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Find out why people have called this easy white cake “the best cake they have EVER had”! Be prepared for tons of compliments when you make this! Follow my easy hacks to make a box cake taste homemade and you’ll be shocked how good it is!
This was the best cake I have EVER had. Thanks so much. Now, I am making the chocolate version for my friend.
-Jill
These are the Best Box Cake Mix Hacks
I’m a fan of box cake mix recipes probably just as much as you are! They are super quick and convenient.
I wanted to share this recipe because I know many of us don’t have lots of free time to be spending in the kitchen, but when you make something, you want it to taste good, right?
This cake mix recipe is perfect for all of us who like the ease of a box mix, but maybe want to doctor up the cake mix for more of a homemade taste. Plus, I feel that this doctored up version of a white cake comes together just as quick as the box mix because you can still put everything into one bowl and beat it together.
I love a good Boxed Cake – Why Make Box Cake Better?
I consider an easy cake to be one that starts with a box mix. Box cake mixes are great and very handy, plus they can be transformed into bakery style cakes with a few extra ingredients. You are essentially doctoring up a cake mix with a few cake mix hacks.
No one will know it came from a box with these Boxed Cake Mix Hacks
It’s all about adding ingredients to the cake mix to give the cake better texture & taste. In our case, we’re adding ingredients with moisture.
Ingredients to Make Box Cake Better
- 1 box of white cake mix
- sugar: adds sweetness and flavor
- all purpose flour: flour is necessary to build structure
- salt: just a pinch to balance the sweetness
- egg whites: binds the cake together by providing structure – using only egg whites keeps the cake more white in color
- vanilla extract: adds that classic vanilla flavor to the cake
- skim milk: adds moisture
- buttermilk: adds moisture & fat for richness
- sour cream: adds moisture & fat for richness
Boxed Cake Mix Hax: Doctoring up your box cake
For this recipe you’ll want to use a 15.25 oz box of Duncan Hines white or vanilla cake mix. I know some boxes out there are 18.25 oz, so be sure you’re getting the right size. You’ll use egg whites only to keep the cake looking extra white.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the cake mix, sugar, flour, salt, egg whites, milk, buttermilk, and sour cream, beat with an electric mixer until combined, 2-3 minutes.
- Spray a 9×13 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 37-43 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely before adding frosting.
What Brand of Cake Mix to Use
I prefer Duncan Hines cake mixes, as do a lot of food bloggers, plus Wilton recommends Duncan Hines brand and Wilton is a cake powerhouse, so I trust their opinion.
Frosting to Pair with Vanilla Cake
- Chocolate frosting
- Peanut butter frosting
- Salted caramel frosting
- Pumpkin frosting
- Strawberry frosting
- Lemon frosting
- Oreo frosting
- Cream cheese frosting
- Chocolate whipped cream
Try our chocolate cake mix recipe from a box or our easy white cupcakes from a box!
Box Cake Mix Hacks FAQs
White cake is technically made with egg whites only, to keep the cake as white as possible. Bakers may also use clear vanilla extract to keep the cake white.
Vanilla cake is typically made with whole eggs (the white and the yolk) and contain regular vanilla extract. The flavor of white cake and vanilla cake are nearly identical. This recipe for easy white cake could also be called vanilla sheet cake. The are pretty interchangeable.
To make a box cake mix more moist, add buttermilk and sour cream. These ingredients add fat to the cake, making it more moist and richer in flavor!
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How to Make Box Cake Better (White Cake Mix)
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 box white cake mix, 15.25 oz (I prefer Duncan Hines)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ¾ tsp salt
- 4 larg egg whites
- 1 tsp vanilla extract, clear or regular
- 1 cup skim milk
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 cup sour cream
Vanilla Buttercream
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature, 1 cup
- 3-4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp milk, if frosting becomes too thick
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350º F.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the cake mix, sugar, flour, salt, egg whites, vanilla extract, milk, buttermilk, and sour cream, beat with an electric mixer until combined, 1-2 minutes.
- Spray a 9×13 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 37-43 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely before adding frosting.
Vanilla Buttercream
- In a mixing bowl, combine the butter and vanilla extract, beat using an electric mixer until fluffy. Begin to add the powdered sugar, about 1 cup at a time, mixing by hand. Continue adding powdered sugar until the frosting no longer looks wet and tastes good to you. Then I use my electric mixer one last time to make sure the powdered sugar is really incorporated and ready to go. If the frosting becomes too thick, add a dash of milk.
- Spread the frosting on top of the cooled cake, add sprinkles if desired.
Loved this cake. Very soft and moist, and so easy to throw together. I highly recommend that if you make it into a layered cake, that you use 8 inch pans (a perfect fit) and line the bottom with parchment paper. Otherwise, you may find (as I did) that it is a bit to sticky/soft to come out of the pan cleanly. I greased and floured my pans really well, but still ended up loosing some of the bottoms when I unmolded them from the pans. Overall, great taste, though. I layered mine with both your buttercream frosting, and a bit of lemon curd. Thank you for sharing
Thank you for the tips, Jen!
Is this buttercream recipe in the recipe the one shown in picture? It looks really white. Sometimes buttercream is too greasy and just wondered if you’d ever use a Crisco based frosting for a white cake like this or stick with your version?
Hi Mary Helen! I’ve made buttercream with and without vegetable shortening – it really just depends on your personal preference. The frosting shown in the photos is the frosting that’s provided in the directions!
Hi! I came across your site because my daughter wanted cake and I wanted to do something a little more special with the boxed mix I had on hand. I used a Funfetti mix, whole eggs because I wasn’t making a white cake, and I had to use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream because I was out. I made a half batch of frosting since we don’t like a ton of frosting. It was good the night I made it. The next day, it was phenomenal! So moist and delicious, with a very delicate crumb. Thanks, this will be my go-to recipe for white cake.
Yay! I’m so glad it turned out well for you!
Can I use this for wedding cakes that are stacked
Hi Susan! I haven’t tried it myself. How many layers are you wanting to stack?
Hello Beth thank you so much for this doctored-up cake recipes I used your cake mix recipes 5 times or more I will always use your recipes this is a great recipes.THANK YOU
I am SO happy to hear that you’ve been enjoying them! They are definitely some of my favorites too!
By far the best vanilla cake I have ever made!! I made it for cupcakes for a birthday party and everyone was raving about how great the cake tasted. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
That makes me so happy to hear! Thank you for the comment, Natalie!
Hi Beth I’d like to bake this cake for my granddaughter Ilyana’s 8th birthday. She’s having a slumber party and I’m decorating it to look like a bed. Each girl will be able to decorate a face for each pillow. A few comments were that the center fell. I’m concerned if they stuck a toothpick in the center and it came out clean is there any other way I can check it so this doesn’t happen to my cake?
Hi Cathy! Unfortunately the center of a cake can fall for a lot of reasons. Overmixing the batter is one, humidity and location is another, and opening the oven door during baking. It’s really not a big deal if the center falls a little because it will be covered up with frosting!
Can you add pudding to make it more moist ?
Hi Feli! Our recipe doesn’t call for pudding. The cake is incredibly moist because of the sour cream and buttermilk!
Would this work for other cake flavors?
Hi there! We have a few other doctored up cake recipes here:
https://thefirstyearblog.com/doctored-up-caramel-cake/
https://thefirstyearblog.com/doctored-up-pumpkin-cake/
https://thefirstyearblog.com/doctored-up-chocolate-cake-mix/
https://thefirstyearblog.com/peanut-butter-sheet-cake/
I made this cake. I love this recipe. It has wonderful flavor and texture. This will be my go to cake.