40 Recipes to Make With Yellow Cake Mix (That Taste Like They're From-Scratch)

no fail pound cake with a glaze on a white plate
Photo:

Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

These delicious, crowd-pleasing, and deceptively easy recipes have one thing in common: They start with boxed yellow cake mix! That's right — the store-bought secret ingredient makes fantastic cakes, but you can also use it to make perfect cookies, gooey cinnamon buns, banana nut bread, and so much more. You'll come back to this collection of yellow cake mix recipes again and again.

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Pumpkin Dessert

low angle close up view of a single serving of pumpkin dessert topped with a dollop of whipped cream.
Victoria Jempty/Allrecipes

""This recipe is easy to make and delicious. My kids don't like pie crust but love pumpkin pie so this was a great alternative for us. Very easy to make. This was gone in a matter of days and there was a fight over the last piece!" —KTinIA

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Golden Rum Cake

golden rum cake topped with nuts on a yellow plate

Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

"This rum cake is a family favorite at all our get-togethers. The butter rum glaze makes it very special!" —Jackie

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Gooey Butter Cookies

round cracked butter cookies in oval platter

lutzflcat

"These gooey butter cookies are sure to be a favorite if you like the cake by the same name. You won't be able to stop eating them!" —Kim Pearson

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Best Ever Cinnamon Buns

Best Ever Cinnamon Buns

"This is a great recipe! I wasn't sure about the cake mix, but I followed the recipe exactly and these cinnamon buns are the best I've ever made!" —Joanie

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Orange Cake

orange-cake-2000-x-1333.jpg
Moroccan Orange Cake. Photo © Christine Benlafquih

"Wonderful, delicious cake—and such a different twist on boring boxed cake mix." —the6CCs

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No-Fail Pound Cake

no fail yellow pound cake with a sugar glaze

Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

"This pound cake made with cake mix is simple to make and the best I've ever tasted. I often take one to work, where it quickly disappears." —Patsy

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Dump Cake

Dump Cake I
saucymama

"This dump cake is as easy as dumping ingredients in a pan! It's topped with crunchy walnuts and melted butter for a delicious dessert." —Wilma Hull

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Quick Banana Nut Bread

close up view of sliced Banana Nut Bread on a wooden cutting board
CoOkInGnUt

"Absolutely delicious and easy banana bread with yellow cake mix and instant pudding." —Crystal Russell Gates

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Ooey Gooey Butter Cake

Ooey Gooey Butter Cake

"This is amazingly sweet and way too tempting to resist!" —Lacey

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Michelle's Honeybun Cake

close up on a single slice of honeybun cake on a plate
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

"Honey bun cake is delicious. If you love honey buns, then you'll love this cake. It's literally a giant honey bun." —M.B.P.

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Outrageously Buttery Crumb Cake

buttery crumb cake slices on a white background

Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

"This recipe is the best. It is absolutely delicious as is. Every single time I make it people need the recipe and the entire cake is gone." —aimerlena

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Lemon Cupcakes

Closeup of 2 lemon cupcakes
ZAKIAH

"These cupcakes are truly lighter than air and will melt in your mouth." —friedbluetomato

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Homemade Twinkies

176459 Homemade Twinkies

"This is a darn good dessert using a boxed cake mix." —Molly

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Cranberry Bars

Cranberry Bars

"These yummy cranberry bars are tart and sweet at the same time. They're easy to put together, and your home will smell wonderful while they're baking!" —TWILLIAMS05

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Monster Cookies

Monster Cookies VIII
kellieann

"Quick, easy cookie using a boxed cake mix as its base. Very moist and fluffy!" —ESKMom

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Easiest Applesauce Cake

close up view of an Applesauce Cake garnished with powdered sugar on a platter
hawaiilynn

"This moist spice cake starts with a simple cake mix and adds in applesauce. It makes a wonderful breakfast or snack cake. This is the easiest applesauce cake I have ever made!" —Brenda Follin

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Triple Berry Cheesecake Poke Cake

squares of triple berry cheesecake poke cake on glass plates
Allrecipes

"Poke a classic yellow cake and fill with homemade berry sauce before topping with a tangy, delicious no-bake cheesecake! This cake is best made the day before, which makes it great to bring to all those summer potlucks!" —Julie Hubert

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Easy Peach Cobbler with Cake Mix

Easy Peach Cobbler with Cake Mix

"This fresh peach cobbler with cake mix is so simple, yet it wins rave reviews. It's a quick but company-worthy cobbler." —Rebecca Lentz

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Easy Bunny Cake

easy bunny cake with coconut flakes and candy decorations on a sheet pan

Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

“My daughter and I have made this cake for 10 plus years now. A family Easter tradition!! I will keep making it as long as she wants too. A very fun cake to make with the kiddos and delicious!!” —Bob O'Neal

