What gives? I made a Pillsbury, Moist Supreme yellow cake... the kind with puddin' in the mix. Well, i followed the cake box exactly, making sure to beat the full 2 min. Then I filled the pan, like the directions said, making sure that the bottom half of the duck was just about overflowing.

The only thing I could think of, is that my batter was a little on the thicker side. Would that have caused it not to rise as much? After I took the duck out, after the full 60 min. the top part of the duck barely rose at all.

I guess I can just cut off the part that did rise too much (to level it and lay it flat, instead of propping him up)

This was trial cake... but if it looked nice after decorating, then I was just going to freeze it for next month's birthday bash.

Any tips for the next one?

my riend and i have made 2 of these. the first one which waspractice rose wonderfully. she used a homemade recipe. The one for the actual party did not rise all the way. We still arent sure why. i think on some of these pans you just have to pray alot and hope you are lucky. lol...... sorry i could not be more helpas to why just wanted you to kow you are not alone.

I have always had trouble with Pillsbury cake mixes rising properly and being firm enough to torte and shape. I switched to Duncan Hines. Alone they are fine and rise well. I modified it a bit for a more durable cake and posted that recipe under the cake mix recipes on this site.

Hope this helps

I think it had to do with the mixing time. If you mix it too much the batter won't rise and the cake will be a little on the dense side. I have gone through alot of bad cakes preparation trials. I've learned trying different cakes mixes brands and arrived to the conclusion that my way of doctoring them works well regarding the brand and avoid those headaches.

I don't like pillsbury cake mix for that same reason, I typically use betty crocker. Better Luck next time....Happy cake decorating

I use any brand of Cake mix and have no problem with them rising. The only thing I can think of is..
1. was the pan in the middle of the oven rack?
2. you can try milk instead of water to make the mix lighter!!
3. It does not have to be exactly 2 mins mixing time. you mix the batter and use a wooden spoon to scrape the sides then mix again until all ingredients are completely mixed in.

I use Betty Crocker and never have had a problem with it not rising enough...as long as I fill the pan up enough that is! I rarely ever beat it for the full 2 minutes myself. I just beat it till it's all mixed together...Usually takes less than a minute. Good luck!

ahhhh dont tell me this i just bought the cake pan and really want to make the cake ..