I’ve been making these moist cupcakes by doctoring up boxed cake mix for years, and they’ve become somewhat legendary among my friends.

4.22 from 28 votes

Recipe

By Christie Vanover | Published February 13, 2011 | Last Updated July 18, 2018

I’ve been making these moist cupcakes by doctoring up boxed cake mix for years, and they’ve become somewhat legendary among my friends.

I bring them to potlucks. I make them for special occasions, and I even mail them every year to my friends in Kansas for their birthdays. Believe it or not, I mailed them all the way from Belgium for two years.

Since tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, I thought I would whip up a batch. There is nothing fancy about them—other than they are bite-size, so for icing lovers, you get the perfect amount of buttercream in every bite. And the cake batter is very moist. I usually make mini cupcakes, but I’ve used this recipe to make wedding cakes, too.

vanilla mini cupcakes with white icing on golden platter

Christie’s Mini Cupcakes

I’ve been making these moist cupcakes by doctoring up boxed cake mix for years, and they’ve become somewhat legendary among my friends.

4.22 from 28 votes

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Servings 50 cupcakes

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Ingredients

16.5 oz box Duncan Hines cake mix
1 oz box sugar-free pudding
4 eggs
¾ cup vegetable oil
1 ¼ cup water

Icing

1 cup Crisco shortening
16 oz powdered sugar
3-4 tablespoon milk

Instructions

Cupcake Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Line mini muffin pans with mini muffin cups.
Mix all ingredients well until smooth (I use a stand mixer). Use a small ice cream scoop to spoon batter into muffin cups. Bake for 15 minutes or until the tops spring back when touched.
Allow to cool. Then ice.

Icing Instructions

Using a hand or stand mixer, whip shortening until smooth. Gradually add sugar and mix. It will be stiff. Slowly mix in milk, one tablespoon at a time, until you get a smooth spreadable consistency.
Spoon icing into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe onto cupcakes in a circular motion.

Nutrition

Calories: 141kcalCarbohydrates: 17gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 98mgPotassium: 10mgSugar: 12gVitamin A: 20IUCalcium: 23mgIron: 0.3mg

This estimate was created using an online nutrition calculator

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Varieties

This recipe can be made a variety of ways. Strawberry and vanilla are my favorites, but I’ve also made the below alternatives.

French Vanilla Cupcakes~For cake, use French vanilla cake mix and French vanilla pudding. For icing, use regular milk and 2 tsp. almond extract.

Strawberry Cupcakes~For cake, use strawberry cake mix and cheesecake pudding. For icing, use strawberry milk.

Spice Cupcakes~For cake, use spice cake mix and cheesecake pudding. For icing, use regular milk and 2 tsp. vanilla.

Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes~For cake, use chocolate fudge cake and chocolate fudge pudding. For icing, use chocolate milk and 2 tablespoons cocoa powder.

Lemon Cupcakes~For cake, use lemon cake mix and lemon pudding. For icing, use regular milk and 2 tsp. lemon extract.

Moist Cupcakes with Boxed Cake Mix

I’ve been making these moist cupcakes by doctoring up boxed cake mix for years, and they’ve become somewhat legendary among my friends.