Which Cake Mix Is Best For Decorating

Our favorite Tips and Tricks on How to Doctor a Boxed Cake Mix to make it taste just like homemade!

Life is short. Everyone is busy. And sometimes you don't have time to make cupcakes or a cake from scratch. Sometimes, and by that we mean nearly always, we make our cakes and cupcakes from a cake mix. And guess what? Nobody ever complains! And there are never any leftovers of our desserts. Easy and yummy – it is a Two Sisters win/win situation. Having said that, over the years we have made a couple of adjustments and embellishments to the directions on the back of the average cake box. We have compiled these tricks on How to Doctor a Boxed Caked Mix here for you in case you are also a busy person who likes to make fun desserts for their family!

How to Doctor White Cake Mixes for Cupcakes or Cakes

White Cake Mix Batter

White Cake Mix is the one we use most often. We have used all of the most popular brands and we usually buy the one that is on sale. If we had to choose a favorite, it would be Pillsbury Moist Supreme. When we make white cupcakes or a cake, we make two adjustments to the directions on the back of the box.

Milk instead of water

First, we use milk (usually 2%) instead of water. We think it helps make the cake a little moister and more "homemade" tasting. It is an easy substitution and we always do this.

Egg Whites Only

Sometimes we want the cake to be as white as possible or we want to add food coloring to the cake batter and want the color to be as true as possible. If that is the case, we separate the eggs and only add the whites. (Those egg yolks really change the batter from white to yellow-y/beige.) When you do this you need to use an extra egg white and you need to add some extra oil to the batter. Most White Cake Mix boxes have these directions on the box.

White Cupcakes

Here is a Pillsbury White Cake Mix made with milk and only egg whites. Nice and white.

White Cakes / Cupcakes

And the cupcakes turn out great, nice and white, and rounded on the top. We have never EVER had any complaints about cupcakes made from a cake mix.

How to Doctor Chocolate Cake Mixes for Cupcakes or Cakes

Chocolate Cake Mix Batter

When we make chocolate cupcakes or cakes, we make three changes to the directions on the back of the cake mix box.

Add a bit of coffee

The first thing we always do is replace half of the required water with freshly brewed coffee. This trick greatly enhances the chocolate flavor of the cake mix and NEVER makes the cake taste like coffee. (If you are trying to make a Mocha Cake, this is not the way to do it.) This small amount of coffee just gives your cupcakes or cake a super chocolatey taste. We promise!

Milk instead of water

Second, we replace the other half of the water measurement with milk. The extra fat in the milk helps the moisture level of the cake and gives it a more homemade taste.

Add a tiny bit of vanilla

The third thing we do to chocolate cake mix batter is add a teaspoon of Vanilla to punch up the flavor a bit.

Chocolate Cake Mix Cupcakes

That's it. Super easy and you probably have all of these extra ingredients in your pantry all ready.

Chocolate Cake Mix

Yummy Chocolate Cupcakes every time.

How to Doctor Yellow Cake Mixes for Cupcakes or Cakes

Working with Yellow Cake Mix

We don't use Yellow Cake Mix that often (unless of course it is Laurie's birthday because she always requests Yellow Cake and Chocolate Frosting for her birthday cakes!) but when we do we replace the water with milk and add a teaspoon of Vanilla but otherwise we follow the directions on the box.

A Note About Oil vs. Butter

cupcake made with oil vs cupcake made with butter

Another popular substitution is to replace the oil called for when making a Cake Box Mix with melted butter. This is something we don't usually do. We don't notice a lot of difference in the final cupcakes.

In the picture above, the cupcakes are the left were made with oil, the cupcakes on the right were made with melted butter. The cupcakes made with the melted butter are a little flatter on the top and a little bit lighter. The batter made with the melted butter is thicker and we were able to make 20 cupcakes as opposed to 18 cupcakes with the batter made with the oil.

You should give it a try and see what you think. You need to replace the oil with the exact same amount of melted butter, for example replace 1/2 cup of oil with 1/2 cup of melted butter. You will also need to let the butter cool slightly after you melt it. You don't want to mix hot butter with the raw eggs or they might scramble.

Important Two Sisters Tip: Use Homemade Frosting!!!

Use homemade frosting

We cannot stress this enough … frost your cakes and cupcakes with homemade frosting . That is what everyone will remember when they eat your dessert. Most of your guests wouldn't be able to tell whether your cupcake came from a homemade recipe or a cake mix, but they will remember a creamy homemade frosting. We have more than thirty different homemade frosting flavors to choose from and all the step by step directions you'll need to make them. So head on over to our Frosting section and pick something yummy to top your cake mix cupcakes or cakes!