Cake mix may be inexpensive and more convenient than assembling the ingredients for a homemade cake, but the trade off is a cake that doesn't taste nearly as good as homemade. If you don't have the time to bake a purely homemade cake, you can tweak the ingredients that you add to the mix to improve the taste of the cake. Use real, flavorful ingredients such as butter and vanilla extract. Improve the taste of the finished cake further by using a homemade buttercream frosting on top.
Instructions
Make the Cake
1. Cream the butter in the mixing bowl with the hand or stand mixer until it is light and fluffy.
2. Add the milk and water to the butter and beat to combine. Add the eggs, then the vanilla and mix until combined.
3. Pour the cake mix into the butter mixture. Beat until the cake mix is incorporated, which will take about three minutes.
4. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat the cake pans with cooking spray or a thin coat of butter.
5. Pour the batter into the pan or pans. If you're using two pans, make sure the batter is divided evenly into both.
6. Place pans into the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a knife inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Cool completely on the wire rack. While the cakes are baking and cooling, make the frosting.
Add Buttercream Frosting
7. Cream 1 cup of butter in a mixing bowl using a hand mixer. The butter should become fluffy.
8. Add powdered sugar to the butter, 1 cup at a time, mixing after each addition. The frosting will look crumbly and dry.
9. Pour the half-and-half and vanilla into the frosting mixture and beat for several minutes to incorporate. The frosting should soften and look like frosting. Taste and add more vanilla or sugar as needed.
10. Frost the cake when it is completely cooled using the offset spatula.
Tags: butter mixing, butter mixing bowl, Cream butter, Cream butter mixing, homemade cake