This 30-Second Step Gives Boxed Cake Mix Bakery-Level Texture

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Professional bakers might disapprove of using a boxed cake mix, but let's be honest: Sometimes, it's the easiest, most efficient way to whip up a last-minute dessert. It's much faster than whipping up a cake from scratch, and if you're new to baking, using a boxed mix is a foolproof way to achieve consistent results. Plus, with a few extra steps, it's incredibly easy to make a boxed cake mix taste like it came from a bakery without adding any additional ingredients, and one of the very best ways to do so is by sifting the dry cake mix.

Sifting might seem like an excessive, unnecessary step, but it works wonders for the texture of your cake — and it really only adds another 30 seconds to the baking process. Boxed cake mix can get notoriously lumpy from sitting on store shelves, and if you don't sift it, your cake batter will turn out lumpy. And lumpy cake batter equals little bits of dry, powdery cake mix, which doesn't scream "bakery-level cake." Sifting the dry ingredients will ensure that both your batter and cake are nice and smooth. If you don't have a flour sifter, a fine mesh strainer, like this 6-inch one from GoodCook, will work just as well. Once you start sifting, we can assure you that you'll never go back.

Sifting your boxed cake mix can really help improve your cake's texture, but you shouldn't stop there. There are tons of other simple ways to take your boxed cake mix to a new level. For starters, you should always make sure to use room-temperature eggs. It can be annoying to wait for your eggs to warm up after you remove them from the fridge, but trust us on this. Room temperature eggs whip much better into batter, and this will leave you with a fluffier cake that isn't tough or dense. In addition to the temperature of your eggs, you can also add an egg to the batter. An extra egg can help keep your cake moist, which is a typical characteristic of a true bakery cake.

Also, when you're mixing your ingredients together, you should never over-mix the dough in your baked goods. While it's generally more of a risk for things like muffins and biscuits, there's still a risk of over-mixing cake batter, and doing so can result in a dense cake instead of a light and fluffy one, which isn't ideal. To avoid it, be sure to fold your wet and dry ingredients together until they're just combined and you can't see any streaks of dry cake mix. Once you've done that, you'll be on track to making the best store-bought bakery-style cake around.