There's no shame in baking a cake using a boxed cake mix. You've got practically everything
you need all boxed up in a super-convenient package. But, let's face it… boxed cake
mix tastes suspiciously like boxed cake mix. So what do you do if you crave the flavor
and texture of a homemade cake, but need the convenience a boxed cake mix offers? These
hacks will elevate your boxed cake into the made-from-scratch flavor you crave.
Dairy delish
Standard boxed cake mixes call for plain water to be mixed into the batter. But what would
happen if you subbed that liquid for something that delivered a lot more flavor and richness?
That's exactly what happens when you swap real milk for the water in a boxed cake mix.
Adding the milk also increases the denseness of the cake, making it seem more like homemade.
You can also substitute real butter for the oil. Melt the butter first so you can measure
it correctly, and it'll mix well into your batter. The luxurious buttery flavor makes
your cake taste homemade and expensive.
Creamy substitutes
Mayo in cake? It's not as crazy as it sounds! Mayonnaise is made from eggs and oil, after
all. Follow the directions as normal, adding a couple of tablespoons of mayo to your batter
to boost the flavor — or up to 1 cup for an extra-moist cake.
Yogurt can also add some surprising zing and texture to your cake mix batter. The blog
One Good Thing adds six ounces of lemon yogurt, 2 tablespoons of oil, and ⅔ of a cup of
buttermilk to substitute the liquid portion of a cake mix. Adding a few tablespoons of
sour cream to the batter improves the flavor even more.
Finally, a pint of your favorite ice cream will take your cake to the next level.
"You're so hungry for delicious ice cream."
Prepare the batter, but sub the oil and water for the ice cream that you've allowed to melt.
This hack allows you to get super creative with the flavor combinations.
Use soda
Want to really trick your friends and family into thinking you labored over a cake from
scratch? The good news is, it's as easy as popping open a can of your favorite soda.
Mix the dry cake mix ingredients together with a 12-ounce can of soda, and bake as directed.
That's it! The Huffington Post provides a helpful list of flavor ideas, like combining
French vanilla cake mix with orange soda for a creamsicle cake, or spice cake mix and ginger
ale for a ginger spice cake.
Mocha masterpiece
Adding coffee to your cake mix batter is a truly fabulous hack, because it's one that
people will have a hard time pinpointing… they'll just know that you've added a little
somethin' somethin' that gives it a real wow factor. A few tablespoons of strong-brewed
coffee, when added to chocolate cake, will boost the chocolatey taste of your cake, without
a coffee taste.
Juice it up
Much like real dairy improves the texture and richness of a store bought cake mix, subbing
out the liquid in your recipe with more creative items can really boost the flavor of the cake
you're baking. Consider using orange juice in the batter of yellow cake, or apple juice
in a spice cake.
"I could make that with some… apple juice"
Coconut milk is a great sub for the liquids in a flavorful coconut cake, and chocolate
milk will make a chocolate cake taste like it is fresh from the bakery.
Egg-speriment
Eggs do a lot for baked goods. According to celebrity chef Sara Moulton,
"Eggs can provide structure, leavening, richness, color, and flavor to baked products."
They work in tandem with the flour and sugar in a recipe, and help to set the height and
structure of your baked cakes. If eggs lend all that great stuff to cake, why not try
adding one more? That's exactly what they do over at Spoon University, whipping up a
batch of Funfetti cupcakes with an extra egg mixed into the batter.
Another egg-cellent cake trick? Using egg whites only in your cake batter. The gang
at the Rachael Ray show advises using egg whites in your white cake mix batter to achieve
a fluffier, whiter cake. Just make sure to add a little more butter or oil to make up
for the fat lost from the missing yolks.
Homemade frosting
No matter what you do to jazz up a boxed cake mix, there's no bigger sign that a cake is
straight from the box than the unmistakable flavor of store-bought, canned frosting.
Next time you're making a boxed cake mix, set a few extra minutes aside to whip up an
easy, homemade cake frosting. For the simplest vanilla buttercream, all you need is butter,
powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk.
Candy crush
A trick that will certainly make everyone believe you made a cake from scratch is to
incorporate candy into the batter. Candy makes everything taste better.
Again, with this hack, there are endless flavor combinations that you can create, but there
are a few guidelines to follow to make sure you achieve your desired results.
If using large candy bars, be sure to chop them into bite-sized pieces. With soft or
chocolate candies, freeze the candy overnight so they don't completely melt away into your
baking cake. When checking the cake for doneness, don't insert a toothpick in the center of
the cake as you might normally do — an oozy piece of candy could get in your way. Instead,
press lightly on top of the cake with your fingertips. If it springs back easily, it's
done.
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