Complete Cake Mix Magic: 300 Easy Desserts Good as Homemade

Jill Snider
Robert Rose Publishing (2005)
ISBN 9780778801252
Reviewed by Irene Watson for Reader Views (2/11)


If you want to shine amongst your friends and family as being the best dessert chef they’ve ever known this is the book for you. But, of course, you’ll have to keep it a secret.  By using packaged mixes and adding other ingredients, all of a sudden we can turn an ordinary cake mix into something spectacular.

For the purpose of the review we are asked to test three recipes.  The first one I tested was “Chocolate Zucchini Cake.”  Using a devil’s food cake mix and adding the usual ingredients of eggs, water and oil I also added cinnamon, zucchini, chocolate chips and chopped pecans.  Oh my, it was delicious - moist and decadent. 

The second recipe I tested was “Pumpkin Pie Crunch.”  Using a yellow cake mix and adding pureed pumpkin (from a can,) eggs, and spices made a great base.  The crunch was made from chopped pecans and a lot of butter.  This made a very good desert and froze very well.

The third recipe I tested was “Chocolate Raspberry Almond Oat Bars.”  Using a white cake mix and adding oats and melted butter, I ended up with a crumbly base.  The raspberry jam sprinkled with chocolate chips and chopped pecans made a great filling.  These freeze well also.

I am hooked on using cake mixes as a base for other deserts.  It’s easy, the ingredients are measured out already, and definitely saves time.  I highly recommend “Complete Cake Mix Magic” - I promise, you WILL shine!

Make comment on weblog
FTC Disclosure