barefoot contessa: Coconut Cupcake & Cream Cheese Frosting Mix

By on January 11th, 2008 . Filed under: Recipes .

One of my Christmas gifts this year, was a box filled to the brim with cupcake stuff. Liners, mini tins, sprinkles, and a Coconut Cupcake & Cream Cheese Frosting Mix by barefoot contessa.

Let me say outright, I am a snob when it comes to box mixes. I’m not sure when it happened exactly. But, I am definitely box mix prejudiced. I stuck the box mix in the pantry, expecting it to grow a heavy case of dust bunnies.

Fast forward a few weeks. I have been slacking here at ATC. Before Jess finds a reason to kick me to the curb, I needed to step it up. Okay, Ill review this damn box mix.

I have made Ina Garten’s Coconut Cupcakes from scratch. They are heavenly. I mean seriously delightful. Its one of my fav recipes. Did I have high hopes for this mix? No, no I did not. Its a mix, come on. I buckled down and baked them up last night. It was easy as pie. The box comes with 3 packets. One with dry batter mix, one with shredded coconut and one with frosting mix. For the batter, you need butter and water. For the frosting you need butter and cream cheese. The box says it makes 10 cupcakes. I got 12, which is nice. Who makes 10 cupcakes?? Those 2 empty liners would be lonely!

Verdict: The cake was eh. It indeed tasted like box mix. It IS a box mix cupcake. They weren’t bad. Just not that down homey taste you get from scratch. The frosting was divine. With that said, you added your own butter and cream cheese. I think the packet labeled “frosting” was just sugar. You cant screw that up.

Would I buy this mix at $10.95/box? No. I would not. But it would be okay in a pinch. Cream cheese frosting makes everything better. When it comes down to it, I didn’t think it was really any easier than making my own cupcakes. And I can make them for less than the mix.

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1 Response to barefoot contessa: Coconut Cupcake & Cream Cheese Frosting Mix

  1. trouble

    ‘I am definitely box mix prejudiced.’

    Me too! I don’t see why you’d bother to buy a box of mix when it’s cheaper to get your own ingredients and a few more! I was downright shocked when my mother (who was always baking cakes when we were kids) announced that she only even uses box mixes anymore!

    So you’re not alone!!

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