Upgrade Boxed Cake Like Jamie Lee Curtis With This Secret Ingredient
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When you want to make a fast yet delicious dessert, boxed cake mix is usually a safe bet. But, rather than sticking to the standard recipe on the box, you can use some of Daily Meal's 11 simple ingredient swaps to upgrade boxed cake mix. While some of these ideas may sound pretty straightforward, there are other boxed cake mix upgrades that might take you by surprise. One such addition is adding lemon Jell-O powder to yellow cake mix, a suggestion that Jamie Lee Curtis offers up after reading about it in Anne Byrn's book "The Cake Mix Doctor".
According to Curtis, just one packet of lemon Jell-O mix makes the cake "rich and moist and yummy". But, there's actually some science behind this. Much like how pudding mix adds moisture to boxed cake mix, Jell-O mix does too thanks to gelatin. The gelatin traps moisture in the batter, helping to create a denser cake with a better texture. At the same time, the lemon Jell-O packet gives the yellow cake a delicious lemon flavor — which is why this is Byrn's recipe for a lemon cake.
What about other Jell-O flavors?
Jamie Lee Curtis follows "Susan's Lemon Cake" recipe by Anne Byrn, which also includes a simple lemon glaze. Curtis decorates the cake (which is baked in a bundt pan) with edible flowers. Talk about an upgrade to taste and presentation!
Of course lemon mix will give your cake a tasty citrus zing. However, you can adjust this depending on the type of cake you're baking. For instance, orange Jell-O could work well in a yellow cake mix. Or, you could opt for a strawberry Jell-O with white cake mix for a strawberry cake. Not sure which brand to use? Check out Daily Meal's guide to the 16 best boxed cake mixes.