How to Doctor a Boxed Cake Mix
Our favorite Tips and Tricks on How to Doctor a Boxed Cake Mix to make it taste just like homemade!
Life is short. Everyone is busy. And sometimes you don’t have time to make cupcakes or a cake from scratch. Sometimes, and by that we mean nearly always, we make our cakes and cupcakes from a cake mix. And guess what? Nobody ever complains! And there are never any leftovers in our desserts. Easy and yummy – it is a Two Sisters win/win situation. Having said that, over the years we have made a couple of adjustments and embellishments to the directions on the back of the average cake box. We have compiled these tricks on How to Doctor a Boxed Caked Mix here for you in case you are also a busy person who likes to make fun desserts for their family!
How to Doctor White Cake Mixes for Cupcakes or Cakes
White Cake Mix is the one we use most often. We have used all of the most popular brands and we usually buy the one that is on sale. If we had to choose a favorite, it would be Pillsbury Moist Supreme. When we make white cupcakes or a cake, we make two adjustments to the directions on the back of the box.
First, we use milk (usually 2%) instead of water. We think it helps make the cake a little moister and more “homemade” tasting. It is an easy substitution and we always do this.
Sometimes we want the cake to be as white as possible or we want to add food coloring to the cake batter and want the color to be as true as possible. If that is the case, we separate the eggs and only add the whites. (Those egg yolks really change the batter from white to yellow-y/beige.) When you do this you need to use an extra egg white and you need to add some extra oil to the batter. Most White Cake Mix boxes have these directions on the box.
Here is a Pillsbury White Cake Mix made with milk and only egg whites. Nice and white.
And the cupcakes turn out great, nice and white and rounded on the top. We have never EVER had any complaints about cupcakes made from a cake mix.
How to Doctor Chocolate Cake Mixes for Cupcakes or Cakes
When we make chocolate cupcakes or cakes, we make three changes to the directions on the back of the cake mix box.
The first thing we always do is replace half of the required water with freshly brewed coffee. This trick greatly enhances the chocolate flavor of the cake mix and NEVER makes the cake taste like coffee. (If you are trying to make a Mocha Cake, this is not the way to do it.) This small amount of coffee just gives your cupcakes or cake a super chocolatey taste. We promise!
Second, we replace the other half of the water measurement with milk. The extra fat in the milk helps the moisture level of the cake and gives it a more homemade taste.
The third thing we do to chocolate cake mix batter is add a teaspoon of Vanilla to punch up the flavor a bit.
That’s it. Super easy and you probably have all of these extra ingredients in your pantry all ready.
Yummy Chocolate Cupcakes every time.
How to Doctor Yellow Cake Mixes for Cupcakes or Cakes
We don’t use Yellow Cake Mix that often (unless of course it is Laurie’s birthday because she always requests Yellow Cake and Chocolate Frosting for her birthday cakes!) but when we do we replace the water with milk and add a teaspoon of Vanilla but otherwise we follow the directions on the box.
A Note About Oil vs. Butter
Another popular substitution is to replace the oil called for when making a Cake Box Mix with melted butter. This is something we don’t usually do. We don’t notice a lot of difference in the final cupcakes.
In the picture above, the cupcakes are the left were made with oil, the cupcakes on the right were made with melted butter. The cupcakes made with the melted butter are a little flatter on the top and a little bit lighter. The batter made with the melted butter is thicker and we were able to make 20 cupcakes as opposed to 18 cupcakes with the batter made with the oil.
You should give it a try and see what you think. You need to replace the oil with the exact same amount of melted butter, for example replace 1/2 cup of oil with 1/2 cup of melted butter. You will also need to let the butter cool slightly after you melt it. You don’t want to mix hot butter with the raw eggs or they might scramble.
Important Two Sisters Tip: Use Homemade Frosting!!!
We cannot stress this enough … frost your cakes and cupcakes with homemade frosting. That is what everyone will remember when they eat your dessert. Most of your guests wouldn’t be able to tell whether your cupcake came from a homemade recipe or a cake mix, but they will remember a creamy homemade frosting. We have more than thirty different homemade frosting flavors to choose from and all the step by step directions you’ll need to make them. So head on over to our Frosting section and pick something yummy to top your cake mix cupcakes or cakes.
Other Baking Tips and Tricks You Will Love
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When I was in high school I got started baking and decorating cakes for birthdays and other celebrations . When I started doing Wedding & Grooms Cakes for family & friends, I needed to add flavoring occasionally to the mix to give them what they wanted. It took a few tries to figure out what types of things to use to give a white Cake a unique taste. Most of the time I used an almond, vanilla or lemon flavoring. It took adding & testing different amounts in the mix to give a little extra taste to the final product. While I am unable to make & decorate anymore, I think adding these flavorings or similar items can make each cake unique. Knowing how or what is the best to add to a mix would be helpful to others. Thanks!
