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Here’s a secret: even a lot of bakeries use boxed cake mix! These simple tips for how to make a box cake mix taste homemade will take all your cupcakes and birthday cakes to the next level!

Homemade cupcakes with title superimposed over image: 10 Tricks to Make A Box Cake Mix Taste Like Homemade

I don’t know about you, but I don’t always have time to make a recipe from scratch. There’s no shame in the boxed cake mix game, but of course, we want it to taste as good as homemade. And that’s where these tips for doctoring up box cake mix come in! (These doctored up cake mix recipes will come through in a pinch too.)

How To Make a Box Cake Mix Taste Better

While I love my homemade cake mix, I’m assuming you’re here because Betty Crocker is your sous chef today. And that’s okay! Because like I mentioned before, a lot of professional bakers use boxed cake mixes.

I had no idea until I saw one of our town’s biggest wedding cake bakers checking out at the store with powdered sugar, butter, eggs, and several boxes of Duncan Hines White Cake Mix! What a scandal, right?!

I could have sworn her cakes were homemade! Nope. Instead, professionals start with the boxed stuff and add the right ingredients to make it taste like it was made from scratch.

Overhead view of boxed cake mix with measuring cup of oil and 2 eggs

First Step: Start With a GOOD Cake Mix

A trusted friend who is known for her amazing cakes let me in on a secret: they teach bakers in classes that you really can’t beat Duncan Hines and Betty Crocker. These two options are considered the best boxed cake mixes, with the right mix of ingredients for a perfectly finished cake, every time!

While you can definitely try other brands and I think you’d likely have good results, I can’t vouch for them personally. I only tested these hacks with Duncan Hines and Betty Crocker cake mixes.

Hand holding cupcake made with doctored up cake mix

Tried-and-True Hacks for Making Boxed Cake Mix Taste Better

I tested these hacks with boxed cake mix and my homemade buttercream frosting. Then, I had my family try the doctored up cake mix cakes and rate them against cakes made by following the package directions. The results?

The doctored up cake mix cakes tasted more like homemade and we all thought they had better flavor and texture.

Here are the tricks to improving the taste of box cake mix:

Use milk instead of water.
Using whole milk or buttermilk gives the cake a richer texture like homemade, with an improved taste.
Add extra eggs.
To get an extra rich and moist cake, stir in two extra egg yolks along with the eggs the recipe calls for.
Add sugar and flour to the dry mix.
Add 1/4 to 1 cup sugar and flour to your cake mix.
Use coffee instead of water for chocolate cakes.
For chocolate cakes, use strong brewed coffee instead of water to deepen the flavor.
Add sour cream for an extra moist cake.
Add in 1/2 cup of sour cream for more moisture and richness.
Jazz it up with pudding mix.
Add a small box of instant pudding to the cake mix for extra moisture and flavor.
Give it a boost with vanilla and salt.
Add in a teaspoon of vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the mix.
Swap butter for the oil.
Use melted butter in the place of vegetable oil for a richer taste. For an extra decadent cake, add two tablespoons of mayonnaise, like this Copycat Portillo’s Chocolate Cake.
Level up the flavor with mix-ins.
Add a handful of chocolate chips, fruit, or nuts.
Upgrade your cake mix with homemade frosting.
Make homemade buttercream frosting! This cream cheese frosting is also excellent!

Homemade vanilla cupcake made with cake mix, topped with vanilla buttercream, rainbow nonpareils, and candle.

More Baking Tips and Hacks

This free printable shows you How Many Cups in a Quart, Pint or Gallon so you don’t have to guess or Google it every time. Just hang it on your fridge!
You’ll love this list of the The Best Easy Cake Recipes, which can be whipped up super fast!
If you’re completely new to baking and need to know How to Bake a Cake, I have you covered, too!
Out of eggs? Try this Baker’s Guide to Egg Substitutes and find the perfect replacement!
Do you really need cake flour for that recipe? And what is cake flour, anyway? Learn more: Cake Flour vs. All Purpose Flour.
It’s also important to know When to Use Salted vs. Unsalted Butter in all your baking recipes.

If you want to see some of these tricks in action, check out this video where I make this cake LIVE on Good Day Marketplace HERE!

chocolate cupcakes topped with cream cheese frosting

How to Make A Box Cake Mix Taste Homemade

I tested the best tips for making box cake mix taste homemade and now I'm sharing them with you. Spoiler alert: they're simple and they WORK!

4.15 from 220 votes

Pin Recipe Save Recipe Rate Recipe Print Recipe

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Author: Kasey Schwartz

Servings:

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 18

Total Time: 28

Ingredients

Instructions

Gather your ingredients. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13 baking pan.
Place all cake mix ingredients in a bowl. Mix with an electric mixer on medium speed until well combined and fluffy for about 3 minutes.
Pour into baking pan and bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes.
Cool completely before frosting.

Video

Nutrition

Did you make this recipe?Mention @kasey_allthingsmamma or tag #allthingsmamma!

Click Below for My FREE Printable Cheat Sheet 10 Tricks For Making A Box Cake Taste Homemade – Printable

Winning Box Cake Mix Recipes

Cake

Comments

Amanda B says:

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This makes the best cupcakes! So super easy and they taste like they are from a bakery, not a box

MerryChristmas Claus says:

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My husband is making it for me as I am writing this. He is the baker, I am the cook.

Just as a suggestion because so many people complain, instead of skipping over ridiculous requests, simply respond that you haven’t tried it. Let you know how it comes out when they do it. That gets you off the hook for silliness.

You never said that you are a professional or a scientist. You say you are a mom and you know how to cook. That doesn’t mean you know everything and it infuriates me when people expect you to answer all their ridiculous questions.

The woman who complained that there are too many unanswered questions here so she’s going elsewhere, should go elsewhere. I find your tips and tricks to be useful but I need less clarification than other people because I’ve been cooking for The better part of 60 years

1. Shyanne - ATM Team says:
  
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  Thank you for the feedback! We appreciate your kind words and hope you enjoy the recipe! 😊
  
Diane M. Mitchell says:

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Seems like reasonable suggestions. I’m going to look else where for my tips as I see there are many questions that don’t get responses. That is just a needless frustration.

1. Shyanne - ATM Team says:
  
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  We apologize! We work to get to everyone’s comments.
  
  1. MerryChristmas Claus says:
    
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    Like I said in my posting, when you don’t know the response to whether you can use something you’ve never even heard of, etc., tell them you don’t know and to let you know how it works when they try it.