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Home » desserts

10 secrets on how to make box cake taste homemade

Published on October 15, 2021 - Updated on July 25, 2022 by Chahinez 6 Comments

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In this article, you’ll learn how to make box cake taste homemade or how to doctor cake mix with 10 of my favorite baking secrets. This doctored-up recipe will result in a fluffier, more buttery, and just better cake in general. You will also learn how to make the WASC – white almond sour cream cake as well. So good that people will not believe it is made with cake mix!

If you find these baking tips helpful then you’ll also like these 7 secrets to make boxed pancakes better + mistakes to avoid + recipe, 7 secrets to make store bought frosting better and also 10 Secrets on How to make boxed brownies better?

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10 secrets on how to make box cake taste homemade

Today, I will be showing you how to make cake mix taste homemade with just a few simple tricks to doctor it up and bring out the best of it when you’re in a rush and can’t make anything from scratch.

I often feel like cake mix has this bad chemical flavor and that’s something I just can’t stand, so I did something about it.

These are the best tricks to make cake mix better

Truth be told, I was terrified of box mix but not anymore, with these easy tricks, you’ll be able to save up on time, cost of ingredients, and gain a ton of peace of mind, to be honest.

Hear me out, I am all for baking from scratch but, you know as well as I do that sometimes It’s just not possible and that’s okay.

Wasc cake mix layered cake

The cake shown above is made with the Duncan original white cake, a few tweaks here and there, baked to perfection, and then frosted with my French buttercream. The recipe for that will be coming out soon so keep a lookout for it!

10 secrets to make box cake taste homemade

Tip #1 on how to make box cake taste homemade – Use milk instead of water.

Most cake mixes ask for water to be mixed in, but instead of that, we want to do milk. Preferably whole fat milk to increase the fat content of the cake making it more soft and tender.

Tip #2 on how to make box cake taste homemade – Use Coffee instead of water in chocolate cakes.

Coffee brings out the flavor of chocolate very well so instead of mixing in water, try using freshly brewed coffee instead.

Melted butter to make cake mix taste better

Tip # 3 on how to make box cake taste homemade- Use melted butter instead of oil

Using melted butter in your cakes will make them more tender, moister, and will give them that iconic homemade cake flavor.

Tips #4 on how to make box cake taste homemade – Add in an extra egg yolk (yellow cakes)/ extra egg white (white cakes)

Add in an extra egg yolk to the eggs the recipe calls for. The extra egg yolk will increase the fat content of the cake, making it more tender and lighter.

This tip is here to piggyback on the previous tip, if you are making a whiter cake, adding in the extra egg yolk might be a little counterproductive. So adding in that extra egg white will make the cake more tender while not changing the color of the cake itself.

Almond extract photo

Tip #5 on how to make box cake taste homemade- Use extract and flavorings

Sometimes, boxed cake mixes can be so bland that’s why adding extra vanilla or other types of flavors can take your boxed cake mix cake to the next level.

Tip #6 on how to make box cake taste homemade- Use really good quality box cake mix

The better the cake mix the better the cake, repeat after me. The better the cake mix the better the cake, and that’s the main reason why using a good quality cake mix will do half the job of making this cake taste homemade. Some of my favorite cake mixes are:

  • Simple mills
  • Duncan hines
  • Betty crocker

Tip #7 on how to make box cake taste homemade – Add mix-ins

Mix-ins are one of the most fun things when it comes to cakes if you ask me. I love adding mini chocolate chips or sprinkles to my cakes for a fun surprise once you cut into them!

Tip #8 on how to make box cake taste homemade – Make your own frosting

Ok, I know this might sound annoying. But hear me out, you take a little and give little! With the time you’re saving to make a cake from cake mix, you can definitely spare 10 minutes to make the buttercream frosting while the cake is in the oven baking. I promise you, it’s so worth it. You can try my easy Small Batch Cream Cheese Frosting which will be ready in no time to frost your beautiful cakes at home!

White cake mix

Tips #9 on how to make box cake taste homemade- Add in some pudding mix

Adding in a small box of pudding mix will take your cake from blah to WOW!! It will add extra flavor, moisture, as well as density. It will literally taste like homemade cake!

