Styled by CINDY COOPWOOD • Photography by RORY DOYLE
There’s something about a beautiful cake that turns a gathering into an occasion. We’re celebrating life’s sweetest moments with three standout showstoppers: a luscious strawberry cream cake topped with fresh berries, a decadent devil’s food layered with peanut butter filling and silky chocolate buttercream, and a bright, three-layer lemon cake dressed in tangy lemon buttercream. Each one is as lovely as it is delicious—perfectly dressed and ready to take center stage for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, graduations, and every joyful moment in between. And the best part? These cakes begin with simple boxed mixes, doctored for homemade flavor and texture—along with our go-to tips to ensure baking success every time.
Strawberry (Bundt) Short Cake
This frosting hits just the right balance of tangy and sweet, and is a perfect combination of classic whipped cream and cream cheese frosting.
1 box strawberry cake mix
2 tablespoons instant vanilla pudding mix
½ cup Greek yogurt or sour cream, room temperature
5 strawberries mashed
½ cup milk, room temperature
¼ cup melted butter
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
Frosting:
14-ounce cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2½ cups cold heavy cream
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a mixing bowl, combine all cake ingredients until smooth. Cover bowl and let it sit for 15 to 30 minutes to hydrate the batter, giving the liquid ingredients time to fully absorb into the dry ingredients.
Grease and prepare a 10-cup Bundt pan. Pour batter into cake pan. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow cake to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then remove and place on a cake plate or wire rack. While cake cools, make frosting.
Combine the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla with a whisk attachment on a stand or handheld mixer, and beat on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the heavy cream and beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Dollop the frosting and spread over the top of the cake. Top with the remaining strawberries. Extra frosting may be spooned over individual servings if desired.
Delicious Mocha Devil’s Food Cake
A doctored cake mix is an easy way for busy bakers to level up any cake mix. This one is super moist and perfectly finished with a peanut butter filling and topped with rich chocolate buttercream.
1 box devil’s food cake mix
1 3-ounce box instant chocolate pudding mix
¾ cup sour cream
¾ cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder, dissolved in ½ cup warm water (see note below)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 8- or 9-inch round cake pans.
Beat together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, eggs, vanilla, and espresso water mixture. A stand mixer, or hand mixer may be used. Beat for about two minutes on medium speed until well combined. Pour batter evenly between the two cake pans.
Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Be sure not to over bake.
Editor’s note: This recipe makes enough to generously frost 12 to 16 cupcakes or a 2-layer cake. If filling with peanut butter frosting, you may have some left over to store!
Best Chocolate Buttercream
This chocolate buttercream recipe is so incredibly rich and creamy, it stores well if made ahead and is easy to work with for decorating both cakes and cupcakes!
1¼ cup butter, softened to room temperature
3½ cups powdered sugar
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 to 5 tablespoons heavy cream, room temperature
Dash of salt, or more to taste
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
With a handheld or stand mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add powdered sugar, cocoa powder, heavy cream, salt, and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high speed and beat for another minute. (Add about a ¼ cup more confectioners’ sugar or cocoa powder if frosting is too thin, or another tablespoon of cream if frosting is too thick.) Taste frosting and beat in another pinch of salt, if desired. Use immediately or cover tightly and store for later.
Notes: When adding milk to the glaze, do so SLOWLY. For the cake pictured here, a thicker consistency was needed to frost the center, so the amounts of sugar and milk were adjusted. For a more pourable glaze, slowly increase the amount of milk to the desired consistency.
Peanut Butter Glaze
This versatile, rich, and creamy recipe adds the beloved flavor of peanut butter to many desserts. Adjust the recipe to make it more pourable or thicker, depending on how you want to use it!
½ cup creamy peanut butter
1½ cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 to 8 tablespoons milk
Combine the peanut butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.
Add the milk one tablespoon at a time, beating continuously. When the glaze reaches the consistency you desire, pour or drizzle it over the cooled cake.
