Take your box cake mix to the next level with this easy recipe! A few simple additions make it extra moist and delicious.
Alright, *almost* scratch cake is a bit of a stretch. It’s mostly a box cake with stuff added in to make it even better.
Some bakers scoff at box mixes, think it’s sacrilege and only bake from scratch. I’m a whatever-works-for-you kinda baker and sometimes it’s just easier to whip out a box.
How to Make Box Cake Better
Adding a few simple ingredients makes a world of difference. Trust me you will never go back to a plain old box cake mix ever again!
Here’s what you’ll need:
- box cake mix
- all-purpose flour
- sugar
- salt
- large eggs
- water (or milk)
- vegetable oil
- vanilla
- sour cream
The sour cream is the secret ingredient I think that makes this doctored box mix extra moist and flavourful.
I recommend using full-fat sour cream because really, we’re not about saving calories at this point, right?
Boxed Cake Mix Recipe
Making this cake is just as simple as any box mix, just with a couple of other ingredients. To make it all you need to do is:
- whisk the dry ingredients together
- add the wet ingredients
- mix on low until combined
This recipe works great for two 8″ cake pans or three 6″ pans. It can be scaled up for larger pans though too. I use this site as a guideline when I’m scaling recipes up or down.
I like to use Homemade Cake Release on my pans and line them with parchment to make sure the cakes come out perfect every time.
I also use Baking Strips around the sides of my cake pans to make sure the cakes bake perfectly flat and don’t require any trimming (no wasted cake scraps!).
If you’d like to make your cake extra moist (or if you’re worried you’ve over baked it) you can add some Simple Syrup to the cooled cake layers. I recommend trimming a bit of the top crust first so the syrup really soaks into the cakes.
These days I mostly bake from scratch, but I used to use this recipe all the time when I was focussing on cake decorating. It bakes up a very sturdy and delicious cake!
I’ve yet to recreate the delicious flavour and texture of a classic vanilla box mix cake though. My Vanilla Cake recipe comes close, but it’s not quite the same. It is delicious though too, so you should try it if you haven’t!
I really like this recipe because it makes the box mixes a little more dense and super moist. This recipe is GREAT for a cake that will be decorated, stacked, etc. as the cakes have really good structural integrity.
I hope you love it as much as I do. Happy Baking!
Easy Buttercream Frosting Recipes:
- Simple Vanilla Buttercream
- Whipped Chocolate Buttercream
- Baileys Chocolate Buttercream
- Cream Cheese Frosting
- Whipped Chocolate Ganache
Frequently Asked Questions
How Can I Convert This Recipe?
- This recipe makes two 8″ or three 6″ cake pans. You can use two 9″ as well but the layers will be thinner (reduce baking time accordingly).
- To make cupcakes, all you need to do is reduce the baking time. Start checking at 15mins or so. The recipe should make about 24 cupcakes depending on size.
- You can bake it in a 9×13 pan. Baking time will be slightly shorter.
- You can bake it in a Bundt pan as well but you’ll need to increase the baking time.
- For all other conversions, I use this site as a guideline.
- Baking time will vary if you change the pan size. Every oven varies so I can’t say for certain what you’ll need to adjust it to. Be sure to check on the cake as it’s baking.
Will This Work With Any Box Cake Mix?
- I’ve only used this method with yellow/white cake mixes, but it should work just fine with any kind of box mix.
- For chocolate cake mixes, instead of adding 1 cup flour, you can add 3/4 cup flour and 1/4 cup cocoa powder if you like.
- For a pure white cake, use a white cake mix and 5 egg whites in place of 3 whole eggs.
- For box mixes, my go-to’s are Betty Crocker and Duncan Hines. The French Vanilla flavour is my favourite.
- You can easily add some sprinkles to make this a funfetti cake instead, but be sure to use either jimmies or confetti as the small round nonpareils will bleed into the batter.
Other Tips for making this Doctored Cake Mix:
- Do not also use the ingredients listed on the back of the box mix. Only the components in the recipe.
- Be sure to use room temperature ingredients as this will yield the best results.
- Use full-fat sour cream for best results. Yogurt is a good substitute as well.
- Learn how to keep your cakes moist using Simple Syrup.
- To help ensure your cake layers bake up nice and flat, check out my Flat Top Cakes post!
How to Make Box Cake Better
Ingredients
- 1 box yellow/white cake mix* 432g, 15.25oz
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 1/3 cup water or milk room temperature
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 cup sour cream one 250g carton, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Grease and flour two 8" cake rounds (I use Homemade Cake Release), line with parchment.
- Wrap cake rounds with damp Evenbake strips (optional).
- Combine all dry ingredients and whisk together.
- Add wet ingredients and mix until combined. I use my KitchenAid on low for 2 minutes but you can also do this by hand.
- Divide the batter between the pans and bake for approximately 50 minutes.
- Cool in pans on wire rack for 10mins, then turn cakes out onto wire racks to cool completely.
Dallas Ray Hall says
Has anyone actually made a chocolate with this yet? I really want to try it but nervous! haha
Olivia says
Hi Dallas! I actually just did this a couple weeks ago to make cupcakes. They turned out great but more light & fluffy rather than dense. A few people in the comments have tried it with chocolate too. It will work fine!
Kelly says
Hi Olivia! I’m hoping to use this receipe to make my own wedding cake next month and I have a few questions!
Do you think these are dense enough for stacking?
Can I substitute butter for oil?
Also, if I’m adding in fresh lavender do you think this will be okay for baking properly or should I omit a small portion of granulated sugar as a good swap for another dry ingredient?
Talk to you soon! Thank you! 🙂
Olivia says
Hi Kelly! These are definitely dense enough for stacking, but make sure your cake tiers have proper supports in them. Any type of cake can be stacked given proper supports. Using melted butter would make the cake more dense. I don’t recommend it, but you can give it a try if you like. I’ve never baked with lavender before. What for is it in? Powdered? How much do you plan to add? I wouldn’t remove some of the sugar but possibly some flour depending. I would recommend doing a trial run with the butter and lavender to make sure it turns out how you want 🙂
Amy says
I plan to make a super white cake using this recipe. I saw in your notes that you should use 5 egg whites in lieu of 3 eggs for this purpose. Just wondering if vanilla extract will darken the color.
Olivia says
Hi Amy! The vanilla extract will tint the cake batter a bit. If you want to be safe use a clear vanilla extract. It has a different flavour but is still delicious.
Gina says
What type of frosting would you use for the French Vanilla cake?
Olivia says
Hi Gina! That is such a versatile flavour literally any flavour of frosting would pair so well with it!
Sam says
I’m looking for ideas too ..did you have any luck?
~Pepsi~ Parker says
This recipe was easy to follow and my cake turned out exactly how I wanted it to. My fiancé loved his homemade birthday cake. Thank You!
Olivia says
Hi ~Pepsi~ Parker! So happy you loved it. Thanks for the feedback!
Peggy says
Would almond milk work?
Olivia says
Hi Peggy! Yes, that will be fine.
Nova says
Cake turned out pretty good. I used buttermilk instead of water and i went with 3/4 cup of sugar because i figure box cake is already too sweet. I use italian buttercream which is not as sweet as American buttercream anyway. Thank you!
Olivia says
Hi Nova! So happy you liked it. Thanks for your tips!
Solange says
Is the super moist French vanilla with pudding mix in it ok to use?
Olivia says
Hi Solange! Yes if it’s already in the cake mix it should be fine 🙂
kae says
Are you able to use this with gluten free cake mix? (with gluten free flour)
Olivia says
Hi Kae! I haven’t tried it myself so I can’t say for sure. What are the additions on the back of the box? Water, eggs, oil, etc. If those are the same amounts as a standard box mix then I think it should work!
samantha says
hi! I was wondering how long you have to bake the cake. you never said or at least I didn’t see it
Olivia says
Hi Samantha! It says in the recipe to bake for 50mins. This will vary slightly depending on your oven as every oven bakes differently.
Kristal says
I’m using white cake mix. Do I use the entire egg or just the egg whites?
Olivia says
Hi Kristal! I talk about this in the FAQ section of the post.
Michelle says
Sorry, too much sugar for high altitude. Cake Caved in and was way too sweet. Made again less sugar and more flour, came out ok. Glad it worked for others!
Olivia says
Hi Michelle! Sorry to hear it didnt work out for you. In general, you may need to make adjustments for high altitude baking: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/learn/resources/high-altitude-baking
Nova says
I di 3/4 cup of sugar in mine
Naz says
Hi, I want to try this method for cupcakes tomorrow and want to make sure if it’ll make a good cupcake with a filling?
Also is it overly sweet like the boxed cake? Can we reduce the sugar to half a cup?
Thanks!
Naz
Olivia says
Hi Naz! It is a sweeter cake recipe, you can definitely cut back on the sugar.
Christina Jackson says
Mine is baking right now….am curious if the 2 tablespoons of oil is enough fat?
Olivia says
Hi Christina! Yes, there is a lot of fat from the sour cream too 🙂
Sally says
This is just amazing. I have tried a lot of embellished cake mix recipes and this one is the best so far. My baked-from-scratch are heavy and don’t taste nearly as good as this.
Olivia says
Hi Sally! I am so happy you loved it. Thank you!
Tammy Martin says
I love this recipe, but mine over flowed in the oven with 8 inch pans . What did I do wrong ?
Olivia says
Hi Tammy! How tall are your 8″ pans and do they taper at all? This cake should bake right to the top of two 8×2″ pans.
Laura says
What is the baking time and oven temperature if I use two 9” rounds?
Olivia says
Hi Laura! Temperature should stay the same. Baking time will be shorter. I can’t say for sure as ovens vary. Be sure to check on the cakes as they are baking.
Lisa says
AWESOME!!!
CAN I DO THE SAME FOR LEMON CAKE MIX BUT ADD ZEST & LEMON JUICE TO IT & FROSTING?
Olivia says
Hi Lisa! Yes for sure. I would replace some of the milk/water with lemon juice. Maybe 1/3 cup.
Kathy says
Fabulous. I used a Duncan Hines Strawberry cake mix, milk, strawberry extract in place of vanilla and made cupcakes. The recipe yielded 28 beautifully moist cupcakes that were done in 20 minutes. I frosted them with a lemon cream cheese icing. Thank you! I will be trying this with other mixes.
Olivia says
Hi Kathy! Awesome, thanks so much for your tips and feedback!
Jaime says
My cake turned out perfect!! I will be saving this for all our future cake baking! Thank you sharing this wonderful recipe!
Olivia says
Hi Jamie! So happy you loved it. Thanks for the feedback!