7 hours Ago By [email protected] (Maria Scinto)
Boxed cake mix, make no mistake, is a boon to mankind. My mom, an expert pie baker who'd never dream of using store-bought crust, nevertheless maintained that when it comes to cakes, you get better results when you start from a box. I've always found this to be the case, too.
For some reason, every from-scratch cake I've ever made has turned out super-dense, but starting with a mix results in something light and tasty. That being said, boxed mix is even better with a few tweaks. You can , or .
You could also raid the pantry to such as condensed milk, pumpkin, or even tomato soup. One of the simplest ways to upgrade your cake, however, is to ignore the directions on the box when they tell you how many eggs to add. Don't go by what they say, but instead, add one egg more.
Just that one egg can make quite a bit of difference in the cake's texture. The fat from the egg yolk makes the cake moister, which means it's less likely to dry out if you forget and leave it in the oven a few minutes longer than optimal. That extra egg can also make the cake taller, and it should be more structurally stable as well thanks to the proteins in the egg white.
How to add an extra egg to boxed cake mix The best way to add that extra egg to the batter is along with the other eggs. Ideally, you'll be stirring them in one at a time to create a more stable emulsion. If you really want to achieve baking perfection (or as close as possible), you should also allow the eggs to come to room temperature before you begin.
So make sure you if you want a great texture to your cake — it will take around half an hour on the counter for the eggs to reach the right temperature. If you forget to add that extra egg until after you've made the batter, beat it before you stir it into the finished product. This will help it to incorporate more evenly into the mixture.
If you've also forgotten to take that last egg out of the refrigerator in time to let it warm up, you have a second chance here, as well. Put the egg (still in the shell) in a bowl, cover it with warm water, and allow it to soak for five to 10 minutes. The one thing you must not do, however, is decide that if one extra egg is good, two must be even better.
Unless you're making a double batch with two boxes of cake mix, this simply isn't true. While an extra egg improves the texture of the cake, too many eggs will undo all the good work. Instead of a fluffy sweet treat, you'll be left with an end product that's not just too dense, but downright rubbery.
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