7 Ingredients That Can Make Boxed Cake Mix Richer and More Tender
A box of cake mix is a handy shortcut, but you don’t have to make it the same way every time. A little sour cream, a splash of milk, or a couple of extra egg yolks can give you a different take on a familiar cake.
The key is knowing which changes are simple substitutions and which belong to a complete recipe. Some ingredients can replace the water listed on a box, while others require a specific combination of eggs, fat, and liquid.
These seven ideas are separate options, not ingredients to add all at once. Results can vary by mix, pan, and preparation, so follow the relevant recipe or package instructions and check the cake for doneness.
Sour Cream
Sour cream might seem like an unusual guest at a birthday party, but it fits right in with cake batter. Betty Crocker describes it as an ingredient that can add richness, tenderness, moisture, and a slight tang.
For a recipe to follow, try its Chocolate Glazed Chocolate Cake. It combines chocolate cake mix with an 8-ounce container of sour cream, chocolate milk, melted butter, eggs, instant pudding mix, and chocolate chips.
The batter should be thick, so don’t assume something went wrong when it looks different from the batter in your cake-mix box. The recipe calls for a 12-cup fluted tube pan and provides its own baking directions.
This is a complete formula, not an instruction to add sour cream on top of every ingredient listed on the box. Use the recipe’s specified amounts rather than adding the box’s water and oil as well.
Related: 10 Most Delicious Desserts Everyone Should Try
Plain Yogurt
If you have plain yogurt in the refrigerator, it can add a tangy element to cake batter. Betty Crocker recommends plain Greek yogurt as a cake-mix addition and also lists plain yogurt as a one-for-one substitute for sour cream in its baking substitution guide.
For example, you could adapt the sour-cream chocolate cake above by using 1 cup of plain yogurt instead of sour cream. This is a manufacturer-supported substitution for that recipe, not a separately verified test of the exact yogurt version.
Use one or the other, not both. Yogurts vary in thickness and flavor, so don’t assume every variety will produce an identical result.
For a recipe developed specifically with yogurt, Betty Crocker’s Strawberry Yogurt Cake combines strawberry yogurt with white cake mix and other measured ingredients.
Instant Pudding Mix
A box of instant pudding mix can do more than make a spoonable dessert. In some cake recipes, the dry mix is added to the batter for extra flavor and a moist crumb.
Betty Crocker’s chocolate glazed cake uses a 3.9-ounce box of chocolate fudge instant pudding and pie filling mix alongside chocolate cake mix. Add the pudding dry with the other batter ingredients. There’s no need to prepare it separately first.
This is another situation where the full recipe matters. The same cake also contains sour cream, chocolate milk, butter, and eggs, so you shouldn’t reduce the instructions to “add pudding to any mix.”
Some cake mixes already contain pudding, and pudding packages come in different sizes and varieties. Choose a recipe that specifies the cake mix and pudding combination rather than guessing.
Mayonnaise
Mayonnaise in cake? It sounds surprising until you remember that mayonnaise contains oil and eggs. Hellmann’s publishes a chocolate mayonnaise cake recipe using a 16.5-ounce box of chocolate cake mix, 1 cup of real mayonnaise, 1 cup of water, and 3 eggs.
The recipe also offers cinnamon as an optional addition. The mayonnaise is part of the recipe’s complete formula. No extra oil is listed, but the eggs are still included, so it isn’t presented as a replacement for every egg.
Pay attention to the specified box size and follow the recipe’s directions. A smaller cake-mix package may need an adjusted formula, and this recipe doesn’t establish how much mayonnaise that different size would require.
Whole Milk
If your cake mix calls for water, whole milk is a simple swap. Betty Crocker recommends swapping milk for water when you want a richer flavor and a softer, more tender texture.
The important word is replace. If you decide to make the swap, use milk in place of the measured water rather than adding it on top.
Some products make the choice explicit. For example, Betty Crocker Pound Cake Mix lists ⅔ cup water or milk in its preparation instructions, along with butter and eggs.
Check your package before you start, since instructions vary. Milk is a small change, but it can make an ordinary boxed cake feel a little more special without adding another complicated step.
Buttermilk
Buttermilk gives you another option when a cake mix calls for water. Like whole milk, it’s used as a replacement, but it also brings a slight tang to the batter.
Betty Crocker recommends substituting buttermilk for water to add softness and tenderness. If the mix calls for 1 cup of water, start with 1 cup of buttermilk instead, not an extra cup of liquid.
Keep the other ingredients as directed unless your recipe says otherwise. No need to change the eggs, oil, or leavening.
Think of buttermilk as both a flavor choice and a texture experiment. If a subtle tang sounds appealing, it may be worth trying.
Extra Egg Yolks
For a richer cake, Betty Crocker suggests adding two extra egg yolks to the batter. Mix them in with the regular eggs and other wet ingredients called for by the cake mix.
The suggestion is specifically for yolks, not two extra whole eggs. Betty Crocker describes the result as a richer, more buttery-style crumb, rather than promising a lighter or fluffier cake.
Start with one approach, follow the applicable mixing and baking directions, and see which result you enjoy. Sometimes the best boxed-cake upgrade is simply the one that makes you look forward to the next slice.
