There’s never been a better time to bake up something sweet. It’s a welcome escape from reality—a sweet boredom buster, stress releaser, and tasty treat to yourself! And it’s a great way to celebrate any occasion, big or small. So whether you’re stuck at home with a few ingredients or simply looking for a kid-friendly recipe they can help with, we’ve got you covered.
Here are six simple box cake mix recipes fit for almost any kitchen, and a few baking hacks to go along with them. Enjoy!
Cake Mix Pancakes
Happy birthday to you. 🎂 Perfect for birthday brunches or just because, these confetti pancakes bring the party to you. Add a swoosh of Reddi-wip® to keep the good vibes going all day long.
Chocolate Chocolate Chip Toffee Cookies
You read that right—chocolate cookies with chocolate chips. These decadent delights are the stuff dreams are made of. They’re fluffy, soft, and ridiculously easy to make thanks to Duncan Hines® classic devil’s food cake mix. So what are you waiting for?!
Two-Ingredient Black Bean Brownies
A can of black beans and brownie mix is all you need for this tasty concoction! Pro-tip: You don’t have to tell the kids that there are beans in the brownies—they taste so good, chances are the little ones won’t even notice.
Two-Ingredient Pumpkin Spice Cake
We’d be lying if we said pumpkin spice ever goes out of season. Made with little more than canned pumpkin and Duncan Hines spice cake mix, this moist cake is here to bring fall comfort to your kitchen. 🍁🍂
Two-Ingredient Strawberry Lemon-Lime Cake
This berry special cake is everything you’ve ever wanted and more. It’s sweet, refreshing and after just a few bites, it may just become a classic in your kitchen. So, what are the two ingredients? Funny you should ask; strawberry cake mix and a can of lemon-lime soda. 😮
Two-Ingredient Cola Cake
If you’re looking for a cake that pops, look no further. With nothing more than a box of devil’s food cake mix and a can of classic cola, you can create a moist masterpiece that won’t last long because once it’s out of the oven, it’s sure to be devoured.
Baking Hacks
- Add an egg!
An extra egg adds fat to your cake's batter, making for a moister, richer, and tenderer cake. If you don’t have any eggs on hand, use a quarter-cup of applesauce to replace each egg. - Choose butter over oil.
If you don’t mind using butter, melt some down in place of your oil as a 1-1 substitute. Flavor-boost = achieved. - Add Swiss Miss hot cocoa to the mix.
If you want to make hearts extra warm (and stomachs extra happy) give your cake a taste of hot chocolate by adding one packet of Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa to the batter. - If you have it, opt for milk over water.
The amazing cake mixes from Duncan Hines usually call for water, but if you have milk to spare, try substituting it! The results might just blow your taste buds away. - If you’re making chocolate cake or brownies and you don’t have any milk, opt for warm water.
Using hot water in your batter helps the cocoa “bloom,” which is just fancy baker-speak for making chocolate taste even chocolatier. - Go nuts.
If you have peanuts, walnuts, pistachios, anything on hand, throw ‘em into the batter! A little extra crunch goes a long way, especially when we’re talkin’ brownies. - If you don’t feel like going nuts, you can always go crazy.
Cinnamon in the pumpkin cake? Why not? Chocolate chips in the pancakes? Please! Chocolate frosting on your black bean brownies?! Let’s do this. There’s no reason to limit your creativity in the kitchen, so use what you have and use it well!
