When you want a tiny homemade cake mix ready to go, this Children’s Lemon or White Cake Mix does the job without any mystery ingredients or oversized boxed mix leftovers. You stir together a simple dry base, cut in shortening until it looks like cornmeal, then portion it into 10 small packages so each one is ready for a quick Easy-Bake-style cake with just 4 teaspoons of water.
The lemon version gets its flavor from unsweetened lemon drink powder, while the white version uses the same mix base without it. Because the mix contains raw flour, you should bake it fully and never taste the dry mix or raw batter before baking, per FDA guidance on handling flour safely.
Ingredients for Children’s Lemon or White Cake Mix
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon lemon-flavored unsweetened Kool-Aid, for lemon mix
- 1/3 cup vegetable shortening
- 4 teaspoons water, per package, for baking
If you want plain white cake mix packages, simply leave out the lemon drink powder when you make that batch. If lemon is your goal, make sure the drink mix is unsweetened so the sugar balance in the mix stays where it belongs.
For a larger from-scratch pantry version, you might also like Homemade White Cake Mix or Lemon Poppy-Seed Cake Mix.
How to Make Children’s Lemon or White Cake Mix
- In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, flour, baking soda, salt, and lemon drink powder if you’re making the lemon version.
- Cut in the vegetable shortening until it is evenly distributed and the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
- Stir through the bowl once more so you do not leave any pockets of shortening at the bottom.
You want the shortening worked in well enough that every small package bakes consistently later. If you leave larger lumps, one cake may turn out tender and the next one may bake up heavy. Tiny cakes are fussy little creatures that way.
Portioning and How to Use the Mix
Spoon about 1/3 cup mix into each of 10 small containers or zip-top bags. Seal tightly and label each one with the date and contents.
To bake one package of lemon or white cake mix, combine 1 package mix with 4 teaspoons water, then bake according to your manufacturer’s directions for the toy oven or miniature baking appliance you’re using. Each package contains about 5 1/3 tablespoons of mix, which keeps the portions small and consistent.
If you enjoy building a stash of kid-sized baking mixes, take a look at Homemade Easy Bake Oven Mix Recipes or Children’s Cookie Mix Easy Bake Oven Recipe.
Tips and Variations
- For white cake mix: Omit the lemon drink powder completely.
- For cleaner flavor: Measure the lemon powder level, not heaped. A little too much can make a tiny cake taste sharp instead of bright.
- For even texture: Rub the shortening into the dry ingredients thoroughly so the finished mix stays uniform from package to package.
- For easier filling: Use a measuring cup with a spout or a small canning funnel when dividing the mix into bags or containers.
- For giftable batches: Label each packet with the contents and the 4-teaspoon water instruction so nobody has to guess later.
If you’re after a more pronounced lemon dessert after baking, pair the finished cake with berries or turn to a brighter full-size option like Lemon Trifle Cake.
Serving Suggestions
These tiny cakes are meant to be simple, quick treats. Serve them plain, dusted lightly with powdered sugar, or with a spoonful of jam, whipped topping, or soft fruit on the side. The lemon version works especially well with raspberries or strawberries, while the white cake version plays nicely with vanilla frosting or a dab of preserves.
Because each package makes a very small cake, it also works well for kids who want to bake their own dessert without turning the whole kitchen into a flour blizzard.
Storage
Store the packaged dry mix in a cool, dry place with each bag or container sealed tightly. A conservative shelf-life estimate for best quality is up to 12 weeks, which fits the original instructions and also makes sense because the mix contains flour and shortening. Heat, humidity, and air are what make pantry mixes lose quality faster, so keep them away from the stove, dishwasher steam, and sunny windows.
Once you add water and bake a cake, treat it like a small homemade cake. For best quality, cover it and use it within 1 to 2 days at room temperature, or refrigerate it up to 4 days if topped with a perishable frosting or filling. If the baked cake smells stale, feels gummy, or dries out enough to double as a doorstop, it’s time to let it go.
💸 Budget101® Price Breakdown: Children's Lemon or White Cake Mix (10 pkgs)
Ingredient |
Walmart Item |
Pkg Price |
Amount Used |
Cost Used |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Sugar |
$2.98 |
1 C. |
$0.33 |
|
All-purpose flour |
$2.96 |
1 1/2 C. |
$0.23 |
|
Baking soda |
$0.92 |
1 t. |
$0.01 |
|
Salt |
$0.62 |
1/2 t. |
$0.01 |
|
Lemon-flavored unsweetened Kool-Aid |
$0.28 |
1 t. ≈ 1 count ≈ 0.021 cup(s) |
$0.28 |
|
Vegetable shortening |
$3.98 |
1/3 C. |
$0.20 |
|
Water |
– |
4 t. |
$0.01 |
💸 |
Cost |
|---|---|
🧾 Total Batch Cost |
$1.07 |
👨👩👧👦 Cost Per Serving |
$0.11 |
📅 Walmart prices last verified August 26, 2026. Prices may vary by location and are subject to change. Learn how to calculate the cost of a recipe on your own!
