Add Soda To Boxed Cake Mix For Light & Fluffy Layers

There are tons of ways to upgrade your favorite boxed cake mix, including swapping out the plain milk for something more flavorful and adding sour cream for an ultra-moist cake. While we love these options, we wanted to go a step further and learn how to adjust the ingredients to make a super fluffy cake. To do this, we spoke to Odette D'Aniello, baking expert and CEO at Dragonfly Cakes.

According to D'Aniello, soda can be a leavening agent. Why? The carbonation. "The bubbles in the soda add extra lift to the batter, expanding as the cake bakes," D'Aniello said. "Plus, many sodas are acidic, which can react with the baking soda or baking powder already in the mix, giving you even more rise and creating a lighter, airier texture."

She says it's a fun shortcut when you want to make a super fluffy cake without adding a ton of extra work or ingredients. In fact, you'll actually get to omit a few things from the box instead. "When you're using soda, you usually omit the eggs, oil, and water that the box calls for — just the soda and the mix," D'Aniello explained. "It's a two-ingredient wonder, but it will give you a slightly more delicate crumb, so it's best for sheet cakes or snack cakes rather than something you need to layer and stack." When doing this, a 12-ounce can of soda should work perfectly for one box of cake mix.

The important thing to consider when adding soda to your box cake is combining complementary flavors for an epic result. "Dark sodas like cola or root beer work beautifully with chocolate or spice cake mixes, adding depth and a little extra richness," Odette D'Aniello said. Some combinations that would be delicious are Coca-Cola with dark chocolate cake, Dr. Pepper with red velvet, or root beer combined with a seasonal pumpkin spice. You can even try orange soda with a classic spiced cake for something festive during the holidays.

On the other side, D'Aniello recommended lighter-flavored sodas for simple cake mixes. For example, a lemon-lime soda would go well with a classic yellow cake, while a cream soda could play well with a French vanilla or fudge marble mix. Keep in mind that the more unique sodas, like pineapple soda, can also work to infuse some tropical flavors into your bakes.