Everyone has used a boxed cake mix. There is truly no shame in it. They are helpful when time is short or maybe ingredients are low. A box mix offers simple convenience. Can you make it taste like homemade instead? Yes, you definitely can with small changes. Pro bakers know this box’s potential too.
A top tip is to change the fat used. Box mixes often ask for vegetable oil. Melted butter is a better choice, say experts. Vegetable oil works fine but has no flavor. Butter gives richness and a delicious taste. This swap is simple to make. Your cake tastes much richer this way.
Adding an extra egg helps a lot too. Expert Odette D’Aniello suggests it. An extra egg makes the batter richer, she said. It boosts fat and protein amounts. Eggs help cake ingredients hold together well. They give the cake structure when baked. This addition improves the cake texture.
The extra yolk adds more fat. Yolks have substances that mix oil and water. These emulsifying agents create a smooth batter. A smooth batter gives a better crumb structure. The added fat makes a tighter crumb. Your cake crumb also feels creamier. It feels luxurious in your mouth when you try it.
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The egg white also adds more protein. Protein builds structure as the cake bakes. It makes a framework that holds the shape. More protein firms up the cake slightly. This avoids the too-light box texture. The cake gets a denser homemade feel. This makes it satisfying to eat.
For super richness, use only yolks. Add a maximum of two extra yolks per box. This boosts fat and emulsifiers the most. The cake gets a more luxurious texture. Using just yolks targets richness the best. But add too much, and the cake gets gummy. Stick to two yolks for the best results.
Not all flavors work equally well with this. Some mixes hold up better. Use this trick for rich flavors, says Odette. Chocolate fudge or red velvet work well. Spice cake is another good one to use. Rich flavors love the extra fat added. It elevates their taste even higher.
Sunny Southern Coconut Cake
Equipment
- 1 Mixing Bowls
- 1 Whisk or Electric Mixer
- 1 Measuring Cups and Spoons
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Cake Pan (size per your white cake recipe)
Ingredients
Main
- 1 white cake recipe
- 1¼ cup canned coconut milk use coconut milk to replace the amount of water or other liquid called for in cake recipe
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil as per recipe or substitute melted unsalted butter
- 3 egg whites per the recipe or use 3 whole eggs
Instructions
- Preheat oven and prepare cake pan(s) according to your white cake recipe instructions (greasing and flouring or lining).
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients from your white cake recipe.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the canned coconut milk, vegetable oil (or melted butter), and egg whites (or whole eggs).
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
- Mix on low speed with an electric mixer, or whisk by hand, just until the batter is combined and smooth.
- Do not overmix; stop as soon as no dry streaks remain.
- Pour the batter evenly into the prepared cake pan(s).
- Bake according to the time and temperature specified in your white cake recipe, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for the recommended time.
- Invert the cake onto a wire rack to cool completely before serving or frosting.
Notes
The extra egg trick is very easy. You usually don’t change other box ingredients. This makes it a simple swap for bakers. No complex math is required here. Just add the egg with other wet items. It’s effortless with big rewards. Anyone can do this trick at home.
You might change the sweetness level, though. A richer cake means less sweetness is needed. Consider reducing the frosting amount slightly. This helps balance richness and sweetness well. Ermine frosting is less sweet than buttercream. It uses flour for a silky texture. That frosting is a good, less-sweet option.
Boosting fat and protein changes the texture a lot. The crumb becomes tighter and creamier. It fights the dryness or blandness you sometimes find. Protein makes the cake structure firmer and denser. This gives a homemade feel instead. Simple ingredients improve the result greatly. Trying these tricks is super easy for you.
Pumpkin Roll
Equipment
- 1 Electric Mixer Stand mixer or handheld
- 1 Jellyroll Pan Approx. 17 1/2 by 12 1/2 inches
- 1 Wire Rack For cooling the cake
- 1 Tea Towel Clean, large towel for rolling
- 1 Sifter Or fine-mesh sieve
Ingredients
Main
- Two 3-ounce packages cream cheese room temperature
- 1 stick butter 1/2 cup, room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup canned pumpkin
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 cup pecans finely chopped
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar plus more for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 17 1/2- by 12 1/2-inch jellyroll pan.
- With an electric mixer, beat the eggs, granulated sugar, pumpkin and lemon juice until smooth. Sift together the flour, ginger, salt, baking powder and cinnamon.
- Add the sifted ingredients to the egg mixture and blend until fully combined. Spread the batter in the jellyroll pan. Sprinkle the dough with the chopped pecans. Bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 14 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes.
