The Costco Trick That Turns Mega Muffins Into Bakery-Style Cake

The problem with birthday cakes — or any cakes meant for special celebrations — is that they are often sized to serve more than a few people. What can you do if you're celebrating solo or with a small child? Sure, you can use Rice Krispies treats as a crispy cake alternative, but what if you want the candles, the wishes, and the traditional birthday cake? One mom-stagrammer (@neuroticmom) posted a video of their solution to the dilemma — they created a mini cake for their kiddo out of two Costco muffins. (These muffins are sold in packages of eight, but you can always freeze the leftover ones.)

To do it yourself, start by slicing off the domed muffin tops (which make a tasty lagniappe for the cake maker). You'll then add a filling and sandwich the trimmed muffins together before frosting the top and sides of the layers. In 2022, which was the year the video was created, these muffins were still giant-sized and such a cake would have measured four inches in diameter. Shrinkflation hit the Costco bakery in late 2024 though, so your cake may now be closer to the standard muffin size of two-and-a-half inches. Still, with two muffins stacked together (plus the filling and frosting), you'll have a cake that's big enough to share with another person or make a sizable treat for one. Depending on your decorating skills, you can also make your perfectly pint-sized cake look like something you scored at a bakery.

If you can easily turn two muffins into a layer cake, that begs the question: how are muffins different from cake, anyway? Or cupcakes, that is, since both are baked in the same pan. Typically, muffins have a denser texture and a much coarser crumb. They may also be less sweet, and the batter often includes mix-ins. (Banana nut, blueberry, and chocolate chip are all popular flavors.) Cupcakes, on the other hand, are lighter and airier, and the batter may be flavored with powders or extracts rather than inclusions (unless you're making Funfetti cupcakes).

Costco muffins, however, tend to blur the line a bit, since they are known for being super-sweet. One Reddit user pointed out that Costco doesn't even try to hide the fact that its muffins are more cake than quick bread, commenting: "I just purchased my muffins as usual to look at the ingredients to see 'cake mix.'" A Facebook user confirmed this, posting a recipe for Costco-style muffins made with cake mix, eggs, oil, milk, flour, and baking powder. The newer muffins, however, are said to be less cake-like, which appeals to some Costco customers but has had others missing the old cupcake-like mega muffins.