Everyone deserves a birthday cake! These easy birthday cake kits are a fun and thoughtful way to help a child or family celebrate their special day. With just a few inexpensive supplies, you can put together a birthday cake kit to donate to a local food pantry.
The best part? You can make the cake with just a box of cake mix and a can of soda. No eggs or oil are needed in the batter!
I’ve also created a free printable with simple baking instructions, a cheerful birthday card, and a colorful cake-shaped label to make your kit extra special.
What Is a Birthday Cake Kit?
A birthday cake kit is a collection of shelf-stable baking supplies packaged together for a family to make a birthday cake at home.
Everything fits inside a disposable cake pan, which the family can also use to bake their cake. Add a few birthday candles and a cheerful card, and you have a simple way to help someone celebrate!
These kits are perfect for donating to food pantries, school pantries, and other community organizations. They’re also a wonderful service project for classrooms, church groups, Scouts, and families.
What to Put in a Birthday Cake Kit
You only need a handful of inexpensive supplies to make one of these birthday kits.
Birthday Cake Kit Supply List
- 1 box cake mix (any regular flavor)
- 1 can (12 ounces) lemon-lime soda or another carbonated soda
- 1 container ready-to-use frosting (sprinkles included in the lid are a fun extra touch!)
- 1 disposable 9×13-inch aluminum cake pan with a lid
- 1 package birthday candles
- Free printable birthday cake instructions, card, and label
- Cooking spray (optional but helpful). Dollar Tree often carries small cans, making this an inexpensive addition to your kit.
Optional extras: Sprinkles, balloons, birthday napkins, paper plates, or a small birthday decoration.
Money-saving tip: Store-brand cake mix, frosting, and soda work just fine! Check Aldi, Walmart, dollar stores, and grocery store sales to keep the cost down. Dollar Tree has inexpensive candles and Birthday Cake Toppers.
How to Assemble a Birthday Cake Kit
These kits are so easy to put together, and you can make several at once if you’re donating to a food pantry.
- Gather your supplies. Choose unopened, shelf-stable ingredients with plenty of time remaining before their best-by dates.
- Fill the cake pan. Place the boxed cake mix, can of soda, frosting, and birthday candles inside the disposable aluminum pan.
- Add the printable cards. Cut out the baking instructions and birthday card and tuck them inside the kit.
- Add the birthday label. Cut out the colorful cake-shaped label and tape it to the inside of the clear lid so it can be seen through the plastic. This keeps it from getting lost or separated from the kit.
- Close the lid. Make sure everything fits securely inside the pan, then put the lid on and tape it in place. This will keep the kit closed during transportation and all the supplies together at the food pantry.
That’s it! Your birthday cake kit is ready to donate.
Free Birthday Cake Kit Printable
I wanted to make these kits as easy as possible to assemble, so I created a free printable with everything you need to decorate your kit and explain how to bake the cake.
The printable includes:
- Let’s Make a Cake! Simple instructions for baking the cake using just cake mix and soda.
- It’s Your Day! A cheerful birthday card to tuck inside the kit.
- Happy Birthday Cake Label: A colorful cake-shaped label to attach to the outside of the pan.
Print the page on regular paper or cardstock, cut out the pieces, and add them to your kit. It’s an easy way to make a simple donation feel extra special.
Printing colorful labels can get expensive when you’re making lots of birthday cake kits. No worries! You can use my Meal Kit Organizer to make as many kits as you’d like, create a shopping list, and print simple black-and-white recipe cards to tuck inside each kit. Your thoughtful gift will be just as appreciated without the colorful label!
A Birthday Card to Make Someone Smile
One of my favorite parts of this kit is the little birthday card. It says, “It’s Your Day,” with a sweet message reminding the recipient how special they are.
It’s such a small addition, but I think it helps make the birthday kit feel like a gift rather than just a collection of baking supplies.
How to Make a Cake with Soda (No Eggs or Oil)
This is my favorite trick for these birthday cake kits! Instead of adding the eggs, oil, and water called for on the cake mix box, you simply add one can of carbonated soda.
It’s especially helpful for families who may not have eggs or oil in their pantry.
Ingredients
- 1 box regular cake mix
- 1 can (12 ounces) carbonated soda
- Ready-to-use frosting
Directions
- Preheat your oven according to the cake mix package directions. Lightly grease the disposable aluminum cake pan.
- Pour the dry cake mix into a mixing bowl and add the entire 12-ounce can of soda.
- Stir until combined. Do not add the eggs, oil, or water listed on the cake mix box.
- Pour the batter into the prepared 9×13-inch pan.
- Bake according to the package directions for a 9×13-inch pan, checking for doneness with a toothpick inserted into the center.
- Allow the cake to cool completely, then frost and decorate!
Helpful tip: The cake may have a slightly different texture than one made with eggs and oil, but this simple method makes it possible to bake a birthday cake with fewer ingredients.
Fun Cake Mix and Soda Combinations
Try one of these combinations when putting together your birthday cake kits:
- Yellow cake mix + lemon-lime soda
- Chocolate cake mix + cola
- Strawberry cake mix + lemon-lime soda
- White cake mix + orange soda
Lemon-lime soda is an easy choice because it works with so many cake flavors.
Where Can You Donate Birthday Cake Kits?
Start by checking with your local food pantry or school food pantry. You can also ask family resource centers and community organizations that support families.
Always contact the organization before assembling a large number of kits. Some pantries have specific donation guidelines, storage limitations, or requests for certain supplies.
Making birthday cake kits is a wonderful project for friends, classrooms, church groups, Scout troops, and service clubs! My Meal Kit Organizer makes it easy to plan multiple kits, generate a shopping list, and print recipe cards for each one. And if you’d like to use the colorful birthday labels, just come back to this post to download and print them!
Birthday Cake Kit FAQs
Do you really only need cake mix and soda?
Yes! For the cake batter, you just need one regular box of cake mix and one 12-ounce can of carbonated soda. You’ll still need to lightly grease the baking pan and have an oven to bake the cake.
Can you use any flavor of soda?
Most regular carbonated sodas work. Lemon-lime soda is a good choice for yellow, white, or strawberry cakes, while cola pairs nicely with chocolate cake.
Does the cake need to be refrigerated?
The unopened ingredients are shelf-stable, making them convenient for donation. After baking, follow the storage directions for your frosting and cake mix.
Can I use a different size cake pan?
I recommend a 9×13-inch disposable aluminum pan because it’s large enough to hold the kit supplies and can also be used to bake the cake. Make sure the cake mix you choose provides directions for that pan size.
Can I include extra birthday supplies?
Absolutely! Sprinkles, candles, paper plates, napkins, and balloons are fun additions. Just be sure that everything is new and fits securely inside the kit.
A Little Kindness Can Make a Birthday Special
A birthday cake might seem like a small thing, but for a family struggling to make ends meet, it can mean so much.
I love projects like this because they’re simple, inexpensive, and something almost anyone can do. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to make someone’s day a little brighter.
Gather a few friends, make a handful of birthday cake kits, and donate them to a local food pantry. It’s such an easy way to spread a little kindness and help a family celebrate!
Don’t forget to download your free Birthday Cake Kit printable! It has everything you need to make your kits extra special.
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