- Invert the cake onto a wire rack. Sprinkle some of the confectioner' sugar on a large tea towel and carefully transfer the warm cake to the towel, folding the sides of the towel over the cake. Roll the cake up in the towel and cool in the refrigerator thoroughly for about 45 minutes.
- With an electric mixer, combine the confectioners' sugar, cream cheese, butter and vanilla and beat until smooth. Carefully unroll the cooled cake and spread the mixture on top of the cake. Gently re-roll the cake up and refrigerate it until you're ready to slice and serve. Dust with confectioners' sugar just before serving.
Notes
These simple swaps are accessible to anyone. Using butter instead of oil is one easy change. Adding extra eggs or just yolks helps. They fix common box cake issues. You don’t need special equipment for this. Just common items and a slight willingness to experiment. Better results await any home baker.
The extra egg adds components for tenderness. Fat coats the flour, preventing strong gluten from forming. This gives the cake a more tender crumb. Protein builds structure, helping it rise. It’s about balancing tenderness versus structure correctly. Box mixes aim for convenience, not peak quality. The egg adds love to the basic mix parts.
Think about the mouthfeel difference with an extra egg. A standard box cake may feel light or dry. An extra egg or yolk helps fill those gaps. Fat spreads for a finer crumb. The cake gets a velvety texture that melts. It transforms the feel to very decadent.
Peanut Butter Fudge
Equipment
- 1 Microwave-Safe Bowl Preferably 4-quart capacity
- 1 8x8 inch Pan For setting the fudge
- 1 Wooden Spoon For stirring the thick mixture
- 1 Parchment Paper For lining the pan and covering
- 1 Knife For cutting cooled fudge into pieces
Ingredients
Main
- 8 ounces unsalted butter plus more for greasing pan
- 1 cup smooth peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pound powdered sugar
Instructions
- Combine the butter and peanut butter in a 4-quart microwave-safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave for 2 minutes on high. Stir and microwave on high for 2 more minutes. (Use caution when removing this mixture from the microwave, it will be very hot.) Add the vanilla and powdered sugar to the peanut butter mixture and stir to combine with a wooden spoon. The mixture will become hard to stir and lose its sheen. Spread into a buttered 8 by 8-inch pan lined with parchment paper. Fold the excess parchment paper so it covers the surface of the fudge and refrigerate until cool, about 2 hours. Cut into 1-inch pieces and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Notes
The ease is the best part, really. You don’t need an expert baking skill level. Cracking eggs and measuring butter are all that’s needed. This aligns with the home cooking spirit. Simple ways give delicious results fast. No complex steps are needed for these hacks. Get better results for any baking event.
Doing these swaps means you learn baking. You see how ingredients change things now. It is empowering to change the standard to the special. Ermine frosting adds thoughtfulness about dessert components. Think about how frosting complements your cake’s taste. It personalizes the baking process well. Make a cake you are proud to show.
Remember those flavors like chocolate fudge and red velvet? Hacks improve them even more. A richer spice cake has a more comforting feel. The taste gets enhanced by better texture. Flavor and texture work well together always. This synergy makes the cake exceptionally tasty. It’s a simple, smart swap for winning.
The sweetness advice is very practical too. A denser cake changes how sweet the frosting seems. Adjusting it fine-tunes the total sweetness level. Cake and frosting should harmonize well. Ermine frosting is an example of a less sweet option. This detail elevates the result greatly. It adds to that homemade feeling always.
So follow up on simple swaps like using butter and extra eggs when baking. Let’s dive deeper into fat’s role here. We also explore some other clever substitutions for bakers. A simple change in the type of fat alters the cake outcome greatly. We can unpack the nuances of common oils. Look for other ways to navigate your kitchen pantry too. This helps when standard ingredients like eggs are scarcer. Or if you are catering to specific dietary needs, veganism perhaps.
Recipes often ask for vegetable oil or canola oil, which many think are interchangeable. They share many similarities for cooks at home. Keeping just one on hand is quite common. Both oils appear pale yellow usually. Their flavor is neutral, won’t overpower your dish. And they are quite inexpensive. They also boast high smoke points around 400°F. Excellent choice for high-heat cooking like frying. Also good for sautéing and baking.
