Has anyone tried substituting mayo for sour cream in WASC recipe (the one with the whole eggs)? Does this result in a more moist cake or better texture/taste? I like the WASC recipe alot but find it just a bit dry (have tried it with Betty Crocker only).

Also, if you add pudding to your doctored mixes do you add additional ingredients to balance the chemical taste? It may sound weird but it seems that some batches I make have this problem, but it doesn't happen every time. Maybe I'm adding too much pudding or too little (1- 3.9 oz box per 1 box cake mix)?

Any help would be greatly appreciated : )

I have heard that you cannot use mayo..however, may use yogurt. I'm sure you will get some great feedback from your question.

Personally, I think mayo would give it a funky taste..............you probably could use yogurt............but I have not found the WASC to be dry at all just using the regular directions..................

I've substituted with mayo before. It's fine.

Have you tried the other version of wasc? I like the one that adds oil better, I find it more moist.

You can sub. in yogurt.. I like to add different flavored ones to give depth to the cake.

And yes, I find a chemcial taste when I add pudding.. but it's only sometimes. I think it is when I use sugar-free so the last few cakes that I've made I used the regular pudding packs, not the sugar-free, and I've had great results.

Thanks everyone! I think I'll give the yogurt a try with mayo as a backup, sounds like everyone's favorite way to go. Will try it with the other version of WASC and see how it goes for my daughter's b-day.

Thanks alexandrabill, I really thought I was going crazy with the whole pudding in the mix thing. I'd get fantabulous results on one cake and a complete throw-away on the next, all the while using the exact same recipe. I also noticed that Jello sells two similar size boxes containing totally different ounces (1.4, 3.9, etc.) but they're used for the same amount of servings and priced the same...go figure? That's doesn't help my sanity much either LOL! I'll make sure not to pick up the sugar-free next time.

I too find my WASC a little dry.
I'm interested to try the oil and pudding or yogurt in it to see the difference.
How much oil do you add out of curiosity?

Thanks!

My class teacher suggested only using Ducan Hines cake mixes. She prefers those over the others. You might try switching to those.

Darn, I just went out and bought more Betty Crocker to try the WASC with the oil in it! The other (non-WASC) recipe I use only works well with Duncan Hines and I find that their mixes are better, but it seems that many people had issues using DH with the WASC. Something to do with it sinking I think. Has anyone used DH with WASC successfully? I'm curious because I prefer DH myself.

KookieKris, I think that the recipe that alexandrabill was referring to is this one:

WASC - Rebecca Sutterby version w/ egg whites

http://www.recipezaar.com/White-Almond-Sour-Cream-Wedding-Cake-69630

I read somewhere that if you substitute liquid with buttermilk, the AP flour with cake flour, the sour cream with yogurt, and then add a small box of pudding, the result is a very moist cake. Going to go give it a try right now.

Try it as it.. (the one w/ oil). You make like it and not need to waste the additional money on an extra box of pudding. I never see the need to add the pudding unless i'm playing with different flavors.

I seem to make a hybird of the two.. I use 1/2 of Rebecca Sutterby's recipe and normally use 3 whole eggs. I use sour cream if I'm making it as a "WASC" cake, but If i'm making a different flavored cake I'll buy yogurt that matches the flavor (lemon for a lemon cake.. ).

I have never seen a need for buttermilk in it... as it's very moist.. sometimes too moist! I usually save buttermilk for chocolate cakes. Also.. the cake flour is nice on the flavored mixes to help with the crumb, but I don't find that it makes any moister of a cake.

hth

anasasi ~ please let me know how your cake turns out!

alexandrabill ~ thanks for the input! Much appreciated!

Alexandrabill, thank you so much for your suggestions. You just saved me days in trial and error! Plus, with my recent luck w/puddings in the mix I'd rather avoid it all together.

Kookiekris, We'll be having this cake on Sunday, will definitely let you know how it turns out.

Duncan Hines does not work well with WASC - the cake sinks in the middle and sometimes bakes over the edge of the pan, spilling in your oven.

I have never had a dry WASC, though, so I don't why yours would be. I use Bake Even strips and bake at 325, using Rebecca Sutterby's version.

I do add one pkg of pudding to the WASC recipe. No, you don't have to make any other subs.

I've never tried mayo, but I have used 1/3 c oil instead of 1/4 c. I tried a stick of butter (1/2 c) but the cake was too crumbly for carving.

Thanks Macsmom! More time saved, I love this place!

