Ricotta Cheese Is Your Secret For An Ultra Moist Boxed Cake

Boxed cake mix is perfect for when you're craving a homemade cake but don't want to put in as much effort. Of course, when it comes from a box, it's not going to be quite as good, but there are plenty of ingredients to take your boxed cake mix to the next level. One of the best options? Add ricotta cheese.

We all know that the best cakes are super moist and tender — and ricotta is one way to ensure that your boxed cake achieves that texture. Further, the ricotta will help the cake stay moist and fresh-tasting for days after you make it. As for the taste, ricotta has a pretty mild flavor, so it won't overpower the other flavors of the cake; if anything, the subtle milky flavor of ricotta will give the cake a bit of a richer taste.

Pick out the best boxed cake mix you can get your hands on — this trick will work with any flavor — and start by following the instructions as normal. Then, add in ½ cup of full-fat ricotta cheese when the wet ingredients are called for. Finish by baking the cake according to the box's instructions. Finally, enjoy your ultra-moist cake.

If you don't have ricotta on hand but want to upgrade your boxed cake mix, don't worry, there are plenty of other ways. Other ingredients that serve a similar purpose to ricotta include full-fat yogurt and sour cream, so you can reach for ½ cup of one of those instead. If you don't mind a flavor difference, you can even use peanut butter in this capacity — perhaps to make a nuttier version of a chocolate cake.

Another tip is to add one extra egg than what the box calls for. The extra egg will provide a little bit more moisture and fat to help keep the cake as moist as possible. Additionally, most boxed cake mixes will call for water, but you can upgrade the flavor by swapping it out for a different liquid. Opting for milk or buttermilk will make a difference, giving the cake a richer taste. Or, if you're making a chocolate cake, brewed coffee is the perfect ingredient swap to elevate the flavor.

Finally, you can make your boxed cake taste more homemade by taking the time to make your own frosting. This requires a lot less time and effort than making a whole cake from scratch but is sure to make a difference in taste. Tasting Table's recipes for classic vanilla buttercream and rich chocolate frosting both take just ten minutes and require only five ingredients each.