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This Cornbread recipe is a perfect cross between a cake and cornbread. The texture is fluffy and smooth, but has that yummy cornbread taste!
Featured with this Recipe
This Cornbread with Cake Mix recipe is in regular rotation at our house. The bread is moist and light. I’m not a huge fan of corn breads that are really grainy with cornmeal and are dense, or corn breads with vegetable surprises inside. That is why I love this easy homemade cornbread recipe so much. It is a perfect cross between a yellow cake and cornbread, and there are no surprises. It is easy to prepare and tastes amazing with some butter and a drizzle of honey. This is a great side dish for fall and winter to serve with a hearty stew, soup, or chili.
Make This in a ‘Jiffy’
One of the great parts about this recipe is the inclusion of Jiffy Cornbread Mix in the list of dry ingredients. No need to mess with extra salt, teaspoons of baking soda, baking powder, or cornmeal. It’s all in the box! That’s part of what makes this such a wonderful cornbread recipe. Between the boxed cornbread mix and the boxed cake mix, half of your work is done! Sometimes you just need the help from convenient resources, right? Then, all you need are some eggs, milk (you can whisk in buttermilk or regular milk) and some melted butter, and water. Mix the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients and you are done! I promise, this recipe is a quick, simple, delicious way to get all the flavor you love with the perfect texture.
Pans to Use for Cake Mix Cornbread
- If you like your homemade cornbread slightly more grainy, add another cornbread mix and another egg. You will end up with more than what will fit in a 9×13 pan.
- Some people like to get creative with the baking dish choice when baking this bread. If you have more batter than will fit in the 9×13 cake pan, you can add the excess batter to some muffin tins for little cornbread muffins.
- One reader suggested baking it in a bundt pan for a different way to serve. Round pans in in the oven work well too.
- You can even bake this in a cast iron skillet in the oven.
Tips for Cornbread with Cake Mix
While we try to give accurate cooking times, there are many factors that can affect the total time and how quickly your cornbread bakes. The best way to tell if your cornbread is done is to do the toothpick test. You’ll know its done when the top crust is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If the edges and top are golden brown, but the toothpick does not come out clean, you can wrap the pan with tin foil to slow the outside down and leave time for the inside to cook.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cool to room temperature then store in the fridge in a airtight container.
Yes, just use a gluten free cake mix and cornbread mix. Or freeze in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Absolutely! Just stir some in before baking.
Try this Cake Mix Cornbread with one of our delicious soup or chili recipes
Easy bread recipes are a favorite in our family. Freshly baked bread like this Homemade Banana Bread, our delicious Chocolate Zucchini Bread or this Irish Soda Bread are perfect to serve with any meal or for a yummy snack.
How to Make Cornbread with Cake Mix
Cornbread with Cake Mix
Video
Equipment
- 9×13 inch pan
- Mixing Bowls
- Hand Mixer
Ingredients
Instructions
- Mix cake mix and corn bread mix together in a large bowl.
- Add remaining ingredients and stir well. The batter should be nice and thick.
- Pour into a greased 9×13 pan or lined muffin tin.
- Bake at 325-degrees for 40 minutes, or until baked through. Use the "toothpick test" to determine doneness. If baking in a muffin tin, bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown and baked through.
If you do only use one box of jiffy mix, do you have to alter the amount of milk/eggs/butter/water that you use?
Yes, using only one box would change the whole recipe. We have not tried it that way before.
This is so funny, b/c years ago my Mom made cornbread with two boxes of Jiff , but she made a mistake and used 1 box Cornbread Mix & 1 box Cake Mix. The family loved it and said it was the best Cornbread they had ever eaten. Mom was so happy the family loved it.
Hi Erica,
Thank you for posting this recipe. I’m sorry if I missed it, but what size cake mix box do we need to buy? I’m looking forward to making this next week. 🙂
A standard size cake mix box – which I believe is around 15 ounces.
love this recipe, but how many mini cupcakes would 1x the recipe make?
thank you!
It depends on what size of mini cupcakes but I would say between 50-60.