I have to ask, have you had any problems at all with some batches having a lingering chemical taste due to the pudding? I ask because I have another doctored recipe for DH devil's food that I love (uses Mayo but you can't taste it, honestly!), and as many times as it comes out absolutely fabulous there are other times when it's ruined because of an chemical aftertaste. I find that I don't add the pudding then I don't get that, but the recipe is much better for stacking and carving when I add it. It's driving me absolutely NUTS because everyone loves it when it's right but I never know when it's going to be right. Originally thought it was due to sugarfree but it's happened with regular as well. What size in ounces do you use? I want to try the pudding with the WASC but I'm afraid of similar occurrences

By the way, I've been following your thread for Gourmet Flavors and I think we should call you the cake master, that thread is fantabulous!

i like using diff flavored yogurts too, mayo gives it a weird twang that i personally don't care for.

Maybe that's the problem with my other recipe...perhaps it's time to hang my hat up on that one I hate letting these recipes beat me, lol! I guess my question should really be does anyone know a good devil's food WASC recipe?

I think the chemical taste may be a sensitivity to some and not others? I'm not sure. The more I bake cakes the more I notice little things like that. I've sworn it tastes chemically before when my bf says it's the "best cake he's ever had".. Odd!!

Anyway.. check out the gourmet flavors thread Macsmom has posted. She has crafted some amaziiiiing recipes as have some others as well.. and all are pretty much based off the WASC cake!

MacsMom,
Where do you get Nielsen Masey's chocolate extract? Can you substitute anything else for it? I made a chocolate cake from the recipe page today using DH & it did sink in the middle....I've used DH before & never had that problem but it was just using the box directions & not adding anything. What brand do you use & can your chocolate version be cut in half?

Thanks,
Nancy

Thanks Macsmom! I'm definitely going to try your chocolate recipe one next time around.

Funny thing is before reading your post I had just finished giving the chocolate wasc a try, but since I only had DH Devil's Food for my other recipe I decided to give it a shot for the experience. I had read somewhere on your thread that vinegar/baking soda might help the sinking cakes to rise better. Someone respond to that with the fact that this is also used as a substitute for eggs, both acting as a rising agent from what I understood. So I went ahead and used 3 Jumbo eggs instead of the 3 large for a 1/2 batch. Low and behold I got one with a double yolk. Don't know if this matters much (other than the fact that the last time that happened to me I found out a week later that I was having twins...true story, lol!) Anyway, I left the extra yolk in there. I added about a quarter of a packet of chocolate pudding and sent my concoction on its way to the oven. The whole time I kept peeking in the oven waiting for that dreaded moment when I'd find a huge crater in there. Anyway, the cake rose beautifully! Even better than the BC ones I made earlier. Maybe just the luck of the draw or maybe it just needed the extra egg? It was only an 8" pan but with a 3" height, so maybe the size matters? Sometimes I think baking can be the equivalent to russian roullette, I swear.

Funny you say that alexandrabill. My husband said the same exact thing earlier when I asked him to taste it. That's why I'm thinking I'm just plain crazy. Either that or my tastebuds have gone AWOL! He swore up and down that the cake tasted great but every time I took a bite I got that nasty lingering chemical taste.

MacsMom,
THANK YOU! I just checked & I did buy BC for the white WASC & I will stick with that. As far as the chocolate flavoring, I'd better get ordering.

Thanks again,
Nancy

Does anybody have any trouble with Rebecca's WASC sinking?

Double yay! So glad to hear the extra egg worked for you too
And HELL NO...I love my twins to death don't get me wrong, but one set's all I'm destined for, hehehe.

MacsMom,
Thanks again.....I've got cakes for my nieces wedding that I've got to start on next week & I'm not that experienced as you & praying they turn out OK.

Just wanted to thank everyone for all of your help, especially alexandra bill and macsmom. With all of your input I turned out a cake I was pretty happy to serve, finally!

I ended up making 4 different layers; 1 w/my chocolate mayo cake, 1 w/ the chocolate wasc, 1 w/white wasc w/half yogurt and half sour cream, 1 w/just sour cream. They actually all turned out super yummy, but I have to say the I definitely preferred the wasc with the sour cream over the half sour cream/half yogurt mix.

Alexandrabill, I finally figured out how to eliminate the chemical aftertaste in the mayo/pudding mix cake I was complaining about. I simply reduced the pudding mix to half the packet and used 1 tsp vanilla extract instead of 1 tablespoon and voila, that one turned out to be the fav! Anyway here's a peek at the end result (my version of B.O.B. from the new Monsters vs. Aliens movie): [/img]

That's fabulous!! Thanks for the feedback on the sour-cream vs yogurt - good to know!

That cake is AWESOME! And yes, thanks for the feedback! I always experiment w/ cake but I always forget to write down what I do Ugh.. one day i'll learn! lol