Boxed Cake Upgrade

I am all for making food from scratch and usually find that products from scratch/homemade do taste better then prepared food. There are exceptions for this rule though. There are some prepared/boxed things that are pretty comparable to homemade items or that with such a small difference my time can be used to something that I can make better. Enter the vanilla cake . . .

Vanilla cake is one of those things that is a starting off point for decorating, icing, layering, etc. The flavor of the cake plays second to the topping on it. I 'Dr.' boxed cake mix to make it extra tasty and always get lots of compliments. Save your time by making a boxed cake and put the time into making  homemade icing!

Boxed Cake Upgrade
Vanilla Extract - I always add in about 1 Tbsp to my cake mix, it gives it a slightly moister, more vanilla-ish taste.
Butter/Margarine - Instead of the oil I use margarine. It gives the cake a moist texture without being as oily.
Carmel Sauce - When I am making a cake with Carmel icing, I like to add about 1/4-1/2 a cup of Carmel sauce to the cake mix. It is the last ingredient I add before giving it a final stir and then baking.
Banana - 1 or 2 mushed up banana gives the cake an extra moist feel but is not necessarily all that noticeable.
Sprite/Mountain Dew - If I want the cake to be extra sweet I sub in the liquid (usually it calls for 1 1/3 cups water) for one of these clear sodas. It makes for a moist, slightly sweeter cake.
Extras - Consider adding coconut, chocolate chips, mushed strawberries (add a little less liquid the the box calls for), chocolate sauce, candy bits, etc.

And there you have it! A few extra ingredients to make the cake your own!