5 Easy Recipes with Cake Mix and Canned Pumpkin - Recipe Diaries (2024)

FAQs

What can I add to my Betty Crocker cake mix to make it better? ›

To get an extra rich and moist cake, stir in two extra egg yolks along with the eggs the recipe calls for. Add sugar and flour to the dry mix. Add 1/4- 1 cup sugar and flour to your cake mix. Use coffee instead of water for chocolate cakes.

Enhance With Extracts

Pure vanilla extract and pure almond extract are great options, but you could also try lemon extract or orange extract paired with fresh citrus zest. Although more expensive, vanilla bean paste or fresh vanilla beans will provide even richer flavor to a boxed mix.

Substitute Pumpkin for Eggs, Oil or Butter | LIBBY'S®

Step 1: Look at the directions on the cake mix. Step 2: Add one more egg (or add 2 if you want it to be very rich). Step 3: Use melted butter instead of oil and double the amount. Step 4: Instead of water, use whole milk.

How to use sour cream with boxed cake mix. The best way to use sour cream with a boxed cake mix is to use it to replace the other liquids in the recipe, like milk or water. You can add up to a cup, or essentially the same amount of liquid you were originally meant to add, per the manufacturer's instructions.

Put some pudding in the mix: Add a small box of pudding mix in with the cake mix. (Don't make the pudding.) The mix adds additional flavor, moistness, and a denser texture.

Use butter instead of oil

More often than not, box cake recipes will ask that you add canola or vegetable oil. That's because they're affordable pantry staples, but they're mostly flavorless. Why not use butter instead? It makes the cake moist, fluffy and oh-so rich.

You may know what you get when you overmix cake batter: a dense cake with tough texture (and maybe some unappetizing gluey streaks as well). But far fewer bakers know that undermixing batter can cause the same or similar results.

Aside from giving your baked goods a seasonal touch, pumpkin puree is excellent for replacing eggs. Use 1/4 cup of pumpkin puree for each egg, says Traci Weintraub, chef and founder of Gracefully Fed, a restaurant in Los Angeles.

Can I substitute pumpkin for oil in cake mix? ›

Although canned pumpkin is a good substitute for oil and eggs, it can negatively impact the final product. So, you may need to experiment with proportions until you achieve a satisfying taste and texture.

Canned pumpkin and pumpkin puree are the same thing, and you'll often see the terms used interchangeably in recipes and cookbooks. Unlike pumpkin pie mix, canned pumpkin does not have any spices, sugars, or other additives. In many cases, the only ingredient is pumpkin.

Sour cream is one of the fattiest dairy products; the extra fat content (for example, adding sour cream to a cake instead of milk) will make the cake moister and richer, says Wilk. "Fat, in any form (butter, lard, cream, etc.) shortens gluten strands, which essentially leads to the most tender baked goods," she adds.

Because eggs help build the cake's structure (don't use them and you're looking at a gooey mess), adding an extra egg yolk makes the cake batter denser. Translation: you'll have a moister confection. Conversely, she suggests an extra egg white for a fluffier cake.

For chemically-leavened cakes — that is, cakes calling for baking powder or baking soda — it's OK if you don't remember to add the eggs until the end. Martina says, “Late in the mixing stage, eggs will incorporate better if you lightly beat them before adding to the batter.

The milk adds fat, which results in a better flavor and density in your cake. If you want to make your cake extra rich, swap out the milk for buttermilk. Because buttermilk is extra thick, use a few more tablespoons than the recipe calls for.

To keep your cake from getting dry or crumbly, use all the eggs called for in the package directions and use large eggs, rather than small ones. If you're not sure what size eggs you have, measure them: 3 whole large eggs equals 2/3 cup; 3 egg whites equals 1/2 cup. Also, don't leave out the oil!

To make a box cake mix rise higher, try using a smaller pan, adding an extra egg, using milk instead of water, adding baking powder, mixing for longer, using room temperature ingredients, baking at a higher temperature, or using cake strips.