Cake Mixes are they a waste for you or do you stock them?

[mommato3boys]

Cake mixes are sort of a waste for us. We are more cookie people. A cake will go to waste before we eat it. However, this past year I did buy cake mixes to make cake mix cookies for the grands, some church functions and to provide dessets for funeral meals for church family. I had several left over because I caught them on sale and had coupons so I bought extra, why I don't know. 

 

Now I am faced with what to do with these cake mixes. Then I saw a tick-tock video of cake mix waffles. I thought why not. So I have used my two chocolate cake mixes to make chocolate waffles. They are light and fluffly, cakes mixes do not crisp up. They are good topped with fruit and whipped cream or coolwhip. And one waffle is just the right size for me and hubby. I did make up the whole box and freeze them. Without frosting they are not too sweet. Hubby likes when I take and put a little whipped cream between two and freeze them. He said it is like eating an ice cream sandwich. 

 

Other than norm ie... cupcakes, regualar sheet/layer cakes and cakemix cookies what do you do with your cake mixes?

[Darlene]

Like you, I'm not a boxed cake kinda girl. Boxed brownie mix, yes, but cakes no...so unfortunately I have no creative ideas to offer...outside of maybe making streusel type cakes, where you mix some sugar, cinnamon, maybe some chopped nuts, oats, flour, and pour half of the cake batter into a 9x13 pan, put the streusel in the middle, and then top with the remaining cake batter, with a little streusel on top. Might mimic more of a coffee cake type thing instead of a traditional cake?

[euphrasyne]

I make most of mine from scratch, but I do keep a few boxes on hand for the kids to make or to do other things with like the soft cookies.  They also make good quick breads.  

[Littlesister]

I don't usually make cakes much anymore but also have some boxes of them. I used to make cookies from them when the kids were little. But haven't done that now in several years. I really don't make much in that line boxed or from scratch unless it is for church or something as being diabetic, I can't eat it anyway. I do have a few boxes now that I need to pack up and take to church for the church pantry. 

[Mother]

I occasionally used them camping for the topping on top of a cobbler. Fruit on the bottom, sprinkle the mix in the top and dot it all over with butter.  Bake until golden brown.  I’ve used them to make ‘cake mixes’ for the kids easy bake ovens and I would imagine you could make individual microwave mug cakes with them.  You wouldn’t have a big cake to use up that way.  If you can do waffles with them you could also do pancakes. And of course there are the cookies. 
 

I’m sure you could use them as the flour part of quick breads (Sorry Euphrasyne, I didn’t see your post) and perhaps even yeast breads.  Baked donuts, maybe even fried ones or   Dumplings on fruit.  You might need to add regular flour in some uses as cake mix flour is usually finer. 

[blessedhomemaker71]

I make dump cakes ( some can be made in crockpot), pumpkin crunch cake and lazy cookie bars.

[Dee]

I hadn't bought a cake mix for probably 30 years.  One day Betty Crocker had cake mixes for $.39 each.  I bought 6.  I made a cinnamon coffee cake for breakfast one morning when I wasn't in the mood to start from scratch.  Hey, that was good.  I've also made them swirling jam or jelly through them.  Hey, they're good too. When some cousins called saying they thought they'd stop as they were going by, I made another.  Yellow cake, swirled in some raspberry jam, made a pot of coffee and we were good to go.

 

Now, I always have cake mixes in the freezer.  I'm old, it's easy and I love it!!! 

[Virginia]

Yes, I keep about 8 or 10 at all times.  Someone is always getting meals together for Church gatherings, etc.  I did hear a few years ago that cake mix would go bad.  I have tried it many times, and it never hurt us or our friends either.

[snapshotmiki]

4 minutes ago, Virginia said:

Yes, I keep about 8 or 10 at all times.  Someone is always getting meals together for Church gatherings, etc.  I did hear a few years ago that cake mix would go bad.  I have tried it many times, and it never hurt us or our friends either.

That sounds like me!  Always something to do and not always enough time or ambition!  I do a lot of dump cakes for Church gatherings.

[Littlesister]

Mother, that easy bake oven thing was a long time ago. I used to do that for my daughter when she had that easy bake oven. 

 

VA, I also have used cake mix past it's date and had no issues. But I wouldn't go past a couple of months on them. Might just be me. 

[themartianchick]

I remember hearing that some folks with children keep cake mixes as part of their food storage. They like to set aside a bag containing a box of cake mix, a can of frosting, birthday candles and maybe some sprinkles for each child in the family. If the hooey hits the fan, they can still celebrate each child's birthday and keep up some sense of normalcy. 

[euphrasyne]

A properly stored pantry can yield a cake without a mix, but that is a good idea if the rest of the pantry is lacking.  It makes it convenient and that is good for me.  You can also mix up dehydrated ingredients in a mason jar as a homemade mix.  I do like to keep them on hand for specific types  (spice/confetti/lemon) so the kids can make them without too much trouble.  If you stock dehydrated eggs, milk, and such, it really is not much effort to jar them yourself and the jars take up less space.  Keep in mind shelf life when you start mixing things.   But boxes have a shelf life also.  Or you can make a note card of what dehydrated to use and just build on demand.  I tend to do that more often than not.  

[Littlesister]

That is true euphrasyne, I do like to keep things for fast meals and desserts, though I don't do the desserts now unless it is something I am taking to Church. I have a few cake mixes in pantry now that I need to check dates on. I might move them to the freezer soon. But thinking more along the lines of bagging them up and putting them in the Church pantry.

[Ambergris]

I used to stock mostly angel food cake mix.  However, the boys were always asking for spice or carrot, which took a lot of mixing in, or for brownies, so when I saw Covid coming, I ordered a case each of those (and chocolate cake).  Not money wasted--although the third (fourth?) case of brownies took a looooong time to finish.