🛒 Walmart Grocery List
- Granulated Sugar, 4 lb
- All-Purpose Flour, 5 lb
- Baking Soda, 1 lb
- Iodized Salt, 26 oz
- Unsweetened Lemonade Drink Mix, 0.23 oz Packet
- Vegetable Shortening, 48 oz
- Purified Drinking Water, 16.9 fl oz, 24 count
Not sure exactly what this batch costs you per serving? Here’s how to break down the real cost of any recipe so you know before you shop.
Frequently Asked Questions about Children’s Lemon or White Cake Mix (10 pkgs)
Absolutely. If you skip the lemon drink powder, you’ve got the white cake version of the same mix, and the water amount stays at 4 teaspoons per package. That works because the lemon powder adds flavor, not the structure that makes the cake rise.
It keeps the tiny cakes more tender and helps the mix behave more like a ready-to-use baking blend. Cut it in until the texture looks like cornmeal so it distributes evenly instead of leaving greasy lumps in a few packets and none in the rest.
Portion about 1/3 cup into each bag or container. That comes out to roughly 5 1/3 tablespoons per package, which is close enough for consistent results without hauling out laboratory equipment for a toy cake.
You can, as long as you keep the ratios exact. A half batch makes 5 packages and a double batch makes 20, but mix thoroughly before portioning so the baking soda and lemon powder don’t settle into one very exciting packet and several bland ones.
Air and moisture are the enemies here. Tight packaging helps keep the flour dry, slows staleness in the shortening, and prevents the mix from clumping, which matters a lot when each little packet only holds about a third of a cup.
For a pantry mix, stick with shortening. Butter contains water and milk solids, so it doesn’t store in a dry mix the same way and can shorten the shelf life and change the texture before you ever bake the cake.
A few small lumps can happen, especially if the shortening chilled or the pantry runs cool, and you can usually break them up by shaking the bag before mixing with water. If the mix smells off, shows moisture, or has hard clumps that won’t break apart, toss it and make a fresh batch.
You can, but use a very small oven-safe dish and watch it closely because the batter amount is tiny. Since the directions here defer to the manufacturer’s instructions, the safest approach is to use the pan size and bake time recommended for the appliance you actually own.
Let kids help mix it, but don’t let anyone taste the dry mix or raw batter. Raw flour isn’t a ready-to-eat ingredient, so the cake should be fully baked before snacking, no matter how harmless that little spoonful seems.
Keep it simple. Lemon cake works well with berries, lemon curd, or a light dusting of powdered sugar, while white cake is good with vanilla frosting, jam, or a spoonful of whipped topping. Tiny cakes don’t need a towering garnish situation to taste good.
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Did you make this recipe? Tell us how you packaged yours or whether you made the lemon or white version in the comments. Your practical tweaks help the next baker skip the guesswork.
🖨️ Print-Friendly Children’s Lemon or White Cake Mix (10 pkgs)
Children's Lemon or White Cake Mix (10 pkgs)
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon lemon-flavored unsweetened Kool-Aid
- ⅓ cup vegetable shortening
- 4 teaspoons water per package
Equipment
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, flour, baking soda, salt, and lemon drink powder.
- Cut in the shortening until evenly distributed and the mixture resembles cornmeal.
- Spoon about 1/3 cup mixture into each of 10 small containers or zip-top bags.
- Seal tightly and label with the date and contents.
- To use one package, combine 1 package Children's Lemon Cake Mix with 4 teaspoons water and bake according to the manufacturer's directions.
- To make the white cake version, omit the lemon drink powder from the master mix, then combine 1 package Children's White Cake Mix with 4 teaspoons water and bake according to the manufacturer's directions.
Recipe Size Alteration
💡 If you altered the ingredients above by doubling or tripling the recipe, you may also need to change the pan/dish size and adjust the cook time.
Notes
Store sealed packages in a cool, dry place and use within 12 weeks for best quality.
Do not taste the dry mix or raw batter before baking.
i made this recipe using a strawberry kool-aid. it has wonderful flavor. i have figured out that about 20 minutes is the correct baking time in my daughter’s ultimate easy bake oven.
My only issue is getting it to not stick to the pan. I am trying cooking spray and flouring it this time around. Hopefully that will work.
Let me know if anyone has a different trick!
Instead use vegetable oil or olive oil to grease the pan use a napkin
so do i just not use the kool aid if i want plain white cake? the consistency wont change by leaving it out?
I’ve used this recipe for years it is great for the desert section in frozen homemade “T.V.” dinners. for the sticking issues in little ovens you can try using a circle of wax or parchment paper cut to fit the bottom of the pan.
Use a little dab of oil or shortening to stick the paper down. when removed from oven cool for a few minutes then use the dull side of a table knife or plastic knife between cake and pan to loosen the edges and then tip the cake out. Peel off the paper for a nice smooth finish.
This tip works beautifully with full size cakes as well. Easy way to make the measure for the pan place pan on the paper and use a toothpick to trace around the outside of the pan leaving a line on the wax paper then cut, for parchment put a paper towel under the paper to make a cushion under for tracing on this will give a crease in the paper. Enjoy!