I made this and we ate it with chili and it was delicious. We were just eating it plain all week. I’m in the process of making it again for a Friendsgiving. But I’ve added 1 can of pumpkin puree, 1.5 TBS granulated sugar, 1.5 tsp pumpkin spice and only used 2/3 cup of water. It’s in the oven now and I hope it taste as amazing as it smells.
Ohhh so delicious!!
This idea is genius! Not only is it super easy to make, but the cake mix helps make the texture so soft and fluffy. I don’t think I’ll ever make cornbread any other way! Thank you!
I’m with you on cornbread texture so when you said a mix of yellow cake and cornbread, I was sold! Perfect recipe – will definitely be coming back to this one time and time again!
We have a local restaurant famous for their cornbread. Years ago I figured out to make half Jiffy cornbread and half Jiffy yellow cake mix. I made each according to directions and mix together. However, it’s getting harder to find to the small box of cake mix. Glad I ran across this recipe!
There’s a website on the Internet that’s “the finder of lost recipes” and there was a request for Horn and Hardart restaurant recipe for cornbread. I had actually eaten the restaurant version and it was fabulous. The only difference is that you used one box of yellow cake mix and two boxes of Jiffy but you made them separately as directly on the packages and then simply stirred them together. It was exactly as I had remembered. Anyone who loves corn bread that’s cakelike will absolutely adore this recipe. if there’s any left over, it freezes well. But there won’t be any left over!
Walmart still carries the small Jiffy Yellow cake mixes..
I’VE SHARED THIS RECIPE FOR OFFICE POTLUCKS FOR MANY YEARS. I’VE SEEN IT CALLED DISNEYLAND CORNBREAD! RECIPE SUPPOSEDLY CAME FROM A FORMER DISNEYLAND WORKER.
This is a good recipe. I googled Disney Cornbread & the same recipe came up. According to that recipe, you follow the instructions on the cake mix (3 eggs, 7 tablespoons of butter or oil, 3/4 cup water, i use can milk)& cornbread mix( 1 egg per box & 1/3 c water per box, I use can milk) I follow those instructions & I also add cream style corn…..sooooo good! If it seems too liquidy, bake it at a lower temp & a lil longer, then turn up the heat to brown. Thank you for sharing!
I have made this recipe using the yellow cake mix and absolutely loved it! I think it was ingenious of you mixing the yellow cake mix in with the Jiffy cornbread mix! I baked it in a glass 13 x 9 for 40 minutes at 325 degrees and it came out perfect! Having said that, I do like to add my own little tweeks to recipes so this time I took out 1/2 cup of the cake mix and added a 1/2 cup more of the Jiffy cornbread mix, I used Kerrygold salted butter, I used half & half and put in the 1/3 cup plus added 1/4 more and reduced the water to 3/4 cup. One of the eggs was a double yolk and just went with it as it happened to be the 4th egg I was adding. I also added 1/4 tsp salt and 1 tbsp of sugar. I was super pleased with the results! Yummy! I did have to bake it for an additional 5 minutes. Thank you so much for the cake mix idea! Now I’m stocking up on both cake mix and Jiffy cornbread mix for this winter!
This was really different and delicious, it was perfect with a big bowl of chili!
This was DELICIOUS! I had no idea you could do this and my family loved it! Thank you!
I LOVE how easy and delicious this is! My family would love it!
Just made this. Baked in a glass 9×13 pan and it fully baked at 45 minutes at 325. This was delicious and my family loved it. This recipe is a keeper, thank you!
Okay, so I just made this. 1 Pillsbury yellow cake mix, 2 boxes of Jiffy cornbread mix, 2/3 water, 1/3 milk, 3 eggs and 1/2 cup oil. Mix until combined. I used a parchment lined 13×9 (splash pan with water to hold paper to it). Bake 30 minutes in a 350 degree preheated oven. Perfect!
I followed this to the T. And after 25 min it is still soupy in the middle yet a nice brown on top. I feel like there is too much liquid.
So I tried again leaving out the water. And again after 25 min it has nice brown on top and not cooked in middle it’s soupy.
Therefore some thing else liquify needs to go.