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Pineapple Upside-Down Cake From Dole

Pineapple Upside Down Cake from DOLE®

"Very easy to make and delicious!" —Toy Smith

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Simple Cake Pops

overhead view looking at a plate of chocolate covered cake pops topped with sprinkles

DOTDASH MEREDITH FOOD STUDIOS 

"Cake pops are perfect for birthdays, baby showers, weddings, or any special occasion where sweet treats are needed! This recipe is simple to make with any flavor cake mix or frosting." —Miss Amy

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Pumpkin Crumb Cake

a close up view of a platter of pumpkin crumb cake squares, each topped with a walnut half.

Rita

"This is pretty much the perfect recipe. It's easy to make, wonderful, and tasty." —Leona

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Jelly Doughnut Cupcakes

Jelly Doughnut Cupcakes

"This is such a great recipe!! So good and so easy!!" —slowbutsteady

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Lemonade Cake

two tiered lemonade cake sits on an elevated cake stand. A slice has been cut and plated in the foreground
Meredith Food Studios

"This is my husband's favorite cake. It is two layers of yellow cake with a lemonade flavored ice cream center. Wonderful on a hot day." —Mona

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Grammy's Easy Blackberry Cobbler

Grammy's Easy Blackberry Cobbler
Janette L. Boone

"Delicious and super simple! My husband said it was the best cobbler he'd ever had!!" —Laura Villoria

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Easy Banana Pudding Cake

Easy Banana Pudding Cake

"My family always thinks this cake takes way more time and energy to fix then it actually does. Who am I to correct them?!" —pholsch

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Cherry Cobbler

Cherry Cobbler
voula

"Quick, easy and delicious. All the kids and adults loved it!" —Faith N

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Easy Cake Mix Peanut Butter Cookies

Easy Cake Mix Peanut Butter Cookies

"Delicious! And so easy!" —Sharon Fisher

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Sweet Potato Dump Cake

a slice of sweet potato dump cake plated and topped with a dollop of whipped cream.

Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

"This easy sweet potato dump cake is like sweet potato casserole, the dessert version. Buttery and sweet, with a crunchy top, you'll be the hit of every fall potluck you're invited to." —Kathryn Hendrix

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Mandarin Orange Cake

Mandarin Orange Cake I

"This mandarin orange cake is super easy to make with yellow cake mix and mandarin oranges." —Ellen

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Peach Jello Dump Cake

Peach Cobbler Dump Cake
Karla Harmer

"If you love peaches, you will love this cake made with peach Jell-O and cake mix. My grandmother used to make it for Sunday dinner." —GERONEMO

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Cherry Cream Cheese Dump Cake

close up view of Cherry Cream Cheese Dump Cake on a floral plate
Lins

"Wow! I never thought I'd be giving dump cake a 5-star review, but it was that good!" —Lins

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Easy Pumpkin Muffins

Easy Pumpkin Muffins

"My older daughter has declared these muffins to be her new favorite!" —Tera

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Fresh Strawberry Upside Down Cake

Fresh Strawberry Upside Down Cake

"A very soft cake where strawberries get the chance to shine. So easy to make. I served it with whipped cream on the top." —Mary-the-Fairy

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Copycat of Starbucks Lemon Bread

overhead view on a few slices of Starbucks lemon bread on a plate
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

"This recipe is amazing! It really does imitate the lemon pound cake at Starbucks. Moist and lemony!" —coachmattwagner

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Peach Cake with Brown Sugar Icing

slice of frosted peach cake on aqua plate with aqua ceramic baking pan in background

fabeveryday

"A moist, light peach cake is topped with a sugary sweet, praline-like icing for a decadent dessert. Since this recipe starts with boxed cake mix and canned peaches, you can make it easily any time of year, not just when peaches are in season!" —Ramona Cruz-Peters

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Pumpkin Crunch Cake

A single square slice of pumpkin crunch cake is plated on a small burnt orange plate and topped with a melting scoop of vanilla ice cream.The remaining cake sits in the baking dish in the background.
Meredith Food Studios

"This pumpkin crunch cake tastes great and is really easy to make!" —Nora LaCroix

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Blueberry Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Blueberry Cream Cheese Pound Cake I

"Delicious! No one will know that I used a cake mix! Awesome!" —Linda

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Coffee Cake

233071 Coffee Cake | Melissa Goff

"This is the best coffee cake recipe ever! So easy. So tasty! Everyone always asks me to make." —Kimh

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Ricotta Cheese Cake

Ricotta Cheese Cake

"It's a wonderful, easy, light cheese filled cake... but not a cheesecake!" —Gingee

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