Are there any more perfect desserts than cupcakes? We don’t think so. Nothing beats palm-sized sweet treats that you can enjoy in 3 or 4 bites. That’s why we are especially excited about National Give Someone a Cupcake Day (and with cupcakes, you can bring a smile to many someone’s in your life). Today on our Cooked on Propane blog, we’re discussing ways you can level up your cupcake game with a standard box cake mix.
While we applaud people who have the time and talent to bake cupcakes from scratch, for the average person it really isn’t necessary. Boxed cake mixes make easy work of the baking process, come in lots of flavors, and are relatively inexpensive. If you want to fool everyone into thinking your cupcakes are homemade (we won’t tell!) we’ve got some great tricks you can utilize:
- Add an extra egg. One more egg will add moisture, fat, and protein to the cupcake, making it softer and less likely to overbake and dry out.
- Replace water with whole milk, coffee, or soda. The result is a moister and more flavorful cupcake. Replace water with whole milk in vanilla and white cake mixes. Add coffee to bring out the richness of a chocolate cupcake. Lemon lime soda will make a citrus cupcake sing.
- Add sugar and flour to the dry mix. Increasing the sugar and flour by 1/4 – 1 cup will give a much more homemade texture to your cupcakes.
- Use butter instead of oil. Most boxed cake mixes call for canola or vegetable oil. Use melted butter instead. The buttery taste is unmistakable, and it adds moisture and fat to any recipe, just like any oil.
- Grab a handful of mix-ins. Adding a handful of sprinkles, chocolate/peanut butter/toffee chips, candy, fresh fruit, or coconut to the cake mix will not only make your cupcakes look better, but they will also taste better.
- Ditch canned icing. You will be surprised by how much better your cupcakes taste. Don’t be intimidated; homemade icing requires a few simple ingredients and is easy to make.
Before you go, check out these cupcake recipes (click on the title to view the recipe on our blog):
