Originally Posted by TerriNM

First off, what a great place this is!! I wanted to make DDs wedding cake in July and since she choose a very simple and elegant smooth BC iced tiered with fresh roses inbetween layers I though why not? My first test cake tasted SO good, DH classic white w/ cheesecake pudding added with lemon filling, but is was SOOOO ugly

2nd test cake was PB french vanilla with raspberry jam filling, I didn't like the jam way to sweet, but I did a darn good job on the smooth BC thanks to the tips I learned here. So tonight I'm doing 3 layers (the 6 8 and 10) and stacking them with the roses, a real trial run. I've got a mess even before I get to the icing part! First batch was DH classic white with 1 pkg Dream Whip and 1 extra whole egg added to the mix along with the cake directions. It never rose while baking. I did 1 6" and 1 8 " in a 325 oven (yep I've checked the temp). There is a huge cavern in the middle, came out like that.

So I thought ok, I'll do the next layer and just level down a little further and fill in with BC. The 2nd batch was the DH classic white made according to box directions with just the 1 pkg Dream Whip added this time. I also used the paddle instead of the whip and didn't mix as long this time. And what happened??? Another crater, only not as deep this time.

Any one have any thoughts on what I'm doing wrong? I was so excited to actually put it all together and now this I'm freezing the layers and will trim and fill with BC so I can still practice the construction part, but gosh I don't want the actual cake to be like this. Some poor person will end up with a plate of BC lol.

Thank you in advance for any ideas and adivce!

Hi kiddo,
Well, have you tried the White Almond Sour Cream recipe?
White Almond Sour Cream Cake
2 boxes white cake mix (I prefer Duncan Hines)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 ½ tsp salt
2 2/3 cups water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp real vanilla
2 tsp almond extract (personally I find this to be way too much almond extract, I use around 1/2 to 1 tsp. maximum or you can eliminate it)
2 cups (16 oz) sour cream
8 large egg whites

Place all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir together with a wire whisk. Add the remaining ingredients and beat on a low speed for 2 minutes. Bake at 325 degrees until cake tests done.

This recipe makes: (all 2 inch deep pans)
One 14 round and one 6 round or
One 16 round or
One 12 round and one 10 round or
One 12 X 18 sheet cake or
One 12 round and one 8 round and one 6 round

Half the recipe makes:
Two 8 rounds or
Two 6 rounds and 6 cupcakes

Double the recipe makes:
one 18" round + one 10" round
all 4 sizes in the Wilton petal pan set


For chocolate cake: use chocolate mixes, omit almond extract and substitute 6 whole eggs for the whites.

For liqueur flavors: substitute alcohol (such as champagne or Kahlua) for about 1 cup of the water in the recipe

For berry flavors: Substitute one 3oz pkg Jell-o Instant Pudding (4 serving size) in a coordinating flavor for part of the sugar in the recipe. Use a 16 oz pkg frozen berries, thaw reserving the juice. Substitute the berry juice for part of the water in the recipe, and stir the berries in at the end. *You'll need to add a little extra batter to each pan for this version - Actually around 1.5 cups more batter for a 10 inch round by 3 inch deep).*
Ok, first of all, get yourself an oven thermometer and check that your oven is acting registering at the right temperature.
Then, well I tend to bake anything under a 10 inch round by 3 inch deep, at 350F, using 325F for only the larger pans. Also, if you have really good pans you don't need all of the gadgets like Bake Even strips and flower nails or heating cores in the centres of larger cakes although some people like them.
Sour cream will sometimes give you a bit of a dip in the centre of some cakes but I don't find it a problem with this recipe.
Sounds almost like your cakes are undercooked to me. Cook until a toothpick inserted comes out with a couple of moist crumbs, in some cases a dry toothpick is best but never any wet moisture on the toothpick.
We all have our preferences, I am not keen on the Dream Whip recipe. Some people like it a lot though.
Make sure you are not overfilling your cake pans, with a 3 inch high pan you want to fill only about half full, check the latest Wilton charts on this, under Cakes, Cake Preparation, Batter Amounts on their site.
The 6 inch pan, if it is 3 inches deep, will be the most difficult to cook, it takes quite awhile because the depth is so close to the diameter of the pan. I prefer a 350F temperature for this pan. I also like to line the pans with parchment paper after I have greased and floured them just as extra insurance they won't stick.
I also like this recipe:
Auzzi From the Wilton Site's Extendacake Pound Cake
1 pkg of any kind of cake mix to which you add all of the ingredients called for on the box
In addition:
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup Crisco oil - she substitutes 1/2 cup softened butter instead and so did I - wonderful!
2/3 cup water
I beat the butter, then added all of the ingredients the cake mix called for and then all of the other ingredients. Then I blended on low for 1 minute, then 2 minutes on medium, scraping the bowl down. Gnerally, cook at 325F for the larger cakes, 350 for smaller and you will need to add baking time, perhaps about 10-15 minutes to the times given on the cake mix box. I checked ever 5 minutes or so over the cake mix times.
Hope that helps.
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes