Whether for a birthday, an anniversary, or just because you feel like eating cake, boxed cake mixes are a lifesaver when it comes to whipping up a celebration-worthy baked tower in a little less time (and with fewer dirty dishes). But simple as they are, pre-prepared cake also leaves some things to be desired — sometimes a little dry, sometimes just a little bland, the flavor is passable, but unremarkable. You deserve a remarkable cake for whatever it is you’re celebrating, but don’t lose hope and break out the baking soda and flour sifter just yet — with just one simple tweak, you can upgrade your boxed cake mix so that no one will suspect your frosting-slathered bake to have come from a Martha Stewart warehouse.
The key? Add an extra egg. Along with adding moisture, the extra fat in the egg yolk will contribute richness and density to your cake, simultaneously strengthening the structure of the cake so it’s easier to frost and more likely to hold up to complex or heavy decorations like fruit or birthday candles.
Other easy boxed cake upgrades
Of course, throwing in an extra egg is easier said than done with a national egg shortage making the ingredient difficult and expensive to find — Trader Joe’s even recently issued a nationwide egg buying limit. Luckily, alternative tweaks exist as well, all with the same goal of a moister, richer cake. Try replacing vegetable oil with melted butter, water with milk or buttermilk, or both for added flavor and that craveable homemade feel. For the cherry on top, throw in a pinch of salt and an ever-reliable teaspoon of vanilla extract. With all these added ingredients, it may feel like you might as well make the cake from scratch, but rest assured that even with these replacements, your bake is going to be a lot speedier and simpler than if you were working from the ground up. And of course, you can always pick and choose which ingredients you feel like swapping, and which you’re good with keeping as is.
On the other side of things, if you’re looking to make your cake stand out even further, try adding a unique extra ingredient to your cake mixes. This could include spices, dried berries, or swirled nut butter, other moisturizing ingredients like mashed banana, pumpkin puree, or pudding, or something else entirely. When you don’t have to spend time making the base cake, you have plenty of time to experiment with fun flavors, so don’t be afraid to go out on a limb and try something new.
