Pretty Cake Mix Cupcakes With Vanilla Glaze
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These easy cake mix cupcakes include a tender white cake mix topped with a sweet vanilla glaze and a pretty edible decoration. They’re perfect for your next birthday party, shower, or get-together.
Looking for an easy homemade cupcake recipe that looks so pretty and perfect that everyone will think they’re store-bought? Step this way! I have my daughter to thank for inspiring this cake mix cupcakes recipe. You see, we love petit fours so thought we’d try making them at home in the easiest and least complicated way possible. And voila, this recipe was born!
The ingredients list is simple, which is what we like to see. We start with a boxed white cake mix, which we prepare according to package directions. I’m personally making mini cupcakes today, but you can follow the exact same directions to make full-sized cupcakes, there will obviously just be fewer.
Once you have your baked cake mix cupcakes, we’re going to add a sweet vanilla glaze on top petit fours-style, which is made with confectioner’s sugar, vanilla extract/flavoring, and milk. Then, if you like, you can go that extra step and add the pretty-in-pink flower on top. To do so, we mix together store-bought vanilla frosting with pink food coloring until it’s the color you desire. Then keep reading below for the step-by-step process to perfect your flowers. I promise it’s easy!
These pretty cake mix cupcakes are so easy to make, I hope you give them a go before your next birthday party, baby shower, or family get-together. Adults and kids alike won’t be able to say no!
Recipe Ingredients
- White box cake mix
- Confectioner’s sugar
- Milk
- Clear vanilla flavoring, butter flavoring, or vanilla extract
- Vanilla frosting
- Pink food coloring
How to Make Cake Mix Cupcakes
Bake the Cupcakes
First, prepare the cake batter according to the package directions. You will typically need an egg, water, and oil to make your cake.
Then line a muffin tin with cupcake papers. Today I’m using a mini cupcake tin and mini cupcake papers, but you can also use a muffin tin with regular cupcake papers.
Here is a little #protip: Place your cupcake mix into a zipper seal bag and seal well. Snip off a small portion of one corner and squeeze the batter into your muffin papers for mess-free ease that saves a lot of time.
Bake cupcakes according to the package directions (for example, I baked mine in a 350-degree oven for 15 minutes). Cupcakes generally take between 15 to 20 minutes to bake.
To check if they’re done, stick a toothpick in the center. If it comes out clean, you’re good to go!
Prepare the Vanilla Icing
Time to make our thick confectioner’s sugar glaze.
All you need to do is stir the 3 ingredients together until there are no lumps. It may take a minute or two but it will happen.
Now, you want your icing to be the consistency of school glue. I’m giving you basic measurements at the bottom of this post but you may need to tweak it a little bit by adding a bit more milk if it is too thick or a bit more sugar if it is too thin and stirring well again.
With a good grasp on each cupcake, dip the tops into the icing.
Let it drip for just a moment when you pull it out and then set it aside to dry.
Repeat with all of the cupcakes.
Add the Decoration
Let them dry for a few minutes and then top them with the roses if you like.
In keeping with the simple nature of this recipe, we just used store-bought vanilla icing for the roses. I dyed mine a deep pink, but choose whichever color you like.
To make these little flowers I just used a 30 tip. All you have to do is place the tip in an icing bag and fill the bag with icing.
How I hold my icing bag
The end is twisted to hold the icing in and that is pinched between my index and thumb fingers. Then the fatter part of the bag is held and squeezed as I work with the palm of my hand.
How to make a flower
With the bag straight up and down, not tilted, gently squeeze out a little icing. Stop squeezing, wait one second, and then pull your icing bag up. As long as you stop squeezing before pulling your bag up you’ll have a nice little flower.
I went back with some kitchen tweezers and added a little pearl-looking sprinkle to the center of each one, which took me all of three minutes.
Another easy way to decorate them is to just put some colored icing in a gallon zipper seal bag and cut just the tip off of one corner, then do a few zig-zag lines across the top of each one.
Let these sit out for an hour or so until the icing crusts over a bit and then store them in an airtight container… or eat them all. Totally up to you but I wanted to offer up both options ;).
If you have a friend or two around, they can help you with the eating option too!
Enjoy!
Storage
Store leftover cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also freeze cupcakes for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before enjoying.
Recipe Notes
- Feel free to use any boxed cake mix you like, including yellow cake mix, vanilla cake mix, or even chocolate cake mix.
- If you’re not adding the flower decorations, before the glaze dries drop the cupcake tops into a bowl of sprinkles or chopped nuts if you like.
Recipe FAQs
How many cupcakes does a box of cake mix make?
A boxed cake mix typically makes between 24 and 30 regular cupcakes and 48 mini cupcakes.
What is the perfect amount of cake mix for cupcakes?
