There is so much to love about boxed cake mix. They are easy to bake, guaranteed to be delicious, and for many of us, full of nostalgia. Even as a professionally trained pastry chef, my pantry is always stocked with a few boxes for special after school treats and everyday celebrations.They are so convenient, but never quite as tasty as homemade cakes. But don’t worry! With ingredients you already have on hand in your kitchen, you can make a cake from a box that tastes more flavorful, moist, and like it was made from scratch. Here are seven easy ways to upgrade a basic cake mix.
If you only use one tip from this story, this one should be it. Most cake mixes call for two to three eggs. Just one more egg will add extra moisture, fat, and a little protein, which means the cake will be softer and less likely to overbake and dry out in the oven.
2. Add Milk, Coffee, or Soda
Boxed cakes often call for water, but swapping it out for equal amounts of milk, coffee, or even soda will give you a moister, more tender, and flavorful cake. For white cake mix, you can use whole milk or your favorite non-dairy milk. Take things one step further and pair your cake mix with a flavored liquid. For example, buttermilk sings in a yellow and red velvet cake and brewed coffee makes chocolate cake taste bolder. Also, pop open a can of soda—Sprite, 7 Up, or ginger beer—for lemon and strawberry cake mixes.
3. Use Butter Instead of Oil
My favorite swap and also the easiest: add melted butter instead of canola or vegetable oil, which most boxed cake mixes call for. Butter adds moisture and fat just like any oil, but it also has that unmistakable butter flavor that we all know and love.
4. Add Instant Pudding
Whisk one small (3.4-ounce) package of instant pudding into the dry cake mix. You’ll want a similar pudding flavor. For example, use chocolate pudding for a chocolate cake mix.Then, add the wet ingredients and bake the cake as directed. It’ll be so moist and the pudding will give it a big flavor boost.
5. Top the Cake with Homemade Frosting
May I suggest a simple homemade frosting to decorate your boxed cake? Your friends and family don’t have to know your pastry chef-approved secret—that the cake underneath the frosting comes from a box.
Boxed cake mixes can take on a lot of extra flavor and a little more liquid, so don’t be afraid to add a splash of vanilla or almond extract to a white cake or a little coffee extract to a chocolate cake. Fresh lemon or orange zest is wonderful in a lemon cake and also divine in a yellow or white cake.
7. Add Ricotta Cheese
For a super tender, moist, fresh-from-the-oven for days cake, take a page from Molly Adams' book and add some full-fat ricotta to your boxed cake mix.
Adding something rich and creamy is perfect for adding moisture and rich flavor: Adding some sour cream, yogurt or even mayonnaise will add a more dense, rich flavor (as a side note, there was a very popular cake made in the 70's and the secret ingredient was mayonnaise!).
Adding something rich and creamy is perfect for adding moisture and rich flavor: Adding some sour cream, yogurt or even mayonnaise will add a more dense, rich flavor (as a side note, there was a very popular cake made in the 70's and the secret ingredient was mayonnaise!).
Don't get caught in the trap of thinking that you must bake from scratch if you sell cakes. Most bakeries do NOT bake from scratch. In fact, I once worked at a bakery that actually claimed to be a “scratch bakery”, but all their cakes started with a Duncan Hines cake mix, the same kind you buy in the grocery store.
Sour cream is one of the fattiest dairy products; the extra fat content (for example, adding sour cream to a cake instead of milk) will make the cake moister and richer, says Wilk. "Fat, in any form (butter, lard, cream, etc.) shortens gluten strands, which essentially leads to the most tender baked goods," she adds.
The Best Boxed Cake Mix to Buy, According to Chefs
For Tyler Malek, co-founder and head ice cream maker of Salt & Straw in Portland, Oregon, Betty Crocker's Yellow Cake Mix is a great jumping-off point that's perfect for home baking.
The box mix is about $1.50 cheaper and requires less effort, energy, and attention. And really, the flavor isn't that bad…just not that remarkable. Homemade cakes can sometimes be fussy, especially if you don't make them very often, but dang!
When baking with cake mix, you don't need to use eggs, oil or even water! You just need a can of soda pop. The carbon dioxide bubbles in soda pop act as a leavening agent — the element that makes baked goods rise and makes them light and fluffy.
Most box cake recipes will tell you to add water to the mix. Instead, try adding milk using the same proportions. This will make the cake richer and creamier because it ups the fat content. You can even use buttermilk here for a pleasant tang.
Use an extra egg: Most boxed mixes will call for three eggs. Use four for a cake that's richer-tasting and moister. This tip is one I use practically every time I make a boxed cake mix. Substitute dairy: Replace the water called for on the package with dairy.
Mayonnaise, the least likely of the bunch, actually gives the closest result to having used oil, and it retains the flavors of your cake or whatever baked good you are creating very well! Yogurt and sour cream also work in a pinch, but do change the flavor profile a tad.
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.
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