What exactly is the difference between these pantry staples? While they are like twins surface-wise, their origins differ. Their nutritional makeup offers distinctions. Vegetable oil is not made from a mix of garden vegetables, strangely. The term distinguishes it from animal fats like lard only. Vegetable oil is any oil derived from plants or seeds really. A broad category includes olive oil, sunflower, avocado. Yes, even canola oil itself fits. Bottles labeled “vegetable oil” are mostly soybean or corn oil blends though. Canola oil has a more specific origin from rapeseed. Its name is actually an abbreviation of Canadian Oil Low Acid. Highlighting its Canadian beginnings in the 1970s. Canadian scientists developed canola through plant breeding. They created a version not toxic for humans. So, canola oil is technically a vegetable oil, yes. But it is a specially bred type from one plant source. Unlike the varied blends that generic vegetable oil can be. Nutrition-wise, canola oil is often a healthier choice. This is true compared to standard vegetable oil. Especially if saturated fat intake concerns you. The key difference lies in their fat composition. Both are plant-based fats, generally heart-healthy. Canola oil typically contains lower saturated fat levels. Saturated fat is linked to raising cholesterol, you know. Canola oil is higher in monounsaturated fat. This can help improve cholesterol levels. It potentially prevents heart disease too. If you are aiming to reduce saturated fat, canola is better for cooking.
Despite subtle origin and nutrition differences here. Canola oil and vegetable oil behave very similarly in kitchen use. They are almost always interchangeable in baked recipes. Whether whipping up quick bread or frying chicken crispy. Making a simple vinaigrette or baking that boxed cake mix. Swapping one for the other makes little difference in the final result. A direct taste test might show a slight change. But once incorporated in the recipe, it is usually undetectable by people. The choice often comes down to availability, price, and nutritional preference.
Beyond replacing one neutral oil with another kind. What about substituting oil for butter perhaps? A common question, the answer depends heavily on the recipe needed. In cooking methods like pan-frying, sautéing, this works. Swapping butter for canola or vegetable oil often succeeds. It offers a healthier alternative reducing saturated fat intake. High smoke points make these oils well-suited for the job. However, replacing butter with oil in baking is a bit trickier always. It works best in recipes where butter is melted. It must be incorporated into the batter. Like many quick breads, muffins, maybe some cakes. In these cases, oil can provide excellent moisture. A general rule of thumb for substituting oil for butter exists. Use three-quarters the amount of butter called for originally. If a recipe requires 1 cup of melted butter typically. Then you use ¾ cup of oil instead. Where this substitution doesn’t work well is in recipes. Recipes that rely on creaming softened butter with sugar often. This creates air pockets and structure needed. Physical properties of solid butter allow creaming with sugar. Essential for the light and airy texture desired by bakers. Oil, being liquid, cannot replicate this process correctly. Using it in place of creamed butter results in a denser baked good. So, oil is a great moisture source, yes. But not a universal stand-in for butter in all baking situations.
Move beyond fats, an ingredient often missing is eggs. Due to allergies or dietary choices, you see. Maybe simply running out sometimes. Knowing reliable egg substitutes is helpful for the home baker always. Good news, many common pantry items can step in readily. It’s crucial to understand why eggs are used initially though. Different substitutes fulfill different functions, you know. Binding ingredients, providing structure, adding moisture, acting as a leavening agent.
A popular versatile vegan egg substitute is the “flax egg.” Easily made from flaxseed meal from seeds. Flaxseed is a nutritional powerhouse with fiber, omega-3s, protein too. When ground flaxseed is mixed with water, a gel-like consistency develops. It works effectively as a binder in baked goods many times. Great stand-in for cookies, muffins, quick breads this makes. Even non-delicate desserts like waffles or veggie burgers work. To make one flax egg, whisk 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed meal. Combine with 3 tablespoons of water and let sit. 3 to 5 minutes till it thickens to that desired gel. Chia seeds can be used similarly also. Whisk 1 tablespoon of chia seeds with 3 tablespoons of water. Let thicken for 10-15 minutes more.
Aquafaba, a magical ingredient, has gained popularity in vegan baking lately. Not an exotic store-bought item you may think. Simply the liquid leftover in a can of chickpeas or other beans usually. The viscous liquid texture is surprisingly similar to egg whites. Can even be whipped up to create meringue-like textures. This makes aquafaba an ideal substitute especially. For recipes specifically calling for egg whites particularly. Or achieving a lighter result in things like meringues, macaroons. Angel food cake too it works for. Use 2 tablespoons of aquafaba to replace one egg white you can. Or 3 tablespoons to replace a whole egg needed.
