follow TidyMom on Pinterest

The Perfect Cupcake Recipe (using a mix)

 

This is my all time favorite, go to “recipe” for cupcakes. You can use this “trick” to box cake mix taste like “from scratch”
 
How to make cupcake from mix taste like scratch

 
The Perfect Cupcake Recipe (using a mix)

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 24

The Perfect Cupcake Recipe (using a mix)

Ingredients

  • 1 box mix (any flavor*) – but get the good kind, Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker
  • 3 Large Eggs
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted (use butter not margarine….trust me on this!)
  • 1 cup of water

Instructions

  1. Melt the butter in the microwave.
  2. Add cake mix, eggs and water to the butter in large bowl.
  3. Mix on low for 1 min. Then mix on high for 1 min.
  4. You will be amazed that your batter is nice and thick and creamy - not thin and runny like it is when you follow the box instructions.
  5. Fill cupcake papers – tip: use an icecream scooper! – One scoop is just the right amount per cupcake!
  6. Pop them in the oven on 350 for 20 minutes.
  7. Let cool.

Notes

© TidyMom. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or link back to this post for the recipe.


http://tidymom.net/2007/the-perfect-cupcake-using-a-mix/
 

I use this 99% of the time when I make cakes and cupcakes and I always get lots of compliments!

*Because I get so many emails asking…….YES you can use this to make a cake too! Cupcakes are just mini cakes

All TidyMom Cupcakes

TidyMom Cupcake Recipes

 

 

 

 

If you’re new to TidyMom, I would love for you to subscribe for free updates! You can subscribe via RSS feed or Email. I would also love to connect with you on Facebook and Twitter! Thanks for visiting!
About TidyMom

A self-proclaimed neat freak, Cheryl chronicles her journey through homemaking on her blog, TidyMom.net, where she shares recipes, tutorials, crafting and her ever-growing love for photography. This St. Louis mom juggles her passion for life, her daughters and her tiger-loving husband, all while her obsession with tidiness cleans up the trail blazed behind her. Google+

Comments

  1. 110

    Can you do this with the pillsbury mixes that have pudding in them?

    • 111

      The main “trick” is just to use a little less water than the box calls for (so if it say 1-1/4 cup I use a cup, if it say 1 cup I use a scan cup – a little more than 3/4 but not quite a cup) and to use real butter instead of oil.

    • 112

      I made these, with a few tweaks of my own. I made candied bacon ( bacon rubbed with maple syrup, rolled in brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, then baked on a rack in a shallow pan in the oven for about 30 minutes) I reserved 1/4 cup bacon fat, and added 1/4 cup melted butter, and added 3/4ths cup of water, and 1/4 cup maple syrup. For a filling I made a date/craisin filling with chopped candied bacon. I did a vanilla cream cheese frosting with crumbled candied bacon on top!!

  2. 113

    Do you use salted or unsalted butter?

  3. 115

    Would this work for a gluten free mix as well?

  4. 117

    Does the cake box oz amount matter? example I have a 15.25 oz should I get the 18.25 oz box?

  5. 118

    Tried this with a Duncan Hines Confetti cake mix. Not really happy with results. Had to add a Tablespoon of Veggie Oil (per the box) to make a difference. After that, I just followed the box directions and had much better results. At least to my taste.

    • 119

      So you made 2 batches? One following my instructions and one following the box?

      I’ve been doing this for years and not too long ago followed the box instructions just to see if we could tell a difference, and I didn’t tell my family………they all commented that the cupcakes weren’t as good as they usually were and asked if I did something different.

      The box instructions yield a very runner batter – and replacing the oil with butter makes the cake a little more rich.

      • 120

        Hi,

        Just wanted to add that I’ve used this recipe several times and always had amazing results — until this Easter when I tried it with the Duncan Hines confetti cake mix. They were flat out of the oven and kinda dry and tasteless…

        I wonder if there’s just something about this mix that makes it not work well for this?

  6. 121

    I made these tonight and must have done something wrong. I made a double batch. They “puffed up” really big in the oven and seemed to crack apart. Then when I took them out, they all shriveled up. They taste great….but look a bit sad and pathetic. Any ideas what I might have done wrong? I double checked and I used the correct amount of each ingredient. I also doubled the mixing time….doing 2 minutes on low and 2 on high. Could that have been the culprit?

  7. 123

    I was wondering if I could use your recipe to make cake pops using a cake pop maker…..

  8. 124

    How long do you bake them for if you make mini cupcakes using this recipe?

  9. 125

    I made these cupcakes last night using the melted butter and milk teqnique as Shelly (pastry chef) suggested and they turned out great. I used Duncan Hines Red Velvet box mix and used 4 eggs, 1 cup milk and 2/3 cup melted butter. The batter was thicker and not runny. They came out great! Very moist and delicious!! I will use this trick from now on when using a box mix! Thanks for posting this!

  10. 126

    Hi! The perfect cupcake mix calls for butter…salted or unsalted?

    Thx!!

  11. 127

    OMG!!!! I tried this out today for my sweetheart for valentines and I just want to thank you. I have to admit I was nervous at first cause all I had was one box of cake mix but thank heavens I took the chance! They came out delicious!!!! Thanx so much!

  12. 128

    Tried this recipe on Valentine’s day 2013. Best cupcakes ever! Taste like the ones I’ve been paying $5 a piece for at the cupcake store.

