How to Improve Boxed Cake Mix

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: April 29, 2022 References Tested

Boxed cakes are one of the simplest ways to bake a cake today. Not only are they widely available, but they come with many of the ingredients you need. One of the best things about boxed cakes, though, is the fact that you can easily improve them and turn them into truly unique and delicious creations. By adding to the batter, improving ingredients, and creating unique toppings, you’ll turn a boxed cake into a homemade masterpiece.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Adding to the Batter

1
Throw in some candy. Box cakes are very often simple vanilla or chocolate cakes with a simple topping. Th easiest way to spiff up such a boring cake is to throw some candy into the batter before you bake it. By dropping some candy into the batter, you’ll transform your cake into a unique surprise for the whole family.
- Add popular chocolate candies to your batter. For instance, consider throwing in pieces of Snickers, Baby Ruth, Heath Bar, or other chocolate candies.
- Drop sugar candies into the batter. Consider dropping gummy worms or peppermint pieces into your batter.
- If you want something simple, add chocolate or butterscotch chips to your batter.
- Try to tailor your creation to the season.^{[1]
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2
Add food to your batter. There are a wide variety of things you can add to your batter to improve it. Ultimately, flavor combinations you can create are almost impossible to quantify. Consider adding:
- Half of a cup of sour cream to make your vanilla boxed cake richer
- A couple of tablespoons of peanut butter
- Pumpkin puree
- Nuts
- Coconut flakes or even coconut milk
- Fruits like strawberries, bananas, blueberries, raspberries, or even pineapple.^{[2]
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3
Put spices or extracts into your batter. By adding spices and extracts, you'll be able to personalize your boxed cake. Ultimately, spices enable you to experiment with making a wide range of cakes.
- Add an extra teaspoon of vanilla extract to your batter.
- Think about adding some lemon extract to a yellow boxed cake to turn it into a lemon cake. Start with a couple of teaspoons and add more based on your preference.
- Add between two and three teaspoons of spices for one boxed cake.
- Some popular spices include: cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves.
- Adjust your ingredients appropriately. For instance, if you are adding pieces of candy to your boxed cake, you may want to add less spices.
- Start with a smaller amount of spices, and taste the batter to see if it needs more.
4
Color your batter. While adding candy might improve the overall taste of your cake, adding color will give it a truly unique character. Thus, think about different colors you may want to turn your batter.
- Coloring your batter works best with vanilla cakes.
- Use food coloring to transform your batter. Think of blue, red, yellow, green, or other colors.
- Dye your batter based on the holiday. Try dying your batter green for St. Patrick’s Day, red for Valentine’s Day, or even green and red for Christmas.^{[3]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Adding Toppings and Layering the Cake

1
Add toppings on your cake. Most box cakes come with a simple frosting as a topping. However, you can spoof this up by applying the frosting and then adding a variety of ingredients on top. Some possibilities include:
- Breaking up Oreos and sprinkling them on top of the frosting.
- Putting whip cream on top of the frosting.
- Adding blueberries or another type of berry to the top of a boxed cake.^{[4]
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2
Create a homemade frosting. Homemade frostings often take simple boxed cakes to a whole new level. By creating your favorite frosting, you’ll add your own unique character to a generic cake. Consider:
- Adding several tablespoons of cream cheese to the pre-packaged frosting and putting it on top of the cake.
- Whipping up a chocolate frosting (or applying store-bought pre-prepared chocolate frosting) and topping your boxed vanilla cake with it.
- Substituting frosting for whip cream and adding strawberries or another fruit to the top of the cake.^{[5]
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3
Create a double-layered cake. While baking a double layered cake might seem very complicated, you can easily turn a single-storied cake into a layered cake. To create your layer cake:
- Bake your cake as the box instructs.
- Slice the cake into two layers. Do this by cutting the cake halfway up. For instance, if the cake is two inches tall, cut it at one inch.
- Remove the top layer.
- Add your frosting and toppings to the bottom layer.
- Place the top layer back on the cake and add frosting to it.^{[6]
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Improving Called-for Ingredients

1
Substitute ingredients. Boxed cake mix often calls for minimum or low grade ingredients. Thus, one of the east ways to improve your cake mix is by substituting certain ingredients for others. The box cake will wind up tasting richer and homemade.
- Substitute milk for water.
- Switch out low fat milk for cream or whole milk
- Use coffee instead of water in chocolate cakes. This will add a richer and more complex flavor to your cake.^{[7]
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2
Add more ingredients. Perhaps the easiest way to improve your boxed cake mix is to add more called-for ingredients. By adding ingredients, you’ll make the cake richer and have better flavor. In the end, your cake will seem more like a homemade cake than a store-bought box cake.
- Add more eggs. For instance, if the box calls for two eggs, add a third. This will make the cake taste richer.
- Increase the amount of sugar. Do this carefully, though. Consider adding maybe 10% or 20% more than the box calls for.
- Pour in more vanilla. More vanilla may add more flavor and enrich your boxed cake. Like with sugar, only add 10% or 20% more.^{[8]
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3
Expand the recipe. By expanding the recipe, you’ll not only enlarge your end product, but create the opportunity to use new and better ingredients. In the end, you’ll have more cake to share with your family.
- Double the ingredients. For instance, if it calls for two eggs, use four.
- You may need to add extra ingredients like flour, sugar, baking powder, and more.
- Make sure you adjust all your ingredients proportionately. For example, don’t add more flour unless you add more sugar, eggs, milk, and everything else.^{[9]
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Community Q&A

Question

Typically how long past the best by date can I use eggs for baking?

Community Answer

I would not suggest using eggs more than 1-2 days best the expiration date.