Recipes Using Cake Mix

Cake mixes aren’t just for making cakes.

They are incredibly versatile, they save time, and generally speaking, when using cake mix in a recipe, the chances of the recipe “turning out” are incredibly high.

The cake mix companies have been in business for a hundred years for a reason: cake mixes work.

Not to mention, certain flavors are incredibly hard to recreate on your own and even if you could, it’s a bit like re-inventing the wheel. Perfect yellow cake, Funfetti, strawberry, and devil’s Food cake come to mind.

The texture, the lightness, the flavor, the balance of flavor intensity to sweetness are all trade secrets are hard to nail perfectly.

15 of my favorite recipes using cake mixes:

and none of them actually make cake

Bars

Coconut Peanut Butter Magic Cake Bars

Coconut Spice Cheesecake Bars

Cookie Butter Funfetti Triple Chip Bars

Creamy Mixed Berry White Chocolate Crumble Bars

White and Dark Chocolate Cream Cheese Chocolate Cake Bars

White Chocolate Vanilla Marshmallow Cake Bars

Cookies

Pina Colada White Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies

Mounds Bar Chocolate Coconut Cake Mix Cookies

Strawberry Cake Mix Cookies with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

Cupcakes and Cake

3 Musketeers Marshmallow Candy-Stuffed White Chocolate Cupcakes with Fluffy Vanilla Buttercream

Peanut Butter Cup Brownie Cupcakes with White Chocolate Icing – use a brownie mix rather than cake mix

Homemade Twinkies

Truffles and Chocolate

No Bake Vanilla Cake Batter Chocolate Truffles

Oreo Cookie-Stuffed Brownies with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting– use a brownie mix to make life easier

Popcorn

Vanilla Cake Batter and White Chocolate Chip Caramel Corn

Beverages

Chocolate Cake Batter Milkshake

Do you like cake mix? How do you use it?

Recipe links welcome

Ironically, I don’t tend to make cakes with cake mixes. Everything except cakes.

I love the results from cake mix. There’s no shame in taking a shortcut.

And the smell of cake mix is intoxicating. I’d wear cake mix perfume if such a thing existed. Actually, years ago I had red velvet cake bodyspray by Calgon that I found at Rite-Aid and got tons of compliments on it from passerby. Apparently everyone loves the smell of cake.

However, I know some people like to make everything from scratch and more power to them.

Are you brand loyal to a certain mix?

Sometimes I grab what’s on sale and sometimes I choose with more intention.

Duncan Hines classic yellow cake mix, Duncan Hines Devil’s Food Cake, and any of their cake mixes are probably my top choice if all things are equal. Generally, they tend to be about 50 cents more per box at my grocery store.

I love Betty Crocker’s French Vanilla Cake Mix for white or vanilla cakes. The French vanilla flavor is deeper and I prefer it to other vanillas.

 Pillsbury’s Funfetti is one of a kind. Love it. Pillsbury Strawberry Cake Mix is so incredibly moist and the box says there’s “pudding in the mix” and I believe it.

Winner to be announced Saturday for the Ani Phyo Cookbooks Giveaway – Set of Two

Have a great weekend!