7 Brilliant Hacks to Bump Up Your Boxed Cake Mix

I know plenty of moms who love baking, but they don’t always have time to make something from scratch. When this happens they usually turn to a trusted boxed cake mix to help them along.

I’ve done the same thing periodically over the years, and have collected some brilliant hacks to make a boxed cake mix taste even better. Here are seven simple things you can do to make your birthday cakes taste like they came from an artisan bakery…

7 Clever Hacks for Boxed Cake Mixes

1. Use melted butter in place of neutral-flavoured vegetable oil for a better tasting cake.
2. Substitute a flavoured liquid for the required water. Coconut milk adds a surprisingly decadent taste, but regular milk will work just as well.
3. For chocolate cake, use boiling water (same amount as the box recipe calls for) and add ½ teaspoon espresso powder for a deeper, richer, chocolate-ier taste.
4. Feel free to include add-ins. Chopped chocolate, toasted nuts, shredded coconut, a handful of sprinkles, and/or dried fruit will add something extra special to your cake.
5. Make a homemade frosting. It’s quick to whip up and adds a gourmet flavour to boxed cake mix.
6. Add an extra egg for a richer flavour and extra height.

Bonus Boxed Cake Hack:

Do you need cookies but not a cake? No problem. Simply turn your boxed cake mix into cookies using the same ingredients required to bake a cake (plus a few add-ins). This recipe is a great starting point, but feel free to experiment with other flavour combinations.