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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!
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.
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.
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!
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.
How to Make A Box Cake Mix Taste Homemade
Ingredients
- 1 15 oz. ounce box box devil’s food cake mix
- 1 3.4 oz box instant chocolate pudding (dry)
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
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
Click Below for My FREE Printable Cheat Sheet 
10 Tricks For Making A Box Cake Taste Homemade – Printable
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Thanks you for sharing. Becaus i like chocolate
Try chocolate cake and sub all ingredients for one can coke cola and stir in a half cup of mini marshmallows. That’s it! Cook in round pans or 13×9 as directed on box. Cracker barrel puts mini marshmallows in the batter.
Your American solider,
Shanelle?
Added 1/2 cup of sour cream to a box of Pillsbury Funfetti cake mix. I did not overbeat it (or so I thought) but it came out spongy. Even my son said it was “squishy” (like those squishy toys they play with nowadays).
Did I just overbeat the batter or should I not have used the Pillsbury brand cake mix? I was bummed out. Was hoping the cupcakes would turn out nice.
Regarding the pudding. I know of Duncan Hines, Pillsbury, and Betty Crocker cake mixes. Some of these mixes claim to have pudding in the mix. Can you still add a box of pudding to those cake mixes, or only Duncan Hines cake mixes?
I have the same question!!
I have done the coffee trick in my chocolate cakes and brownies for years. I even add espresso powder to dark chocolate frosting! I always add extra vanilla, even when I use Mexican vanilla! The other tricks I have for moist cakes os, I put a pan of boiling water in the bottom of the oven when baking and then cover my pans with plastic wrap a few seconds after I take them from the oven. As soon as the plastic won’t melt to cool. Why put all that moisture in the cake, just to let it evaporate? Thanks for the other tips!
All good tips!
So, I subbed melted butter (double the amount) for oil, milk for the water, added an extra egg, & added 2 tsps of vanilla. I’ve done this a couple of times (per a post on Pinterest) and my cakes & cupcakes ended up with a divot as they cooled. Should I just sub the same amount of butter for oil instead of doubling? Just looking for an opinion…
Too much oil/fat makes the cupcakes sink. I’d use less.
Oh man. These tips made amazing cupcakes! I ended up making the following alterations…
– Used 1/4 cup water and 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
– Used 4 eggs instead of 3
– Added 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup flour
– Added 1/2 cup sour cream
– Added 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon of salt
– Used melted butter (and doubled it) instead of vegetable oil
– Preheated oven at 350, then turned it down to 325 when I put the cupcakes in
– Frosted with a strawberry preserve cream cheese frosting
These were rich and fluffy at the same time — how is that possible!? Thank you for your tips!
when you turn heat down to 325 do you adjust baking time from what is on the box?
Try using shortening with clear butter extract, I use this in my buttercup am frosting if I want it pure white. You could also try coconut oil it’s good too.
My mother used to add certain ingredients to a boxed cake mix and it would rise significantly. Do you know what those might be. Thank you.
I’m a grandmother and it was probably Dream Whip. The cake decorating class swore by it. I don’t do it anymore as I’m into more natural ingredients. This was mentioned previously in the comments.
Every year around August I try to make something homemade for my
co-workers. I’ve made s’more pie, Apple, peach and pear crisp, cookies, chocolate cake and this year I made vanilla cupcakes and all I did for the cupcake was buy a box of moist vanilla cake mix and added a tablespoon of vanilla to give it some extra flavor and I also added a half a bag of white chocolate morsels and every one loved them and wanted me to make more. I must have made about 70 cupcakes, 4 hours to make them and 2 hours to frost them.??
I see above you add a 1/2 cup each of the Sugar and Flour…
Thanks ?
You mentioned to add 1/4-1 Cup of Sugar and Flour to the cake mix ingredients… I’m not sure what you mean here…that’s a big difference in measurements for each of the Sugar and Flour…My question is… excatlly how much do you add….1/4 cup or 1 Cup each of the Sugar and Flour ???? Hope you got all this !!???!!???!!!!?? ?
I used eggs and milk in a cakee mix instead of oil and water, my cake looked beautiful then after it fell ☹️ What did I do wrong? Thanks!!!
I don’t know – but I’m guessing it wasn’t cooked all the way in the center. Could that have been it?
Hi, I do a lot of cakes and have been doing them for years. Most of my cakes need to be white white but, butter makes it yellowish. How do you keep it white while using just butter. Thanks for the great tips on the cake mixes.
I don’t think it will stay white with the butter. You may need to use oil and then add clear butter flavoring if you like that flavor,
All comments seem to be about making layer cakes. My question is whether I can bake the mix in bundt pan with good results? Want to make lemon one as a gift. Love all suggestions mentioned.
SURE! Whatever pan you use is fine!
Use hot water in chocolate cake mix to make the flavor bloom.
WOW! Good one!
Also use coffee to enrich the flavor