I Tried This Decades-Old Boxed Mix Trick, and I’ll Never Bake Cake Another Way (Makes Them as Good as They Used to Be!)

You might be wondering: What’s up with boxed cake mixes? Well, recently we published a story about their shrinking size and its effect on Grandma Judith’s decades-old family recipe for chocolate crinkle cookies. TL;DR: It’s not great and she’s definitely not the only grandma who’s noticed.

People had feelings about it! Dozens of home bakers and even a product development scientist weighed in to not only commiserate, but share their hacks. Some have resorted to buying an extra box (to make up for the lost ounces), while others have started baking more from scratch.

One savvy commenter (@User3066986) shared a brilliant “upsize” trick they picked up from the Better Homes & Gardens cookbook, after boxed mixes dropped from 18.25 ounces to 15.25 ounces (they’re currently 13.25 ounces): “In a jar, mix 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon baking soda. Store in your pantry until you need it… Hope this helps all our Grandmas out there to keep baking our favorites!”

These are all staples I already had on hand. So, naturally, I headed straight to my kitchen to give it a shot — and the results wildly exceeded my expectations.

How to “Upsize” Boxed Cake Mixes

The trick itself was pretty straightforward. I mixed together 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon baking soda (as suggested) and set aside. I placed a mixing bowl on a scale, and poured a 13.25-ounce Betty Crocker Super Moist Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix in. To my surprise (delight?), the mix weighed in at 13.9 ounces (not including the bowl).

But it was still almost 5 ounces lighter than the OG 18.25-ounce boxes. So, I then measured the difference — 4.35 ounces — of the upsizing mixture and combined the two. Because I was making a chocolate cake, I went in with an additional 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder, plus the water, oil, and eggs that the box calls for, and whisked it all together.

Instead of making two 8-inch round cakes, I opted to pour the mixture into a Bundt pan for two reasons: I love Bundt cakes; and secondly, the last time I tried to make one with Betty Crocker cake mix (two months ago), it fell flat and was a complete disappointment. I wanted redemption for that lackluster cake.

My Honest Review of the “Upsize” Boxed Cake Mixes Trick

I took the cake out of the oven, and was honestly shocked at how high it had risen (in a positive way). Although this was a good sign, I wasn’t getting my hopes up just yet; my previous Bundt cake also came out high from the oven, but fell flat once it cooled. I set it aside, and after 10 minutes it was almost just as high (and at least an inch or two higher than the disappointing cake I made over the summer).

I turned it over and cut into it, and it tasted and looked just how I remembered: equally moist, fluffy, and chocolaty. It almost felt nostalgic eating it! I’ll absolutely be keeping this flour mixture in my cupboard and topping off all of my future cake mixes for the foreseeable future, especially going into the holidays.

Next, I want to add this upsizing mixture to dry mixes to try and recreate Grandma-famous recipes like crinkle cookies, pancakes, and more to see if it holds up for them too. Thank you @User3066986!

Will you try this technique? Tell us about it in the comments below.

This post originally appeared on The Kitchn. See it there: I Tried This Decades-Old Boxed Mix Trick, and I’ll Never Bake Cake Another Way (Makes Them as Good as They Used to Be!)

Further Reading

We Tested (and Rated!) All the Sofas at Ashley — Here Are the Best to Suit Your Style and Space

I Just Discovered the Smartest Way to Store Paper Towels in Your Kitchen (It’s a Game-Changer!)

Everything You’ve Ever Wanted To Know About Article’s DTC Furniture