Updated on October 14th, 2023
Most wedding cakes are made from scratch, but you can use a doctored cake mix, and you may find that you prefer this flavor over the “cake from scratch recipe.” Continue reading to find out how you can make a box cake mix taste like a wedding cake. When you see how simple it is, you’ll be able to make yourself a delicious cake that tastes like you’re at a wedding whenever you want!
You want to make a wedding cake but aren’t sure if you can do it? So, take it easy! I’ll give you step-by-step instructions so you can make this simple wedding cake without the help of a bakery! The best part is that you can make it at home in the comfort of your kitchen.
Making a Box Cake Taste Like a Wedding Cake
This white wedding box cake recipe is an easy and delicious way to make your wedding cake. It always turns out perfectly, and the white buttercream frosting is to die for!
Box cake mixes are delicious, but adding a few simple ingredients to the mix elevates the cake to a new level. Believe me, once you’ve tried this, you’ll never return to a regular simple box of cake mix again!
Cake Recipe to Make a Box Cake Taste Like a Wedding Cake
- One white or vanilla cake mix (15.25 oz.)
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- a pinch of salt
- 1 cup of regular flour
- 1-quart sour cream
- four egg whites (large)
- Two tablespoons oil
- 1 cup water, or as needed to make the batter smooth
- One tablespoon of vanilla extract
- To make Buttercream Frosting.
- 3–4 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup room temperature salted butter, melted
- 4 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
- Begin by making the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare three 9-inch round baking pans by greasing and flouring them. You can also line the pans with parchment paper rounds to make removal easier.
- Whisk together the cake mix, granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
- Mix the wet ingredients with a hand or stand mixer for 2-3 minutes, or until thoroughly combined.
- Spread the batter evenly across the prepared pans with a spatula. Ensure the battery is 34 to 1 inch below the top of the pan.
- 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes clean.
- Allow the cake to cool in the pans for a few minutes before turning it onto cooling racks.
- Allow them to cool completely on a cooling rack before applying the frosting.
Make the Frosting:
- In a mixing bowl, combine the butter and sugar with a stand or hand mixer on low speed until everything is well combined. Increase the speed of the beater to medium and beat for 3 minutes.
- Beat in the vanilla and cream for another minute on medium speed. Add more cream to achieve the desired spreading or piping consistency if necessary.
- Place one layer of the cake on a serving plate. Spread a dab of frosting evenly over the top of the first layer.
- Place the second cake layer on top of the first. On the second layer, spread a thin layer of icing.
- Finally, place the third cake layer on top of the second. Spread frosting over the top and around the sides of the cake to cover it.
- Fill a piping bag with the remaining frosting and pipe as desired on the cake. Finish with a cake topper or white edible sugar pearls. I keep the cake in the refrigerator until ready to serve (or at least until the day of serving).
Notes on the Recipe
- If you want the frosting to be white, use clear extract.
- Sour cream is the key ingredient that makes this box mix extra moist and flavorful.
- Use fresh eggs whenever possible.
- DO NOT OVERMIX the cake batter; overmixing will result in a harder cake.
- DO NOT OVERBAKE OR BAKE AT HIGHER TEMPERATURES, as this will result in a dry cake.
- The baking time will vary depending on the oven and pans used.
- You can substitute almond extract for vanilla extract if you want a different flavor.
- To make an extra moist cake, replace the water with WHOLE milk.
- You can also make cupcakes with this cake batter. Bake the cupcakes for 15-20 minutes in greased cupcake liners. It will make about 35 cupcakes.
How you can Make a Wedding Cake at Home?
It All Begins with a Box.
The base of this wedding cake recipe is a boxed mix. (After all, that is the purpose of this website.) But I can assure you that it will taste delicious, and your guests will be amazed when you tell them you made it yourself!
Wedding cakes used to be difficult to make.
Wedding cakes used to be elaborate and extravagant. Many were constructed in the 1980s using plastic bridges and fountains, and many were piped with traditional scrolling.
We can still find a piped wedding cake on occasion. Recently, we’ve been asked to make a couple of black and white piped cakes, and we’ve also made some anniversary cakes that required piping.
Simple Wedding Cakes are Popular.
The biggest trends in recent years, on the other hand, are far more straightforward, and that’s why We’re confident you can make your simple wedding cake. For this tutorial, We’ll discuss a simple technique known as textured cake. And hopefully, by looking at the photos below, you’ll get some simple, low-cost wedding cake ideas.
The cake pictured above came together quickly but made a big impression at the wedding. It’s a three-tiered (9-layered) textured cake with silk flowers. I used six ′′, nine ′′, and 12′′ pans (from top to bottom). This cake will serve 75 – 100 people because each tier is triple-layered.
Let me show you another version of this design in a four-tiered format. This is the most common style and size we use.
The four pans we used (from top to bottom) were six ′′, eight ′′, ten ′′, and 12′′. These four triple-layered cakes can serve up to 150 people, with 12 layers of cake total.
Consider the adaptability of this method.
Believe it or not, these are the same simple cake style, just decorated to suit the various brides’ and grooms’ needs. And here’s the best part: it’s a simple method. You’ve got this. No, seriously!
Choosing the Number of Tiers.
Perhaps you anticipate a larger crowd and are unsure that the four tiers will suffice. Not to worry. Use larger baking pans or add a 5th tier (a 14′′ round on the bottom).
