Can someone verify if this is legit (I don’t know how to really bake)? “A Cool Guide to Bakery cake”
Can someone verify if this is legit (I don’t know how to really bake)? “A Cool Guide to Bakery cake”
by TheStax84
42 Comments
Gloomy_Commission517
I always do this to box cake and usually add a packet of pudding because Ree Drummond said too lol it turns out great. The boxed cakes are just pre measured dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt and whatever spices or flavoring) you’re just adding the wet ingredients. So, if you add specific wet ingredients, you’re going to have a different flavor to the cake. Try it! I think you’ll love it.
Upset_Cup_2674
You’ll end up with a richer, heavier cake. They’re adding a lot more fat and calories if that’s a consideration. And if you’re going to frost it …
raccoonandbakedbeans
A lot of recipes use butter instead of oil anyway. And this is not necessary if you’re doing recipes like a rich chocolate cake. I’m not a professional baker but my mum and co always say how nice and moist mine are. I just follow the recipe and make sure to not over bake! Baking belts can help make sure your cakes cook evenly.
MrE008
Things to consider:
Most boxed cake mixes are actually pretty good as is, if you really want to make it special, consider making your own Swiss buttercream instead. Canned frosting and American buttercream are usually inedible, but good buttercream is heavenly.
Adding that much fat and water will considerably change the structure of the cake. It will be more dense and rich. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s important to consider what you want your cake to taste and feel like.
Cakes with oil feel more “moist” in the mouth than butter cake, since room temperature oil is still liquid. If you want the butter flavor, consider using half oil, half melted butter.
Yeah, go ahead and sub milk for water. Most cake mixes have powdered milk in them, but doubling up on milk solids is a good way to pack in flavor.
And I think that image needs a little more time in the fryer.
Dog_Lover_2220
If I am making a chocolate cake from a mix, I also add Espresso or Coffee instead of the water and add a tsp of vanilla.
epidemicsaints
It will change the texture but there is absolutely no overcoming that Popcorn Butter Twinkie flavor. The chocolate cake mixes usually taste ok, but there is no mistaking the difference between a handmade cake and all of those mix cakes.
It isn’t that hard to make a cake by hand, nothing to be afraid of. This “hack” adds so much work and ingredients, you might as well get out the bag of flour and sugar. I just don’t get it.
I also have doubts the texture is good, I have never made a cake with ratios this crazy.
spiders_are_scary
I wouldn’t replace oil with butter personally. It would make the cake denser but adding an extra egg would probably be ok.
Adding milk instead of water is also fine. In chocolate cake I would use coffee instead of water.
Horror-Atmosphere-90
Adding twice as much butter seems suspect to me?! The rest of the “hacks” are pretty standard
Bright_Country_1696
You can bake. You can measure dry and wet ingredients and follow directions.
guacgobbler
I do all of these with the exception of doubling the butter, I do the same amount. It isn’t a HUGE difference but it tastes yummy and it’s so easy if I want to bake without baking baking
dibbles_and_dabbles
I’ve tried similar recipes and it does work and taste really good. I tried it in a pinch once when I was very strapped for cash and time and loved it. I think it works best with vanilla flavored stuff because I’ve found homemade/bakery vanilla cakes to be less moist sometimes, maybe its just me.
I use this youtube recipe religiously and honestly stopped making vanilla cakes from scratch lol
If I don’t have regular milk on hand it still works with heavy cream or canned evaporated milk. I do still make buttercream homemade for these though. Can even add some vanilla bean pod to add to the trickery and vanilla flavor
esk_209
If it’s a chocolate cake, replace the water with coffee (or half milk and half coffee)
rainbwbrightisntpunk
Don’t double the butter amount, yes it does.work. tried for the first time recently and it made my cake delicious! That double butter shit is crazy tho. Don’t do that
wordstowritebypod
I haven’t tried OP’s posted hack, but I have my own. Instead of following the directions on the package, take 18oz (you’ll need to buy two boxes b/c shrinkflation) cake box mix (works best with yellow), add 3 eggs, a cup of mayo and a cup of water. It’s amazing! I got this recipe from a restaurant that specializes in cakes. It’s crazy how good it is, esp if the person you’re making it for equates cake flavor = boxed cake.
TopBuy404
Iffy on doubling the butter but I’d love someone to do it and tell me what happens lol. I sub the oil for butter, the water for milk, put in a little extra sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla extract.
MistCongeniality
I dislike subbing water with milk. The extra protein always toughens up the cake in my experience.
