16 Canned Ingredients to Enhance Your Boxed Cake Mix

Boxed cake mix is a convenient way to streamline the baking process since you only need eggs, oil, milk, or whatever your particular mix calls for. This eliminates the need to measure every ingredient while still allowing some element of customization. Whether you’re not the most confident baker or in a rush to take the kids to basketball practice, pairing canned goods with boxed cake mix creates a delicious yet approachable dessert. Canned foods can offer your creations flavor, texture, moisture, or richness.

Baking is a science, which means you can experiment and have fun with flavors. However, it’s important to choose additions that complement the mix rather than overwhelm it with negative or unpleasant-tasting results. We’ve compiled some of the best canned ingredients that will elevate boxed cake mix without giving it a funky flavor profile. 

We’ll also share suggestions for specific cake flavors and any tips needed to get the best results. These canned items can transform your basic cake mix into a bakery-quality dessert that won’t taste store-bought. Before you rip open that box, check your pantry to see if you have these canned items. Don’t worry — it’ll be a piece of cake!

Sweetened condensed milk is widely available at grocery stores, making it a useful item to keep stocked in your cabinet. As its name implies, the canned good delivers a milky, sweet flavor to take your boxed cake mix to a gourmet-level dessert. The ingredient is made by reducing milk until it reaches a syrupy consistency; after that, sugar is added to give it a sweet lift. 

This is one of the most versatile canned options because you can use it with many cake flavors. Try it paired with devil’s food cake, chocolate, chocolate fudge, spice cake, or even yellow cake mix to create a decadent tres leches. The canned item brings a sweet component while keeping the cake ultra moist. 

We suggest making a poke cake — a method where you let the cake cool, poke holes throughout, and then pour the sweetened condensed milk over it. Cover the cake and place it in the fridge to let the liquid absorb, creating a rich, memorable treat. No matter what cake you have on hand, sweetened condensed milk can provide richness and moisture in every bite.

You don’t have to wait for autumn to come around to enjoy the flavor of pumpkin — it’s a marvelous choice for cakes, no matter the time of year, at least we think so. Plain pumpkin puree (not to be confused with canned pumpkin pie mix) provides a dense, moist texture and an earthy, mildly sweet flavor without added sugars. Beyond enhancing taste and texture, it also offers nutrients like fiber and potassium to cakes. Its versatility makes it a tasty option for chocolate, spice, or yellow cake mix.

Simply combine one can of pumpkin puree with one box of cake mix to create a dense, delicious dessert that doesn’t compromise on flavor. This is especially helpful when you don’t have eggs, butter, milk, or oil on hand because the pumpkin acts as an all-in-one replacement. With the price of eggs and other household ingredients always on the fritz, this can be a welcome alternative. However, you can still follow the box mix instructions and use the puree as an add-in rather than a full replacement. It all depends on how dense and moist you want the cake. You can create cupcakes, cookies, sheet cakes, and more with this combination.

Cherry pie filling effortlessly provides a sweet, tart flavor to your baked goods, offering a level of convenience you can’t get when using the fresh fruit. Unlike fresh cherries, which require prepping and pitting, the canned version is softened and pre-sweetened. It’s a delicious option when you want to streamline the baking process. This ingredient pairs beautifully with flavors, such as chocolate, white cake, and vanilla, to provide a touch of brightness. 

One of the best ways to use it is in a dump cake, which is one of our favorite ways to whip up a quick dessert. Spread two cans of cherry filling at the bottom of the baking dish in an even layer. Then, pour the dry cake mix on top along with melted butter. Once baked, it creates a buttery, crumble-like topping. This approach works well with other canned fruits, too. Another technique is to mix the cherry filling in with the cake batter to create a cherry-speckled cake. We particularly love pairing chocolate cake and cherry, but it works with a variety of flavors when you want to play on the sweetness that the filling provides.

Elevate your baked treats with the sweet, slightly acidic addition of canned pineapple. This ingredient offers texture and brightness to your baked dishes when you don’t want something too heavy. For something ultra simple, you can add a can of crushed pineapple and its juice to boxed white cake mix. It brings a fruity tropical touch, while the juice acts as a boost of sweetness and moisture. 

If you prefer, you can also follow the box cake directions to include any egg or oil. This works especially well with yellow or vanilla cake mix to create a light yet delicious dessert. But you could opt for lemon cake mix when you want something refreshing; it’s a treat that’s bound to please if you bring it to a party or backyard barbeque. 

Have sliced canned pineapple in the pantry? Use it to create a marvelous rendition of a pineapple upside-down cake that allows the fruit to be the focal point. As it bakes, the fruit layer, sugar, and butter caramelize to bring deep flavor to even the most basic boxed cake mix.