For recipes where moisture and a touch of sweetness are welcome. Mashed fruits serve as excellent egg substitutes too. Ripe bananas are a common favorite it seems. Mashing one medium banana provides enough binding and moisture needed. To replace one egg in recipes for pancakes, cakes, brownies. Be aware the banana will impart its flavor on the finished product though. Unsweetened applesauce is another fantastic option you can find. Provides significant moisture and works well in cakes and quick breads. Use 3 tablespoons of unsweetened applesauce per egg required. Other fruit purees like mashed avocado or pumpkin puree work. Especially in denser baked goods like brownies and muffins mostly. Offering a more neutral flavor than banana does always.
Sometimes you don’t need a specific ingredient substitute you find. Rather a combination of pantry staples to replicate egg’s function is required. A mix of baking powder and oil can act as a vegan egg replacement. Particularly effective for binding in cookie recipes by bakers. Context suggests combining 2 teaspoons of baking powder. Also 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil and 2 tablespoons of water. This is for each egg you needed to substitute. This combination helps provide both some leavening and moisture to bake. Similarly for recipes needing lift like cakes and cupcakes. A classic science experiment: baking soda and vinegar creates leavening. One teaspoon of baking soda mixed with one tablespoon of vinegar it is. It replaces an egg you see. Causes airiness, though using this for more than two eggs might introduce a vinegar flavor you notice.
Starches are also versatile binders bakers use. Can be used to create simple egg replacers you know. Commercial egg replacers often utilize starches found. You can make your own by combining 2 tablespoons of arrowroot powder perhaps. Tapioca starch/flour, cornstarch, or potato flour also works. Combine with 3 tablespoons of water for each egg needed to substitute. These starchy mixtures are particularly useful in cakes, cookies, enriched bread. Recipes where binding is needed often.
Tofu, made from pressed soybean curd, seems an unlikely baking ingredient. But silken tofu, with higher water content and creamy texture offers. Can be an effective egg replacer sometimes. It adds moisture and protein without altering flavor much it does. Making it suitable for recipes that already have leavening agents. Such as quick breads and muffins and such. Use silken tofu as an egg substitute by blending ¼ cup till smooth. Use it in place of one egg required. Can use it to provide structure like in quiches or scrambles for an eggy texture.
Even mayonnaise can pinch-hit for eggs often. In certain dense baked goods like brownies and quick breads. Since mayo is made with eggs and oil. It provides both binding and considerable moisture needed. Use 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise to replace one egg successfully. Be mindful its flavor potentially impacting lighter dishes only.
Similarly, plain vegetable oil alone adds moisture to dense baked goods. Like muffins or brownies using ¼ cup per egg it does. Though it won’t provide binding or leavening on its own completely. Potentially requiring another substitute to work alongside it well.
Finally, for recipes specifically designed to be light and airy. Plain carbonated water is a simple cost-effective substitute often. Bubbles trapped within water act as a leavening agent it does. Adding airiness to cakes, muffins, quick breads made. Use ¼ cup of carbonated water to replace a single egg needed. Particularly in recipes where other ingredients like flour contribute structure you see.
Exploring these various oils and substitutes reveals how many clever ways there are. To achieve delicious baking results even when the usual suspects are unavailable always. Understanding the function of ingredients like fats and eggs is key. For successfully using these alternatives for bakers. Seeing potential in everyday items is important. Feeling empowered to experiment and tailor recipes to your needs you feel.
Read more about: IHOP vs. Cracker Barrel: Comparing Breakfast Classics with Surprising Results
Easy Peach Cobbler
Equipment
- 1 9x12 inch Baking Dish Must be ovenproof
- 1 Medium Mixing Bowl
- 1 Measuring Cups/Spoons For dry and liquid ingredients
- 1 Whisk or Spoon For mixing batter
- 1 Can Opener
Ingredients
Main
- Two 15-ounce cans sliced peaches in syrup
- 1/2 cup 1 stick butter
- 1 cup self-rising flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup milk
- Homemade Whipped Cream recipe follows
- 2 cups whipping cream chilled in the fridge
- 4 tablespoons sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Drain 1 can of peaches; reserve the syrup from the other. Place the butter in a 9- by 12-inch ovenproof baking dish. Heat the butter on the stove or in the oven until it's melted. In a medium bowl, mix the flour and sugar. Stir in the milk and the reserved syrup. Pour the batter over the melted butter in the baking dish. Arrange the peaches over the batter. Bake for 1 hour. The cobbler is done when the batter rises around the peaches and the crust is thick and golden brown. Serve warm with fresh whipped cream
Notes
Related posts:
Turn Boxed Cake Mix Into A Dense & Indulgent Dessert With This Egg Trick
Canola Oil Vs. Vegetable Oil: Which One Should I Use?
The Best Vegan Egg Substitutes for Every Type of Recipe