Annwfn777
Use flour…
MashaLavender
It IS and I make this embellished box cake every Christmas.
sweetmercy
No. Doubling the butter is going to make a greasy cake that dries out quickly. Don’t do that. Oil is better for most cakes. You can sub in butter but don’t double it.
MissLimpsALot
I tried it once and it was gross. Greasy and WAY too dense and I could really taste the egg. 🤢
therumpfshaker
I frequently make a quick and easy cake by using Duncan Hines yellow cake mix, adding 1 extra egg, using orange juice instead of water, and softened (not melted) butter instead of oil. Sometimes add in lemon or orange extract and lemon or orange zest. Bakes evenly, turns out very well. For best results, I brush the layers with a lemon simple syrup
but DOUBLING some of these ingredients seems bonkers and likely to totally change the texture/chemistry of the cake and I wouldn’t think would be a good idea.
blueberry_pancakes14
Doubling the amount of oil/butter/fat is suspicious, but swapping oil for butter is totally legit. My granny used melted butter instead of oil in her waffles and they were amazing.
The rest are also legit.
You can also do any one of these things, if you want. Or a combo, or all, your choice. It’s not a “whole package” hack.
Also for chocolate, adding about a tsp or two of instant espresso powder will really amp up the chocolate taste (and it will not make it taste like coffee/espresso).
NermDracul
I sub the water for milk and the oil for butter 1:1. Never tried an extra egg
pro_work_gress
The fool proof way is to replace oil with melted butter in equal amounts and water with milk in equal amount. I normally add vanilla too. The big trick is the add a box of instant pudding mix. If you’re making a chocolate cake, use chocolate pudding. For vanilla, use vanilla pudding.
StaticCloud
Seems sus to me. Doubling a crucial ingredient in a baking recipe is a disaster waiting to happen
couliscat
This is actually the exact photo of steps I have followed for years when I use boxed mix! I do the 2 extra egg option. It comes out great and everyone loves it.
Various_Raccoon3975
How old is this advice? I ask because the cake mixes have been reduced in size at least twice by my count.
Salt-Patience7384
melted butter just makes everything flat and weird unless it’s called for specifically, right?
farawayeyes13
I tried this once. Well, not doubling the amount of butter but all the other steps. To me, it made no difference.
Edited for clarity.
Trinity-nottiffany
Lots of bakeries just use commercial boxed cake mix for the most consistent results. Most bakery cakes taste like boxed mix cakes to me, unless it’s a kitschy bakery. After you have done a bunch of modifications to your mix, you may as well have just made a cake from scratch. [This](https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a26102/giannas-chocolate-whipped-cream-cake-3377/) is the recipe I use for chocolate cake. It has never failed me. If you want to boost the flavor, use a cup of coffee instead of a cup of water at the end.
orangeblossomsare
I exchange oil for butter and water for milk the same measurements though. I’m never going back. This is the only way I will ever bake again.
Inevitable_Paranoia
I add an extra egg and use milk instead of water. But, I still use the normal amount of veg oil. I do think the cake comes out tastier with these changes
theBigDaddio
Nope, still has box mix fake ass taste
Traditional-End6018
This works great! However, I use coconut oil in place of vegetable (same amount), which makes it soooo moist and you won’t taste the coconut.
I also add a bit of almond extract to my vanilla cakes, and black coffee or a dash of ground coffee in my chocolate ones. Deepens the flavor!
WhiskeyGirl66
This hack has been around for quite some time. I’ve used it a lot. We need to remember the cake mix manufacturers took almost 3oz out of the mix. Butter now has more water. It will be a lot of trial and error to make box mixes work again.
Ok-Foot7577
Just make a cake from scratch it’s better
drfuzzysocks
I can’t vouch for this recipe, but I love Sugar Geek Show’s WASC cake recipe – it’s a doctored white cake mix recipe. I used that and her Easy Buttercream Frosting recipe to make my own wedding cake and everyone loved it, there wasn’t a crumb left!
salbrown
I wouldn’t mess with the ratios of ingredients but yes, replacing the oil with butter and water with milk is a classic hack to improve boxed cake recipes. I use 1:1 replacements. It does make the cake taste a lot richer imo.
idlefritz
If you’re doing these hacks you might as well scratch bake your cake.
alyssakatlyn
You’re adding more fat, of course that’s what makes it taste better.
TheHobbyDragon
Many other people have chimed in already on the validity or not of these substitutions so I won’t repeat all that, but I will give one additional piece of advice: If you want to try a substitution (for any recipe, not just cake mixes), do just *one* at a time to see how it affects the final product.
