Guests will never know dessert was from a box!

While baking acake from scratchwill produce delicious results, its not the only option for making dessert.

Try just one swap or incorporate multiple tricks for the best tasting cake.

dolloping cream cheese frosting on top of red velvet cake layers

Credit:Molly Bolton/Southern Living

Molly Bolton/Southern Living

1.

Many homemade cakes, however, aremade with butter.

Melted butter will enhance the flavor of your cake, while providing a moist, tender crumb.

types of vanilla on a big round board

Credit:Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Swap the amount called for on the cake mix box with the same amount of melted unsalted butter.

Exchange Water for Dairy

Cake mixes are developed for quick and easy baking.

Calling for water on the ingredients list makes them convenient and approachable.

bundt cake beside package of instant vanilla pudding

Credit:Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox

It’s an easy fix that helps cakes made from mixes eat more like homemade.

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

4.

Add one to two teaspoons of a pure extract to make it taste like a from-scratch cake.

Southern Living Vanilla Cake with Strawberry Filling adding the filling to the cake

Credit:Morgan Hunt Glaze, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle

Enhance your chocolate boxed mixes with coffee.

Incorporate Sour Cream or Mayo

Want a wonderfully moist, tender cake?

Cake mixes dont always provide that texture on their own.

When youre adding the wet ingredients to the dry, mix in two tablespoons of sour cream ormayonnaise.

Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox

6. chocolate pudding with chocolate cake mix creates a super fudgy result).

Add Nuts

Hoping for something more than a plain cake?

Your favorite carrot orhummingbird cakeoften has nuts mixed into the batter.

This is an excellent pairing for a white,yellow, or spice cake mix.

Morgan Hunt Glaze, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle

9.

Layer With Fillings

Hoping to serve an elaborate dessert for your company visiting?

Utilize a box mix as the base.

Homemadelemon curd,strawberry cake filling(like above), or awhipped ganacheis sure to impress.

Turn It Into a Poke Cake

Did you grow up withpoke cakesserved after dinner?

Dish up this classic, but use your cake mix as the base.

Bake the cake and let it cool.

Then, use a wooden pick to poke holes all over the top.

Mix up your favorite instant pudding, pour it over the cake, and then add homemade frosting.

It will enhance the flavor tenfold and bring back nostalgic memories.