Did you know you don’t have to use a whole cake mix when making a cake? I didn’t for years! Totally blew my mind when I realized I could make a smaller cake or fewer cupcakes. Here I’ll show you how to use half a cake mix to make a smaller cake or cupcakes!
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I frequently use cake mix when making cake. I like it, my family likes it, it’s way easier than making a cake from scratch. And, if you make your frosting from scratch, nobody will even know.
Right now, a lot of us are celebrating birthdays at home with smaller celebrations that maybe don’t require a whole big 9 inch 2 layer cake or 24 cupcakes (or 22 in my case-I never seem to manage to get 24 out of a cake mix…).
How to reduce a cake mix:
A typical Pillsbury cake mix is about 3 cups of cake mix.
To make 1/2 a cake mix, you would need 1 1/2 cups cake mix, 1/2 cup water, 2 1/2 tablespoons oil, 1 whole egg and 1 egg yolk.
To make 1/3 of a cake mix is even easier! You would need 1 cup cake mix, 1/3 cup water, 2 tablespoons oil, and 1 egg.
How much cake does a 1/2 cake mix make?
Half a cake mix should make about:
- 12 cupcakes.
- 2 very full layers of a 4 inch round cake
- 2 layers of a 6 inch round cake
- 1 layer of an 8-9 inch round or square cake.
The cake in these photos was made with 1/2 a cake mix and poured into two 4 inch cake pans. It was frosted with a little less than 1/2 batch of chocolate peanut butter buttercream. I used a Wilton #21 star tip for a swirl border, rainbow jimmies, and filled the middle with some chopped up leftover Reese’s Eggs.
Half A Cake Mix Cake
Equipment
- Cake pans
- Mixer
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups boxed cake mix
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk
Instructions
- If using stand mixer, fit with paddle attachment.
- Pour cake mix into bowl. Add in water, oil and eggs.
- Beat on high speed for 1-2 minutes.
- Pour into prepared cake pan and or muffin pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees until done.
Notes
For other cake decorating tips, you might want to check out my posts on how to fill a piping bag using a water glass (makes it super easy) or how to fix an ugly cake.
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Happy Baking!
To make things a little easier in the kitchen, I’ve created a handy printable conversion chart (cause honestly, who can remember how many teaspoons are in a tablespoon?). Sign up below and I’ll send it to you!
Happy Baking!