Instant Pudding Is An Effortless Way To Bring Moisture To Dry Boxed Cake Mix

Sometimes, baking a cake from scratch just isn't feasible. Whether it's a lack of time, equipment, or ingredients, there are situations where using a boxed cake mix may be an easier option. While boxed cake mixes can be used in many ways, they are not all built the same. Some produce a decently moist and fluffy approximation of their from-scratch cousins, others tend to end up dry, crumbly, and sad.

Luckily, there's a simple way to fix that dryness, and you might already have a pack of it in your pantry. The next time you're whipping up a boxed cake mix, add in a packet of instant pudding to the batter. Sprinkling the instant pudding powder in with the rest of your dry ingredients will level up the flavor, texture, and moistness of your boxed cake. Thanks to the added fat in boxed pudding powder, your cake can be just about as decadent as if you'd made the thing from scratch — but without the extra time and hassle!

You might be wondering: Is it really as simple as just opening a packet of instant pudding and dumping it in? The answer is yes! There's no need to use hacks on instant pudding here before adding it to your mix; no need to prepare it ahead of time or add any liquids. Just add a single packet of dry mix straight to the bowl, and the liquids you'll add later to prepare the cake will reconstitute the pudding. Instant pudding sets up quickly, and its unique texture entwines with the texture of the cake to create an extremely moist, almost fudgy consistency — something most box mix cakes simply don't provide on their own.

Try to match your pudding flavors to your cake mix flavors for the best results. Chocolate pudding should go with a chocolate cake mix; vanilla cake mix is more flexible, and can go well with anything from vanilla pudding to flavors like lemon, white chocolate, and butterscotch.

Instant pudding isn't the only way to improve cake mix. If you want to go fully semi-homemade and doctor up your mix with extra ingredients and flair, there are plenty of options to choose from. For example, you can add some extra wet ingredients to maximize flavor. Many boxed mixes will simply ask for water and oil, but sub those with an egg and milk and you've got a souped-up cake.

A touch of flavoring extract can also go a long way. Mix in a capful or two of vanilla extract to bring out a more complex vanilla flavor, or switch it up with a touch of coconut or almond extract, depending on your base cake flavor. There are plenty of other mix-ins you can experiment with as well, such as adding sprinkles to vanilla for a confetti aesthetic, and chopped chocolate or chocolate chips for extra chocolatey richness in a chocolate cake. Just be sure not to over-add, or your cake's structure might start falling apart!