The Creamy Ingredient That Makes Box Cake Mix Richer

Many of us have a complicated relationship with boxed cake mix, particularly those who pride themselves on being "from scratch" bakers. But as noted cookbook author Anne Byrn, also known as The Cake Mix Doctor, points out, it doesn't have to be that way since cake mixes have the same ingredients we use to make baked desserts ourselves. This goes from flour to sugar and raising agents to flavorings. 

In her book "The Cake Mix Doctor," Byrne adds that boxed mixes have something scratch cakes don't: They have decades of corporate research and development behind them, making them no-fail cakes. She further quotes her friend's mother in another book, "A New Take on Cake," who said: "Why on earth would I want to bake a scratch cake when Mr. Hines and Mrs. Crocker have been doing it so well for years?"

But no matter how consistently well-boxed mixes turn out, there are still ways we can elevate the cakes that we make with them. Some bakers might add an extra egg. Others might want to swap vegetable oil for melted butter. Some will add ingredients that might give the cake a homemade taste, like chocolate chips, nuts, or shredded coconut. Bakers may also upgrade the liquid added to the mix — going from water to sour cream to create memorable, moist, tender cakes.

Sour cream is — as its name suggests, a cream that has been soured by adding lactic acid bacteria, which is a known probiotic, and then leaving the mix to settle. Most of us know sour cream as a key ingredient for party dips and salad dressings and a trusted sidekick for savory dishes, including baked potatoes and nachos. Sour cream even plays a leading role in the cream sauce for beef stroganoff. 

But thanks to its high milk fat content at 18% and the lactic acid used to make it tangy, sour cream elevates cake by adding both texture and flavor. As Tracy Wilk of the Institute of Culinary Education tells Martha Stewart, not only does its sour taste add a tang, but the fat in the rich cream "shortens gluten strands, leading to the most tender baked goods."

The best way to use sour cream with a boxed mix is to add up to a cup or essentially the same amount of liquid you were originally meant to add, per the manufacturer's instructions. Just don't forget why you're adding sour cream and forgo the whole-fat version for reduced-fat or non-fat versions, and your tastebuds will thank you.

The best way to use sour cream with a boxed cake mix is to use it to replace the other liquids in the recipe, like milk or water. You can add up to a cup, or essentially the same amount of liquid you were originally meant to add, per the manufacturer's instructions. Just don't forget why you're adding sour cream and forgo the whole-fat version for reduced-fat or non-fat versions, and your tastebuds will thank you. Remember, it's the fat from the sour cream that does the magic here.

If you don't have sour cream on-hand, you can also try full-fat yogurt. The results will still be delicious — and way better than if you'd just followed the directions on the box — but they won't be exactly the same.