Here’s an example of a textured four-tiered cake we made with larger pans. This cake served nearly 200 people. The pans we chose were eight ′′, ten ′′, 12′′, and 14′′ (from top to bottom). (You’ll notice we used a cake comb to create a slightly different texture on this one.)
It’s important to keep in mind that not everyone at the wedding eats the wedding cake. In the south, people usually provide a groom’s cake, so there’s a second option. Brides also present smaller cakes (on display) but serve sheet cakes, which are sliced in the kitchen and served on plates. The possibilities are truly limitless.
What will the Cost of Making this Cake be?
You’ll probably spend $75-$100 on a three-tiered cake. This does not include baking pans, spatulas, decorations, etc. However, that estimate includes boxed mixes, oil, eggs, extracts, boards, cake drums, bubble tea straws, and frosting supplies.
Do I have to Make My Wedding Cake?
Most bakers would say no because you’ll be too busy doing other things, but we think it’s doable, especially if you prep everything. You can always bake/freeze your cakes a few weeks before, then decorate them a few days before.
Remember that baking is supposed to be therapeutic. While making that cake, you might tell a bridesmaid about your upcoming in-laws! Or maybe you’ll finally get to share your decompression as you slather on the frosting.
Perhaps you are not the bride-to-be. Maybe you’re a friend or a loved one. If you’ve come to this site to bake a cake for a friend or family member, go ahead and do it! Allow yourself plenty of time to address any issues that arise. If you give yourself an extra day or two, you won’t be as stressed if you get into trouble.
What Special Abilities will I Require to Create this Easy DIY Wedding Cake?
Baking: Practice with a white cake mix and homemade frosting ahead of time. We recommend my Dreamy Buttercream,
TIERING: We would start by reading our post on How to Tier a Cake. It covers every aspect of cake tiering and structuring, which is essential.
Decorating: Because this frosting is applied in such a simple manner, almost anyone can do it. You can practice ahead of time, but messy is in these days, so don’t spend too much time worrying about perfecting it.
How Far Ahead of Time should I Bake the Cake?
Cakes can be baked, wrapped/sealed, and frozen weeks in advance, so if you don’t want to be stressed out at the last minute, this is an option to consider.
If you’re making the cake from scratch, start a couple of days before the wedding and keep everything refrigerated once assembled to keep it fresh for several days. If you put the cakes in the fridge while they’re still slightly warm, we will lock in the moisture.
Is it Permissible to Make a Wedding Cake from a Boxed Mix?
We’ve used a boxed mix for every wedding cake we’ve ever made and have never had a taste complaint. We modify the cake mix (as detailed in the recipe below), but even if we didn’t, the icing is so delicious that it truly dresses up the mix.
Ten Ways to Use a Boxed Cake Mix
Tip one: Determine how many boxes of cake mix you require and stock up ahead of time. Always keep extra on hand if something goes wrong (or if you change your mind on pan size). We’ll buy 10 – 12 boxes of cake mix for a three-tiered (6-9-12) cake: 1 for the top tier, 2-3 for the middle tier, and 6 for the bottom tier.
Tip two: Each boxed mix specifies three whole eggs. Use four egg whites instead. This will ensure that the color remains bright white. (As an aside, most “how to doctor a cake mix” posts will advise you to add extra eggs. This is a fantastic idea if you’re not making a pristine white cake! Stick to egg whites for this recipe, and ensure they’re at room temperature.)
Tip three: If making a white cake, use oil instead of butter. Again, most “how to doctor a boxed cake mix” tutorials recommend using butter. That’s fantastic… unless you want a super-white cake. Most wedding cakes are lily-white on the inside.
Tip four: In terms of cake brands, we prefer Pillsbury because it makes a denser cake. You may need to adjust the water slightly if you use Duncan Hines. We also notice lumps in Duncan Hines’s cake mixes, which show up in the finished product. We frequently sift them ahead of time, which is inconvenient.
Tip five: Use clear vanilla extract instead of traditional/brown extract to keep the cake white. For each boxed mix, we add a teaspoon of vanilla extract.
Tip six: We always use almond extract in my wedding cakes (and the frostings) when it comes to extracts. Each boxed mix gets a half teaspoon of almond extract.
Tip seventh: Another tip for tiered cakes is to reduce the amount of water (or milk, if used). Fill your measuring cups only halfway. You could even use a “scant” cup of water in your mixture. If you use too much water, your cake will be light and fluffy (which is perfect for a layered cake but not so great for a tiered cake, which needs to be dense enough to carry the weight of the layers) tiers above).
Eighth tip: Use a flavorless oil. We never use olive oil or other flavored oils in wedding cakes because they alter the flavor and taste of the cake. We only use vegetable oil.
Tip nine: Avoid overfilling your pans. I only fill mine halfway. If you go any higher, three things will happen: For starters, they will take longer to bake, which means they may firm up too much and taste overbaked. Second, there may be inconsistency in the baking, which means that the center does not fully cook, but the edges are over-done. Third, as the cakes rise during baking, they may spill over and make a mess (and a terrible smell).
Tip ten: For larger cakes/pans, you can always lower the temperature of your oven slightly. When we bake 12′′ or 14′′ cakes, We often reduce the heat to 325° and bake them for longer.
Conclusion
That’s all, my friends. We can’t wait to see you making your wedding cakes. This Wedding Cake recipe is a quick and easy way to make your wedding cake. It’s always perfect, and it’s deliciously frosted with Buttercream Frosting. We hope you liked this article and will make this cake for your wedding soon!
