Making A Flavorful Pie Crust Begins With Boxed Cake Mix

Making a homemade pie can be easy — but it's a labor of love, and any misstep can leave you with a tough pie crust. Here's a method, come to the rescue, for making a sweet dough that's not nearly as laborious or painstaking as the traditional technique — and according to Trina Dekett, operations and creative specialist behind BaKIT Box, as well as a professional pastry chef and baker for over 12 years, it all starts with boxed cake mix.

Dekett told Food Republic that the main concern or focus when using cake mix is adding more structure, as the mixes do not tend to "yield the strength that a pie dough and crust require." To augment the dough, Dekett suggested adding a few tablespoons of flour (no more than three to start) to your cake mix. Then, she continued, add one egg to this mixture, as well as three to five tablespoons of butter that have been lightly softened (this is where the recipe really diverges from a traditional recipes, as homemade pie crusts often require cold butter). 

From there, it's easy. "Using a typical dough mixing method, mix your dough by hand until it resembles wet, clumpy sand," Dekett advised. Then, all that's left is to roll it out "into a disc and chill" it until you're ready to get baking.

Not sure which flavor of boxed cake mix goes well with which types of pies? Trina Dekett came equipped with a plethora of suggestions before you start your bake. One of her favorite combinations is a spiced cake mix with a peach or nectarine pie filling. She even included a pro tip: "Add a bit of cardamom to both the pie filling, and cake mix to add an extra dimension of flavor."

As a more general rule of thumb to follow if you're just starting out with this technique: Dekett says yellow and spice cake mixes pair well with "cozier flavors you'd typically see in the fall or winter" — we think something like classic apple pie or pumpkin would be great — and it probably comes as no surprise to Reese's lovers that Dekett suggests pairing chocolate cake mixes with "mousses, peanut butter, or custard-like fillings." Finally, she says citrusy fillings complement lemon or white cake like a dream. You can start using these flavor combos as a guideline, but don't feel limited by them. "Don't be afraid to mix, match, and explore!" Dekett encouraged.

This pie dough method has some drawbacks, but Trina Dekett had some advice you can follow to help make it more likely to succeed. "When using cake mix for dough as opposed to a traditional pie dough, it's more important to [spray or grease] your pie dish," she recommended, saying that otherwise, you run the risk of the mix sticking to the sides of the dish (which means you won't get clean slices when it comes time to cut the pie — and nothing is worse as a host than giving someone a piece of pie with a torn crust).

There is also the fact that boxed cake mix introduces a more sugary element to the pie dough, which Dekett was quick to call to our attention. She reminded us that traditional pie dough is not usually sweet at all (a typical recipe calls for no sugar, in fact), so this method might yield a dough that's a bit cloying for some palates — especially when combined with a sugary filling. "To balance sweetness, I'd recommend adding a generous pinch of salt," she advised.