I am all about experimentation when it comes to cooking and baking, especially because everyone has different preferences and what works for one person may not work for another. But part of experimenting is understanding what happened and how different things affect each other. Maybe using milk instead of water will make the cake better, maybe it will make it worse, maybe it won’t make a difference at all… but there’s no way to know how the milk affected the cake if you also replaced the oil with double the amount of butter and added an extra egg. You also won’t know how the milk affected the cake if you never made the recipe/mix as-written at least once.
Burnt_and_Blistered
Definitely do NOT double the amount of oil when subbing butter.
Otherwise, yes—you can make the substitutions in equal amounts and add an egg. It will work well.
42 Comments
I always do this to box cake and usually add a packet of pudding because Ree Drummond said too lol it turns out great. The boxed cakes are just pre measured dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt and whatever spices or flavoring) you’re just adding the wet ingredients. So, if you add specific wet ingredients, you’re going to have a different flavor to the cake. Try it! I think you’ll love it.
You’ll end up with a richer, heavier cake. They’re adding a lot more fat and calories if that’s a consideration. And if you’re going to frost it …
A lot of recipes use butter instead of oil anyway. And this is not necessary if you’re doing recipes like a rich chocolate cake. I’m not a professional baker but my mum and co always say how nice and moist mine are. I just follow the recipe and make sure to not over bake! Baking belts can help make sure your cakes cook evenly.
Things to consider:
Most boxed cake mixes are actually pretty good as is, if you really want to make it special, consider making your own Swiss buttercream instead. Canned frosting and American buttercream are usually inedible, but good buttercream is heavenly.
Adding that much fat and water will considerably change the structure of the cake. It will be more dense and rich. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s important to consider what you want your cake to taste and feel like.
Cakes with oil feel more “moist” in the mouth than butter cake, since room temperature oil is still liquid. If you want the butter flavor, consider using half oil, half melted butter.
Yeah, go ahead and sub milk for water. Most cake mixes have powdered milk in them, but doubling up on milk solids is a good way to pack in flavor.
And I think that image needs a little more time in the fryer.
If I am making a chocolate cake from a mix, I also add Espresso or Coffee instead of the water and add a tsp of vanilla.
It will change the texture but there is absolutely no overcoming that Popcorn Butter Twinkie flavor. The chocolate cake mixes usually taste ok, but there is no mistaking the difference between a handmade cake and all of those mix cakes.
It isn’t that hard to make a cake by hand, nothing to be afraid of. This “hack” adds so much work and ingredients, you might as well get out the bag of flour and sugar. I just don’t get it.
I also have doubts the texture is good, I have never made a cake with ratios this crazy.
I wouldn’t replace oil with butter personally. It would make the cake denser but adding an extra egg would probably be ok.
Adding milk instead of water is also fine. In chocolate cake I would use coffee instead of water.
Adding twice as much butter seems suspect to me?! The rest of the “hacks” are pretty standard
You can bake. You can measure dry and wet ingredients and follow directions.
I do all of these with the exception of doubling the butter, I do the same amount. It isn’t a HUGE difference but it tastes yummy and it’s so easy if I want to bake without baking baking
I’ve tried similar recipes and it does work and taste really good. I tried it in a pinch once when I was very strapped for cash and time and loved it. I think it works best with vanilla flavored stuff because I’ve found homemade/bakery vanilla cakes to be less moist sometimes, maybe its just me.
I use this youtube recipe religiously and honestly stopped making vanilla cakes from scratch lol
https://youtu.be/yA84wJT3thQ?feature=shared
If I don’t have regular milk on hand it still works with heavy cream or canned evaporated milk. I do still make buttercream homemade for these though. Can even add some vanilla bean pod to add to the trickery and vanilla flavor
If it’s a chocolate cake, replace the water with coffee (or half milk and half coffee)
Don’t double the butter amount, yes it does.work. tried for the first time recently and it made my cake delicious! That double butter shit is crazy tho. Don’t do that
I haven’t tried OP’s posted hack, but I have my own. Instead of following the directions on the package, take 18oz (you’ll need to buy two boxes b/c shrinkflation) cake box mix (works best with yellow), add 3 eggs, a cup of mayo and a cup of water. It’s amazing! I got this recipe from a restaurant that specializes in cakes. It’s crazy how good it is, esp if the person you’re making it for equates cake flavor = boxed cake.
Iffy on doubling the butter but I’d love someone to do it and tell me what happens lol. I sub the oil for butter, the water for milk, put in a little extra sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla extract.
I dislike subbing water with milk. The extra protein always toughens up the cake in my experience.
Use flour…
It IS and I make this embellished box cake every Christmas.
