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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.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclosure
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
Can I use 8 inch round pan? How long and what temp?
Delicious cake. I frosted it with your chocolate buttercream. Yum!
Super yummy cake. How long would I bake this if I used a large Bundt pan?
Hi I don’t have skim milk…I would think 2% would be ok…?
Thank you
Yes!
Can you use whole or 2% milk instead of skim ?
Yes, definitely!
Will this make too much in a bundt cake pan?
I think there will be too much batter for a single bundt pan – however you can fill the bundt pan to the appropriate level and either bake the rest in a muffin pan or discard.
Followed recipe to a t, it came out awful. Very weird texture & it had no flavor. It was for a birthday & I threw it away it was so bad! Next white cake will go back to from scratch, it’s really not much more effort.
Yikes Bette, that doesn’t sound good! All your ingredients were fresh? What brand of cake mix did you use?
I followed the recipe exactly. Parked it in the oven & baked for 35 minutes @ 350.. the center is sunken and flat. Something went wrong:( Waste of ingredients !
i dont use skim milk can i use whole milk
Yes, you can use whole milk!
I followed instructions exactly as written , but it sunk in the middle and was so heavy and dense. I baked it the full time, so I’m not sure what happened. I would have been better off just making a cake mix by itself. A waste of a lot of ingredients. I’ll probably have to throw it out. I checked on it in the oven after 15 minutes and it had already sunk. I even baked it an extra 5 minutes so it definitely wasn’t underbaked.