Just a couple of ingredient swaps is all you will need to make a cake mix taste like a cake from the bakery! Everyone always asks me why my cakes taste so amazing, so today I am sharing my easy hack with you! For more cake inspiration, visit this list of Interesting Cake Recipes.
If you have been around here for a long time, then you know I LOVE making cakes for people. In the past, I have made my hubby a delicious Strawberry Buttercream Cake (and it came from a box!), as well as a decadent Butterfinger Cake.
For more cake inspiration, check out this list of interesting cake recipes.
I have even made wedding cakes and birthday cakes for people. It brings me so much joy to be able to use a gift that God gave me to make cakes for others.
I recently made this fun Paw Patrol Cake for a sweet little boy that steals everyone's heart! Making this cake was an absolute blast.
I don't make a lot of cakes from scratch though. They can be time consuming. But everyone thinks my cakes are from scratch. If you want a from scratch cake, check out my German Chocolate Cake.
My secret to make a cake mix taste like a cake from the bakery, add a few extra ingredients and the end result is that the cake tastes just like it was purchased from a bakery!
So -- what's my secret to make a cake mix taste like a cake from the bakery? Here's what you need to do!
How to make a cake mix taste like a cake from the bakery
Step One --
Look at the directions on the back of the cake box.
Step two --
Add one more egg than what it calls for. So, for example, if the recipe calls for 3 eggs, add 4.
Step three --
Instead of using oil, use melted butter and double the amount. If the cake mix calls for ½ cup of oil, you are going to use 1 cup of butter, which is 2 sticks. Just make sure to melt it before adding to the cake mix.
Step 4 --
In place of water, be sure to use milk.
Then bake the cake as directed on the box!
When your cake comes out, your guests will be wowed with how amazing it tastes. They will swear up and down that you got the cake from the local bakery. And that is how I make a cake mix taste like a cake from the bakery
This has freed up so much of my time with cake baking and everyone truly loves my desserts!
Of course, if you are baking cakes, you are going to need some delicious frosting recipes. Strawberry buttercream frosting is my favorite, but everyone loves my homemade cream cheese frosting. If you want to go traditional, here is my Easy buttercream frosting.
My Favorite Cake Baking Supplies to use when I make a cake mix taste like a cake from the bakery
If you love to bake cakes like I do, here are a few of my favorite cake baking supplies. These will help you make a cake mix taste like a cake from the bakery.
- This set of 367 decorating supplies has pretty much everything you will need for making a cake
- Food coloring dye set
- I am a huge fan of the Fat Daddios cake pans. They make great cakes, cook evenly, and nothing ever sticks to them.
If you like making cakes for friends and family, then you will not want to miss this post!
Love Cakes? Check Out These Delicious Cake Recipes
How to Make a Boxed Cake Take Like a Cake from the Bakery
Take a boxed cake from good to great with these tips.
Ingredients
- 1 box of cake mix
- milk to replace water
- butter to replace oil
Instructions
Look at the directions on the back of the cake box.
Add one more egg than what it calls for. So, for example, if the recipe calls for 3 eggs, add 4.
Instead of using oil, use melted butter and double the amount. If the cake mix calls for ½ cup of oil, you are going to use 1 cup of melted butter, which is 2 sticks of butter.
In place of water, be sure to use milk.
Then bake the cake as directed on the box!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 288Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 6mgSodium: 504mgCarbohydrates: 55gFiber: 1gSugar: 30gProtein: 3g
WOW...the batter is smooth and silky, rich-looking. I am very excited about this method. Thank you for sharing these tips!
-Diane
You are most welcome!
@Jennifer Sikora, I just used you cake batter hack, and I will never bake cakes any other way!!! Thank you for sharing!
So glad you liked it!
Excellent recipe! It really does taste like a bakery cake! I used 2% milk because that is what I had on hand. Still turned out fantastic. I used a homemade vanilla whipped cream frosting (1 cup heavy whipping cream, 1/2 box instant vanilla pudding mix, and some powdered sugar - a bit less than 1/4 cup). Thank you for the great recipe. It is a keeper!
Thank you!
I have to make a huge batch of cupcakes and didn't want to put the work in making from "scratch" batter. I will definitely be using the tips you shared with us. This is going to save me so much time!
Thank you so much!
You are so welcome! This is my go to trick every single time and it works amazingly well.
I made a box cake using all three of your changes. Apparently that is not a good thing to do as my cake fell. Did I do something else wrong? I think I need to make another cake and only use one or two changes this time.
I am not sure. They never fall for me. If you only do a couple of changes, leave the oil but change out the water for milk and add the extra egg. That will probably work perfectly for you.
@Kathy, I made cupcakes and they also fell. They’re pretty dry too.
i have never had any issues by doing this. Sorry yours did not turn out.
@Kathy, mine fell also 🙁 the texture was a bit mushy because of the amount of butter.
@Kathy, if u live in a higher altitude add 2 Tablespoons of flour. That should help with the center from not falling
I have a white cake mix that calls for 3 egg whites. do I add 4 whites or the extra whole egg?
You add the extra egg white.
Can you freeze these cakes?
Yes. Once a cake is baked and completely cooled, wrap it in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil and freeze until ready to use.
