How to Make Packet Cake Mix Taste Like Homemade

How to Make Packet Cake Mix Taste Like Homemade

Sometimes making a cake from scratch can be time consuming and you may not have all the ingredients ready to go. It’s so much easier to keep a packet cake mix or two in the pantry to whip up, but they usually come out of the oven tasting pretty dry and bland, and let’s be honest, exactly like they’ve come out a box!

Wouldn’t it be great to be able to bake a cake with the ease and simplicity of a packet mix, but with the taste of homemade? Now you can, with these clever hacks to make your packet cake taste like one you got from the ladies at the CWA market stall!

1. Add Milk

By adding milk or buttermilk instead of water, the cake will come out richer and creamier. Add the same amount of milk as you would have water, but if you use buttermilk, add a bit more because it is thicker.

2. Coffee or Tea

Add some freshly brewed coffee or tea to the mix. Coffee partners perfectly with a chocolate cake or use a scented tea like Earl Grey with a simple butter cake. Again, use the same amount of coffee or tea as what is called for in water.

3. Soft Drink

You read right! You can use cola or a fruity, citrusy fizzy drink to intensify the flavour of the cake. Bear in mind that it will add a lot more sugar so you may not want to replace all the water in the recipe for soft drink.

4. Mayonnaise

Adding a tablespoon or two of whole egg mayonnaise will make the cake incredibly moist.

5. Citrus

Lemons and oranges go so well in a cake. Of course, not all flavours match citrus so don’t go adding it to chocolate cake, but it does go well with vanilla cakes. You can add citrus juice or citrus zest (or both) to the cake mix and the icing. Using a tart citrus like lemon will cut through the sweetness of the cake while orange will bring a zingy tang to the finished result.

6. Butter

Butter rules in the kitchen! Get rid of the vegetable oil and use softened or melted butter in its place. Butter adds a richness to the cake.

7. Extra Egg

Add an extra egg to the mix for a denser, more moist texture. (Don’t add an extra egg if you’ve added mayonnaise already)

8. Coconut Milk

Try adding a can of coconut milk or water instead of plain water. You could even sprinkle some toasted coconut to the icing as a finishing touch.

9. Sour Cream

Add 1/2 cup sour cream or plain yoghurt to create a denser consistency.

10. Vanilla Extract

Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract to lift the flavours of the cake.

11. Salt

A 1/4 teaspoon of salt will intensify your chocolate cake.

12. Add Extras

Why not add a handful of chocolate chips, frozen or fresh fruit and berries, dried fruit or nuts?

13. Make your own icing

Don’t use the icing mix from the box. This is one element that is so simple to make from scratch and is guaranteed to make your cakes taste homemade. Try a simple sugar icing or try your hand at buttercream or cream cheese icing.

Have you tried any of these or have any other tips on how you make your packet cake mixes taste homemade?