Evaporated milk is a concentrated, shelf-stable dairy product that offers convenience and versatility for your baked goods. It’s thicker than your standard milk and has a slightly caramel-like taste to provide added flavor and depth to your dishes. The canned ingredient is also a great addition to your frostings when you want to make the cake seem homemade and moist. While it does have some natural sugar from the milk, evaporated milk is not sweet on its own, which allows you to customize it for your frostings and toppings.

For example, you can concoct a thick and sweet frosting with evaporated milk by beating it with eggs and powdered sugar until it reaches a whipped consistency. If you want to offer a looser texture, then you can heat the frosting ingredients on the stovetop before drizzling over your baked cake to give it added moisture and sweetness. One of the best ways to use evaporated milk is to pair it with canned sweetened condensed milk, heavy cream, yellow box cake mix, and a few other ingredients to create soft and rich tres leches. 

We love keeping canned peaches on hand because they’re just as delicious straight from the can as they are when baked with cake mix. One of the easiest ways to use the canned fruit in baking is to create a peach cobbler using butter, white, or yellow cake mix. You’ll want to use a 30-ounce can or two 15-ounce cans to get the appropriate amount of peaches. Dump the peaches and syrup into a baking dish, and then add the cake mix on top — be mindful not to mix it. Drizzle melted butter on top and bake. 

The combination results in a mouthwatering, golden treat that requires minimal effort but still impresses every time. You can keep it simple with the three ingredients to minimize any extra steps, but you could always jazz it up with cinnamon, vanilla, and brown sugar for a deeper flavor. Canned peaches can make all the difference to enhance your basic cake into something truly impressive, thanks to the sweet, comforting taste and soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture.

At first thought, black beans may sound like a surprising ingredient for baked goods, but they’re often used to yield moist, dense, and protein-rich results. It goes particularly well with chocolate, which also helps disguise the color. You’ll often see black beans used in boxed brownie mix (our favorite black bean sweet treat), but you could also use them in a boxed chocolate cake. 

Just make sure to rinse and drain the beans, as you don’t need the added liquid or salt in your dish — bonus points if you opt for low-sodium beans. Blend or puree the legumes until they reach a paste consistency, and then you’re ready to integrate them into your box mix. Use the bean puree as a swap for oil or eggs, but you could also add applesauce to give the batter added sweetness and hold the concoction together. Toss in some chocolate chips for extra richness, bake, and then you’re ready to dig in.

Mandarin oranges brighten your baked goods with their alluring hue and refreshing sweet flavor profile. Their juicy, soft texture also helps amp up your boxed cake mix without overwhelming it. The fruit comes peeled, so each piece is tender and easy to chew. It’s much easier than peeling and removing the little strings from each segment. You can incorporate the canned food in the cake itself or as part of the garnish.

You’ll frequently see mandarin orange blended, paired with yellow cake mix, and then topped with vanilla instant pudding and canned crushed pineapple frosting in sunshine cake. This combination creates a bright, fruit-forward dessert that’s perfect for picnics or outdoor festivities. To give the orange-infused cake an added citrus burst, try using orange cake mix instead of yellow. This type of cake is ideal when you want something light and vibrant because each bite is bright and bold.

Coconut milk brings richness, moisture, and a tropical flavor to your baked goods, making it a terrific way to heighten boxed cake mix. When using canned coconut milk, though, it’s beneficial to keep in mind that not all canned coconut is the same — there can be variation amongst brands and types (like coconut cream, unsweetened, or sweetened condensed coconut milk). You’ll more than often reach for unsweetened, full-fat coconut milk, which offers creaminess without turning your cake into a cloying mess. 

Consider using the canned item as a liquid replacement, swapping it in for the milk or water called for on the box. Just be sure to mix it well before adding it to the batter to get rid of any fatty coconut clumps. This method works beautifully with white cake mix, but we prefer using coconut cake for a more intense coconut flavor. Give the dessert layers of coconut by topping it with coconut flakes for added texture or turning it into a poke cake by pouring canned coconut cream over the baked sweet for a decadent, moist dessert.

Quickly whip up a carrot cake with canned carrots. You don’t have to make solely savory dishes with this brightly-colored vegetable. The canned food is a convenient choice because you don’t have to do any peeling, chopping, or grating as you would with fresh carrots. While the most obvious choice is a boxed carrot cake mix, the veggie’s earthy yet lightly sweet flavor pairs well with spice cake or vanilla cake mix — any of these choices create a quick carrot cake without a lot of extra work. 

We prefer spice mix, but you could always add the spices yourself (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, clove) into a vanilla cake. It’s really up to your personal taste as they all yield delicious results. To make the cake, open your can of sliced carrots, drain the liquid, and then blend it, along with the rest of the wet ingredients that the box mix calls for. Then, you’re ready to bake, but we recommend adding more ingredients to elevate the carrot cake, like chopped nuts or dried fruit. Try adding canned crushed pineapple into the mix for added moisture, flavor, and texture.

