With a few staple kitchen items, a box cake mix can be easily elevated in flavor and texture!
Even as a trained baker, I absolutely find times for box cake and brownie mixes. In fact, I even prefer the flavor sometimes because the texture and aroma are very nostalgic. Box mixes are a great way to bake with kids because they are very difficult to mess up! The good news is that many box mixes on the market now are excellent. The even better news is that with a few easy tweaks, a humble box cake can become even better than homemade!
INGREDIENTS FOR A BOX CAKE UPGRADE
- 1. Betty Crocker Cake Mix – I prefer to use the classic Betty Crocker Super Moist Favorites cake mixes. The ones I purchase do not have the pudding mix already added to them – I do that myself. From experimentation, the best resulting cake comes from the exact combination of ingredients I’ve laid out in the recipe below. You can use white, vanilla, chocolate – really any flavor you prefer.
- 2. Jello Instant Pudding Mix – Again, I grab the classic 3.4 ounce box of instant jello pudding mix in your desired flavor. Since I’m using a white cake mix, vanilla pudding makes the most sense. Make sure not to buy the cook and serve, sugar free or giant boxes of pudding mix.
- 3. Four eggs – Most cake mixes call for 2 or 3 eggs. This recipe calls for a whopping four eggs which improves the cake’s structure without making it dense or tough.
- 4. Sour cream or plain yogurt – I suggest using full fat sour cream or plain whole milk yogurt for this recipe. Full fat means full flavor! The sour cream or yogurt add moisture and richness to the cake mix.
- 5. Whole milk – Using milk instead of water in a cake mix just adds extra moisture and flavor.
- 6. Vegetable oil – I always have canola oil on hand for baking a frying, but any neutral oil will work.
BETTY CROCKER MIXES THAT WORK
The recipe I laid out below uses a Betty Crocker Super Moist Favorites white cake mix and vanilla instant pudding. There are lots of other flavor combinations to try. Here are some suggestions:
Betty Crocker Super Moist Favorites Vanilla Cake Mix (13.25 ounces) and Vanilla, French Vanilla, White Chocolate or Cheesecake Jello Instant Pudding mixes.
Betty Crocker Super Moist Favorites Butter Yellow Cake Mix (13.25 ounces) and Vanilla, French Vanilla, Butterscotch or White Chocolate or Pumpkin Spice Jello Instant Pudding mixes.
Betty Crocker Super Moist Favorites Milk Chocolate Cake Mix (13.25 ounces) and Chocolate, Chocolate Fudge or Oreo Cookies ‘n Cream Jello Instant Pudding mixes.
Betty Crocker Super Moist Favorites Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix (13.25 ounces) and Chocolate, Chocolate Fudge or Oreo Cookies ‘n Cream Jello Instant Pudding mixes.
Betty Crocker Super Moist Favorites Devil’s Food Cake Mix (13.25 ounces) and Chocolate, Chocolate Fudge or Oreo Cookies ‘n Cream Jello Instant Pudding mixes.
CAN ANY BOX CAKE BE USED?
Unfortunately I have not tried every cake mix on the market. I have experimented with Duncan Hines cake mixes with unfavorable results. This method seems to work best with the Betty Crocker Super Moist Favorites Cake Mixes.
If you want to use one of Betty Crocker’s Super Moist Delights Cake Mixes that already have the pudding mixed in, I suggest eliminating the additional Jello instant pudding mix and then following the recipe as is. From previous experiments I notice that when adding an additional pudding mix to the Super Moist Delights cake mixes, the cake bakes up a bit too dense. When the pudding mix is eliminated, the cake will be lighter and still delicious but not quite as fluffy and tall as when the instant jello mix is added separately.
How to Make a Box Cake Taste Better
Equipment
- 1 hand or stand mixer with paddle attachment
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 spatula
- 2 8 or 9" round cakes pan, 1 – 9 x 13" cake pan or 2 – 12 cup muffin tins
- parchment paper or paper liners
Ingredients
- 1 box Betty Crocker Super Moist Favorites white or vanilla cake mix see recipe notes for more information
- 1 3.4 ounce box instant vanilla pudding mix
- 4 eggs room temperature
- 1 cup 8 ounces sour cream or whole milk plain yogurt room temperature
- 1/2 cup 3.5 ounces vegetable or canola oil
- 1/2 cup 4 ounces whole milk room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat a conventional oven to 350° F. If making cupcakes, preheat the oven to 425° F.
- Grease 2 – 8 or 9" round cakes pans, 1 – 9 x 13" cake pan or line 2 – 12 cup muffin tins with paper liners and lightly spray them. Set aside.
- Add all of the ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Using the paddle attachment on a hand or stand mixer, beat everything together on medium speed until well incorporated for about 2 minutes.
- Scrap down the bowl to make sure there are no dry bits of cake mix left and that everything is homogenous.
- Transfer the cake batter to your chosen pan(s). For 2 – 8 or 9" round cakes, bake for 25-28 minutes. For a 9 x 13" cake pan, bake for about 25-28 minutes. For cupcakes, start them in a 425° F oven for 5 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350° F and bake for an additional 10-12 minutes.
- Let the cake cool to room temperature before frosting. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5-7 days.
