Skip to Content

Does Cake Mix Go Bad? How Long Before It Does?

You want to make a delicious cake for your guests on Sunday. You’ve found some old cake mix, that’s way beyond the due date. Does cake mix go bad you wonder?

Of course, does cake mix go bad, just like other products? Since we’re about to use this for baking, the rules are different and it’s very likely that your cake mix will still do the job.

In this article, we will talk more about cake mix and how long it will be good for. We will talk about its shelf life, how to store it and how you can detect spoilage. We will cover all you need to know about cake mix.

Enjoy the read!

How Long Can Cake Mix Last

As always, we will start this chapter with a nice table for your convenience:

Cake mixPantry
UnopenedBest-by date + up to 6 months
OpenedBest-by date + up to 6 months
Indicative timetable for how long cake mix can last. Always check for signs of spoilage.

As you can see, cake mixes can last for quite some time, even for months after the due date.

This date is the date of expiring and is meant to give us an idea of how long the cake mix can be good in terms of quality and freshness. This will affect the quality of your cake as end result.

So you can perfectly use a cake mix that’s a few months after this date, but you cannot expect it to have a great taste and consistency as you can expect from a cake with a cake mix long before this due date.

Cake mix can be good for up to 6 months after the expiration date. It won’t give you the same quality results.

It can even last much longer than that because you can add some baking powder or soda to your expired cake mix. By doing this, you’ll improve the results and quality of your cake.

A cake mix that’s very old won’t raise your cake as much as a “very young” cake mix. As we’ve said before, you can fix that by adding some baking powder to the mix.

This won’t solve every cake mix because there are so many variants out there. You can of course avoid this by using them sometime before the due date.

How To Store Cake Mix

Storing cake mix is very simple and easy. You can store it in the pantry, meaning it requires a dark, cool place, where it is protected from heat sources, air, sunlight, bacteria, and so on… Safely hide it from the usual external threats out there. It must remain dry at all times.

Cake mixes are mixes that are made for you and can be used as a hack in your kitchen and reduces your cooking and baking time drastically.

From the moment you open the cake mix and have some leftovers left, you must restore them into a plastic bag or airtight container, something that you can easily reseal. They’re more vulnerable to external threats now, so make sure everything is sealed.

Because of the nature of the cake mix and the easy way of storing it, it isn’t needed to freeze the cake mix. Of course, you can freeze cakes like cheesecake but that’s not something we will cover here.

How Can You Tell If Cake Mix Has Gone Bad

Cake mix is a product that doesn’t spoil easily. It can sit in your pantry or cupboard for a very long time, so you won’t have to worry about this.

Of course, as with most products, foods, and drinks, it will go bad if you wait long enough, thus you need to look for signs of spoilage if needed.

Guidelines for detecting when your cake mix has gone bad:

  1. Have you seen some pantry bugs or pests? You can see this from other products stored in the pantry (like cornstarch), are there any holes in the package or insects in the mix, discard the mix immediately.
  2. Does the cake mix have another color? If yes, toss it away immediately, black spots can be a sign of mold, don’t take any chances here. Discard it directly.
  3. Does the cake mix have a sharp smell? If you smell something funny or unpleasant, toss it away.
  4. How is the taste of your cake? Does it taste odd or off? You should get rid of it directly. Rinse your mouth with water to get rid of the taste.

As always on GoodOrGoneBad, we should think about the taste and the reason why we’re baking with cake mix. If your cake isn’t great or doesn’t taste great in the expired cake mix, just discard it.

Always when there is doubt involved, trust your senses and if there’s still doubt, just toss it. You can use it when testing a new cake you’re baking, but when sharing the cake with yourself and other guests, don’t take any chances or risks to your health. For a fairly low price, we can get some new cake mix.

Enjoy your cake (mix)!