Boxed Cake Mixes are the perfect dessert when you are short on time (or groceries).
With a few quick tips, you can make your boxed cakes taste better than ever before – like they came from a fancy bakery!
A Cake to Celebrate
We love a good celebration and it’s the perfect opportunity to bake a delicious cake recipe. A yellow cake for a birthday surprise, a moist carrot cake for Easter, the perfect flag cake to celebrate 4th of July and a pretty sheet cake to celebrate a new baby!
Honestly, I love celebrations and my friend Julianne from Beyond Frosting is expecting a baby boy so what better time for me to bake a cake and celebrate. Julianne makes the yummiest desserts (including this Nutella Snickers pie recipe from her cookbook).
With a new baby around, time (and energy) will be thing of the past, (at least for a little while) so I decided to share some of my favorite tips for whipping up a treat that tastes like you’ve spent hours (instead of minutes) preparing it!
Why I Love Boxed Cake Mixes
They’re great for when you’re short on time and uses ingredients you probably have on hand already.
Just like when you make cake mix cookies, you can use ANY kind of cake mix for this recipe. Change up the flavors however you like.
You can really make a cake mix into a masterpiece with little effort.
Cake mixes can be made into cookies, to parfaits to even cake bars like the recipe below.
How to Make a Cake Mix Better
There are lots of methods to make a cake mix better! These are just extra additions to make it rich and delicious without a lot of effort!
Choose one or two of the methods below to make your cake mix bakery quality!
ADD EXTRA FAT
Butter makes everything taste awesome, so try going a little overboard with the butter (or oil) and add extra. It will make your cake rich and give it that made-from-scratch flavor. While you’re at it, make sure you swap out the oil for butter.
ADD MAYONNAISE OR SOUR CREAM
Wait, what?! You read that right. I add mayonnaise to my easy banana bread and homemade chocolate cake to make them crazy moist.
Adding a few tablespoons of mayonnaise to any standard boxed mix will ensure your cake will stay moist and delicious longer.
REPLACE THE WATER
Use milk, buttermilk or even coconut milk instead of water to make your cake mix a little richer. It makes for a denser, more homemade taste and texture!
ADD PUDDING
Up the liquids, you add to the cake and throw in a box of Jello pudding in any flavor. The pudding helps to thicken the mixture and make it rich, dense, and delicious!
ADD AN EXTRA EGG
If you’re in a rush and don’t have time for all the extra details, try just adding another egg to your mix. You won’t believe the difference it makes!
GET CREATIVE
Have you ever thrown some yummy add-ins to your recipe? It can take your boxed cake from drab to fab in no time! Try throwing in some crushed Oreos, chocolate candies, sprinkles, or even preserves. The only limit is your imagination!
Make Your Icing From Scratch
Even if you don’t have the time to make the cake from scratch, the icing should be. It is the main difference between the plain flavors of boxed cake and the luscious style of handmade treat. A few favorites:
Did you love this Buttery Vanilla Cake? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
How to Make Box Cake Mix Taste Homemade
Ingredients
- 1 box white cake mix (or any flavor) (regular 9x13 size)
- 1 box instant vanilla pudding mix (any flavor) (4 servings size)
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup milk or coconut milk
- ⅓ cup butter melted
- ½ cup sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13 baking pan.
- Place all cake mix ingredients in a bowl. Mix with an electric mixer on medium speed until well combined and fluffy.
- Pour into a greased baking pan and bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes.
- Cool completely before frosting.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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I use unsweetened applesauce instead of oil or water. I makes the cake a little more dense but still quite moist.
I love Matcha green tea…..So I added 4-6 scoops of Matcha powder in vanilla cake mix a crumble topping and glaze. My family loves it.
Delicious idea! Thank you for sharing!
Will the following work for an extra moist cake or will the cake shrink? Will I need to increase the liquid to allow for the added pudding mix?
1 box white cake mix (pillsbury)
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup milk
1 box instant pudding mix
1 extra egg
You don’t need to add extra liquid for the pudding mix.
I’m confused. Are you measuring the butter before or after it’s melted? I’m seeing comments on doubling the butter instead of oil if I’m understanding it right. So if the directions call for 1/3 c oil do we use 2/3 cups of melted butter? That sounds like an awful lot of butter.
I would melt the butter. Personally I don’t double it but you certainly can.
I always use butter instead of oil and double the amount, milk instead of water, and add an extra egg (if the box says 2 then use 3). My cakes turn out amazing.
Would this work with brownie mix as in using butter instead of oil? Has anyone tried it?
You say to double the butter. ..do you melt it first?
Yes, the butter would be melted.
How do we adjust the recipe now that the companies have decreased the ounces of the cake mix from 18.25 to 15.25
From the Cake Doctor: Add 6 Tablespoons all-purpose flour and proceed as package directs.
I added 2 more eggs used milk, also used butter doubled and added vanilla and almond extract. My cake shrank after I took it out of the oven
So I had 5 eggs total
What did I do wrong? Feels like sponge cake
The size of eggs might be the culprit or maybe your melted butter was hot or warm. I just followed the exact recipe you did minus the almond extract. And after reading your comment, I decided to add about 1/4 cup flour to the mix to be safe.
I add coffee to any chocolate cake mix or brownie mix. I make sure the coffee is cooled. The coffee adds the pop to chocolate that makes people say WOW>,
I add half an envelope of dream whip (or generic) – just the powder and a little vanilla.
I love all of these ideas! Someone start a Pinterest “cake mixes pumped up”.
Instead of adding water to your cake mix substitute the water with the pineapple juice. Even if it is a pineapple upsidedowncake mix still add the juice… it taste so much better and very moist. It will melt in your mouth.
I always use butter instead of oil, add vanilla or almond extract (or sometimes both) and depending on the cake, flavor the water with instant coffee or juice (ie: chocolate cake with coffee or yellow cake with orange juice). I am going to try the hint with the milk or the mayo and see how that works too!
I use a couple Tbsp of sour cream
I do this all the time by adding vanilla flavoring to the cake mix. I especially love to take a white cake mix and add pecans, coconut and vanilla flavoring for a short cut version of Italian Cream Cheese cake. However, I do make my own cream cheese icing for it.
Can you share your icing recipe?
I always sift the cake mix.
I worked in a bakery for years and all the cakes are made from mixes, only they come in 25 pound bags
I worked in an Italian bakery and we made our sponge batter from scratch. Best cakes in town.
I use butter instead of oil, double up the butter, add 2 extra eggs, and use milk instead of water. I usually buy the cake with the pudding in the mix. Would it make a big difference if I add another box of pudding? And it’s the first time I’ve heard of aging mayo and extra ap flour…I can’t wait to try those tips.
Adding, not aging, LOL
Remember, mayo is basically oil and egg.
I add a box of pudding to my cake mixes that have pudding in them all ready. It just makes them better
If you add pudding to the mix, by how much do you increase the liquid?
Have tried this many times..taste like you brought home from bakery. Very moist.
Don’t increase liquid. Use the small box of pudding and it just makes the batter thicker and more moist of course.
Make sure when you use the 4-serving INSTANT pudding per one box of cake mix, if you’re going to add.
add 3/4 cup of flour to the cake mix and people will think you have made a homemade cake. When you go to spread icing on the cake it is much easier and the top layer doesn’t pull off. Have been doing this for more than 20 years.
I am definitely going to try this!
Is the flour self rising or all purpose?
All purpose. :)
I am not happy any more with the cake mixes. I sue to get such nice high cakes and have trouble with them shrinking and getting sticky on top. I will try adding the extra flour and egg and see if that helps.