I'm looking to get some ideas on how to make a box cake taste and slice better. I'm making two 12x18x2 cakes to layer together for a shower cake, and I was planning on using 3 cake mixes for each. So, does anyone have any suggestions how to "doctor" up the box mix? And if so, since I would be adding more ingredients to the mix, should I use 2 boxes per cake instead of 3?
I use 3 boxes for a 12x18x2 and it will rise slightly up above the level of the pan...which I like, then I use my cooling rack and smoosh the cake back down to the level of the pan making the top perfectly smooth. I add the cake mix, a box of pudding (comp. flavor), one extra egg, and switch out the water in the recipe for milk....this makes a richer tastier cake and when you smoosh it down it tends to make it denser making it perfect for 3-d and stacking or whatever you do. I use this recipe for all my cakes and get rave reviews all the time.
jmt1714: scratch baking & doctoring a mix are two totally different things. With scratch you have to make sure you get a really good recipe to start off with & then make sure you measure the ingred. just right, don't overmix, undermix,etc.
With the box mixes you can pretty much throw stuff in, mix & go..now, you still don't want to overmix,etc but the mixes are much much more forgiving of stuff like that.
I'm one of those people who like to throw this & that in & not have to measure so doctoring mixes is perfect for me...its all a personal preference. 
sorry mollycakes ..I realized I didn't even answer your question. When I doctor a mix I usually replace the oil with melted butter, water with whole milk, add pudding,& for choc cake I add a little cocoa & brewed coffee & for white or yellow I add a little vanilla.
Adding a good amount of flavoring will always spice it up a little....almond and vanilla together, or that nut, butter and vanilla flavor.
The book The Cake Mix Doctor has some great cakes that taste really good and really homemade without being more work.
I've found that box white cake never tastes as good as it should, it has a chemical 'off' taste to me. But then I adore homemade white cake more than anything! I've found yellow and butter cake boxes always taste pretty good, even as is.
I just made the same size cake last night and I used 2 boxes cake mix plus 1 recipe of the cake mix extender (recipe on this site) and it came out to 14 cups, exactly the amount you need to fill the pan! When I doctor my mixes, I add a box of instant pudding, milk instead of water, extra cocoa powder for chocolate cakes, sometime sour cream, and extra vanilla flavoring.
Thanks to all for your great input...I'm most appreciative. I'm baking my cakes tonight for bridal shower on Sunday. I'm still so new to cake baking/decorating. Thank goodness for CC! I'll let you know how it works out.
To Mollycakes:
I really like the Duncan Hines Butter recipe cakes - they come out delicious every time and don't have that usual "mix" flavor because of the added butter and the extra egg you use in them.
To the question about "why not do it from scratch instead of using a mix":
I am one of those people who prides myself on doing almost everything from scratch, so it chafes me to use a mix, but I do. Even though I always make all my frostings from scratch and I always get rave reviews for my cakes, I feel like it is a "dirty secret" I have. 
But I have experimented so many times with recipes for cakes made from scratch, only to have them taste dry, bland, or overly dense. I have been so embarrassed when I've made a cake from scratch for an event and it comes out dry, or otherwise less-than-appealing. Each time I vowed I would stick to the mixes until I found a recipe that is really great and reliable. Like some of the posters here, I also try to "doctor up" mixes because I hate to have it be obvious that I have used a mix. Of course I know that bakers and avid cake lovers will always be able to tell the difference, but until I find a couple of no-fail scratch cake recipes, I am sticking with the box.
Hi Christabaker:
Don't be too ashamed. I, for one, do use the mixes and enhance it by doctoring it. I don't have much time to bake from scratch and also most of the time don't have the ingridients that it calls for to bake from scratch. I have had the best complements about the flavor of my cakes. I also think the filling helps a great deal. So, my friend, continue using the mixes and be happy.
cats28(Tina)
I've added cream cheese to the mix and it adds depth to it, almost like a pound cake. For me personally, I use cake mixes and doctor them up for cupcakes and sometimes cakes. I agree that if you have recipes that are tried and true stick with them! But if it comes down to cake mixes, I quit using Pillsbury. Everytime I used Pillsbury and was ready to frost, it would fall apart on me. Duncan Hines and Betty Crocker haven't failed me yet.
I just made two of the Cake Mix Drs recipes using 12x12x2 pans and they came out great. One was a Buttermilk Devil's Food adn the other was Snickerdoodle and YUM!! They don't taste like a mix at all! The assembling was really fast even though I quintupled the recipes. The baking....not so much. That took forever.
You can use any flavor pudding that you want to give to your cake. I have used vanilla, lemon, and cheesecake with white cake and they are all good, it just depends what you're going for.
Also, I recommend using the whole egg. The yolk contributes flavor and texture to your cake. The Cake Mix Doctor also recommends this.
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