Well, I learned on this site how to get a domed cupcake. Sometimes it works, other times it's not the best. It usually works great with chocolate but not so well with other flavors. The method is 5 min on 400 and reduce to 350 for another 10 minutes. Today, I was making a butter yellow dough and decided to do 7 minutes on 400 and reduce to 350 for 8 minutes. It worked a lot better and the dome is beautiful. We have high humidity and high temps, so perhaps that is why the first method is not dependable.

IIRC.. I accidentally put pudding in a mix that already had it.. and I was using the Cake Doctor method on that batch too.. My cupcakes domed perfectly.. they were so cute! Oh, and it was chocolate too, Betty Crocker German chocolate, Doctored to Red Velvet.. probably baked for 18 min on 350.

Thanks for posting this sticakelady, I had not heard of this. But it makes perfect sense, I have been told if my cake is domed, then the oven temperature is too high. So I guess it would follow that if you WANT a domed cake (or cupcake), then high is the way to go.

erichazann, I just googled 'cake doctor method' but found nothing. What is it? Also, why did you put pudding in your mix? What sort of pudding? Like, instant pudding that when made the traditional way sets to a sloppy sort of consistency?

I'm a sponge right now, want to learn everything I can!

Sorry. The cake mix doctor! The most basic way she doctors a cake mix is to reduce the water to 1/2 cup and sub in 1 cup sour cream.. and to also add 1 box of instant pudding (vanilla if you are doing red velvet, chocolate adds too much color). I find that when I put sour cream or yogurt in my mixes tho, I always get some sort of dome, but it's a little sloppy/droopy.. I guess the extra pudding that I accidentally put in helped give them a good solid shape. (She says leave out the pudding if there is already "pudding in the mix". Betty Crocker and Pillsbury have pudding in the mix.)

Adding a packet of instant pudding (unmade) is standard way of making a box mix more moist. Or adding sour cream/yougurt.. some people put mayo in! I've done mayo before, you can't taste it at all.. but it made my cupcakes bake up sloppy and wet looking.. more so than sour cream does.

thank you! Of course I have more questions, sorry

Will this work for any cake recipe? If so, how much water was originally in the recipe that is reduced to half a cup?
How much instant pudding is in the instant pudding boxes you buy? There is only one brand of instant pudding at my supermarket, they are in sachets.

How interesting that you mentioned mayo and yoghurt! I found this recipe, and because I hate mayo with a passion sub'd it with yoghurt, it was SCRUMMY. Quite dense though.
http://www.foodinaminute.co.nz/Recipes/recipe_default.aspx?recipeid=556

So basically, you must substitute some sort of liquid from the recipe (water, milk or whatever) with the sourcream or yoghurt, right? And the pudding is just extra, don't have to take anything out..... yes?

I just realised I need to start a note-book to record all of the wonderful tips I'm learning.

Yes, it works fine for a cake.

There are lots of different ways to doctor box mixes, that is just the most basic one. I just double checked and there is also a slight increase in the oil, from 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup in the recipe I looked at.. but that is not going to make a serious effect on the outcome, it is probably just personal preference.

The amount of water varies by brand. Duncan Hines uses 1 1/4 cup, Pillsbury 1 cup... Cake Mix Doctor doesn't account for the differences.. It might not matter.. It might just be what the brand suggests.

Instant pudding is usually 3.4 oz per box. A lot less, 1.something oz if it is sugar free/low fat

Yes, the pudding is just extra.

Some people add in yogurt w/o taking out water..

The cake mix doctor has a few books with lots of different recipes/methods.. and she has a web site with some recipes too.

Also, make sure you have your pans coated and ready to go. The batter thickens as it sits and will get hard annoying to pour. Then when you get it in the pan, use an offset spatula to spread it around evenly.

For cupcakes I use a ice cream scoop with a quick release thingie. It holds 1/4 cup in the ball.. but not all of that makes it in the cup. Usually you fill 2/3s full.

thank you very much for all that, I've dug up a note book and noted it all down.... it's all good stuff!