Heavenly Honey Bun Cake Recipe - Half-Scratched (2024)

FAQs

How to make a cake box cake taste homemade? ›

Add Milk, Coffee, or Soda

Boxed cakes often call for water, but swapping it out for equal amounts of milk, coffee, or even soda will give you a moister, more tender, and flavorful cake. For white cake mix, you can use whole milk or your favorite non-dairy milk.

Made from eggs and oil, which are pretty standard cake ingredients, mayonnaise will boost the moisture level in a cake recipe when added to the batter. It might even gussy up your boxed cake mix enough to taste homemade. While adding mayonnaise to dessert may sound odd, apparently this is an old-timey baking trick.

Use milk instead of water

Most box cake recipes will tell you to add water to the mix. Instead, try adding milk using the same proportions. This will make the cake richer and creamier because it ups the fat content. You can even use buttermilk here for a pleasant tang.

Enhance With Extracts

Pure vanilla extract and pure almond extract are great options, but you could also try lemon extract or orange extract paired with fresh citrus zest. Although more expensive, vanilla bean paste or fresh vanilla beans will provide even richer flavor to a boxed mix.

Mrs. Freshley's® honey buns just may be the most award-winning honey buns in America. We certainly think they're the most delicious.

Made with sweet dough, each pastry has a touch of cinnamon and honey then they are topped with a light glaze. They are great warmed for a few seconds in the microwave and enjoyed with a warm cup of coffee.

Soft, golden and tasty, Little Debbie® Honey Buns are the sweet and flavorful snack that satisfies all day. Prepared with hints of cinnamon, a touch of honey, and dripping with a light glaze, it's easy to understand why this delicious pastry swirl is a Little Debbie favorite.

The additional fat in the egg yolk helps create a more tender and moist cake that is full of flavor. The extra egg also helps the cake have a more stable texture, which is great if you want to bake it up as a layer cake instead of a sheet cake or cupcakes.

Sour cream is one of the fattiest dairy products; the extra fat content (for example, adding sour cream to a cake instead of milk) will make the cake moister and richer, says Wilk. "Fat, in any form (butter, lard, cream, etc.) shortens gluten strands, which essentially leads to the most tender baked goods," she adds.

Is it good to add an extra egg to a cake mix? ›

Use an extra egg: Most boxed mixes will call for three eggs. Use four for a cake that's richer-tasting and moister. This tip is one I use practically every time I make a boxed cake mix. Substitute dairy: Replace the water called for on the package with dairy.

Orange or Lemon Zests

Freshly grated lemon or orange zest will add freshness and give the cake a bit of zing. The zest of one lemon or orange should be enough for a box of batter.

The easiest way to do this is to spread the cake mix evenly on a baking sheet and bake in a 350-degree F oven for about 5 minutes. That's it—the cake mix will be just as flavorful and versatile, but now, safe to eat.

Replace some of the cake mix with flour. It's basically just cake mix but without flavour, so it could replace some of the sweetness. It's what I do at home and tastes perfectly fine. The amount you replace really depends how sweet you want the cake to be.