Cake Mix Recipes for Christmas Cakes

By Mary Allen Perry

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.

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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.
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Red Velvet Peppermint Cake

Photo: Tina Cornett

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.

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Blackberry-Raspberry Truffle Cake

Southern Living

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.

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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!

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Snowy Chocolate Baby Cakes

Photo: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Buffy Harget

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.

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Mexican Chocolate Pound Cake

Photo: Jim Franco

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.

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Chocolate-Peanut Butter Mousse Cake

Photo: J. Savage Gibson

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.

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Coconut Sheet Cake

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

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Gingerbread Cake With Stout Buttercream

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

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Rocky Road Chocolate Cake

Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas

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.

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Bananas Foster Upside-Down Coffee Cake

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

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Sugar-and-Spice Cake

Photo: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Buffy Hargett

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.

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