Don't have enough time to bake a cake from scratch this holiday? Or, not completely comfortable in the kitchen? You can still dazzle friends and family this holiday with a dessert made from some of our cake mix recipes. A luscious layer cake made from one of our boxed cake recipes can still turn out as beautiful as a cake from scratch, and it can taste just as good. The secret is to add your own homemade touches to a cake mix recipe so family and friends can’t tell the difference. Sure, grandma says she can always spot a homemade cake from a boxed cake recipe, but these cake mix recipes are so good that even her keen palate won’t be able to discern between the two. From a simple sugar-and-spice cake to slow-cooker rocky road chocolate cake, there will be no shame in your cake baking game after serving up a slice of one of one of our favorite cake mix recipes.
The Magic is in the Cake Mix
Red Velvet Peppermint Cake
Recipe: 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.
Blackberry-Raspberry Truffle Cake
Recipe: 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.
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
Recipe: Snowy Chocolate Baby Cakes
Make these mini chocolate cakes by starting with a devils' food cake mix and baking in muffin pans. The festive holly garnish is simply red cinnamon candies and fresh bay leaves. Top with a super-easy Winter White Glaze.
Mexican Chocolate Pound Cake
Recipe: Mexican Chocolate Pound Cake
We replicated the flavor profile of Mexican chocolate using semisweet chocolate and cinnamon. If you prefer to use Mexican chocolate, look for it with the hot drink mixes or on the Hispanic food aisle. This moist pound cake is equally delicious without the Mexican Chocolate Sauce.
Chocolate-Peanut Butter Mousse Cake
Recipe: 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.
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.
Rocky Road Chocolate Cake
Recipe: Rocky Road Chocolate Cake
Slow-cook your way to rich, chocolatey, marshmallowey goodness. This first cake will look like it needs to cook just a little longer; however, by the time the topping is set, it's ready to serve.
Bananas Foster Upside-Down Coffee Cake
You'll adore the new flavor of bananas Foster in a familiar upside-down cake.
Sugar-and-Spice Cake
Recipe: 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.
