I normally make most of my cakes from scratch. Since I discovered this forum I've noticed that alot of people use a cake mix and just add extra ingredients to enhance the cake. I found a recipe on here, 1 cake mix, 1C. oil, 1C milk, 4 eggs, and 1sm. box of instant pudding. Mix everything together and beat for 2 min. and then add pudding mix and mix well. I decided to try it this evening. I baked it in the wilton football pan at 325 degrees. It took almost an hour to bake. As the cake cooled it fell slightly in the center. Has anyone had experience using this recipe? What were your results? Any suggestions for a recipe that might not fall?

Thanks for your help.

I've never had much luck adding pudding to a cake mix. Mine always fell also, so I quit doing that.

I had to cut a small piece off of one end of the cake. (I am turning the football into a fish and wanted to make a blunt end to attach a tail fin to) I have been worried about how the cake would taste. Of course I couldn't resist and ate the piece I cut off. The cake has a good flavor even if it did fall a little! I think I will need to invest in a copy of the Cake Mix Doctor. I am wondering if I would have allowed the cake to beat a little longer after adding the pudding mix if that would have helped to keep the cake from falling?

I use this recipe for large, stacked, & carved cakes. I've never had it fall in the center.

I would put some fault on the football pan. I've had problems with several of the shaped pans that are thinner/shallower on the ends than in the centers: the 2 mix cross & the bowling pins come to mind. What I find is that the ends cook faster than the middle and that even if the knife/toothpick comes out clean, it's probably not done all the way in the thicker, heavier middle.

I think you'll find that if you use this recipe with even-depth pans it will work beautifully.

Rae

I've never tried that one but on Earlenes site she has some really good recipes using mixes.. Some make alot of cake and are good when you need to do a big cake.. I have tried them all and really like them.. You can change the flavours of the mixes and try different combinations . Here is the link.

http://www.earlenescakes.com/recipes.htm

Liz

Thanks so much for your answers. I am making this cake for my sister. She is a school nurse and wanted the cake to take to school. If this cake turned out I was going to use it as the actual cake. Now I'm thinking I'll just use it as a practice cake. I would hate to send a cake with someone and find out that it wasn't done in the center. I purchased the football pan just for the purpose of making this cake. I've never used a shaped pan, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I have bookmarked earlene's website. I'm sure I'm going to want to try some of her recipes. I love this forum. It's sooooo helpful for a beginner like me! Thanks again

regarding the football pan baking unevenly....I use the bake-even strips around the outside of the pan (soaked in water) and the cakes come out perfectly...those strips are a great investment...all my cakes have come out completely flat since I've had the strips (about 4mos)...you can use the strips on any size, shape pan..if you have a 2/3inch pan you can double up the strips to cover the entire side length of the pan...

had rave reviews from adding pudding mix and extra egg to both a white and a choc. mix (vanilla pudding or choc.) nice firm cake moist

that sounds good, but I use a recipe that makes the cake taste like scratch:

1 white box mix
3 eggs
1 TBS REAL vanilla
1 stick butter, melted
Substitute milk for the required measurement of water (i.e. 1 cup milk instead of 1 cup water)

Bake at 330 for a bit longer. I SWEAR on this recipe!!! It is so delicious!!!! Fattening as heck, but I've had all compliments!! I also use the butter, vanilla, and milk in the chocolate cake mixes too, and they bake equally yummy.

I, too, had a cake sink when I used a recipe that called for that much oil. I think that could be the culprit.

I add pudding and an extra egg to my mix and then use milk or buttermilk for the liquid with no problems, I agree with HollyPJ that it was probably the oil as I have never increased my oil amount, sometimes decreased it but never increased. I also place my Flower nail in the center of bowls when I bake in them or other deep things I bake in to help it to bake even like using a heating core. It works great just grease it the same as a core and it only leaves a small hole easily filled with icing. I also do this when making a large sheet cake it seems to work for me. Don't know if it would work in the football pan as I don't have it, just a suggestion.

I used a very similar recipe to that one. The only difference was that I used water instead of milk and it turned out very good. I even used it for the stacked cake I made for my mom's anniversary. And the taste was yummy yummy in my tummy!!

I checked my recipes and came up with these:
POUND CAKE
1 Cake Mix
1 instant pudding mix
1 c Water, juice, coffee etc
1/3 c Oil
4 Eggs

SOUR CREAM PUDDING POUND CAKE
1 yellow cake mix
1 instant pudding mix
1 c sour cream
1/3 c oil
4 eggs

1. sift the dry ingredients together
2. lightly blend the wet ingredients together
3. with an electric mixer on low speed mix the wet and dry together for 1 minute until all ingredients are moist. [Stop and scrape the bowl.]
4. Increase the speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more
5. Do not over beat - three minutes is the mixing time.

10 inch tube pan or 12 c Bundt pan or in layer pans
325-350oF for 50-60mins