Or a lower temp for an hour cook?…,
I’m so sorry this recipe didn’t turn out for you! What kind of pan are you using?
Is it possible to make corn muffins with this recipe?
Yes! This would make delicious muffins!
I had this same problem. Another recipe I saw after attempting to make this one called for 2 boxes of the jiffy mix. I made this a long time ago and it was delicious, but I do believe I used 2 boxes of jiffy corn mix.
Thank you for letting us know. We will test this recipe again!
This recipe needs updating. Cake mixes are smaller now even jiffy is no longer 9 oz. might be why cakes aren’t cooking properly to much liquid now?
We are actually currently working on updating this one. Check back for updates!
Hi there,
I know the recipe is being updated, but I gave it a try and wanted to share my results. After reading some of the comments, I checked the liquid amounts and decided to reduce the water to 3/4 C. This now equaled the amount of liquid required on the packaging for the cornbread and the cake mixes. I baked it in a casserole slightly larger than a 9 X 13. It needed 30 minutes to fully cook the center. The flavor was delicious! For my taste, I think 2 boxes of cornbread would be too corny (I know it’s cornbread- lol). It had just the right amount of corn flavor, and the cake mix truly does add the sweetness and fluffy texture that I like. However, while the middle was great, the sides were a bit overdone. I think the ultimate issue, as mentioned in the post, is the amount of batter this produces. I think next time I will bake it in 2 9X9s. or as muffins. Still the best cornbread I have made!! Thanks!
So I wanted to check, has this been updated? As of 11/14/21? 🙂
Yes! We tested this recipe over the summer and the recipe is updated!
Easy and delish‼️‼️ I didn’t have yellow cake mix so I used what I had which was FRENCH VANILLA. ALLS WELL‼️‼️😂😂❤️❤️
Can I use more milk and less water in this recipe?
I haven’t tried it that way before, but I don’t see why not. Let us know how it turns out!
I made this corn bread tonight. I had it with pinto beans. The texture and taste was great. My life family loved it.
I’ve been making this over 10 years even before I saw recipe. I love it warm out of oven and with a smear of butter.
We loved the recipe. This cornbread is light, tasty and has a nice texture. It is delicious and easy to make. I’ll definitely make it again. Thank you!
Could you also add creamed corn?
I haven’t tried it that way, but let me know how it turns out if you do!
Yes!!! I ALWAYS add creamed corn to my cornbread….love it!!
I just made it and it was delicious thanks for sharing !
I made this recipe and my family loved it. It is easy to make and cooks in the time provided in the recipe. We did feel that is was more like cake than cornbread but delicious. I have adjusted the recipe by removing one cup of cake mix and adding an additional cup of Jiffy mix. This was perfect for us. I have reserved the leftover cake and jiffy mix from the past three times I’ve made it and I’ll try that to see how it comes out (saved in a sealed storage bag) next time. Thank you for this recipe it was just what my family was looking for in a good cornbread recipe.
Thank you! I’m glad you liked it.
I like this recipe better than regular cornbread. so moist. someone posted that their xake sunk in the middle. mine did the same but not too much. but it was fully baked. i left it for 35 minutes. Can’t wait to share this with others.
I did mine as well right now. And the same thing happened it sunk in the middle, LOL, but it’s fully cooked though.
Ty for sharing this recipe. I baked this 12/2019, very moist with excellent flavor, crumbly but not at all gritty, For my oven, I needed 40 mins @ 350. Cake rose so high that I thought batter might spill over cake pan, but never did, baked to perfection. Would def make again! Happy Holidays!
Thank you for this recipe, it is delicious. It did take about 30 minutes to bake in my oven, at the 20 minute mark it hadn’t browned up on top. I will definitely make this again.
Just had a question I really want to try this for our sunday dinner. Do I add the ingredients from the cake box and the jiffy. Or just use the ingredients you have listed?
Just the ingredients listed. Thank you for asking!
Hi
Can I substitute yellow cornmeal in lieu of Jiffy Cornmeal mix, and would I need to add baking powder or baking soda and salt to the mix before doing so?
