Please Stop Eating These Dessert Dips—Raw Cake Mix Is Dangerous

When a recipe calls for boxed cake mix, here's what you need to know.

Everybody knows it’s risky to lick the batter off the spoon when you’re baking, but there’s a little more confusion when it comes to whether or not you can eat cake mix raw (i.e., no eggs or oil).

No, you’re probably not eating cake mix right out of the box with a spoon (if you are, please stop), but you might be encountering raw cake mix more than you realize, specifically on the snack table.

Funfetti cake batter dips (or Dunkaroo dips) have become fun and trendy party treats for birthdays and get-togethers, and boxed cake mix is one of the main ingredients. All you have to do is whip up the mix with cream cheese and Cool Whip, and you have yourself an easy, adorable dessert with a cake batter-like flavor.

But just because these dips are delicious doesn’t mean they aren’t dangerous to eat.

If they aren’t made properly, these no-bake desserts should be avoided, as well as any other recipes that include raw cake mix. Here’s why.

Is It Safe to Eat Cake Mix Raw?

Unfortunately, according to the CDC, the answer is no, and for the same reason you shouldn’t eat raw cookie dough. Despite popular belief, the danger isn’t in the raw eggs going into the mix—it’s in the flour.

Flour may not seem like a “raw” food, but it doesn't undergo any heat treatment before it ends up in your pantry. That means it can be contaminated with pathogenic bacteria that can cause severe food poisoning, such as Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Salmonella.

These germs can contaminate the wheat grain while it's grown and harvested in the field, or as it’s processed into flour, which means these harmful germs can end up on your beaters (or in your no-bake desserts).

Be cautious of misleading information you might hear from online creators and recipe sites—it is not safe to eat cake mix, or any products containing untreated flour, raw. Even if you’ve heard some baking brands have “updated” their mixes to be safe for raw consumption, be weary of the sources. More likely than not, they’re still hazardous.

In fact, just this year, the CDC reported a Salmonella outbreak linked to flour in raw doughs and batters, and in 2021, an alarming outbreak of E. coli was linked to cake mix.

So, are we requiring you to say goodbye to those delicious Funfetti dips for good? No, but we are insisting you take an extra step before mixing them up.

How to Eat Boxed Cake Mix Safely

When raw flour is cooked (like in a baked cake), the high heat kills any bacteria that could be contaminating the flour, making it safe to eat. So, all you have to do is heat the boxed cake mix to a safe temperature (160 degrees F) to consume it without worry.

The easiest way to do this is to spread the cake mix evenly on a baking sheet and bake in a 350-degree F oven for about 5 minutes. That’s it—the cake mix will be just as flavorful and versatile, but now, safe to eat.

So, the next time you see a tempting 3-ingredient dessert online that uses boxed cake mix in a cool new way, make sure to build a heat-treating step into the recipe. Or, if you don’t want to deal with the fuss, just check out this collection of easy (and safe), dessert dip recipes instead.

Read the original article on All Recipes.