Dust off that can of cranberry sauce that you’ve been saving for Thanksgiving because you can use it in your cake mix. Make an easy peasy poke cake with cranberry sauce and white or yellow box mix. It brings a tart yet sweet flavor, as well as its alluring, dark red hue. Now, the key is using whole berry cranberry sauce, not cranberry jelly as you will not get the desired results. We want to enjoy the pieces of fruit which will add texture to the dish. 

This is one of those no-fuss desserts you can make when you want something flavorful and impressive without spending hours in the kitchen. You only need to bake the cake, let it cool, poke some holes, and then place the cranberry sauce on top. It’s that easy, but incredibly delicious. You can add some walnuts or even sprinkle some spices into the cake mix to complement the cranberry flavors.

Dulce the Leche offers a thick texture and decadent buttery caramel flavor to your boxed cake mix. You can purchase it ready-made in a can or slowly heat an unopened can of sweetened condensed milk in a hot water bath as a shortcut. Either way, you’re in for a treat; it’s essentially a caramel spread, and there are a couple of ways that we can incorporate it. 

The first is using it as part of the frosting, which entails mixing the canned good with cream cheese. But we prefer making a poke cake, and then topping it with warmed dulce de leche, so it spreads throughout the holes to create a decadent, moist filling. To allow the flavors to come through, we recommend pairing it with a vanilla or a white cake. If you love caramel, then you should definitely try this with your next cake.

Pears are among the best canned fruits you can buy at the grocery store because they retain their flavor and texture — they’re soft, but not mushy, sweet, and juicy. They have a delicate, almost honey-like taste that makes them a fantastic option to include with a yellow boxed cake mix. 

Canned pears work wonderfully in a cobbler or dump cake, as these options allow the fruit to retain its shape and remain the star of the dish. Don’t throw away any of that delicious syrup either; it adds moisture and sweetness. Both the cobbler and dump cake are pretty straightforward, so you can give them more depth with add-ins. 

Pears go out with spices like nutmeg, ginger, or cinnamon as well as brown sugar or pecans. Any of these work to create a fall-inspired cozy dessert. If you’re using sliced pears, there’s no need to chop them up, but if you have canned pear halves, you might want to cut them into halves for a slightly more balanced forkful.

Canned chestnut spread might be the most difficult to find on this list, but it’s delicious if you manage to locate it. We usually purchase it online, but you may be able to find it at an international market near you. It comes pre-sweetened and pureed, so it’s almost like a nutty pie filling with a gritty texture. You can eat it by the spoonful directly out of the can (we sure have), but if you happen to have self-restraint, it makes a marvelous addition to boxed cake mix. 

Incorporate the puree directly into the wet ingredients, making sure to thoroughly mix it before adding in the cake mix. It provides added sweetness, so keep that in mind as you want to omit any type of frostings or other sweeteners. The flavors pair beautifully with vanilla or dark chocolate cake mix. Sprinkle in some dark chocolate chips with a higher cocoa percentage for a scrumptious bittersweet balance to create a showstopper dessert.

Sweet potatoes in syrup provide layers of sweetness to your next baked dish and lots of moisture, too. You’ll also save a lot of time and prep work since you don’t have to wash, peel, and chop a bunch of the orange root vegetables. Try making a sweet potato dump cake that’s ideal for holiday festivities thanks to its autumnal associations. You can use spice cake, yellow, vanilla, or even butter pecan. Since we’re adding spices to the cake anyway, a spice cake mix can further simplify the process. 

Drain and then mash or blend the sweet potatoes. We don’t need the syrup, we just want some of the residual, delectable sweetness. Then add them to the wet ingredients according to the box cake instructions, followed by the cake mix. Lean into the fall flavors with add-ins, such as brown sugar and pumpkin pie spices, or use orange juice as part of the wet ingredients. Mix in chopped pecans or walnuts for a nutty flavor and great texture.

Lychee offers a delicate, sweet, floral flavor that can transform boxed cake into something memorable and impressive. Beyond flavor, it also brings an aromatic component and fleshy, soft texture that can add to the sensory experience. You can find this widely available canned ingredient online and in many national grocery store chains. 

For added dimension and texture, chop the fruit and add it directly to the cake mix. But you step the flavor up a notch and use the lychee syrup as a replacement for the milk or water called for on the box. Because the fruit has a floral quality, you’ll often see it paired with rose — try including a splash of rosewater into the cake mix as well. This works best with a white or vanilla cake as you want the floral profile to shine through, creating a refreshing, gourmet dessert. The unexpected canned ingredient brings incredible flavor, texture, and fragrance to effortlessly turn box cake mix into a sophisticated confection.