How to Make Mini Cupcakes from a Cake Mix

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Here are the instructions for making cute mini cupcakes from a cake mix, because they never seem to put them on the box. Check out a couple of simple ways to decorate them while you’re here!

hands holding 2 mini cupcakes decorated differently

Little cupcakes are so much fun! They are a perfect way to get just a little something sweet or a great way to have one and still have room to try something else. Today I’ll share how to make them quick and easy from a cake mix. Plus I’ll show you a couple super cute and fast ways to decorate them.

Little Dude’s birthday has really been a drawn out affair this year. He had a socially distant parade on the day of and several rounds of birthday treats along the way.

We were finally able to have his birthday party at the gymnastics center recently. We kept it small to close friends and family… but of course that meant more birthday treats.

mini cupcake tray filled with paper liners

He requested mini cupcakes for this adventure, lemon and vanilla. Usually I would have whipped something up from scratch but with everything going on it seemed simpler to reach for a cake mix.

They never think to put the mini cupcake bake times on the box! It’s really a shame too, because they are super cute and perfect for so many reasons!

tray of mini cupcake tins filled with batter

So I thought I would share the directions with you to make it easier for you to whip some up. Plus I’ll show you how I decorated them.

What you’ll need

A cake mix and the ingredients the box calls for.
A mini cupcake tin or 3. A box of cake mix will make 72 cupcakes.
Mini cupcake liner papers
A small cookie scoop
Sprinkles!

tray of mini cupcakes fresh from the oven

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F
Line your cupcake tin with cupcake papers
Make the cake mix according to the directions on the box
Use a small cookie scoop to transfer 1 Tablespoon of batter into each liner. Each well should be about 2/3 full.
Bake for 15 minutes. (If you are baking multiple trays at once or you have a hotspot in your oven, you’ll want to rotate them half way through.) The tops should spring back when lightly touched with a finger.
If you don’t have enough trays to bake them all at once, cover the remaining batter with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you’re ready to use it.
Cool completely before frosting.

hand holding mini cupcake with frosting coated in small sprinkles

Decorating your cupcakes

The funfetti cupcakes needed a fun sprinkle finish. So I whipped up some simple crusting buttercream and went to work.

You can either scoop or pipe the frosting on and then dunk them in nonpareils. The final look is super cute and it doesn’t take very long to whip through the whole batch.

hand holding mini lemon cupcake with swirl of lemon frosting

For the lemon cupcakes I used lemon sweetened condensed milk buttercream. That recipe is super popular so I knew it would be a hit.

I just used a large open star tip and let it do the work for me. Hold the tip straight up and down over the cupcake with about a half inch of clearance between the cake and the tip.

Apply even pressure until the frosting blob is the size you want. Release pressure before pulling up on the piping bag. Easy peasy!

tray of mini cupcakes some with sprinkle topping and some with frosting swirls

Frequently Asked Questions

How many mini cupcakes does a box make?

A box of cake mix makes about 72 mini cupcakes.

What is the baking time for mini cupcakes?

These mini cupcakes take about 15 minutes to bake. You may want to check them a minute or two earlier because all ovens are different. They are done when the tops spring back after being lightly touched with a finger.

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Yield: 72 mini cupcakes

How to Make Mini Cupcakes from a Cake Mix

Here are the instructions for making cute mini cupcakes from a cake mix, because they never seem to put them on the box. Check out a couple of simple ways to decorate them while you're here!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

1 cake mix and the ingredients called for on box

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F
Line your cupcake tin with cupcake papers
Make the cake mix according to the directions on the box
Use a small cookie scoop to transfer 1 Tablespoon of batter into each liner. Each well should be about 2/3 full.
Bake for 15 minutes. (If you are baking multiple trays at once or you have a hotspot in your oven, you'll want to rotate them half way through.) The tops should spring back when lightly touched with a finger.
If you don't have enough trays to bake them all at once, cover the remaining batter with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you're ready to use it.
Cool completely before frosting.