Leveled-Up Lemon Cake
This special cake is baked in three layers instead of two and finished with lemon slices, fresh berries, and sprigs of mint. It’s a bright, beautiful centerpiece for summer celebrations.
1 box lemon cake mix
½ pack of vanilla pudding mix
1 teaspoon lemon extract or juice of one lemon
1 cup milk
1 cup sour cream
4 eggs
½ cup melted butter
One recipe lemon buttercream frosting
Lemon slices and zest, blackberries, and mint for garnish.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare three 6-inch cake pans.
Mix the milk, eggs, lemon juice or extract, and melted butter in a large mixing bowl. Add the sour cream, mix well, and then blend in cake mix. Pour batter evenly into the three pans. Bake about 22 to 24 minutes. When ready, allow to cool a few minutes before removing from the pans. Flip onto cooling rack and gently press down on the cakes to help “flatten” the tops if needed.
Frost with lemon buttercream frosting and generously garnish with lemon slices, fresh berries, and sprigs of mint.
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
This lemon cream cheese frosting, made with lemon juice and lemon zest, has a delicious, bright, and tangy flavor. Perfect for summer celebrations, it’s great on cupcakes, layered cakes, and more.
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
¼ cup butter (½ stick)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups confectioners’ sugar, or as needed
lemon yellow food coloring, if desired
Beat cream cheese, butter, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla together in a large bowl using a handheld or a stand mixer until smooth and fluffy; add in a couple of drops of food coloring at this point, if desired. Gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar, a cup at a time, until desired consistency is reached.
TIPS FOR ENHANCING BOXED CAKE MIXES
Transform boxed cake mix into bakery-quality desserts with these simple swaps to enhance richness, density, and flavor, making store-bought mixes taste homemade.
• Use milk instead of water. Swapping equal parts whole milk or buttermilk for the water gives the cake a richer, more homemade texture and improved flavor.
• Add extra eggs. To get an extra-rich, moist cake, stir in an extra egg (or two extra egg yolks) along with the eggs the recipe calls for.
• Use coffee instead of water for chocolate cakes. For chocolate cakes, use strongly brewed coffee instead of water to deepen the flavor. A couple of teaspoons of espresso powder also works well.
• Add sour cream for an extra-moist cake. Add in ½ cup of sour cream for more moisture and richness.
• Jazz it up with pudding mix. Adding a small box of instant pudding to the cake mix increases moisture, enhances flavor, and creates a denser, more tender crumb.
• Upgrade with extracts and mix-ins. Boost flavor by adding a teaspoon of vanilla extract, almond extract, or espresso powder, or by folding in chocolate chips, fruit, or chopped nuts
• Swap butter for the oil. Use melted butter in place of vegetable oil for a richer taste.
• Upgrade your cake mix with homemade frosting. Make homemade buttercream or cream cheese frosting for a bakery-style finishing touch.
MORE BAKING TIPS:
Struggling with the age-old question of whether a glass or metal pan is better for baking? Here’s an explanation. We think metal is better for baking. In a nutshell, sweets bake and brown more evenly in metal pans because metal conducts heat quickly and evenly for a proper rise and light crust. In glass pans, the outside edges are usually done before the inside because glass is an insulator that heats slowly. This often results in overbaked edges and an undercooked, gummy center.
Here’s Why
• Heat Transfer: Metal heats up and cools down rapidly, giving you better control over the bake. Glass heats slowly but retains heat for a long time, which can lead to overbaking, even after being removed from the oven.
• Crust and Edges: Metal produces even, light-brown, and sharp-edged cakes. Glass often creates thick, darker, or burnt edges with rounded, mushy corners.
Best uses for each type of pan:
Metal: Cakes, cookies, muffins, brownies, and bread.
Glass: Casseroles, lasagnas, pies, and crisps (where a crunchy bottom is preferred).
