Does anyone know some easy ways to doctor a boxed cake mix? I like to do a little of both (boxed and scratch) but when I do make them from a box is there any suggestions of how to make them better?

TIA!!!

Lisa

Get the cake extender recipe from the recipes section. Lots of members use this, not only to stretch the cake batter but to enhance it's flavor.

Theresa

Yep....just posted on a thread about this! I love it and use it all the time. Of course I haven't attempted "scratch" yet...working up to that!! LOL The extender def makes a box better .... IMO.

I always add one box of instant pudding (small box-just the powder) and one extra egg from what the box calls for.

I do use the extender also, but only when I need the extra batter.

I use the DH mixes and with the extra egg and box of pudding I usually get 6 cups of batter.

HTH

I like to add about 1/2 cup sour cream, 1 extra egg, and a box of pudding.

Yields a really dense and moist cake. Much like pound cake!

--Knox--

Thanks for all the ideas. I have to make a cake tonight so I am going to try some of the tips here! This site is SO GREAT!!!!!

Buy "The Cake Mix Doctor" book. Great recipes, and lots of them. I've tried a number of them, and they've all been very good.

Thanks they have a copy at the libary so I am going to go check it out! So the recipes are good? Has anyone tried the extender recipe on the site? Does it work well?

Threads on box cake mix, add-ins, extenders, doctored recipes:

http://forum.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-66313-.html

http://forum.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-68873-.html

HTH

The Cake Mix Doctor has a web site too. Check out the recipe corner and the past newsletters for some recipes:

www.cakemixdoctor.com

What flavor of pudding do you all add to white or yellow cake mixes?

I agree get the Cake Mix Doctor book, The Darn Good Chocolate Cake in there is really good. I also like to add 1/3 to 1/2 cup sour cream to my white cakes and then decrease that from the liquid amount and finish off the liquid amount with milk. I prefer to use milk over water it gives you a denser cake but still moist, I also usually add pudding and an extra egg to all my cakes. This makes for an easier cake to make into 3D and is still moist and delish. I also like to add any where from !/4 to !/2 depending on how strong a flavor you want, most often 1/3 of a cup of flavored coffee creamer to my cakes in replacement of that amount of the liquid then finish off with milk or milk and sour cream this makes for some delicious flavors of cakes. You can also use flavored liquors instead of creamers if you don't mind alcohol in it, Baileys, esspecially the new caramel and mint flavors, Amarula, Amaretto, etc.

Cake Mix Doctor book, I love mine

What is Amarula? Is it a cross between Amaretto and what?

i just might have to try the extra egg and pudding thing. i'm making a bc milk chocolate cake for my parents' birthdays this weekend, so i might try it then!

Amarula is a cream liquer the same consistency as Bailey's, but it has a fruity flavor.

I bartend part-time - we couldn't sell the stuff, so I used it in my coffee... it was okay I guess, it would probably be REALLY good in cakes!

Here's the official website:

http://www.amarula.co.za/

Thanks leily!

Got my Cake Doctor book from the library today! I love it and have both the chocolate and cupcake doctor on hold. There are so many recipes; I don't know where to begin! Any suggestions of recipes you have tried and liked? TIA!!!!

My all-time favorite is the Fuzzy Navel cake. I also like the Mexican chocolate cupcakes. I like a number of the chocolate glazes/icings, as well. And my kids & I like a chocolate cake with the peppermint buttercream filling. You'll find that many of the cakes have the same proportions of ingredients, so you can start modifying cakes to your own tastes, using these as guides. One thing I've started doing...substituting lemonade for the water in a lemon cake. How simple!

I do a white chocolate strawberry cake that uses the DH strawberry mix, +1 egg, +1 box of white chocolate instant pudding, +4 oz melted white chocolate (cooled a bit). Moist and rich!

I too like knoxcop add 1/2 cup sour cream to a lot of my mixes. It just makes it moister.

My sweet mother in law just bought me the Betty Crocker Ultimate cake mix cook book....I havent tried any of the recipes but, it has tons of ideas and some yummy looking cakes...I am going to check out the Cake mix doctor book...sounds like thats a good one too!

Here is a thread that discussed the different cakes that people liked in the Cake Mix Doctor book.

http://forum.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-4089.html

Hope it helps, maybe we should get it going again, I'll bump it up.

Adding an extra egg, using melted butter instead of oil and putting some milk makes cakes taste extraordinary.

Here's what I do and some people can't tell the difference between box and scratch:

sift cake mix
add envelope of Dream Whip
4 eggs
1 cup water

YUMMY!!!

In my cake one class, the teacher said that she never adds oil to her cake. I tired it and my cakes turned out fine and were not so dense. But as a got up into higher levels my teachers all said that oil added stablitity when making tied cakes !!! Thanks so much, ALL these comments have helped me so much and I have had fun trying all kinds of things out. I would really like to get the Betty Crocker Ultimate cake mix cook book and compare it too the Cake Mix Doctor!!!