The Worst Advice Boxed Cake Mix Instructions Give You

If you're pressed for time, or baking just isn't one of the skills on your culinary resume, a boxed cake mix is the perfect go-to dessert. The dry ingredients are already compiled for you, and you only need three or four wet items, most of which you likely already have in your kitchen. Whether you reach for Betty Crocker's Super Moist Yellow Cake Mix or a classic Pillsbury Funfetti packet, the advice on the box is pretty straightforward: dump, mix, pour, and bake. But those cake boxes are not giving you the full story. If you're after an extra rich and creamy dessert, you need to swap that vegetable oil for butter.

There are dozens of hacks to upgrade your boxed cake mix, from adding maple syrup to mixing in canned fruits, but this one truly "takes the cake" as the easiest and most effective substitution. With one tiny swap, you'll turn that box of Funfetti cake mix into a bakery-level dessert. And although replacing vegetable oil with butter seems like a straightforward trick, the difference in texture and flavor is far from subtle.

Surprisingly, butter was the norm in cookbooks until around the mid-1900s. During this time, Americans became increasingly concerned about the reportedly negative health effects of eating animal fats like butter and switched to primarily using vegetable oils. While vegetable oil is great for sautéing vegetables or making a vinaigrette dressing, it's not an ideal choice for baking because vegetable oil is neutral, meaning it adds no flavor. Butter is higher in saturated fats compared with vegetable oil, leading to a denser, richer, and more flavorful cake overall.

When substituting butter for vegetable oil, you can make a 1:1 ratio swap. Use the microwave to soften the butter, but don't completely melt it. Softened butter will blend better with the dry ingredients. Unsalted butter should be your go-to for baking as it allows you to control the amount of salt flavor in your dish. Baking may be more of a science than an art, but even science can use a little creative tweak every now and then!