Whats the best: extra egg, milk, dream whip, ???? i'm so confused....

I would check out the recipe for (WASC) white almond sour cream cake and the posts about it. It's delicious and you can make it just about any flavor. I've tried the chocolate version and all my co-workers raved about the flavor. HTH

Personally I don't think there is a "best" way to do it. Different things work for different people, and there really is alot of different things you can do to doctor cake mixes.

The best thing to do is try different recipes and see what you and the people that eat your cakes like best.

Also remember while there are tons of ways of doctoring a cake mix, it is best to only 'change' or 'add' one thing at a time (unless you are following a recipe) because sometimes we get too carried away trying to doctor the cake mix and create a flop.

95% of the time I add a box of pudding and the extra egg to the ingredients called for on the cake mix. For chocolate or red velvet I will use buttermilk in place of water if I have it on hand. I've done the extender recipe and like it as well.

I keep hearing people talking about an "extender recipe" and I am very curious about what it is. Could some one please explain?...thanks, Sue

For Cake Extender
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=Recipes&sort=recipename&sort_dir=ASC&op=search&chname=X&chingredients=X&searchtext=extender&cat_id=-1&x=36&y=13



What i do is I add 1 heaping tablespoon of sour cream to my mixes............also I've added 1 package of dry pudding and 1 extra egg

I use this recipe
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake_recipe-1972-59-Durable-Cake-for-3D-and-Wedding-Cakes.html

Everyone loves it, most people have no idea it is based on a mix.
the cake does come out very dense so it's more like pound cake.
It is the recipe I use for 95% of my cakes.

thanks for the clarification and site, I will try the recipe tomorrow as I have a cake due Sunday. You all are very helpful...I love this site!!

Here's what I do and I get excellent results everytime!

1 box of cake mix (usually Duncan Hines, but Betty Crocker works, too, don't use Pillsbury as a rule, mostly b/c it costs more)
1 box (4 serving size) regular (not sugar free) instant pudding mix (I usually go w/ Jello brand but Royal brand also works)
number of eggs called for on the box + 1
double the amount of oil called for on the box
1 cup of water (if making lemon cake I used lemonade instead)

Beat the eggs to thoroughly mix the yellows and whites together
Add the oil in a stream while beating and beat until thick (you are creating an emulsion by doing this)
Add the pudding mix and blend until completely mixed in
Add 1/2 the water and 1/2 the cake mix, blend thoroughly
Add rest of the water and rest of the cake mix and blend thoroughly
Beat on high (I use level 8 on my KA stand mixer) for 3 minutes

Bake at 350. I start checking for doneness at 30 min, although it can take up to an hour or more depending on the size of the pan.

Can be doubled!

I swear by this recipe. I've never had a cake not come out perfectly moist and strong enough for stacking/carving, etc. Everyone always raves over how good the cake is!