This Viral Boxed Cake Mix Hack Changes Everything

When it comes to time management, just ask a mom. Karly Stoddard is the time-saving mom we all need when it comes to baking hacks. Sharing tips on Instagram and TikTok, the owner of Karly Cakes in Warrenton, Oregon has been sharing time-saving (and for some of us skill-saving) techniques on social media, and her tips have gone viral (via the Astorian). 

The substitute teacher and mother of two has only been part of our media feed since February, but she's clearly got this recipe down. A professional baker already, Stoddard understands that "made from scratch" is often more goal than a reality for many busy American households. Speaking of her highly successful cake-hacking video, she says, "I made the video and I set my phone down and continued doing whatever I was doing. And I got back on my phone maybe two hours later and I thought my phone was glitching."

To date, her TikTok account has over 150,000 followers and 1.1 million likes.

So what are these simple fixes that are thrilling budding bakers everywhere? Karly starts with a simple and affordable boxed cake mix and uses Duncan Hines for this video (via Insider). Next she gives the added ingredients a boost. Swap milk for water, increase the eggs from three whites to five whole eggs — and in a nod to past cooking greats, add more butter. Specifically, skip the vegetable oil and use double the amount of melted butter. "Do this, mix it, and I promise you they will come out so much better," says Stoddard, referring to the resulting moister, more decadent cake texture that results from these tweaks. 

In addition to her simple cake hack, the Oregon baker shares tips on other videos like including carbonated soda for a light cake and ideas for vegan baking without eggs. This working mom's fame might be on the rise, but her attitude is definitely down to earth. "I feel so fulfilled when I can answer somebody else's question," she tells the Astorian. "And I guess that's kind of like my teacher brain popping in and applying my teaching into my passion, which is baking."