I’ll be honest – I hardly ever make a cake from scratch. While I love to bake and I often make lots other things from scratch (like bread, cookies and pancakes), for some reason when it comes to cake I usually reach for a box mix. I’m not sure why that is. Perhaps it was because my mom often made cake from a box mix when I was little. Perhaps it’s because it’s fairly easy and inexpensive. Whatever the reason, when I think “I’m going to make a cake,” I usually mean that I’m going to start with a box mix. That’s why it was game-changing when I found an easy cake recipe that starts with a box mix.

One thing I love about box mix cakes is that you are not limited to making the cake by following the directions on the box. Normally, I’m a rule follower, at least the first time I make something, but once I learn what happens when I follow the directions, I’m often ready to break the rules.

Sometimes I use other people’s experiences and suggestions of what to try, and this is true of the easy cake recipe I usually make. I’m about to share with you something I learned somewhere else. I would link to that site if I remembered where I got the recipe, but I honestly don’t remember.

I’ve used this easy box mix upgrade so often that I simply have it memorized, and if you make a couple cakes using this recipe, you’ll have it memorized too. I promise I won’t take it personally if you forget where you first learned about this recipe, but if it works for you, I would appreciate if you would share this post with your friends before you forget, or maybe pin this page on Pinterest.

Easy Cake Recipe

Now, here’s the recipe you’ve been waiting for as you read (or scrolled) through this post. This is how I transform a box cake mix into a delicious cake that doesn’t taste like it started with a box mix.

Ingredients:

box cake mix

butter (how much depends on the cake mix)

milk (how much depends on the cake mix)

eggs (how many depends on the cake mix)

Method:

Look at the box where it lists the ingredients and amounts. This is important, because we’re going to change them. You will not need the water and oil that the box mix most likely calls for, but you will need to know how much of these ingredients it calls for. Here are the basics:

• Use one more egg than the box calls for
• Instead of water, use milk
• Instead of oil, use water and double the amount

For example, if your box mix calls for 2 eggs, use 3. If your box mix calls for one cup water, use one cup milk. If your box mix calls for half a cup of oil, use one cup of butter (that’s two sticks). Melt the butter first so it’s easy to mix everything together.

Bake in your favorite cake or cupcake pan according to the directions on the box.

The first time I used this recipe was for a cake for Christmas. I have since used it for birthday parties, other holidays and really any time I make a cake or cupcakes. It makes the cake so delicious that I find myself scraping away the frosting and just trying to eat the cake by itself.

This upgrade will work with any cake mix and any cake flavor. The only thing to note is that if you’re making a white cake and you add butter, the cake will end up being a slightly creamy color because of the color of the butter.

Are you going to try this easy upgrade hack the next time you make a cake from a box mix?