InCheap Trickswe’ll help you make the most of everyday supermarket staples. Next up: How to make boxed cake better (like so good people will think it’s homemade).
Cake mixes are wildly popular and, in certain circles, somewhat controversial. While their convenience can’t be denied, the reality that they’re not homemade hangs over them. That’s where doctoring upboxed mix comes in—not only can it make the cake taste better, but it also makes peoplefeel like they’re baking.
When I first started relying onstore-bought cake mix, I didn’t know it would turn into a newspaper story and then into the bestselling book,The Cake Mix Doctor. With three children under the age of 10 and so many occasions to bake a cake at the last minute, I used the simplesthacks—like swapping the water for orange juice—to enhancemy boxed cake mix recipes. (Hoping to hide the fact I wasn’tbaking a cake from scratch.)
The truth is,Betty Crocker andDuncan Hines are popular for a reason. Once I baked more with cake mixes and figured out how far I could push the envelope—or in this case, the packet ofinstant pudding mix—I got better at it. A few simple swaps reliably transformed the pre-scaled packet ofdry ingredients into a flavorful,moist cake. Anextra egg yolk here, a handful ofchocolate chips there, upgraded my box cakes to thenext level, while still keeping theprep time mercifully short. Whether you’re bakingred velvet,spice cake, or a plainyellow cake mix, these tips help anycake mix taste homemade.
1. Switch up the liquid.
At the very least, replace the water called for on the package with another liquid: apple cider, coffee,buttermilk, even pink Champagne. Use that same liquid to make a glaze or frosting, as in apple cider cake with apple cider glaze. Or turn to citrus, from lemon to orange to lime to grapefruit, or even clementine. Add the zest and juice tovanilla cake batter and frosting for a supercharged citrus cake.
You can also swap in canned coconut milk anytime yourrecipe calls forwhole milk. It makes for velvety cakes with good structure, not to mention the boost of flavor it brings—add coconut frosting and shredded coconut to transform a box ofwhite cake mix into a coconutlayer cake. Pair it with an egg substitute and you’re on the road to a vegan cake.
Soft fruit can also be used in place of some of the liquid in the batter. Ripe bananas, applesauce, mashed roasted butternut squash, and puréed berries all add moisture and personality to cake mix.
Is it plain vanilla cake or raspberry-citrus cake? You decide!
2. Enrich with fat.
The directions on theback of the box will tell you to addvegetable oil; for a densercrumb and bigger flavor, swap inunsalted butter.Melted butter can be used in the same quantity and manner as the fat called for in any boxed cake recipe. Or you can change out the neutral oil for fragrant olive oil, especially when pairing with citrus (as inolive oil–lemon cake).Mix inroom-temperature cream cheese, ricotta,sour cream, whole-fat yogurt, or peanut butter in addition to the fat called for on the box to yield even richer cakes.
3. Amp up the flavor.
Simply put, most boxed chocolate cake mixes need more chocolate. I’ve successfully added up to 6 ounces of melted bittersweet chocolate (or Nutella) to box-cake batter. To enhance the richness of chocolate batters even more, add a spoonful of Kahlua, dark rum, or espresso. Pair withchocolatebuttercream frosting.
Foryellow cake, I like toadd in a drop or two ofmaple flavoring, which packs more flavor than mostvanilla extracts. And infusing the liquid in the batter or glaze with rosemary,lavender, or Earl Grey tea adds another level of sophistication. You can also addalmond extract (sparingly; it’s potto give the cake a boost of warmth.