10 secrets on how to make box cake taste homemade
10 secrets on how to make box cake taste homemade
10 secrets on how to make box cake taste homemade

Tip #10 – Go with the WASC method

What is WASC or what does WASC stand for in baking you might think? Well, it’s a white almond sour cream cake that is made using a box mix and lots of other ingredients to make it taste absolutely out of this world. This cake seriously tastes like it was purchased from a bakery! (scroll down for the Step by step WASC recipe.

Ingredients for the WASC cake

Ingredients for WASC cake

To make this super easy cake here is what you will need:

  • Classic white cake mix
  • All purpose flour
  • Egg yolks
  • Sour cream
  • Butter
  • Milk
  • Almond extract

This cake is a simple cake recipe that used pantry staples that you probably already have at home!

Cake mix in a mixing bowl
Wasc cake batter
Wasc cake batter in baking pan

WASC- White almond sour cream cake

If you made these cake mix WASC and enjoyed it, don’t forget to leave a 5-star review by clicking on the 5 stars under the title and description. It would help me a ton 

10 secrets on how to make box cake taste homemade

10 Secrets to make cake mix taste homemade + WASC recipe

This White Almond Sour Cream Cake with cake mix cake is the best doctored-up cake mix recipe ever! It is easy to make and yields a soft and moist cake every time.
5 from 40 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 mins
35 mins
Total Time 45 mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine cake
Servings 2 8-inch cakes
Calories 2349 Calories

Ingredients
  

  • 1 box White cake mix
  • 1 cup AP flour
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup sour cream room temperature
  • 1 cup milk
  • ½ cup butter melted
  • 4 egg whites or 3 whole eggs (the cake will be more yellow)
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350F and butter and line 2 8 inch baking pans with pachment paper and set aside.
  • Mix all the ingredients together on medium speed for 2 minutes. Divide the cake bater into the 2 pans, and bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • Let the cakes cool down in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool down fully before frosting the cakes!

Nutrition

Calories: 2349CaloriesCarbohydrates: 386gProtein: 35gFat: 76gSaturated Fat: 44gTrans Fat: 3gCholesterol: 165mgSodium: 3823mgPotassium: 893mgFiber: 6gSugar: 221gVitamin A: 2045IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 1023mgIron: 9mg
Keyword how to make cake mix better, how to make cake mix taste homemade, WASC, white almond sour cream cake
Tried this recipe?Follow us and tag us on Instagram! @chahinez_tbt

Thank you for making it all the way down here 🙂

If you enjoyed this recipe don’t forget to let us know in the comments below! In the meantime, don’t forget to follow me on Instagram!

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This post may contain affiliate posts, meaning that at no cost to you I will get a small percentage of every purchase you make!

If you enjoyed these 10 secrets on how to doctor cake mix make sure to pin it for later!

easy Wasc recipe
white almond sour cream cake
WASC recipe
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Filed Under: cake, desserts Tagged With: better cake, better cake mix, cake mix, cake mix recipe, how to make cake mix taste better, how to make cake mix taste homemade, WASC, Wasc cake, white almond sour cream cake

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jake

    February 13, 2023 at 5:37 pm

    Hi

    Can I use a 9X13 pan instead of 2 8inch rounds?

    Thanks

    Reply
    • Chahinez

      February 15, 2023 at 8:12 am

      Yes! Follow baking times on the box on=f cake mix and start checking for doneness about 5-10 mn before the time is up!

      Reply
  2. Pam Dunlap

    January 18, 2023 at 12:30 pm

    If I use a strawberry cake mix and want to add strawberry purée. In the mix would that take the place of the milk?

    Reply
    • Chahinez

      January 18, 2023 at 7:46 pm

      That m ight work. I would suggest doing half milk, and half strawberry puree. Let me know how that goes!

      Reply
  3. Andrea

    October 15, 2021 at 11:05 am

    In the picture you have filling with the resting. Is it raspberry with an almond frosting? I’d like to make exactly what you have in the picture for my dad’s birthday. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Chahinez

      October 15, 2021 at 6:26 pm

      Hi Andrea!
      The filling is a vanilla bean French buttercream with a raspberry jam. I also made a simple syrup that I brushed my cakes with to make them extra moist. Hope this helps.
      Chahinez

      Reply

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Hey there! My name is Chahinez, and I’m the brains behind the blog, Lifestyle of a Foodie. LOAF was started back in 2018 during my last semester ...

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