Doctored White Cake Mix Recipe

Course: Cake, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 35

Cool/Chill Time: 2 25

Total Time: 3 30

Servings: slices

Calories: 714kcal

Author: Becky Hardin - Easy Dessert Recipes

This boxed cake mix hack will make that white cake taste so much better!

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Equipment

Kitchen Scale (optional)
2 8-inch Round Cake Pan
Stand Mixer
Piping Tip Set (optional)

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

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.

Storage: Store doctored white cake mix in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Nutrition