How to make cake mix less sweet?

[sewhay]

Hello. i'm new to this site. I was wondering how i can make cake mix less sweet. I've made some frosting and feel that it's way too sweet and i wanted to just bake cupcakes from a box but those are always way too sweet. I was thinking of adding 1 cup of flour but what else (and how much) do i add so that it doesn't come hard too dense due to the extra flour? thanks for any suggestions!

[fayehess]

try these:
1 1/4 cups of flour
3/4 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/3 cup dutch process cocoa
pinch of salt
1/4 cup strong coffee, 1/4 cup milk and 1/2 cup sour cream
6 tablespoons of vegetable oil
Just mix the dry, sift or whisk to blend, and then mix the wet ingredients. Combine the two, using your hand. Fill the muffin pans (greased or papered) half way full. Frost with freshly whipped cream or chocolate ganache of 2 parts chocolate cut into bits and 1 part heavy cream, brought to a simmer, and poured over the chocolate to melt. Whisk til smooth. fayefood.com

[Devil Queen]

I agree with most of the other posters, it is just as easy to make a cake from scratch as it is from a box, and you cannot even compare the flavors!

[lagatta]

It isn't worth it. There are many simple cake recipes that are scarcely more trouble than a mix. You will find many on this site, and at epicurious.

[toodie jane]

some extra fat could help cut the sweetness. Try grinding either hazelnuts or walnuts to a fine texture and add them to the mix, about 1/2 to 3/4 cup.

[maplesugar]

I agree, some hazelnuts or walnuts and some cinnamon (1/2 tsp - 1 tsp) perhaps.

[fayehess]

You could cut the sweetness by whipping up a little fresh cream with no added sugar, and piping it into the center of the cakes (you just need a pastry bag or zip lock with a large pastry tip; squeeze it into the bottom of the cake) fayefood.com

[sewhay]

It's says butter flavor mix so i'm thinking it's a vanilla flavor?

adventuresinbaking - thanks for the recipe, i'll def try that next time.

[katecm]

I'd say citrus would be lovely in butter flavor. It'll still be sweet, of course, but at least more complex.

[adventuresinbaking]

Hi!

Not quite sure how to make a cake mix less sweet, but I thought you might like the recipe I use that is not too sweet and takes only a little more time than a mix. :)

Just Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:
4 1/2 cups unbleached flour
3 cups sugar
1 Tablespoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup Equal Exchange Organic Baking Cocoa
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups water
3 Tablespoons vinegar
Yield: 2 - 9"-10" layers

Preheat oven to 350 degreesand grease bottom of cake pans. Sift and combine all dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. Combine all wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Gradually whisk wet ingredients into dry until smooth. Do not overmix. Pour into cake pans and bake for approximately 35 minutes. To test, gently and quickly, press your finger in center of cake. If the cake springs back, it is done.

[katecm]

What flavor do you have? Don't add flour - you'll disrupt the proportions of the mix. But some citrus rind could add a bit of bitterness that might temper the sweetness. If you have chocolate, I'd use orange, and if you have vanilla, I'd use lemon.