I took a cake decorating class about 13 years ago. She told us to reduce the oil to 2 tablespoons on all cake mixes. Not exactly sure why but I feel it had something to do with the density of the cake
Hello, my trick for chocolate cake, cupcake, mug cake is to add buttermilk (or soured milk; this doesn’t mean stinky past its date but adding vinegar to make faux buttermilk) and a big o’ dollop of sour cream. It makes any chocolate cake super moist and richer in flavor.Â
Loved your advice on boxed cakes mix. Thanks so much.
You can buy vanilla extract that is without any color. It helps keep white frosting white.
Hi sisters,
Just a note that I have been using for years. The yellow and devils food cake mixes from Aldi are the best around. I add a box of Aldi instant pudding, vanilla in the yellow cake and chocolate in the devils food. I bake and chill which lets the moisture go back into the cake. They are the bomb diggety. Thanks for your pointer, I will definitely try the milk trick.
Thanks for the tips. Can’t wait to try  your ideas
I love all the ideas you give for using cake mixes and, yes I’ve tried them!… they work great.  I also tried your frosting wonderful.  ThanksÂ
Hi there, excited to try these! The white cake says to just add some extra oil if using egg whites, can you provide a  rough measurement? Thanks!
You need to double the melted butter to get the same results as oil
This was so helpful! I’ve been wanting to make a cake from scratch but I’ve heard it’s a lot of work! Hopefully this will help me make my cakes be better! Also, I already knew the butter trick. My family only uses butter for that part!
Whoops I didn’t mean to put make my cakes be better! Correct that to make my cakes better!
Great ideas! I will pin them and remember to try these tips next time I use a cake mix.
If i had a couple of tablespoons of cream to a packet will it do any harm to the cake. Its a packet cake mix. Thank you and best wishes.
Can you use cocoa flavoring instead of coffee i am allergic to coffee and how would you add peanut butter powder to a chocolate cake mix and your best whipped chocolate buttercream frosting?
Thank you for any help that you can provide.
Michelle
Hi Michelle, if you are allergic to coffee, I would just leave it out of the recipe. I don’t think the cocoa flavoring would be a good substitute. I love your idea about adding the peanut butter powder to a chocolate cake mix and the chocolate frosting. We made a Peanut Butter Whipped Cream Frosting using peanut butter powder and it turned out great. I will do some research about adding it to the cake mix.
Can you use hot instant cup of coffee?
Sure, that will work.
Thank you so much for the information. We are older and getting married in August. We are planning a picnic by the pool. At which point we will be married but no one knows this but a few people. We don’t need a thing so do not want gifts. We will only have about 12 people but they are important to us people. Family and a few friends. I was going to make a regular wedding cake but we don’t need one. Somewhere I found a strawberry shortcake cake and thought it’s a picnic what better than strawberry shortcake. You will be helping me to keep it white. Thank you. I am very excited.Â
Thanks for the tips, I going to give it a try.
What about red velvet from a cake mix?
Hi Maryann, for a red velvet cake, you can add a small bottle of the McCormick red food coloring (1 oz) to a chocolate cake mix. Voila! Make sure to pair it with our Best Cream Cheese Frosting, and it will be a hit. https://www.twosisterscrafting.com/the-best-cream-cheese-frosting/
Great advice! I am thinking about starting a cupcake business soon. Wish me luck. 🙂
Good luck!!
Hey! I want to make a coconut cake. Could I substitute the milk and coffee And use coconut milk?
Of course, although I am not sure the coconut milk will give you enough coconut flavor. You might want to have some coconut extract to add just in case.
If you substitute the water for a can of Coconut MIlk, the cupcakes, or cake come out very very moist. I do it all the time and the reactions have been great. However, there is no coconut flavour to the cake. For the flavour I would think you would need shredded coconut. Hope this might help.
Awesome post…
I love your informative idea to make cake with cake mixes. Thank you for sharing with us.
Waiting for the next post…
Can I use decaf coffee to the chocolate cake mix instead of regular? Also curious why you add vanilla to both the yellow and chocolate cake mixes and not the white, perhaps you don’t feel it needs it? Thanks
You can absolutely add decaf to the chocolate cake mix instead of regular. I don’t add vanilla to my white cake mix because it changes the color too much. When you add the brown vanilla extract, your white cake starts to look dingy.
Hi Nancy,,Â
I’m sure you already know about clear vanilla made by Wilton,,, that can be a sub for regular vanilla in a cake you want to keep pure white..
But,, as a purist myself I don’t personally use it because let’s face it,, it is an imitation product.. Just a suggestion to those who may want to use clear vanilla..
Thank you! I will try each batter!