Birthday parties, school bake sales, and special occasions around the year all call for delicious cakes. Did you know that store bought cake mixes can be your secret weapon? Boxed cakes often taste bland and fall a little flat … if you use them as-is. However, with a few added ingredients from your local grocery delivery service in New York, you can make them taste as good as what you get from the bakery. Here’s how:

1: Start With the Right Box

Figure out what you’re working with before you start throwing add-ins into the mixing bowl. Here’s a cheat sheet:

• White Cake: Egg whites only for this recipe, making the simplest base that works with the widest range of ingredients.
• Yellow Cake: These use whole eggs including the yolks, giving them a yellow color and a custard-y taste. With the right add-ins, yellow cakes can taste more indulgent than white but may also get weighed down by too much richness.
• Angel Food Cake: Lightly sweet and fluffy with a delicate texture. Goes well topped with items like fruit, but too many wet ingredients folded in can ruin the texture.
• Chocolate Cake: Cocoa powder adds flavor and density. Holds up well to fruit, nuts, and spices.
• Other Cake Flavors: These include lemon, carrot, spice, etc. Although they’re tasty, the stronger flavors makes them a little trickier to dress up. Let’s set these boxes aside.

Once you’ve chosen the right box, follow the instructions to prepare the batter. You can enrich the recipe by substituting butter for oil, whole milk for water, or add an extra egg. Now it’s time for the fun part: the mix-ins!

2: Play With the Flavors

Raid your fridge and pantry and see what sparks your creativity. Is your kitchen looking a little sparse? You can order key ingredients at grocery delivery New York services like Foodtown. Some taste-packed ideas include:

• Coffee: divide the batter and add strong coffee to one bowl. Lightly fold the two batters together for a marbled look.
• Vanilla Extract: Add a few generous spoons to really let the complex flavors of the vanilla beans shine!
• Coarsely Chopped Chocolate: White, milk, and dark can all work to add indulgent richness.
• Dry fruit: Fruits like raisins and dehydrated mangoes absorb water from the mix and become delightfully soft and gummy as the cake bakes.
• Shredded coconut and crushed pineapple: Drain the pineapple well to avoid soggy cake. Pineapple and coconut add texture and pops of tropical flavor.
• Fresh citrus zest: Zest holds up better than citrus juice during baking.

Still stumped for ideas?  When in doubt, top the plain cake with seasonal fruit and berries.