9 Cake Box Mix Hacks

Cake Box Mix Hacks are here!  What if I told you, you could make or fake your cake box mixes taste more home-made, like scratch?  Have you ever tried to improve the taste of cake box mixes?

When I was in my early twenties, I used to bake all variations of cakes for all kinds of special occasions  and to save time, there were many times I used doctored cake mixes as well as making cakes from scratch.  (Hey! Don't be too surprised, a lot of bakers use these hacks when it comes to making cakes from a cake mix!)

Cake mix is pretty good as is, in most cases, but it's nice to know we can make them even better all kinds of ways with different ingredients!  All you do is take cake box mixes and alter the ingredients to make them taste more moist, more flavorful, more home-made.  Yum...right?

Let's get this party started with our 9 Cake Box Mix Hacks

Starting with a fave!

1. Butter!

Have you ever tried substituting butter for oil? It’s a fact, butter just tastes better than oil! Using melted butter in place of the oil adds more flavor and a richness that most boxed cake mixes don't have. And while you're switching over to butter, you might as well bump it up and add twice the amount the boxed cake is calling out.

Um...That means double richness, double flavor!  When it comes to eating cake, you want to impress, so you may as well do it up right.  Your thighs will probably hate you, but it's obviously a special occasion when you have cake, so celebrate, celebrate!  🙂

2. Pudding!

 

Want to add more richness?  Pudding helps keep the cake retain moisture. Add 1 small box of instant pudding or gelatin to the mixture. Any flavor you want, it'll be like a party.  You get to experiment and think out of the box! (Pardon the pun, couldn't resist!)

Pick a flavor you want to compliment and step up your cake mix. I love devil's food and chocolate fudge pudding. You know, I can't help it, I'm a chocolaholic!

3. No Water, whaaa?!

Have you ever tried substituting water for buttermilk, coconut milk, juice, coffee, soda or even just plain ole' milk? Those have flavor, water does not.  See where I'm coming from?

So take that devil's food cake, with the chocolate fudge pudding and add chocolate milk. 🙂 'Cha-Ching!' We're golden!

4. More Eggs & Fluffiness!! 

We love fluffy! Eggs give cake flavor and help them rise. Add an extra egg or two in for a richer, fluffier cake.

Beat the eggs for two minutes in a separate bowl.  They should be creamy and pale yellow. Then blend them with the rest of the cake mix ingredients according to the instructions. before mixing everything together.

By beating the eggs first, this helps create a smoother batter with fewer air bubbles, which in turn, you get a better, finer texture.

5. Sour Cream or Greek Yogurt!

Mix ¾ cup of sour cream or Greek yogurt into your cake mix and stir thoroughly.  This replaces the oil in the cake adding a richness and denser flavor that also keeps longer.

6. Mashed Banana Substitute for Egg & Oil!

Speaking of  Greek yogurt and sour cream, you can add a mashed banana and use it as a substitute for the eggs and oil. If you do this, you will need a 1 - ½ cups or 12 ounces of Greek yogurt or sour cream, plus the mashed banana mixed in.  Add a little bit of water or juice if your cake batter is too thick, until your cake mix reaches cake batter consistency.

6. Yummies!

Add in some mix-ins, like nuts, dried fruits, lemon zest, berries, miniature chocolate chips, marshmallows, raisins, cookies, candies, sprinkles, etc.

Make sure you use add-ins of the miniature or  finely chopped or shaved, when it comes to large produce.

Add about ½ cup of add-ins and always remember to coat them in a tablespoon of flour so that they don’t sink to the bottom. This ensures that the add-ins will blend better with the batter and won't sink to the bottom of the cake while baking.

7. Extracts, Spices, Zests!

Get creative with different extracts and spices to come up with different flavors of cakes.

• Spiced cakes, add 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder, ½ teaspoon nutmeg powder, ½ teaspoon allspice powder.  Mexican chocolate cake, you can add 1 tablespoon chili powder and ½ tablespoon paprika for a little zip.
• For extracts, add 1 tablespoon orange, lemon, butter, coconut, almond, or some vanilla bean paste.  Extracts always give your cakes a little extra flavor.
• For a little energy kick, add some lemon zest or orange zest.
• Want a delicious, lush cake?  Pudding is the answer!  One box of instant pudding mix is more than enough for a box of cake mix. For every addition of cake mix box, add a small instant pudding box. Adding pudding to the cake mix is super easy. You just need to mix the two together from the beginning with all of the other ingredients. Your cake will be more moist and hold up much better thanks to the addition of pudding.

8. Home-made Frosting is a must!

Frostings are easy to make, and will ultimately determine the destiny of your 'ta-da' cake.  It's basically a no-brainer, yes?

To make it more deluxe, top your frosted cake with some chocolate chips, fresh berries, nuts, sprinkles or candies to give it a more finished look. How does that grab ya?

9. Make it a Poke Cake! 

Making a poke cake, always makes cake box mix taste wayyyy better.  After baking a regular cake, you poke holes into the cake and then pour pudding, sweetened condensed milk, syrups, gelatin or sauces into the holes and let them soak in the cake and refrigerate overnight!  I loooove poke cakes.

Play around with your cake box mix and alternate ingredients to your liking. However, be aware that some ingredients mixed with others may not taste as good as others.   If you like fruit in your cake, there's always room for 'Dump Cakes'!  They are really simple dessert, usually made with a base of cake mix plus fruit filling . You basically just dump the ingredients into a pan, give it a stir, and bake.

One more added bonus before I sign off here!  I like to freeze the cakes after baking until I'm ready to use them. It really keeps them even more super moist and delicious and I usually only freeze up to 2 days. 

 

What are your favorite Cake Box Mix hacks? I would love to hear!  Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a heck of a chocolate cake to bake up with some of the good ole' hacks we've covered.

If you are always on the lookout for more baking tips and hacks, check out:

• How – To! Baking Perfect Cookie Tips!  
• Conversion Charts & Kitchen Tips 
• 16 hacks to make your boxed cake taste better @ MSN (My #9 hack is featured!)