Best Cake Made from a Mix…Ever
I have absolutely no desire to make a cake from scratch. So, I had to figure out how to make the best cake made from a mix. You know, a moist cake, that just melts in your mouth.
You want a cake that makes your guests oooh and aaaah over its moist and rich taste.
Well, after a little trial and error, I’ve found that this is really very simple to accomplish.
The Secret to the Best Cake Made from a Mix
You’re going to start with a good brand-name boxed cake mix.
Most cake mixes have you add eggs, oil, and water, right?
Yes, of course they do, but then they taste like a store-bought, box-mix cake.
Well, you’re going to swap out half of a couple of the ingredients with richer options. In place of the oil, you’ll use half oil and half real melted butter.
For the water, you’re going to adjust the recipe to half water and the other half will be 2%, blue-top milk.
Adding a packet of plain gelatin to your cake mix will also help with moistness. This will also help hold the cake together if you plan on moving it to a decorator board.
There’s one other element to this recipe that is very, very important. DO NOT OVERBAKE THE CAKE!
How to Determine if Your Cake is Done
My great-grandmother had a special little device, that I regrettably lost years ago, to test a baking cake for doneness. (Is that even a word?) It was a thick stiff wire with a circle on the end big enough for your finger. When it was time to check the cake, you grab your tester, insert your finger into the ring, and stab the wire part straight down into the center of the cake.
My grandmother had this device by the time I came along, and she would tell me that the wire had to be clean for the cake to be done. My mom always used a toothpick to test cakes and said the same thing.
I’ve since decided if the toothpick, or another cake tester, is clean the cake is overbaked.
I set my timer for just a few minutes less than the box suggests bake time to be, then I test. If the tester comes out of the cake with batter on it, you need to wait a few more minutes and test again. But, if the tester comes out with a few crumbs attached, take the cake out and move it away from the oven to cool.
I usually set my cake up off the countertop with a cereal box on either end of the pan, so that air can pass underneath to cool the cake even faster.
I’m not a great baker, and I don’t claim to be, but cakes I make like this are delicious. These are the one thing I know I do well. The decorating is a different story, but if you’re interested, check out DIY Cute Birthday Cakes. And just in case you still want to try a made from scratch cake, this Simple White Cake Recipe seems easy enough that I might want to give it a try.
