Leave One Ingredient Out To Turn Trader Joe's Cake Mix Into A Decadent Brownie

Trader Joe's is known for products that offer exceptional baking shortcuts — ones that never require you to sacrifice your standards of quality or flavor. These options (like the proof-and-bake croissant that is a chocolate lover's dream come true, for example) come through in a pinch for the busy shopper who just can't get around to baking from scratch. But even the most time-strapped home cook can appreciate a creative twist, like when a simple hack yields a surprise finished product (like the clever way to turn Trader Joe's crescent rolls into beignets).

Trader Joe's Vanilla Cake & Baking Mix is one of those store favorites that fans swear by for their cake-baking needs. But someone, somewhere along the line, realized that if you simply leave out the milk, you'll wind up with something else entirely — a treat that's closer to a vanilla brownie (or what you might call a blondie). By getting a closer look at the label, one can see how this magic can happen, and from there take inspiration to customize the store's creation even further.

Like many of Trader Joe's products, the ingredient list for this baking mix doesn't feature mystifying, impossible-to-decipher elements. Instead, you can find a streamlined selection of easy-to-understand, familiar staples you likely have in your own kitchen — among them sugar, flour, salt, and leavening. From there, the box calls for the user to add eggs, melted butter, and milk to create a cake.

However, if you stop short of adding that dairy (which would add lightness and lift in a cake), you're left with a collection of elements that bears a striking resemblance to a blondie recipe. And once combined and baked as directed, what you're left with is a treat that's more compact and less cakey, and mimics the chewy satisfaction of a freshly baked vanilla brownie. 

By saving yourself time, energy, and expense with this boxed shortcut, you can invest in adding your own twist to this clever recipe hack. Spices like cinnamon or extracts like vanilla or almond will add depth and a personal touch. Stirring in toasted buttery pecans and white chocolate chips bring textural contrast. And since cake mixes can be quite sweet, dark chocolate chips with a touch of pleasant bitterness can offer balance, as will the subtle tang from a fluffy, decadent sour cream chocolate frosting. So next time you find yourself in the Trader Joe's baking aisle, grab an extra box or two of this mix so you'll be ready to experiment anytime.