Turn Boxed Cake Mix Into A Dense & Indulgent Dessert With This Egg Trick

There is no shame in turning to a box mix for your next cake, especially if you're short on time, ingredients, or even baking skills. There's a reason why professional bakers share hacks for elevating boxed mixes, like using milk instead of water (or even flavored milk instead of plain) or opting for a good melted butter instead of vegetable oil. And then, according to Odette D'Aniello, baking expert and CEO at Dragonfly Cakes, with whom Food Republic had the opportunity to consult, you can try adding an extra egg. "Adding an extra egg to a boxed cake mix enriches the batter by boosting both fat and protein," she told us.

D'Aniello continued by explaining that eggs help with structure and moisture, and when you add that extra yolk (much like when you crack a double-yolk egg into your baked goods), you're adding more emulsifiers and fat into the mix. This "leads to a tighter, creamier crumb and a cake that feels more decadent when you bite into it," she said. She then described how the additional protein also firms up the structure slightly, so you get a denser, more homemade texture, rather than the typical airy lightness of boxed mixes.

Some cake mixes will hold up and taste better with an extra egg than others, so before you go cracking more of them into all of your mixes, listen up: "This extra egg trick works really well for flavors that already lean toward rich and decadent — think chocolate fudge, red velvet, or even spice cake," Odette D'Aniello advised. She also told us that if you opt to add an extra egg to your boxed cake mix, you usually don't have to adjust the other ingredients. But she recommended that if you're sensitive to sweetness, "you might consider slightly reducing any added sugar or frosting since the richness of the cake itself is amped up." You might try making what's known as ermine frosting, which is a lot less sweet than regular buttercream frosting, because it uses a lot less sugar. The secret? Flour revolutionizes homemade frosting with its silky texture and less sweet taste.  

If you're looking for the ultimate in rich cake that doesn't taste like it came from a box, instead of adding whole eggs, add just the yolks. You can crack in as many as two additional yolks per boxed mix, but you shouldn't overdo it by adding any more than that, lest your cake come out gummy.