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), how to use straws instead of dowel rods for cake support or how to fix an ugly cake.
Did you make this recipe? Tag me @bakincareofbusiness on Instagram so I can see what you made!
Happy Baking!
