Birthday Cake Kits for Food Pantries (Under $9 Each)

When our kids were growing up, birthdays were a very big deal in our house. And a huge part of that celebration was always the cake. They got to choose their favorite cake. Some years it was chocolate and others it was vanilla and sprinkles.

Near my husband’s office was an old-school Italian bakery. He would order one at some point during the day and pick it up on his way home. It was a small cake for one or two people. When the cake arrived home, boxed and tied with red and white twine, the excitement began.

I hadn’t thought about those days until just recently, and celebrating one of their birthdays (as adults now) that memory was triggered. I started thinking about what birthdays look like for kids whose families are stretched thin. A cake feels like such a small, simple thing, until you imagine a birthday without one.

So I decided to put together cake kits for our local food pantry. No child should go without a cake on their birthday.

Asking the food pantry first

Before I bought everything I needed for the cake kits, I called the food pantry to make sure this was actually something they wanted and could use. The answer was an enthusiastic yes. As it turns out, cake kits are one of their most popular items.

While I had them on the phone, I also asked what other items were on their needs list. Their answer: pasta sauce, peanut butter and jelly, and cereal. So along with the cake kits, that’s what I’ll be dropping off too.

What goes in a cake kit

The items in the cake kits are every-day items you can pick up at the grocery store. Buying in bulk, Walmart seemed like to smart option and there, I got everything I needed. Each item is shelf-stable, and no refrigeration is needed.

• A 9×13 foil pan with lid ($2.50)
• Boxed cake mix ($1.77)
• Frosting ($1.96)
• Birthday candles ($1.12)
• Rainbow sprinkles (20 mini-packages for $15 or $0.75 each, from Amazon)
• A can of soda or sparkling water ($0.48)
• Directions for mixing and baking the cake (I’ve included a printable version to include in the kits since the directions are different than what’s on the box)

Total cost per cake kit: $8.58

A printable version of the directions to include with each kit. Click here.

Click here for a printable version of the directions for putting together cake kits.

The two-ingredient cake trick

Here’s the part the cake kit that surprised me most: a can of soda or sparkling water can replace the eggs and oil in a boxed cake mix. Just mix a box of cake mix with a 12-ounce can of soda or sparkling water, and bake. That’s it. Two ingredients, no eggs, no oil, no butter.

It’s a perfect fit for a food pantry for exactly that reason. There is nothing in the kit that needs to be refrigerated, and nothing will spoil. The whole kit can sit on a warehouse shelf until it’s time for it to go home with a family.

Starting your own cake kit drive

Recently while visiting my sister in Arizona, we were brainstorming about ideas for a community event she was hosting and we landed on a cake kit drive. 

If this is something you’d be interested in doing, it has a big impact on the kids it touches and it’s very doable for you.

Here are a few steps you could consider:

1. Call your local food pantry first and confirm they want cake kits. You can also ask what other items are on their needs list.
2. Keep the cake kits shelf-stable: boxed mix, canned frosting, candles, and a can of soda or sparkling water.
3. Add any packaging detail you think that makes it even more special.
4. Promote and host the event.
5. Drop the products off at your local food pantry.

Cake kits are a small donation to make. But it’s a huge thing to the kids opening the box or seeing the baked and decorated cake. No child should go without a cake on their birthday.