How To Make A Box Cake Mix Taste Homemade (Easy Bakery Hack)

a slice of doctored up cake with frosting and sprinkles.

How To Make A Box Cake Mix Taste Homemade (Easy Bakery Hack)

If you've ever needed a quick dessert but still wanted that rich, from-scratch flavor, then you need to try these easy hacks for How To Make a Box Cake Mix Taste Homemade - or also called a 'doctored up cake mix'. With a few easy ingredient swaps + instant pudding mix you can create delicious homemade tasting, bakery-style desserts with a boxed cake mix.

Course Cake, Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword box cake mix hacks, doctored up cake mix recipe, how to make a box cake mix taste homemade

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 30

Total Time 35

Servings

Calories 224kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

1 box (15.25 oz) cake mix (any flavor)
1 box (3.4 oz) instant pudding mix (one that matches cake flavor)
3 large eggs
3/4 cup full-fat sour cream
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Options For Baking : You can make this recipe into 24 cupcakes, a 10-cup bundt pan, 9x13 cake pan, or into two 8-inch or 9-inch round cake pans or square pans (for a layer cake). You can also use three 8-inch round cake pans for a thinner cake that has more layers to it. Spray your chosen baking pan with cooking spray OR you can line with parchment paper. If making cupcakes, fill each cup with a cupcake liner or parchment paper liner.
Combine all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Use an electric hand mixer, or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, and beat on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes. The batter should be well combined, creamy, smooth, thick, and whipped or lighter looking.
1 box (15.25 oz) cake mix, 1 box (3.4 oz) instant pudding mix, 3 large eggs, 3/4 cup full-fat sour cream, 3/4 cup vegetable oil, 1/2 cup whole milk, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Pour the cake batter into your prepared pan.
^{*If making cupcakes, I suggest only filling them halfway because this recipe does 'rise' and 'puff up' quite a bit. When I make cupcakes I can get closer to 3 dozen cupcakes instead of the typical 24.}
Bake according to the time on the back of the boxed cake mix per the pan you chose to bake it in. The edges should be very lightly golden and pulled away from the sides of the pan, and a toothpick inserted into the center should come out with moist crumbs but not wet batter.
Remove the pan(s) from the oven and allow it to cool on a wire cooling rack, completely to room temperature, before frosting and decorating with sprinkles.

Notes

This post continues to be visited by so many of you - THANK YOU ❤ This entire post and recipe might look a little different. The old post was designed for a 18 ounce box of cake mix, but they have since changed the cake mix sizes. I have spent lots of time perfecting and testing this "new" recipe (that has the same ingredients just different amounts) so that hopefully all of you can get perfect results. I have also included more helpful and useful information in the recipe card as well.

The nutrition information & serving size will vary depending on what you're making. The include information is for a 9x13 cake cut into 18 servings and it's just for the cake. It does not include any frosting or toppings.
Beating the cake batter mixture for 2-3 minutes might seem like a long time, but trust me, it's the 'secret' to getting the perfect texture. Set a timer for 2 minutes and beat it until the batter is thick, creamy, and it looks lighter and more whipped than before. You want to make sure it's well combined and you may even have to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure you are incorporating everything together.
Do not substitute any of the ingredients! They are all there for a purpose like the fat content of whole milk, the extra fat and more flavor of the full-fat sour cream, and using pure vanilla extract makes a big difference if you want that homemade, bakery-style flavor.
Decorate the cake with your favorite frosting- homemade frosting or store-bought frosting can all be used. Decorate with sprinkles that match the occasion or the holiday, or you can also decorate with candies, chopped cookies, chocolate curls, etc. I love this recipe for Homemade Vanilla Buttercream Frosting. This Stabilized Whipped Cream Frosting is also really good. Or try these great tips for How To Make Store Bough Frosting Better.

Nutrition