cream a tablespoon at a time. It firms considerably in the fridge, so make it slightly looser than you want it if you are storing it.

Storing

Up to five days refrigerated in an airtight container. The sprinkle colours hold up over that time provided you used jimmies rather than nonpareils.