Your recipe sounded so great that I ordered 18 boxes of Betty Crocker Yellow Cake Mix to make a lot of batches for my neighbors here in Florida.
Thank you,
Ron C
Ruskin, FL
For this recipe you will actually want to use the Jiffy cornbread mix (not the cornmeal mix). I’m not sure how you would replace that with cornmeal. The cornbread mix has all the ingredients needed for bread all mixed in. I don’t think using JUST cornmeal will work how you would expect it to. Hope this helps!
This cornbread is delicious and I’ve made it several times – I do have a problem, though, it consistently doesn’t cook in the middle. I have used a 9 x 13 pan and tried using 2 8 x 8 pans. Same results. It appears done when I test it with a toothpick, but after I take it out of the oven and it sits a bit, the center falls and is undercooked. Any suggestions??
That is strange. You may need to try cooking it on a slightly lower heat for a longer amount of time. Hopefully that way it will cook more evenly. Hope this helps!
I agree. I loved the light and fluffy texture… typical cornbread tends to be too dense or grainy for me… I also added peppers but it was still REALLY REALLY sweet. Any suggestions on taking this good recipe and toning down the sweet? Thanks!
Probably the best solution would either be to make your own cake mix or a low-sugar cake mix. I know you can even get sugar-free cake mixes but the artificial sweeteners still might make it on the sweet side. It may be worth a shot though! Hope this helps!
I couldn’t stop craving this cornbread cake and need to try it. I finally made a bundt cornbread cake today for Christmas Eve. So delicious, dense and moist! I also added a capful of vegetable oil to make it more dense as suggested. My cornbread had to bake for 50 min. Simply amazing!! Thank you
What a great idea to make it in a bundt pan! Thank you for sharing! I’m so glad you like the recipe. 🙂
Question: I have 2 boxes of Jiffy cornbread mix which comes to 17 oz. I’m 2 oz shy of what recipe requires. I think I should be okay following your recipe. What do you recommend?
The recipe calls for one 9 oz box of cornbread mix, so you should have plenty!
It’s confusing –
1 9 Oz (one nine) oz. looks like 19 (nineteen)oz .
Yeah you are right, it does kind of look like a 19, we use a recipe plugin that formats the recipes. I will se what we can do to make this less confusing. Thanks for catching that.
I was about to use two 8.5 oz boxes of jiffy mix to make this with 17 oz and add 2 more oz of corn meal . Glad u read the reviews.
I used the two 8.5 oz boxes in mines and it came out great. Thanks again.
Not being a novice cornbread “baker”, I wanted to give this recipe a try. After baking for 40 minutes, the top was nicely browned and top felt firm. I had used a toothpick at 30-and 35 minutes. After it had been out of the oven for about 15 minutes, the center sunk. Obviously not throughly baked. My oven tests correct on temps, and I used the 9X13 pan. Was the 350* baking temp the culprit? How did you get yours to bake in 35 minutes?
Thank you for sharing your experience– I am actually not sure why it would sink in like that. You could definitely try baking for longer next time. What elevation are you at?
Can haddon a can of corn?
I had the same problem—it takes FOREVER to bake
Sometimes different altitudes can have an effect on the baking time. I am sorry this recipe didn’t work for you!
This is best cornbread I ever tasted. This is a definite keeper.
Wow, what a compliment! Thank you so much!
Loved the flavor of this cornbread but it was almost too light for my tastes. It didn’t hold together once sliced and crumbled when we tried to butter it. Next time I made add some oil to make it a little denser.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this recipe. Yes, it is supposed to be light and airy. Let us know how adding oil works out, would love to know if it makes it more dense!
hi, made the corn bread was really good i add a jalpena to it. going to make 3 more with different pepper and some garlic.
Oh I love the idea of adding some jalapeño. I have heard of people adding some cheddar cheese to the mixture as well, yum!
????????????????Exactly but u know there always has to be that one to go against the grain and be negative. Smh laughably silly is the exact right response to that.
This recipe is definitely a keeper!!! It was absolutely delicious, thanks for posting ????????
