Flavor Infusion

• All brands of cake mix call for water as one of the ingredients. Water acts as a moisturizer in the cake mix and also helps bind the ingredients together when they’re mixed. Juice is a suitable substitute for water in a cake mix. Select a juice that complements the flavor of your cake mix. For example, a white cake mix pairs nicely with lemon, orange or other fruit juices. Lemon cake mixes work well with orange, lime or cranberry juice. Chocolate cakes are more difficult to pair with the right juice flavor, but orange or cherry might work.

Making the Juice Work

• You can use equal proportions juice to water in your cake mix recipe. Because juice adds more sweetness you might have a better outcome using half juice and water. Add the juice or juice and water mixture at the same time called for in the recipe. You might need to add on a few extra minutes during baking to compensate for the juice.

Taste and Texture

• The basic flavor of a cake mix is quite strong. Vanilla and chocolate cake mixes can easily overpower the flavor or the juice, so you might only get a hint of the juice you use. Because of the extra sugar, your cake might have a crispier, denser texture. If you can, use a sugar-free juice or freshly squeezed juice to limit the amount of sugar and keep the texture as close to what you’re used to as possible.

Adding More Flavor

• You can infuse additional flavor into your cake mix by using extracts, zest or folding in freshly chopped fruits that complement the flavor of the juice. For example, add orange zest to the batter along with your orange juice to kick up the orange flavor. Folding in fresh, cut strawberries and using lemon juice can turn a white cake mix into a fresh, strawberry citrus cake.