When you need to bake for a big group, whip up a batch of these cake mix bars. Since they’re studded with multicolored sprinkles and white chocolate chips, they’re festive enough for a birthday party but simple enough for a casual potluck. The recipe starts with a box of cake mix, so it’s super quick to mix and guaranteed to yield perfect results.

Making bar cookies from cake mix is a great way to make a boxed cake mix taste homemade. Even the small additions of egg and milk enrich the mix, making it extra-flavorful and moist. Since the basic recipe is so simple, it’s easy to play around with too: Add your favorite candies to the batter or serve the bars with fruit or ice cream.

Ingredients for Cake Mix Bars

• Yellow cake mix: Our favorite brand of yellow cake mix actually tastes great—you’d never think that it is not homemade cake.
• Egg: For best results, bring the eggs to room temperature before baking. If you’re in a hurry, pop the eggs in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes after taking them out of the fridge to speed up the process.
• Milk: We like to use 2% in this recipe, but whole or skim will work too.
• Canola oil: When baking, using oil rather than butter allows the flavor of the yellow cake to shine.
• White baking chips: White chocolate chips add pockets of concentrated sweetness.
• Jimmies: Crunchy, colorful sprinkles add flair, making these cake bars from cake mix a fitting (yet less traditional) birthday party cake or dessert for any occasion.

Taste of Home