You want to fill your cupcake papers 2/3 full, which for regular cupcakes is about 3 tablespoons or an ice cream scoop of cake batter.
What other toppings can I add to my cake mix cupcakes?
Because you’re starting with a simple white cake base, any kind of frosting will work. This might be chocolate frosting, cream cheese frosting, or buttercream frosting.
Check out these other bite-sized cake and cookie recipes:
Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Frosting
Rolo Cupcakes with Brown Butter Frosting
Red Velvet Cupcakes Recipe (Made From Scratch)
Cookies and Cream Cookies Using Cake Mix
Mini Bundt Cakes Using Aunt Sue’s Famous Pound Cake
Ingredients
- 1 box white cake mix
Vanilla Glaze
- 1.5 cups confectioner's sugar
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla or butter flavoring
Decoration (optional)
- 1 container vanilla frosting
- pink food coloring
Instructions
- Prepare cake mix according to package directions and divide it evenly among 48 mini muffin cups in a muffin tin lined with mini cupcake papers. Bake according to package directions, which will be at 350 for about 15 minutes or so (give or take) or until cupcakes bounce back when lightly pressed in the center. Remove from oven and allow them to cool completely.1 box white cake mix
- In a medium bowl, stir together the confectioner's sugar, milk, and flavoring until well combined and there are no lumps. The mixture needs to be the consistency of school glue. If it is too thin, stir in more confectioner's sugar (a tablespoon or so at a time). If it is too thick, stir in more milk (a teaspoon at a time) until desired consistency is reached.1.5 cups confectioner's sugar, 3 tablespoons milk, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla or butter flavoring
- With a good hold on each cupcake, dip the tops of them, one at a time, into the glaze. Hold it upside down over the bowl for a second or two once you remove them to allow excess glaze to drip off. Flip right side up and place on a platter or a waxed paper-lined countertop to dry. Repeat with remaining cupcakes.
- Once the cupcakes have dried, place a #30 tip in an icing bag and fill it with icing. Twist down the top to close and hold the bag as pictured in this post.1 container vanilla frosting
- With the bag straight up and down, not tilted, gently squeeze out a little icing. Stop squeezing, wait one second, then pull your icing bag up. As long as you stop squeezing before pulling your bag up you'll have a nice little flower. Optional: Use kitchen tweezers to add a little pearlish-looking sprinkle to the center of each one.
- Allow the cupcakes to dry for a bit so the icing develops a thin crusting on the outside. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Nutrition
“Look for something positive in each day, even if some days you have to look a little harder.”
~Unknown
Ooooh, can’t wait to make these! I might go half-and-half on the flavoring–part almond and part vanilla. Yummmmm!
Good going, Katy!
🙂 She said “Thank you Karla!!!”
Ohhhh, smarty pants. The straightest line from no petit fours to many petit fours is indeed cake mix, mini muffin tins and powdered sugar glaze. As someone more eloquent than me once asked, why go around the block to get next door? I’m not a fussy baker either, but I believe I could manage these little beauties. I could even manage to dip them twice to make the glaze shields extra powerful. 😀 Good job, team!
🙂 LOL, I love that…”why go around the block to get next door”!!!!
Christy,
A big thank-you to you and Katy! I love Petit Fours and like you a couple of times a year I make a trip to my local bakery and buy 2 and 1/2 dozen. I have them boxed by the half dozen. Since they are just such a happy little treat, I take a box each to two of my co-workers and a box to my mom…. leaving 2 boxes for me! I freeze one box at home, eat one Petit Four and freeze the other 5 from the 2nd box at work (yes, this takes all the willpower I can muster!). When I am feeling like a little treat, I put on the kettle for a cup of tea and pull out a Petit Four and by the time the tea is steeped the cake is thawed and ready to eat. Thanks to Katy (and you) I can make a batch of these any time and have more to share with family and friends!
I love how you share them and freeze them!! That is so sweet of you Leta!! I hope you get the chance to try them soon and love them as much as we do!!
Looks Great!
Can’t wait to see the dog cookies.
Have a blessed day.
They will be coming up soon Jean. I hope you have a blessed day as well!!
Katy is wise beyond her years! I am so Happy to see her enjoying cooking, baking and spending time with her mama. I cherish the memories of the times my children and grandchildren spent in the kitchen with me.
It makes my heart soar. I know there will come a day when she won’t have as much time to spend with me but I hope she cherishes the memories we are making as much as I will!!
Petite cakes? They are cupcakes, right?
Nope and yes. You kinda need to read the post to understand 🙂
LOVE!!! Wish I had some! Good going Katy!
She said “Thank you”!!!!
For some reason, my icing always melts, and ruins my petit fors. Is it too thin? Or because I only glaze them once (I pour instead of dip)?? The weather maybe??
I would try making it a little thicker. I completely understand as I always make mine too thin at the start :). It should be the consistency of school glue.