I posted earlier asking everyone which they use, butter or margarine for their cakes. I asked this question because I have been using exclusively butter and I can't make a nice fluffy moist cake to save my life. Before I started my new hobby of cake decorating I would go to the store and buy a cake mix and make it. It was always fluffy and moist. Now that I am trying to get a nice cake I can't seem to do it. I've tried scratch cakes and doctored cake mix (which I messed by adding too much butter). How long did it take y'all to find that perfect cake recipe? And could ya share it with me??? lol
Just bumping me back up since I had no response yet 
hiya susan,
all i can say is if you have your best success using mixes then i say go fer it. With all the new flavors out there, i don't think you'll have a prob finding one that you like. It all comes down to personal preference. If you like mix cakes better than scratch, than all is well and good. It's what makes you happy!!!! 
I am a Pillsbury girl. I love the way they turn out. I use the white mix alot and doctor from there. Someone on here had given me a basic recipe (not an extender) and it has been great. It's just the mix, small box of instant pudding mix (dealer's choice), 1/2 c. oil, 3 egg whites, 1 whole egg, 1 1/4 c. milk/water mixture, 1 tsp vanilla or other extract (again your choice depending on what you are making). Bake at 350 until cake springs back in the middle.
You will get 4-4.5 c of batter with this recipe, sometimes 5 but not often!
Hope this helps!
Thanks! I was also wondering if maybe my oven isn't getting to the right temperature. We are in a new place and I have noticed that everything I bake takes longer. What do you think? Could that cause a dense dry cake?
So do you think that might possibly be my problem?
Question: Do cakes need to return to room temperature after freezing them before you put icing on them?
Hi Susan, I let mine thaw slightly, just so they aren't so cold that the icing can't stick.
I use mostly Duncan Hines mixes in which I use 4 eggs, 1/3 cup Crisco Oil, 1 package Dream Whip (or Kroger's brand which is less expensive) and 1 cup water. Sometimes I use 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup sour cream if I want the cake slightly more dense.
I also usually use the baking strips on my pans, they help the cakes not dry out so much, especially around the edges. HTH Janice
Susan, I do partially thaw my cakes to avoid the colored from fading out from the moisture. They also can expand when thawing causing little cracks. I have noticed this expecially on sheet cakes. Sometimes I crumb coat sheet cakes and then frost them when they thaw or partially, wedding cakes also Good Luck
I love Pillsbury mixes AND bake even strips. I'm very satisfied the way they come out ... fluffy and moist.
I prefer Duncan Hines mixes. I use jumbo eggs and add extra oil and flavoring. I also bake at 325 degrees. It seems to rise more evenly and be more moist. I also like the strips, especially for larger cakes.
Poppy,
Use the whole egg ... even on white cake. If your cakes are doming, use bake-even strips. You can even make your own. Take a long strip of 100% cotton thick fabric ... a towel is good. Mine is a very old quilted cotton strip. Wet the strip with cold water and wrap around the cake pan. I use binder clips to hold mine on. You'll see a huge difference in the way the cake rises, also, the cake is much moister.
Well we all have a different opinion, but personally I find that using just the egg whites with a white cake mix, I prefer the texture of the cake. I also use whole milk in any cake mix, usually an instant pudding too. most times also 1/2 cup sour cream. Generally you will get more doming with using milk in a white cake mix though, so don't fill the pans as much. Don't overfill your pans, the Wilton guidelines for batter amounts are pretty good for cake mixes.
Hugs Squirrelly
Poppie
I use 1 whole egg and 2 egg whites in Classic White Duncan Hines. I use 3 whole eggs in the French Vanilla and chocolate. Those are jumbo eggs. Try turning the temperature of your oven down to 335. Baking slower sometimes helps it to rise more evenly. The baking strips that you can get from Wilton also help that problem. They make the cake bake more evenly. You can make these too by folding strips of sheet a few times and SOAKING them in cold water before putting them aroung the pan. Fasten w/Tpin or safety pins. Hope this helps!
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