Treat Yourself By Adding An Extra Egg To Boxed Cake Mix

Boxed cake mix is amazing. It is affordable, makes cake easy to prepare, saves you from dirtying up your whole kitchen, and is consistently tasty. There are tons of amazing things you can make with a box of cake mix, but if classic is what you're after, there are lots of hacks to upgrade a humble box mix to really make that finished cake shine.

Even pastry chef Christina Tosi of Milk Bar in New York City is a big proponent of using boxed mixes. Tosi told Insider, "You don't have to be a pastry chef to make something awesome happen, that's for sure." Though boxed mixes are convenient, the flavors and textures can often be a little one-note. This can be a giveaway that a box mix was used for your bake, which might dampen the wow factor of the final version. The good news is that simple additions can change the outcome significantly.

Most standard cake mixes call for three eggs. To achieve a richer cake, adding a fourth egg makes a big difference. Eggs are an emulsifier, which means they help all the ingredients bind together. The addition of an egg allows the cake to hold onto some liquid that is lost to evaporation during the baking process, resulting in a moister final product. Plus, egg yolks introduce fat, and fat equals flavor. This simple addition will alter both the taste and texture of your cake, resulting in something much more decadent.

Be sure to only add one extra egg, though. Despite the sweetness, frosting, and other toppings you may add, if too many eggs are used, that taste can shine through, causing your cake to taste more like custard. Therefore, it's best not to use too many eggs when baking and limit yourself to only one more than what the recipe says. Next time eggs go on sale at your local grocery store, treat yourself!