Thank you! So glad you liked it 😀
I’m sorry to rain on the parade of comments but, you might as well use Jiffy corn muffin mix. This is NOT cornbread, not real cornbread. I am Southern and have been making cornbread since I was a little girl….from scratch. Please don’t try to pass this off as real cornbread. Thank you.
I had to laugh at your comment. Since you’ve been making such amazing cornbread… from scratch.. since a child.. why are you looking at cornbread recipes on the internet? Don’t you have your own perfected already? SMH…
“DITTO” LOL!!!
Exactly 😂
I do not believe she stated it was ‘real cornbread” in her descriptor…..
I am cooking this recipe right now and so I can’t comment to how it will turn out but I have to say I understand Melanie’s frustration. I am Southern too and I know this isn’t real cornbread but sometimes I am not in the mood for cake type cornbread. I started making cake like cornbread for my Yankee mother-in-law and even though she has passed we still enjoy it from time to time. I always mixed a Jiffy cake mix with a Jiffy cornbread mix and although I have seen the recipe online I made it up at the time. I haven’t been able to find Jiffy cake mixes which are like a half cake mix so I found this recipe. All that aside, I do understand Melanie’s feelings. Cornbread is part of our culture and while it is fine to borrow ideas from other cultures it is galling to say something like –
These tacos are so good. They taste like tacos except the texture is perfect. I am not a fan of the mealy feel of soft corn tortillas and I am not a fan of cheap flank steals so instead this recipes calls for whole wheat pita bread (so fluffy not grainy) and tender, rare slice filet mignon and just a touch of chopped chives instead of those big chunks of raw onion that you can taste for days. It is yummy and still has that great street taco taste.
It is okay to take from another culture or to borrow a recipe and make it more like your culture and personal taste but it isn’t okay to take the recipe, insult it and say how you made it so much better- “perfect” even.. I cringed at your reply. Granted she didn’t explain herself well, but when one is angry they are not always wise. I am older and more accustomed to seeing Southern culture being the only one left that is safe to deride, mock and insult.
I just took my cake cornbread out of the oven and it took 40 mintues to cook in a USA brand 9 x 13 metal baking pan. I am sure it will be delicous. Thank you for the recipe.
I am sorry you guys felt this way! We didn’t mean to offend! We just have picky eaters in our family that prefer it this way. We know it isn’t the real stuff! As they say – The best cornbread recipe is always yours! 🙂
Just made it this afternoon and serving with home made chili….always a favorite. Years ago when I worked at General Motors in Michigan it was always on their lunch menu once a week and we thoroughly enjoyed it then and still do to this day 40 years later.
The south doesn’t own cornbread. What u like is called southern cornbread. What u don’t understand is a lot of people can’t stand southern cornbread. Me included. It’s too bland. To grainy. Just too if u get my drift. What this cornbread recipe is considered to be is northern cornbread. (Other parts of the country can claim it too.) Northern cornbread is like cake. Sweet, not as grainy, yummy! Bring on the northern cornbread! I for one prefer it always to the southern kind.
It’s not being passed as a real cornbread, it says cake cornbread. And it tastes delicious.. I just made it.
I’m so glad you liked it! Thank you!
It’s really good!!!….even though I forgot 2 add water….lol…no one could tell….lol
Can I make this with flax eggs? If so, how many? We are vegans, I have the dairy free milk covered as well as the butter. Thanks so much
We have never used flax eggs before so I’m not sue how it would affect the recipe. If you try it, let us know how it turns out!
What size cake mix is to be used??
For the Cake Mix Cornbread, use a 15.25 oz boxed cake mix. Thank you for asking!
Fantastic! Tastes like Wegmans corn muffins. Jiffy muffin mix is now 8.5 oz., so I added 1/4 c locally ground corn meal. Baked in preheated 13″ cast iron pan. Forget the chili, this is the star!
I’m so glad you like it! Thank you for sharing your adaptation to the recipe.
I did not notice the difference in the jiffy mix while preparing, I cooked an additional 8 minutes and it was great!
So did I. It came out great! It sunk alittle in the middle but other than that, it was winner!
Thank you for the nice recipe. Have a Wonderful Day!