Doctored white cake mix is a rich and delicious dessert! Take a box of cake mix and take it up a notch with extra ingredients (buttermilk and sour cream) to infuse it with more moisture and flavor. It’s so simple and always tasty!
Simple White Cake
This is the best doctored white cake mix because it’s simple and delicious, perfect for any occasion. You can easily add fun colors and decorations, like sprinkles or cake toppers, for any holiday or occasion. Each layer is moist, fluffy, and full of delicious vanilla flavor.
Why You’ll Love this Easy White Cake Recipe:
- Easy-to-make: This easy white cake recipe is made with simple ingredients and isn’t as tough as a layered moist cake might seem! Just follow the complete set of instructions in the recipe card!
- Boxed Cake Hack: Make that box of white cake mix even better by adding more moisture and flavor. So simple!
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How to Doctor Up a White Cake Mix
Be sure to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!
- Preheat the oven as instructed in the recipe card below and prepare the cake pans.
- In a medium bowl, combine and mix the dry ingredients. Then in a separate, large bowl, beat together the wet ingredients. Once done, combine both the wet and dry ingredients and beat until smooth.
- Pour cake batter evenly between the cake pans and bake for a half hour or longer.
- Once done baking, remove and cool on a wire rack to room temperature. Then cover each layer in plastic wrap separately and chill for two hours.
- After the cakes have chilled, cut the dome tops of each cake, so they are flat. Then move on to making the frosting.
- In a large bowl, beat the frosting ingredients until light and fluffy.
- Add a thin layer of frosting to the middle of wherever you’re setting your cake, so it helps stay in place. Then add a more generous layer of frosting on the first cake layer and repeat to the top.
- Frost a thin layer around the sides of the cake and top it as a base. To get the layers of frosting smooth, use a tool like a cake scraper to smooth the icing out. This is similar to what I use: Large Clear Acrylic Cake Scraper Smoother.
- Chill the cake for 10 more minutes and then add the next frosting layer. Ensure it’s spread smoothly with the cake scraper.
- Add the remaining frosting to a piping bag and frost swirls on top of the cake. Serve at room temperature and enjoy your delicious white cake!
A doctored white cake is a cake that is made from boxed white cake mix and enhanced with ingredients that add moisture and richness, such as buttermilk and sour cream.
Honestly, baking from scratch can be intimidating, and boxed cake mix helps ensure that your cake will bake up perfectly every time. There’s less room for error when measuring the dry ingredients, which leads to a moist cake!
You can use any brand of cake mix you prefer for this recipe!
No! Do NOT prepare the cake mix according to the package. It’s meant to be added as a dry ingredient!
Sour cream is one of those secret ingredients for great cakes you might not know about. We’re using it here to help add moisture to the cake, so it doesn’t end up dry (no one likes a dry cake). Because of the high fat content, sour cream creates a rich and delicious texture.
It’s important for the cake to be completely cooled before you start frosting the cake. I suggest chilling the cakes in the fridge for about 2 hours before you frost them. Be sure to wrap the cakes well in food-safe plastic wrap so they don’t dry out while chilling. Your frosting may also be too thick. If the frosting isn’t going onto the cake smoothly, try beating in 1-2 tablespoons of heavy cream so it’s easier to work with.
Yes! Prepare the recipe as directed, baking in cupcake tins instead of cake pans. You will need to reduce the bake time to 15-20 minutes. Let cool, then frost as desired.
Fun Optional Decorations
This recipe for white cake is great because as mentioned it can be transformed into whatever you want it to be. That could look like adding food coloring, sprinkles, fresh fruit, or cookies on top as decoration!
Make Ahead Instructions
You can bake the cakes up to 1 day in advance of when you plan to frost them. Store them tightly wrapped in plastic wrap in the refrigerator until ready to frost.
The buttercream can be made up to 5 days in advance of when you plan to use it. Store it in an airtight container or Ziplock bag in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Storage Instructions
Store leftover doctored white cake mix in an airtight container or cake dome at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Enjoy cold or at room temperature.
Freezing Instructions
Freeze doctored white cake mix whole or cut into individual slices tightly wrapped in 2 layers of plastic wrap and 1 layer of aluminum foil for up to 1 month. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before enjoying.
Substitutions & Variations
- You can also use vanilla or yellow cake mix in this recipe.
- For a pure white cake, swap the 3 eggs for 5 egg yolks and be sure to use clear vanilla extract.
- If you don’t have buttermilk, you can measure out 1½ cups of milk, remove 1½ tablespoons, and add 1½ tablespoons of white vinegar or lemon juice. Mix well and let stand for 5 minutes before using.
- In place of the sour cream, you can use plain Greek yogurt.
- Try adding almond extract or lemon extract to the cake for a different flavor!
- Fold in nuts, chocolate chips, or sprinkles!
- Crumble Oreos or chocolate chip cookies between the layers for a cookie cake!
Tips for the Best Doctored White Cake Mix
- Bring all ingredients to room temperature for the best results.
- Measure the flour using the spoon-and-level method to avoid a dry cake.
- Do NOT use the ingredients listed on the back of the box of cake mix; the cake mix is a separate, dry ingredient in this recipe.
- Do not overmix the batter; otherwise, your cakes may come out tough.
- Chill the cakes thoroughly for the most even frosting application.