I need to make a vanilla cake but I don’t have a box of vanilla cake mix but I have white cake mix. You no if I could make it into a vanilla version
Yes. Instead of just using the egg whites, just add the whole egg. It will work the same way.
@Jennifer Sikora, I didn’t get your response as quick as I needed it so I added a splash of vanilla extract. I’ll no tomorrow night how it turned out. The cake looks beautiful but how it taste idk yet .
Well hopefully it turned out like you wanted it to.
I tried your method with a white cake mix and it was amazing. I tried the same method with a devils food mix and it seemed to be more in line with how it would be had I not made the swaps/extra egg. Do you do anything different for chocolate mixes? I will add that the white was a BC mix and the devils food was a DH mix.
No. I do the same thing with any cake mix that I use. I never paid attention to it. Everyone always says any cake I make is amazing and I always use this method.
@Jennifer Sikora, hmm. Maybe I’ll try a BC chocolate. Or I wonder if I over baked- it’s hard with chocolate because of the color.
Could have been. Just keep trying. You will find the right one.
Hello is it salted or unsalted butter?
Your choice. I use salted butter because I like the extra salt in it. Most use unsalted.
Can you use this method and use a Bundt pan instead of two round pans? Thanks.
I don't see why not? You would just need to adjust your time.
Hello, I have salted butter. Will that be okay to use?
That is what I have always used so yes it will be fine.
I used a pudding in the mix chocolate cake mix and it was sooo moist and flavorful. It almost tasted like a torte, which was fine since it was a salted caramel chocolate ganache cake.
That sounds amazing! So glad it worked for you.
Is this the same for chocolate or any other flavor of cake mix?
Yes. Any cake mix you buy you can use this formula and works the same. I am not sure about angel food cake but all others this works well.
Five Stars! I added the extra egg, substituted whole milk for the water, and 1 cup butter vs the 1/2 cup oil. I also added Nielsien-Massey madagascar bourbon pure vanilla bean paste!. I used the chocolate frosting recipe from Aunt Beaty's cake (Ina Garten) - it is not too sweet, which I like. My dinner guests (6) all went crazy and since they know I bake from scratch, they didn't believe I used your recipe to enhance the box mix! I could never get a satisfactory white vanilla cake from scratch, so I am definitely using your receipe from now on!
I love hearing that Denise!! Thanks for sharing your subs to make it perfection 🙂
I did not like the changes. The cake didn’t taste like it had enough sugar and was dry. I added one more egg white, replaced the water with milk, and the oil with double the melted butter.
If you only used the egg white that would be why the cake tasted dry. Most cake mixes use whole eggs and not just egg whites.
I made a white classic cake with your changes plus 1 tsp. vanilla extract and 6 Tablespoons of the "cake mix upsizer". Turned out great.
One question - why so much butter?
When subbing butter for oil, you have to double the amount of butter to equal the same amount of oil
@Jennifer Sikora,
One of your comments said “for one cup of oil, use 2 sticks of butter” so now I’m confused because that’s not doubling the butter. Can you please clarify this for me?
Whatever the oil ratio is on the back of the cake mix box, double that amount of butter. If it calls for 1/2 cup of oil, you would use one cup of butter which is 2 sticks.
How much milk should I use
Exactly the same amount as it calls for water
I tried this and mine was really dry....mine didn't fall its was to dry...
Not sure what you did. The changes usually make the cake moist
I am assuming on the butter, that it would be the 1 cup butter in stick form then melt it as it measures less in a melted state. I didn’t read all of your comments and responses but I was wondering if that is maybe why some of the cakes fell? Not sure about this but maybe?
I have it written out completely what to do with the butter in the article. Not sure why some cakes fell and some did not.
@Jennifer Sikora, so do you measure two sticks of butter, which is one cup and then melted or melted, and then measure out one cup of butter
For one cup of oil, use 2 sticks of butter melted.
So excited to try this! Can I use almond milk instead of whole milk?
Yes I am sure you can.
I'm assuming this method would work for a Gluten free mix as well?
Yes it would work for gluten free as well.
What if recipe calls for butter, same amount or double???
Most cake mix boxes don't call for butter. They call for oil
I’m excited to try this today. But my box cake calls for 7 tbsp of butter instead of oil. Do I double that or use the 7 tbsp?
Use just the 7 tbsp of butter. Do not double it.
I do exactly what you do BUT I use Greek yogurt instead of replacing the water with milk. OMG JACK POT!!
Oh i will have to try that! thanks for the tip!
I’m anxious to try this recipe.
Try it. It really is great and tastes like it just came from the bakery.
Cake looked great until it cooled then was about an 1 1/2 inches tall. So disappointing. Birthday party cake. Can’t risk serving it, so back to the store for another mix.
If you do not fill your pans with enough mix, then that can happen.
Absolute perfection ! I used Betty Crocker, super moist, french vanilla cake mix and exchanged 1 cup water with milk, exchanged 1/4 vegetable oil with 1/2 Becel margarine and added and additional egg (4 eggs total), absolutely delicious!
Thank you for sharing.
You are so welcome! Glad I could help out and teach you my favorite way to make a cake