A box of white cake mix can do a lot more than make a plain cake. These white cake mix recipes cover holiday cookies, trifles, and festive cakes, and most use just a handful of ingredients you likely have on hand. They also make some of the easiest Christmas desserts around when the schedule is packed.
This collection of white cake mix desserts leans festive, with peppermint, cherry, cinnamon, and plenty of sprinkles. You’ll find holiday baking ideas that take minutes to mix and no fancy equipment.
Some are great for cookie swaps, some work as winter dessert recipes for a winter wonderland party, and a few are simple enough to throw together for a casual get together with friends.
So take a look through these white cake mix ideas, pick a couple that appeal, and start baking. Your festive desserts lineup is about to get a lot easier to pull together
If you love festive Christmas desserts, you may also like these white snowflake cupcakes, these gingerbread cake pops, or this easy white chocolate fudge.
Christmas Ornament Cupcakes
Start with a boxed cake mix and decorate bauble cupcakes with red and green frosting, gold sanding sugar, and a mini Reese’s cup for the hanger. Cute, simple, and great for parties or gifts.
Get the recipe: Ornament Cupcakes
Christmas Poke Cake
Red and green jello pockets run through a soft white cake, topped with frosting and sprinkles. Bake it, poke it, and chill it overnight so the holiday dessert is done before the party or potluck.
Get the recipe: Christmas Poke Cake
Santa Cupcakes
These Santa cupcakes use a white cake mix base with simple buttercream, a red sugar hat, and a mini marshmallow beard. Easy for the kids to decorate, they’re perfect for classroom parties and bake sales.
Get the recipe: Santa Cupcakes
Snowman Face Cookies
Soft cake mix cookies get a layer of vanilla buttercream and a sparkle of sanding sugar before turning into snowmen. Dot candy noses and M&M faces keep decorating quick and fun for kids.
Get the recipe: Snowman Face Cookies
Strawberry Jello Trifle
Layers of cubed white cake, strawberry jello, creamy pudding, and whipped topping come together for this festive trifle recipe. It looks impressive in a glass bowl and feeds a crowd with no fuss.
Get the recipe: Strawberry Jello Trifle
Polar Bear Cookies
A box of white cake mix bakes up soft and chewy, then gets cream cheese frosting, sparkly sanding sugar, and melting wafer ears. Pure winter cuteness for movie nights, cookie trays and holiday parties.
Get the recipe: Polar Bear Cookies
Classic Baked Alaska
A boxed cake base, a dome of ice cream, and toasted meringue make this retro showstopper dessert. Prep the cake and ice cream ahead, then torch or broil the meringue right before serving.
Get the recipe: Baked Alaska
White Cake Mix Cookies
Just a box of cake mix, oil, eggs, and a cup of M&Ms make these soft, chewy cookies. They are ready in under 20 minutes and work for cookie swaps, lunch boxes, and school parties.
Get the recipe: Christmas Cookies
Mini Bundt Cakes
White cake mix gets mashed raspberries, melted white chocolate, and pudding mix for a super soft crumb. A cream cheese glaze and fresh berries finish these mini bundts, which also work as one large cake.
Get the recipe: Raspberry Bundt Cakes
Green Crinkle Cookies
Soft and chewy crinkle cookies start with a box of cake mix and a splash of green food coloring. Chill the dough, then roll in two sugars for that classic cracked, powdered top.
Get the recipe: Green Crinkle Cookies
Strawberry Poke Cake
A white cake gets poked, filled with strawberry jello, and covered in a cooked strawberry sauce. Chill it, top with whipped topping and fresh berries, and you have a pretty red and white dessert for the holidays.
Get the recipe: Strawberry Poke Cake
Cherry Cookies
Chopped maraschino cherries and almond extract give these soft, pink-tinted cookies a classic flavor pairing. Cake mix and cream cheese keep the dough rich, and a dusting of powdered sugar finishes them off.
Get the recipe: Cherry Cookies
Vanilla Cake Mix Layer Cake
A few easy swaps turn a box of white cake mix into a tender, bakery-style vanilla cake with sour cream and vanilla bean paste. Stack it into layers, frost it, and call it done for the holiday table.
Get the recipe: White Layer Cake
Snickerdoodle Cake Mix Cookies
Cake mix, cinnamon, oil, and eggs make a soft snickerdoodle dough in minutes, no cream of tartar needed. Roll the balls in cinnamon sugar, bake, and add them to your holiday cookie tray.
Get the recipe: Snickerdoodle Cookies
Cherry Tres Leches Cake
Moist white cake soaks up a three-milk mixture with a splash of maraschino cherry juice, then gets a cherry-flavored whipped topping. Plan ahead since it chills overnight, so bake it the day before the party.
Get the recipe: Tres Leches Cake
Creme de Menthe Cake
A marbled mint and white cake gets a layer of hot fudge, minty whipped topping, and chopped Andes mints. This grasshopper-style dessert is a retro Christmas treat and it chills until serving time.
Get the recipe: Mint Chocolate Cake