- To create a solid base for decorating, place a bit of frosting onto the cake board/stand to secure the bottom layer of cake.
- Be sure to level the cakes by cutting off any domed parts to ensure that the cakes will stack evenly.
- Crumb-coat the cake before frosting to catch any crumbs for a smoother appearance.
I hope you love how this moist white cake recipe turns out. Have you ever made a doctored white cake mix before? Did you add food coloring or toppings to your cake? Let me know in the comments below!
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Doctored White Cake Mix Recipe
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Ingredients
For the Cake
- 15.25 ounces white cake mix 432 grams (1 box)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour 140 grams
- 1 cup granulated sugar 200 grams
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1½ cups buttermilk 341 grams, room temperature (see note)
- 1 cup full-fat sour cream 227 grams, room temperature
- 3 large eggs 150 grams, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 8 grams
For the Buttercream Frosting
- 5 cups powdered sugar 600 grams
- 1½ cups unsalted butter 340 grams, slightly melted (3 sticks)
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract 12 grams
Optional Ingredients
- Gel food coloring for the frosting
- Rainbow sprinkles for topping
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
- 2 8-inch Round Cake Pan
- Stand Mixer
- Piping Tip Set (optional)
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray two 8-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray and line the inside bottom of each pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, stir the dry cake mix, flour, granulated sugar, and salt together. Set aside for now.15.25 ounces white cake mix, 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the buttermilk, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla extract on high until well combined.1½ cups buttermilk, 1 cup full-fat sour cream, 3 large eggs, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Beat the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Beat on high until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Divide the cake batter evenly between the prepared cake pans. Try to get the same amount in each pan so that the cake layers bake up to the same size (about 749 grams per pan).
- Bake for 33-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.
- Remove cakes from oven and let cakes cool in pans for 15 minutes before removing cakes from pans. Place cake layers on a wire rack and allow cakes to cool to room temperature.
- Once cakes have cooled to room temperature, cover cakes completely in food-safe plastic wrap (wrap each layer separately) and refrigerate cake layers for 2 hours. Chilled cakes are easier to decorate since they don’t crumble as easily.
For the Buttercream Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla extract together on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minute). If the frosting is too thick to smooth onto the cake, beat in a tablespoon of heavy cream. If the frosting seems too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar.5 cups powdered sugar, 1½ cups unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
For Assembly
- Once cakes have been removed from the fridge, use a large serrated knife to cut the dome tops off both cakes so they both have a flat top. You won’t need these dome tops so feel free to snack on those while you work on the rest of the cake.
- Place a thin layer of frosting (about 2 tablespoons) in the middle of a cake board or cake plate then place one cake (cut side facing up) on top of that frosting. This small amount of frosting helps to secure the cake to the cake plate so it doesn’t slide around during the decorating process.
- Add a generous layer of frosting on top of that first cake layer then place the second cake layer (bottom facing up) on top of the first cake layer.
- Frost a thin layer of frosting around the top and sides of cake. This first thin layer of frosting is meant as a base to help secure crumbs to the cake. This first layer of frosting should be thin so it’s okay if you can still see the cake through the frosting. To get the layers of frosting smooth, use a tool like a cake scraper to smooth the icing out.
- Place the lightly frosted cake in the freezer for 10 minutes so the frosting hardens up a bit before frosting the next layer.
- Optional: color the remaining frosting (using gel food coloring) if you want the final layer of icing to be colored. For this cake, I used Chefmaster Liqua-gel in the color Neon Pink.Gel food coloring
- Remove cake from freezer and apply the second layer of frosting. Spread this layer as smoothly as you can using the cake scraper.
- Take about 1½-2 cups of frosting and place it in an icing bag with a Wilton 1M tip. Frost swirls around the top of the cake.
- Optional: add rainbow sprinkles to the bottom edge of the cake and add sprinkles to the icing swirls on the top of the cake.Rainbow sprinkles
Notes
- Buttermilk: If you don’t have buttermilk, you can measure out 1½ cups of milk, remove 1½ tablespoons, and add 1½ tablespoons of white vinegar or lemon juice. Mix well and let stand for 5 minutes before using.
- You can also use vanilla or yellow cake mix in this recipe.
- For a pure white cake, swap the 3 eggs for 5 egg yolks and be sure to use clear vanilla extract.
- In place of the sour cream, you can use plain Greek yogurt.
- Try adding almond extract or lemon extract to the cake for a different flavor!
- Fold in nuts, chocolate chips, or sprinkles!
- Crumble Oreos or chocolate chip cookies between the layers for a cookie cake!
- Bring all ingredients to room temperature for the best results.
- Measure the flour using the spoon-and-level method to avoid a dry cake.
- Do NOT use the ingredients listed on the back of the box of cake mix; the cake mix is a separate, dry ingredient in this recipe.
- Do not overmix the batter; otherwise, your cakes may come out tough.
- Chill the cakes thoroughly for the most even frosting application.
- To create a solid base for decorating, place a bit of frosting onto the cake board/stand to secure the bottom layer of cake.
- Be sure to level the cakes by cutting off any domed parts to ensure that the cakes will stack evenly.
- Crumb-coat the cake before frosting to catch any crumbs for a smoother appearance.
- Nutritional information does not include optional ingredients.
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