The Best Boxed Cake Recipe You'll Ever Eat (2024)

FAQs

How do you make a box cake taste like a bakery cake? ›

Step 1: Look at the directions on the cake mix. Step 2: Add one more egg (or add 2 if you want it to be very rich). Step 3: Use melted butter instead of oil and double the amount. Step 4: Instead of water, use whole milk.

This is so simple, delicious and will have people begging for your cake. Take any cake mix and just add 4 eggs, 1 cup of water and 1 cup of mayo. ( If it's a chocolate cake pour one shot of espresso into the measuring cup and fill the remainder with water to fill up to one cup. ) Then bake as indicated on the box.

How to use sour cream with boxed cake mix. The best way to use sour cream with a boxed cake mix is to use it to replace the other liquids in the recipe, like milk or water. You can add up to a cup, or essentially the same amount of liquid you were originally meant to add, per the manufacturer's instructions.

The average cake mix calls for the most boring of liquids: water. Instead of using water, substitute whole milk or your favorite non-dairy milk (almond, oat, and coconut milk work especially well). The milk adds fat, which results in a better flavor and density in your cake.

Eggs also contain a variety of proteins that create the structure of a cake, and when beaten, they can act as a leavening agent by adding air to the cake batter. However, if you add too many eggs to your cake batter, then your end result could be spongy, rubbery, or dense.

Put some pudding in the mix: Add a small box of pudding mix in with the cake mix. (Don't make the pudding.) The mix adds additional flavor, moistness, and a denser texture.

Add a leavening agent to the flour. Most cakes will call for a leavening agent like baking powder or baking soda. These create the bubbles you need for the cake to rise.

How to Substitute Milk for Water in Cake Mix. Don't have the right liquid? To take any mix up a notch, anywhere water is called for, milk can generally be used in a 1:1 substitution. If your mix already calls for milk and you don't have it, another dairy product might do the trick, like half-and-half.

What happens if you add butter to cake mix? ›

Melted butter serves the same purpose as oil, while also adding richness and depth to the cake. Unsalted butter is the best choice, unless you have a salt tooth, like me, and prefer desserts with a little extra salt to balance out the sweetness.

As a professional baker, I don't often use boxed mixes, but I appreciate how easily they bring a cake together. I think premade mixes are great for beginners gaining confidence around the kitchen and also for last-minute cake "emergencies."

On their own, boxed cake mixes have a structure that's loose and airy. But if you add ¼ cup flour or half a box of instant pudding mix, the texture of the cake becomes denser and tighter, ideal for a pound-cake-like consistency that will hold the shape of a Bundt pan.

Don't have time but still want to put your own twist on a boxed cake? A light, fluffy texture comes from the addition of egg whites, as well as the use of a light hand during mixing.