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
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
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!
you can actually get cake batter perfumes,hand sanitizers, lotions, candles, etc at bath and bodyworks!!!
I have some :)
I’ve worked as a professional baker for many years, and creating wedding cakes is my “specialty”. When I first opened my bakery….I made ALL of my cakes “from scratch”. But that all changed two years ago….when I was approached by a charity organization…about donating a “pretty cake” to be “sold at auction” as part of a fund raiser. I agreed to donate a cake…..but failed to “write out an order”….and so I completely forgot about it, until the evening of the charity event!
Not wanting to disappoint anyone…..in desperation, I quickly ran to the local grocery store…..and picked up several boxes of Duncan Hines Super Moist White Cake mix…..ran back to my shop….whipped up the cakes, baked them…cooled, assembled and decorated them….and delivered them to the event, just in the nick of time!
The whole time they were “auctioning off” the cake….I was standing there….feeling EXTREMELY guilty and remorseful….about what I had just done.
Long story short…..the cake was purchased by one of my most loyal and frequent customers…Who IMMEDIATELY announced that the cake would be “Shared” with everyone at the event!!
So, at that moment… I was absolutely convinced….that my “deception” would be noticed immediately….and I would be embarrassed before everyone there!
But….instead…..the rest of the evening…I received compliment after compliment about how beautiful the cake was….and how it was so “MOIST” and “Flavorful” it was! ( I finally got brave….and tried a slice myself….and they were absolutely correct!! )
Since then…..although I do still make cookies and brownies and such “from scratch”…..ALL of my cakes…..come from a mix !!!! ( My theory….when you encounter “perfection”….don’t fight it…EMBRACE IT! )
Wow this is quite the testimonial for cake mix and there are times when I wish that from-scratch cakes could just nail the results you get from a box. I always say, there’s a reason why the boxes have been around for a century: they work and are easy!
A number of years ago there was a recipe on the side of a strawberry cake mix for a bar cookie that was like a chocolate chip bar cookie but used the strawberry cake mix. I have lost the recipe and have not been able to get help from the cake mix companies. They don’t even remember it! I would love to find this recipe again!
I am a busy woman. I have just spent 1/2 hour on your various websites trying to find a recipe for
the “Berry Poke Cake”, which was mentioned right on the Betty Crocker White Cake Mix box.
No Luck, and I am VERY frustrated. Couldn’t you just put it on the cake mix box???????
I think you have me confused with someone else. I’ve never made or blogged about a “Berry Poke Cake” and am a bit taken a back by the tone of your email. I hope you find your recipe and maybe something to help you relax a bit. Good luck!
i have another great ‘cake mix’ recipe… peach cobbler!
1 yellow cake mix
1 large can of peaches (don’t drain!)
1/2 stick of butter
cinnamon
pour peaches into a pan, cover with cake mix, slice butter into pats and cover evenly on top, and sprinkle with cinnamon. bake at 375 until juice has bubbled up into the cake (about 30 minutes). if there are dry spots you can poke a couple holes or melt a little butter and pour over the dry spots. AMAZING with vanilla bean ice cream! <3
you know I’ve seen something similar on Pinterest and other blogs and thanks for the reminder how good it sounds!
i found this recipe in an old dutch oven camping cook book forever ago and make it all the time! i highly recommend it!
I love cake mixes and I usually use them for cake pops or for a lemon or white cake. There are so many of your recipes that use cake mixes that I really want to try.
I can’t tell a difference from one brand to the other. They all just taste like sugar and that isn’t a bad thing!
Cake mix is so versatile!
Demeter makes all kinds of crazy fragrances – there are two cake scents on the first page:
https://www.demeterfragrance.com/58083/All-Classic-Scents.html
I had their tomato and mojito scents at different points – yum!
Good to know!! Fun!