No. Doubling the butter is going to make a greasy cake that dries out quickly. Don’t do that. Oil is better for most cakes. You can sub in butter but don’t double it.
I tried it once and it was gross. Greasy and WAY too dense and I could really taste the egg. 🤢
I frequently make a quick and easy cake by using Duncan Hines yellow cake mix, adding 1 extra egg, using orange juice instead of water, and softened (not melted) butter instead of oil. Sometimes add in lemon or orange extract and lemon or orange zest. Bakes evenly, turns out very well. For best results, I brush the layers with a lemon simple syrup
but DOUBLING some of these ingredients seems bonkers and likely to totally change the texture/chemistry of the cake and I wouldn’t think would be a good idea.
Doubling the amount of oil/butter/fat is suspicious, but swapping oil for butter is totally legit. My granny used melted butter instead of oil in her waffles and they were amazing.
The rest are also legit.
You can also do any one of these things, if you want. Or a combo, or all, your choice. It’s not a “whole package” hack.
Also for chocolate, adding about a tsp or two of instant espresso powder will really amp up the chocolate taste (and it will not make it taste like coffee/espresso).
I sub the water for milk and the oil for butter 1:1.
Never tried an extra egg
The fool proof way is to replace oil with melted butter in equal amounts and water with milk in equal amount. I normally add vanilla too. The big trick is the add a box of instant pudding mix. If you’re making a chocolate cake, use chocolate pudding. For vanilla, use vanilla pudding.
Seems sus to me. Doubling a crucial ingredient in a baking recipe is a disaster waiting to happen
This is actually the exact photo of steps I have followed for years when I use boxed mix! I do the 2 extra egg option. It comes out great and everyone loves it.
How old is this advice? I ask because the cake mixes have been reduced in size at least twice by my count.
melted butter just makes everything flat and weird unless it’s called for specifically, right?
I tried this once. Well, not doubling the amount of butter but all the other steps. To me, it made no difference.
Edited for clarity.
Lots of bakeries just use commercial boxed cake mix for the most consistent results. Most bakery cakes taste like boxed mix cakes to me, unless it’s a kitschy bakery. After you have done a bunch of modifications to your mix, you may as well have just made a cake from scratch. [This](https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a26102/giannas-chocolate-whipped-cream-cake-3377/) is the recipe I use for chocolate cake. It has never failed me. If you want to boost the flavor, use a cup of coffee instead of a cup of water at the end.
I exchange oil for butter and water for milk the same measurements though. I’m never going back. This is the only way I will ever bake again.
I add an extra egg and use milk instead of water. But, I still use the normal amount of veg oil. I do think the cake comes out tastier with these changes
Nope, still has box mix fake ass taste
This works great! However, I use coconut oil in place of vegetable (same amount), which makes it soooo moist and you won’t taste the coconut.
I also add a bit of almond extract to my vanilla cakes, and black coffee or a dash of ground coffee in my chocolate ones. Deepens the flavor!
This hack has been around for quite some time. I’ve used it a lot. We need to remember the cake mix manufacturers took almost 3oz out of the mix. Butter now has more water. It will be a lot of trial and error to make box mixes work again.
Just make a cake from scratch it’s better
I can’t vouch for this recipe, but I love Sugar Geek Show’s WASC cake recipe – it’s a doctored white cake mix recipe. I used that and her Easy Buttercream Frosting recipe to make my own wedding cake and everyone loved it, there wasn’t a crumb left!
I wouldn’t mess with the ratios of ingredients but yes, replacing the oil with butter and water with milk is a classic hack to improve boxed cake recipes. I use 1:1 replacements. It does make the cake taste a lot richer imo.
If you’re doing these hacks you might as well scratch bake your cake.
You’re adding more fat, of course that’s what makes it taste better.
Many other people have chimed in already on the validity or not of these substitutions so I won’t repeat all that, but I will give one additional piece of advice: If you want to try a substitution (for any recipe, not just cake mixes), do just *one* at a time to see how it affects the final product.
I am all about experimentation when it comes to cooking and baking, especially because everyone has different preferences and what works for one person may not work for another. But part of experimenting is understanding what happened and how different things affect each other. Maybe using milk instead of water will make the cake better, maybe it will make it worse, maybe it won’t make a difference at all… but there’s no way to know how the milk affected the cake if you also replaced the oil with double the amount of butter and added an extra egg. You also won’t know how the milk affected the cake if you never made the recipe/mix as-written at least once.
Definitely do NOT double the amount of oil when subbing butter.
Otherwise, yes—you can make the substitutions in equal amounts and add an egg. It will work well.