The Super Moist Ingredient Every Boxed Cake Mix Needs

When you have a boxed cake mix in your kitchen pantry, you're well-prepared to quickly satisfy a sweet craving. However, the secret to an exceptionally moist cake can be found in the freezer. Rather than serving ice cream as an accompaniment to your cake, consider baking with it!

It might sound odd, but melted ice cream is actually an ideal ingredient for a decadent cake. Since most quality ice creams contain some combination of cream, milk, eggs, and sugar, they make perfect sense as a base for baked goods. In fact, the richness of the ice cream, compared to other typical baking liquids like water, oil, or milk, ensures every bite melts in your mouth. As a bonus, baking with melted ice cream is a great way to avoid food waste and make use of ice cream that's been left in or out of the freezer too long, compromising its creamy consistency.

You need just three ingredients to make this quick and easy cake: a boxed cake mix, a pint of ice cream, and three eggs. Since the ice cream replaces the wet ingredients that normally bind together cake batter, you'll need to melt it before starting. If you have time, you can leave it out on the countertop to come to room temperature, or you can melt it for a few seconds in the microwave.

To begin, follow the standard process for baking a cake. First, lightly grease and flour your pans to ensure the cake can be easily removed after baking. Then, add the boxed cake mix, the melted ice cream, and the eggs, mixing everything together until smooth. You can do this by hand or with a hand mixer directly in the cake pans to avoid dirtying additional dishes. Bake the cake according to the instructions on the box, and allow it to cool before applying frosting.

Given the simplicity of this recipe, it's easy to experiment with different flavors based on your personal preferences. You can stick with the classics and opt for vanilla cake mix with vanilla ice cream or chocolate cake mix with chocolate ice cream. However, it can also be fun to branch out with one or both of these components. If you're in need of inspiration, consider the flavors of your favorite premium ice cream, such as strawberry or mint chocolate chip.

Keep in mind that good ice cream often incorporates various textures and toppings. When elevating your box cake mix, you can add spices, nuts, chopped chocolate, or crumbled cookies for a little extra crunch. It could be fun to play with the ice cream theme by using a boxed cake mix with sprinkles, then topping the cake with ice cream cone pieces, whipped cream, cherries, and fudge or caramel sauce.