  13. 129
    Siobhan says:

    I made this yesterday using the Duncan Hines White Cake Mix, they are delicious!! Thanks so much for sharing. Although next time I will bake them for 20mins at 325, I found they were too browned on top.

  14. 130

    Thank you! Thank you omg Thank you!!!!!!
    I just tried this recipe exactly like you said and it worked so perfect for me. I used Duff Yellow Cake mix and the cupcakes came out soooo good! Everyone at work love them. they were so moist and delicious!
    Im so glad I found your recipe!

  15. 131
    Kyley Wilcott says:

    Hey I tried the recipe exactly how you said and all mine sunk in??? What do I need to do to fix that???

    • 132

      Cakes usually sink when the cake batter is not completely cooked. Everyone’s ovens are different so you need to find the optimum baking time for your oven. Also be sure you are testing your cupcakes for doneness before you take them out, by inserting a tooth pick in the center of one, if it does not come out clean, then bake the cupcakes for a little longer.

      Sometimes other things can be the problem:
      • Over beating the batter – this causes too much air and can cause cake to collapse.
      • Temperature of the oven is too high causing the cake to rise too rapidly. get an oven thermometer (they are under $10) to check the accuracy of your oven temperature.
      • Opening the door to check on the cakes before the batter is set can cause the cake to sink.
      • Placing the baked cupcakes to cool in a drafty place. (make sure they’re not by an open window or door with a breeze)

      But generally most cakes sink or dip in the middle because their outer edges were fully cooked but the center was not

  16. 133
    Jennifer Sizemore says:

    Can’t wait to try these…Making cupcakes for a baby shower. This looks easy Thanks

  17. 134

    I’m going to make this tonight and be in heaven.

Trackbacks

  1. [...] mixed up a batch of  Perfect Cupcakes using a mix  ‘recipe’ using a box of  Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge  topped them with Vanilla [...]

  2. [...] chocolate cake I followed:  Perfect Cupcakes using a mix(I used Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate [...]

  3. [...] Any way…….I just grabbed a cake mix and fixed it up using  the Perfect Cupcake from a Box “recipe. [...]

  4. [...] know I talk about doctoring up cake mixes for cupcakes, and for most of the time, they really are very good……but still nothing beats the [...]

  5. [...] For the cake “recipe” I just used my favorite Duncan Hines French Vanilla “doctored up” to taste like homemade. [...]

  6. [...] These cupcakes are pretty involved, and I love love love Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix, so I used the cake mix, instead of making the cake from scratch……but I don’t use the directions on the box, I modify it to make it extra yummy. [...]

  7. [...] I often make them by tweaking a box mix for the perfect cupcakes from a mix. [...]

  8. [...] Perfect Cupcakes using a mix (I used Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe French Vanilla) [...]

  9. [...] Perfect Cupcakes using a mix (I used Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge) [...]

  10. [...] made the perfect cupcakes using Dark Chocolate Fudge cake mix and topped [...]

  11. [...] These were really easy when I used the secret trick of making a box mix taste like homemade! [...]

  12. [...] I used the Perfect Cupcake (using a mix) recipe posted here. [...]

  13. [...] The Perfect Cupcake (using a mix) [...]

  14. [...] I mixed up a batch of  Perfect Cupcakes using a mix  ‘recipe’ using a box of  Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe French Vanilla .  Now if you [...]

  15. [...] CLICK HERE FOR THE FABULOUS RECIPE!  [...]

  16. [...] will improve your cake mix. I found this trick in the comments of a post on Tidy Mom, from a pastry chef named Shelly. (Thanks!) Look at the directions on the cake mix [...]

  17. [...] prepare the cupcakes with the directions on the box. I did something much, MUCH better. I found a link a while back on good ol’ Pinterest that described a way to prepare cupcakes with a box mix [...]

  18. [...] is where I have to tell you, that he’s perfectly happy with a boxed mix (especially when I doctor it up to make perfect cupcakes) and some canned frosting.  But, as luck would have it, I did not have a vanilla, yellow or white [...]

  19. [...] and got 24 cupcakes and had icing left over, so I whipped up a batch of French Vanilla cupcakes, doctoring the cake mix like I always do, and topped them with the peanut butter frosting as [...]

  20. [...] wrote this post sharing her perfect cupcake recipe using a mix.  I was [...]

  21. [...] this! Put a Cork in It! I have seen this recipe several times and I want to try it sometime! The Perfect Cupcake Recipe (using a mix) This cake is SO pretty! Red Velvet Strawberry Shortcake This is fun! In Honor of Halloween [...]

  22. [...] used my favorite Duncan Hines French Vanilla Cake mix, doctored up like I usually do, with butter in-place of the oil and a little less [...]

  23. [...] brownies, I now do a lot of my baking for others by staring with box mixes.  I take a hint from Tidy Mom and substitute the oil called for on the box with butter.  I don’t melt the butter, though; [...]

  24. [...] whether they win or lose!   (They lost, bummer.)  The cupcake recipe comes from a blog called “Tidy Mom”.  I haven’t tasted one of these yet since I gave them all away but she claims that they are [...]

  25. [...] A while ago I saw a post on Tidy Mom about the perfect cupcake from a box mix. Our Tea Party was a perfect time to try out the recipe. [...]

  26. [...] know I often make cakes and cupcakes that start with a box mix, but this “from scratch” recipe is super simple to make, and I’m even thinking it [...]

I’d love to hear from you, leave a comment

*