The key to making a cake with the moist texture of a boxed mix (2024)
Cake may seem eternal, but cake as we know it today is a relatively recent creation. Like any food, it, too, is subject to changes in technology and trends. Over the decades, styles have risen and fallen: Today, the ultimate (and nostalgic) ideal for many of us is the rich flavor and never-dry texture of cakes made from a boxed mix.
A bite of history
Before commercially made, consistent chemical leaveners (that’s baking powder and baking soda to you and me) came on the scene, two styles of cakes dominated: Rich old-fashioned pound cakes (a delicious but dense affair) anchored one end of the texture spectrum, with light, airy foam cakes like angel food or genoise, which get their loft from beaten egg whites, on the other.
And in the middle were cakes made by whipping the egg whites separately, then folding them into a butter-based batter for a more open crumb. You can still make a cake this way, but it’s more work (and more dishes). Plus,butter cakes that aren’t soaked with a flavoring syrup can get dry pretty quickly.
Cake preferences changed yet again when cake mixes first appeared in the 1930s and subsequently skyrocketed in popularity after the Second World War. Thanks to specialized ingredients like hydrogenated vegetable shortening, box cakes remained moist, with a soft, buttery crumb, yet were sturdy enough to stack in layers.
For many bakers, the tender-crumbed texture of a box cake is now the cake ideal. Consistent success keeps fledgling bakers coming back to the kitchen. But what if I told you that you can achieve that same texture in a scratch-baked cake, along with better flavor?
DIY that box mix texture
Over the 20 years I’ve been writing recipes for King Arthur, I’ve seen the cakes in our online archives reflect this evolution of a cake’s ideal texture.The recipes for several of our butter cakes have been reformulated to include an ingredient that prevents cakes from getting too dry too fast: We’ve replaced 25% to 50% of the butter in them with vegetable oil.
The first time I made this move was in this Chocolate Cake. It’s made plenty of appearances at weddings and occasions of all sorts since, and I make this recipe more than any other chocolate cake in my arsenal.
What’s going on here? Why does oil give cake superior texture? Butter is 18% water, so when the batter is baked, some of its liquid evaporates. Replacing the water from the butter with oil means there’s more fat left in the cakes to ensure tenderness. It also coats the flour uniformly, which keeps the layers from being tough even if the batter is overbeaten.
If you have a traditional all-butter cake that you’d like to see last a little longer on the counter without drying out, try substituting vegetable oil for 25% of the butter amount by volume. (Be aware oil weighs less than butter, so weight will be different.)Add it with the butter and sugar, then cream the mixture as you normally would.
I also recommend checking out the headnotes on this Back-to-Basics Yellow Cake, which addresses the transition from “traditional” butter cake to formulas adjusted with some oil.
See how you feel about the results. You’re likely to discover the Holy Grail of cake: A scratch-made creation that tastes great, with a tender crumb that rivals anything from a box.
Butter is 18% water, so when the batter is baked, some of its liquid evaporates. Replacing the water from the butter with oil means there's more fat left in the cakes to ensure tenderness. It also coats the flour uniformly, which keeps the layers from being tough even if the batter is overbeaten.
Boxed cakes often call for water, but swapping it out for equal amounts of milk, coffee, or even soda will give you a moister, more tender, and flavorful cake. For white cake mix, you can use whole milk or your favorite non-dairy milk.
Try switching out any water in your recipe for full-fat milk or buttermilk for a moist, decadent texture. Another ingredient that can enhance the moisture of your cake is mayonnaise. Adding a dollop of mayonnaise to your batter can help make your freshly baked cake softer with an added boost of moisture.
The spongy texture and moist flavor that oil creates can be a boon to certain recipes. Not to mention oil is cheaper and easier to work with. Butter will always provide superior flavor and that melt-in-your-mouth texture. In many recipes, combining the two gives the best of both worlds.
For best texture, beat filling ingredients at medium-low speed. Beating at high speed adds air to the batter; longer, slower beating yields a pleasantly dense cake.
On their own, boxed cake mixes have a structure that's loose and airy. But if you add ¼ cup flour or half a box of instant pudding mix, the texture of the cake becomes denser and tighter, ideal for a pound-cake-like consistency that will hold the shape of a Bundt pan.
Buttermilk: Instead of water, use the same amount of buttermilk. The acid in the buttermilk interacts with the leavening agents in the mix for a better rise. "Swapping out the water for buttermilk creates a fluffier cake and a moister one, too," says Waterson.
Applesauce acts much like the fat. It keeps the flour protein from mixing completely with the wet ingredients and forming a rubbery, dense texture. This is what does applesauce do in baking.
The secret ingredient to making a moist cake is sour cream! That's right. Similar to milk, adding ½ cup of sour cream packs flavor into your box cake mix. It may sound a little crazy, but for the best results, use a full-fat sour cream...
Breads, cakes, cookies, and nearly all baked goods require a leavening agent. These are the key ingredients that make a cake rise. There are two types of leavening agents, chemical (baking soda and baking powder) and biological (yeast).
Cake mixes almost always call for vegetable oil as their fat; needless to say, butter has a lot more flavor than vegetable oil, and it makes for a much better texture. Just replace the oil with an equal amount of melted butter, and you'll get a drastically better cake with a more complex flavor.
Mayonnaise, the least likely of the bunch, actually gives the closest result to having used oil, and it retains the flavors of your cake or whatever baked good you are creating very well! Yogurt and sour cream also work in a pinch, but do change the flavor profile a tad.
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.
Cakes come in a variety of textures, ranging from light and spongy to dense and moist. The texture of a cake is influenced by factors such as quality of ingredients & its ratios, mixing method, duration of mixing and baking technique.
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.
The additional fat in the egg yolk helps create a more tender and moist cake that is full of flavor. The extra egg also helps the cake have a more stable texture, which is great if you want to bake it up as a layer cake instead of a sheet cake or cupcakes.
Use an extra egg: Most boxed mixes will call for three eggs. Use four for a cake that's richer-tasting and moister. This tip is one I use practically every time I make a boxed cake mix. Substitute dairy: Replace the water called for on the package with dairy.
Introduction: My name is Kimberely Baumbach CPA, I am a gorgeous, bright, charming, encouraging, zealous, lively, good person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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