Cake Mix Christmas Cakes

The Magic is in the Cake Mix

Over the years, our readers have shared hundreds of delicious Christmas cake recipes that start with a cake mix. You'll find their secrets for adding made-from-scratch flavor in these recipes. Some replace water with buttermilk; others call for softened butter or cream cheese. From mile-high layer cakes to quick and easy coffee cakes, each is super moist and delicious.

Red Velvet Peppermint Cake

1998
The marbled layers seemed like a good idea at the time, but to get picture-perfect peppermint swirls, we bake and frost 27 layers.

• Recipe: Red Velvet Peppermint Cake
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Blackberry-Raspberry Truffle Cake

Lavish amounts of semisweet chocolate and sour cream give rise to these luscious cake layers. No one will ever guess the recipe begins with a mix. A simple coating of coarsely chopped pecans and a handful of colorful berries will send this towering treat to the table in high style.

• Recipe: Blackberry-Raspberry Truffle Cake

German Chocolate Sheet Cake

Looking for more healthful recipes to indulge your family with this Christmas? German Chocolate Sheet Cake bakes in just 15 minutes and makes almost 50 servings. The best part is that each piece only has 128 calories!

• Recipe: German Chocolate Sheet Cake

Snowy Chocolate Baby Cakes

Snowy Chocolate Baby Cakes are simply upside-down cupcakes topped with a super-easy Winter White Glaze.

• Recipe: Snowy Chocolate Baby Cakes

Mexican Chocolate Pound Cake

Semisweet chocolate and cinnamon replicate the flavor of Mexican chocolate in this moist cake. It's equally delicious with or without our Mexican Chocolate Sauce. Garnish with toasted sliced almonds.

• Recipe: Mexican Chocolate Pound Cake

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Mousse Cake

Starting with a boxed cake mix makes this cake both easy and delicious. Kids and adults alike will love the creamy peanut butter mousse between layers of chocolate cake. Garnish with chopped roasted peanuts and serve with a scoop of ice cream.

• Recipe: Chocolate-Peanut Butter Mousse Cake

Coconut Sheet Cake

Coconut Sheet Cake, made from a white cake mix, gets an added boost of flavor from homemade Coconut-Cream Cheese Frosting.

• Recipe: Coconut Sheet Cake

Gingerbread Cake With Stout Buttercream

Not only is Gingerbread Cake With Stout Buttercream easy to make, it also received our Test Kitchens' highest rating.

• Recipe: Gingerbread Cake With Stout Buttercream

Rocky Road Chocolate Cake

Rocky Road Chocolate Cake starts with the convenience of cake and pudding mixes. Pour the batter into a slow cooker, and walk away.

• Recipe: Rocky Road Chocolate Cake

Bananas Foster Upside-Down Coffee Cake

You'll adore the new flavor of bananas Foster in a familiar upside-down cake.

• Recipe: Bananas Foster Upside-Down Coffee Cake

Sugar-and-Spice Cake

Make a classic white cake for Christmas this year. This recipe starts with boxed mix, then adds a few key ingredients to make the end result light, fluffy, and totally delicious.

• Recipe: Sugar-and-Spice Cake