Lemon Buttermilk Rosette Cake Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Can I use lemon juice instead of water in cake mix? ›

Sprinkle in lemon or orange zest to give your box cake batter a hint of zing. You can also replace the water with lemon, orange or lime juice or soda. Use this method with any type of cake mix, but it works best with lemon, yellow and white cake.

Cutting too much lemon for a recipe can result in a dish that is excessively sour or acidic. This can overpower the other flavors and make the dish unbalanced.

Add up to a few teaspoons of zest to your baked goods to provide background flavor notes. It can be used to boost the overall lemon profile of your bake or accent additional flavors, similar to vanilla extract. Add the zest to your recipe when called for or when adding the fat (butter, oil, etc.)

You can add more, but it's not going to give your cake a lemon punch. You can add lemon zest, which is better for providing flavor, but it has its own flavor and won't add the acidity. Best is to use both, but then to make a lemon sauce or glaze using the lemon juice and some lemon zest.

This tip is one I use practically every time I make a boxed cake mix. Substitute dairy: Replace the water called for on the package with dairy. My favorite is buttermilk for that little bit of tang. Dairy adds fat and makes for a more homemade-tasting cake.

Lemon flavor: Let's all say it together: LEMON JUICE DOESN'T ADD LEMON FLAVOR (when added to the cake). Instead, try adding more zest, lemon extract, or a lemon soak.

If you use a vegetable peeler, you'll probably find the the pieces of lemon peel are too large and that you have taken off some of the pith as well, which is the white part underneath the zest. This is very bitter and can make your final cake taste unpleasant.

Sometimes it is because you have the temperature too high. Other times it is because you didn't flour and oil the pan.

There are a lot of flavors that go beautifully with lemons like lavender, strawberry, coconut, blueberry, and raspberry. It also goes perfectly with fresh herbs like basil! What cheese goes best with lemon? The delicious citrus flavor of the lemon goes perfectly with goat cheese and ricotta cheese.

Milk (or coffee, or beer...)

If you aren't into milk, try swapping other liquids like juice (best with vanilla/yellow cake mixes), coffee or stout beer (especially for chocolate cake mixes) to add some extra flavor to your cake.

How do you make a cake taste richer? ›

Adding extra eggs when baking a cake brings out a lighter and richer flavor, making your dessert even more delicious! Baking tip #6: Adding a touch of vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon to be exact, is all it takes to make your box cake taste better, even homemade.

Adding just a tablespoon of lemon zest can add a subtle zing to most any vanilla, yellow or even angel food cake. And if want a little extra zing to match the colorful insides of this Funfetti cake, try this!

Lemon juice carries the same flavor as lemon zest, but it's more acidic, so you might want to add a pinch of sugar to balance out the tartness. That said, the lemon flavor is not as concentrated as lemon zest, so you'll want to keep this formula handy: 1 teaspoon of lemon zest = 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.

8. My cake is very dense. This could be because a/ the cake mixture hasn't had enough air beaten into it, b/ the eggs were added too quickly and curdled or c/ there's not enough raising agent.

Baking tip #2: adding milk to your box cake mix in place of water adds a dense texture to your dessert leaving it moist and flavorful like a homemade cake. Or, if you prefer, you can add buttermilk, giving your cake a tangy flavor to balance out the sweetness.

You can also think 'outside of the box and use other non-dairy liquids: Try swapping out the water for soda, juice (orange juice is great with vanilla / yellow cake), or even a stout beer or coffee (for chocolate cake).

Lemon juice helps react with baking soda too, and the combination gives the best rise while still keeping the cake very moist. Both of these ingredients are added at the end, which helps ensure that most of the reaction with baking soda happens inside the oven. Baking low and slow.

To balance flavors: Lemon juice can play a great balancing role in baked goods. We sometimes use it in our cookies to balance out a sweet flavor profile. For instance, our CAVA Apricot Cookies contain a small amount of lemon juice to balance the sweetness of the honey-flavored cookie dough.