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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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salted or unsalted butter
Either is fine. I always bake with unsalted but add in salt. If you do not add in salt, salted butter is fine.
I am making a white chocolate cake, using a mix and Hershey’s white chocolate instant pudding. It will also have raspberry and cream fillings. I am looking for a moist, dense cake that will stand up to the fillings. What would be the most helpful add-ins? Extra eggs and milk or cream instead of water? Thanks for any/all suggestions!
I always add 1/4 – 1/2 extra of flour and sugar, an extra egg and milk instead of water. I really like the results! 🙂
I am going to make a white chocolate raspberry and cream filled cake for a dear friends 95th birthday. I plan on using a white cake mix (or two-want three tiers) and Hershey’s instant white chocolate pudding mix. Would the best options be extra eggs and milk instead of water? I want a moist, DENSE cake that will stand up to the fillings.
Hi, I am Ruth from Western Pennsylvania!
I tried something and it turned out so fluffy soft and moist.
First you sift the cakemix and pudding mix and combine. Make sure your ingredients are room temperature milk, eggs and butter. Add and extra 1/4 cup of milk than it calls for, add same amount of butter it says on box and and exrta egg than it says on the box, add one egg at a time after mixing the milk and butter. Then add 1 1/2T of mayonaise.
So , after reading all these emails I just want to make sure I’m not over adding things. I want to make dense moist chocolate cupcakes. Is it too much to add in all these extras to the Betty Crocker or Duncan Hines box mix: add 1 extra egg yolk, replace the oil with melted butter- but use a little less than double the amt ( ex: if recipe calls for 1/4 cup oil… I would replace that by adding a little less than 1/2 cup melted butter instead) , 2 tsp vanilla, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup flour and replace water alone with both water and heavy cream. Does this sound alright? Is there something listed above I should not add??
I just bought the BabyCAKES CUPCAKE Machine. It makes 12 full size cupcakes in as little as 10 minutes. I can’t wait to make my funfeti cupcakes. I am going to try some milk instead of water. Thanks for the tips. Alot of people like applesauce instead of eggs. Never tried it thoigb.
I want to make delicious frosted cupcakes for my grand daughters outdoor wedding. I would appreciate any suggestions that you may have on the brand and type cake mix to use for red velvet and chocolate cupcakes. Also, please suggest to me which additions from your list to use with the each of the cake mixes to make them special. Thank you so much!!
Thanks for the tips! I use cake mixes lots- home made frosting, and some extras. eg if I am making lemon cup cakes, I will add in real lemon juice, and lemon zest, and lemon pudding. The cupcakes came out incredibly moist and everyone thought they were homemade. I just made a homemade lemon butter cream frosting. I will often read the reviews if I am following an online recipes to get the best extra tips..
I have done certain cakes from scratch but a lot of cakes are surprisingly good from cake mix with some tweaks.
I plan on making the homemade buttercream frosting but I wanted to know can I make it the day before and just refrigerate it until I am ready to frost the cake?
I was making 8 different cake mixes for a special event at church some of the cupcakes sunk in the middle some didn’t. I added 1/4 c. of Cake Flour, 1/2 cup of sour cream, whole mix in place of water, 1 tsp. of vanilla and 1 cup of sugar. Mix as usual. Normally get 18 cupcakes per mix with the addition of ingredients I was getting at least 30. I wasn’t filling the liners as full, because the cake would stick to the pan. When I added a few chocolate chips to my mocha cupcakes they sunk to the bottom of the pan. Would appreciate some insight.
I also changed the oil to butter and added 1/4 tsp, salt.
When adding chips of any kind toss them with a little flour then add at the last not to mix too much. They won’t sink to the bottom and will turn out great!
Do I add the pudding mix dry to the boxed cake mix
Yes! You can add the dry mix right into the box mix.
Cake box is essential to hold or store your cakes, cookies, pastry secure.
Sweetheart you talk to much i was looking for a recipe on making buttercream icing but i got tired of hearing you say hello to the country and tell of your daughters birthday celebration. for over 7 minutes all i got on ingredients was two sticks of butter and powered sugar so I decided to move on .
Hi… please help……. I want to make boxed confetti cake ( 2 half sheets) for my twins 1st BD coming up…. what should i add to it to make it amazing? I plan on freezing them before frosting them and do I wrap them in Saran Wrap before I freeze them?
Thanks so much for your time… looking forward to your response
I would like to thank the author for sharing such informative blog with us.