How To Make Box Cake Mix Taste Like Made From Scratch

Past Olivia on March 26, 2020 | | This mail may comprise affiliate links. Please run across my Disclosure Policy.

Take your box cake mix to the next level with this easy recipe! A few simple additions make it extra moist and delicious. | livforcake.com

Accept your box cake mix to the adjacent level with this piece of cake recipe! A few elementary additions make it extra moist and delicious.

Overhead shot of the ingredients for a box cake mix -- cake mix, flour, sugar, oil, sour cream, eggs, salt, and vanilla.

Alright, *almost* scratch block is a flake of a stretch. It's generally a box cake with stuff added in to get in even better.

Some bakers scoff at box mixes, call up it'due south sacrilege and simply broil from scratch. I'm a whatever-works-for-you lot kinda bakery and sometimes it'southward but easier to whip out a box.

How to Make Box Cake Better

Adding a few unproblematic ingredients makes a world of difference. Trust me you lot will never go back to a plain old box cake mix ever again!

Hither'southward what you'll need:

box block mix
all-purpose flour
sugar
salt
large eggs
water (or milk)
vegetable oil
vanilla
sour cream

The sour foam is the secret ingredient I think that makes this doctored box mix extra moist and flavourful.

I recommend using full-fat sour cream because really, we're non about saving calories at this point, correct?

Baked doctored box cake layer on a cooling rack.

Boxed Block Mix Recipe

Making this cake is merely as simple as any box mix, just with a couple of other ingredients. To make information technology all y'all need to practice is:

whisk the dry ingredients together
add the wet ingredients
mix on depression until combined

This recipe works dandy for ii viii″ cake pans or three 6″ pans. It can be scaled up for larger pans though as well. I use this site as a guideline when I'm scaling recipes up or down.

I like to employ Homemade Cake Release on my pans and line them with parchment to make sure the cakes come up out perfect every fourth dimension.

Overhead photo of a cake pan being prepped with homemade cake release.

I likewise apply Blistering Strips effectually the sides of my cake pans to brand sure the cakes bake perfectly flat and don't require whatever trimming (no wasted cake scraps!).

Tow cake pans side by side, one with an evenbake strip on it.

If you'd like to make your cake extra moist (or if you're worried you've over baked information technology) you lot tin can add some Elementary Syrup to the cooled cake layers. I recommend trimming a fleck of the top crust first so the syrup really soaks into the cakes.

small pitcher of simple syrup

These days I mostly bake from scratch, but I used to employ this recipe all the time when I was focussing on block decorating. It bakes up a very sturdy and succulent block!

I've even so to recreate the delicious flavour and texture of a classic vanilla box mix block though. My Vanilla Cake recipe comes shut, but information technology's not quite the same. It is delicious though as well, and then you should try information technology if you oasis't!

I actually like this recipe because it makes the box mixes a petty more dense and super moist. This recipe is GREAT for a cake that will exist decorated, stacked, etc. equally the cakes have actually practiced structural integrity.

I promise you lot love information technology as much as I do. Happy Baking!

Like shooting fish in a barrel Buttercream Frosting Recipes:

Elementary Vanilla Buttercream
Whipped Chocolate Buttercream
Baileys Chocolate Buttercream
Foam Cheese Frosting
Whipped Chocolate Ganache

Oftentimes Asked Questions

How Can I Convert This Recipe?

This recipe makes two eight″ or 3 half dozen″ cake pans. You tin employ two 9″ every bit well just the layers will be thinner (reduce blistering fourth dimension accordingly).
To make cupcakes, all y'all need to do is reduce the baking fourth dimension. Start checking at 15mins or so. The recipe should brand about 24 cupcakes depending on size.
You can bake information technology in a 9×xiii pan. Baking fourth dimension will be slightly shorter.
Yous tin can bake it in a Bundt pan as well simply you'll need to increment the blistering time.
For all other conversions, I use this site as a guideline.
Baking time will vary if y'all alter the pan size. Every oven varies and then I can't say for certain what you'll demand to adjust it to. Be sure to check on the block equally it'southward baking.

Volition This Work With Whatsoever Box Cake Mix?

I've only used this method with yellow/white cake mixes, but information technology should work just fine with any kind of box mix.
For chocolate block mixes, instead of adding ane cup flour, you tin add 3/4 cup flour and 1/4 loving cup cocoa powder if you similar.
For a pure white block, apply a white cake mix and 5 egg whites in place of 3 whole eggs.
For box mixes, my become-to'due south are Betty Crocker and Duncan Hines. The French Vanilla flavour is my favourite.
Yous can easily add some sprinkles to make this a funfetti cake instead, but exist sure to apply either jimmies or confetti every bit the small round nonpareils will bleed into the batter.

Other Tips for making this Doctored Block Mix:

Practise non also utilise the ingredients listed on the dorsum of the box mix. Merely the components in the recipe.
Be sure to use room temperature ingredients as this will yield the best results.
Use full-fat sour cream for best results. Yogurt is a skillful substitute every bit well.
Larn how to keep your cakes moist using Simple Syrup.
To assistance ensure your block layers bake up nice and apartment, check out my Flat Top Cakes post!

How to Brand Box Cake Better

Have your box cake mix to the next level with this easy recipe! A few simple additions make it extra moist and delicious.

Form Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Fourth dimension ten minutes

Melt Time 50 minutes

Total Time one hr

Servings 12

Calories 338 kcal

one box xanthous/white cake mix* 432g, fifteen.25oz
1 loving cup all-purpose flour
1 loving cup granulated saccharide
1/2 tsp salt
3 big eggs room temperature
1 1/3 cup h2o or milk room temperature
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 loving cup sour cream i 250g carton, room temperature
two tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 325°F.
Grease and flour 2 8" cake rounds (I apply Homemade Block Release), line with parchment.
Wrap block rounds with damp Evenbake strips (optional).
Combine all dry ingredients and whisk together.
Add together moisture ingredients and mix until combined. I apply my KitchenAid on depression for two minutes but yous can besides exercise this past hand.
Separate the batter between the pans and bake for approximately fifty minutes.
Cool in pans on wire rack for 10mins, then turn cakes out onto wire racks to cool completely.

*I use French Vanilla, just y'all can use any yellow/white block mix for this. I haven't tried with other kinds, simply I imagine it would yield similar, delicious results.

Calories: 338 kcal Carbohydrates: threescore g Protein: 4 g Fat: 8 g Saturated Fatty: five g Cholesterol: 56 mg Sodium: 430 mg Potassium: 82 mg Sugar: 35 g Vitamin A: 185 IU Vitamin C: 0.two mg Calcium: 124 mg Iron: i.6 mg

The nutritional information and metric conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data. If this is important to y'all, please verify with your favorite diet calculator and/or metric conversion tool.