Hi all! I'm still pretty new to the cake life but I love baking and decorating and I've learned a lot this week from reading the boards here. But suddenly I'm totally doubting myself and wanting to try every idea out there all at once.

Example: Adding pudding to cake mix. I just found out you could do that, still not clear on the specifics, but really wanting to do it. Problem is, I love the cake mix I use and was never looking to change it or add to it until I came here. I mean if there's a concrete reason why I should and how I should do it then I would, but it seems to me that it's a personal choice thing. Doesn't stop me from wanting to do it anyway.

I don't have the time, energy, or resources to do all this. Please someone talk me down from this!

Elizabeth

Hi Elizabeth,
Well, there's no harm in trying something to see if you like it. I too was pretty much set in my baking practices until I came here. Once I tried adding the pudding to a cake mix I absolutely loved it and never looked back. I sift the cake mix and pudding mix together, add 1 cup water, 1/2 cup oil and 4 eggs. It's a no fail trick and everyone loves how moist the cakes are. So just give it a try and if you don't care for it then go back to how you are used to baking. Cake Central has saved me soooo many times. Just have fun and take "tiny steps". This site has so much information it's amazing and everyone is fantastic.

Welcome to CC and the amazing but overwhelming ideas you are faced with.

My suggestion: If you like what you use now, don't change it! Just in the future, if you want a change you know where to come to. We are never lacking in ideas!

Everybody has their own ideas and suggestions for what works for them but it may not work for you so don't feel like you must change to adapt to us. If we all sold the same cakes, then the world would be a boring place!

I've been here for over a year and just now tried adding pudding to a mix but that's just because I wanted something different.

Just read and enjoy and know you have endless possibilities if you ever get bored.

Sounds like you have passion! And that's a good thing...nothing to be talked out of. You just need to take things one at a time.

You should make a list of the things you'd like to try out. Then when you have the opportunity to try one of the items on your list, you can!

As for the pudding in the cake mix - it simply adds moistness to the cake and can add a bit of added flavor as well. But if you like the mix you use, there's nothing that says you HAVE to change. But if you're curious, make it sometime and have a treat.

And don't doubt yourself - you'll never know what you can do until you really try. Besides, we're all here to help each other, too! And there's a lot of resources here on CC.

HTH and welcome to CC!

I say try it.. I have yet to try it too... but have been wanting to. You could have never convinved me that flavored liquid coffecreamer.. but you can and my favorite cake made this way is Creme Brulee... sometimes you have to just have faith... make yourself some cupcakes with the pudding mix and see what you think, I am sure you will be impressed! Stick with it, slow down and enjoy this crazy ride!

I have never tried adding pudding to my cakes either, but I think it sounds so yummy! They are bound to be moist. Sounds like something I should try.

I know the feeling of being overwhelmed by CC. There are so many new techniques I want to try, new recipes, etc. I try to focus on only one or two new things at a time. But I do feel that I could bake 2-3 times the amount of cakes that I already do and I still wouldn't get to trying all the cool things I read about on CC!

I tried it for the first time on my nephews birthday cake. It got RAVE reviews from everyone!! I did a chocolate cake. Get the Cake Mix Doctor cookbook. Great recipies!

I usually add a small box of instant pudding to all my box mix cakes. Iâve never noticed a huge change in the flavor of the cake, but the pudding does make the cake a lot moister.

If you are still hesitant about adding the pudding, try this trick: Karo Syrup. Adding one tablespoon of Karo syrup to the mix will make a box cake moister and increase its tenderness.

If what you are doing is working for you, then you do not have to change anything. If you find some time to try something, then do it, but don't feel like just because someone posts the 'next great idea' that you always have to jump on the bandwagon and do it too.

While some things work great for others it may not always work great for everyone. That's why we have so many different ways to do things, such as smoothing a cake.

If there are things you want to do, well make a list of them and then when you do find extra time to play around, pull out that list and try one of them.

What Paula T said ..... Try it and see how you like it.

I tried the "add a box of pudding and an extra egg" thing and sent it to work with hubby to my official taste testers. They hated it and told me never to try it again. Later, I made a white chocolate cake by adding a box of white chocolate pudding, an extra egg AND some melted white chocolate disks ... my official taste testers LUV'D it.

Some work ... some don't .... just try them!

But I'm here to testify ..... !!! I was SO inside-the-box before I found CC! You are about to encounter so many great ideas and suggestions and lots of new techniques .... give them all a try! I've learned more in under 2 years on here than I did in the whole 25 years I've been doing cakes.

I've quickly learned .... "If a CC'er suggests it, then it's worth a try!"

Pudding will certainly make a cake more moist, but it also helps if you are making a cake with, oh, say, chocolate chips in it. It will help keep the chips suspended throughout the cake instead of settling down to the bottom. I learned that one from the Cake Mix Doctor!

cake mixes with pudding in them tend to be heavier, but moist at the same time. you wouldn't want to add pudding if you want a light layer cake with fillings and stuff....it would really make it heavy. also, if you buy the cake mix with pudding already in it, you def don't want to add another box of pudding to it. also, bake even strips help keep it moist as well. i use buttermilk, an extra and sour cream in my mixes. pudding mixes tend to shrink when cooling also. i would recommend the cake mix doctor book!!! hth!

indydebi,
How much of the melted discs did you add per box mix.....I saw this post and it is perfect timing Iwill be doing my cousins wedding cake next weekend and his girlfriend really wanted white choc. flavored cake. I have never added pudding to my mixes I thought they all already had pudding in the mix and adding more would ruin it.

cakesandbakes....adding more pudding to a mix that already has pudding in it will ruin it...well, it it will make it extremely heavy!!! and if you are doing a wedding cake, you don't want a heavy cake...the bottom becomes very wet, later on causing serious issues, like sliding.

oh yeah...cakesandbakes...try the durable cake recipe. it is great for things like wedding cakes and 3D cakes. it has pudding, buttermilk, sour cream and an extra egg. the sour cream gives it the cake a rich taste and velvety texture. oh...yeah you can brush your cakes with siple syrup, that helps with keeping it moist as well.

I also use another doctored cake mix recipe that I got from this site. I use a box mix, but instead of following the instructions on the box, I add 4 eggs, 1 cup milk, and 1/3 cup softened butter. It makes a bit more batter, it's a bit denser (but not too heavy), and very moist. It's great for a carved cake and for a fondant covered cake - or for just a regular cake. I do use Betty Crocker mixes with the pudding already in them. Sorry to add yet another idea when you are already feeling overwhelmed!

I add an small instant pudding mix, an extra egg, and use milk instead of water when I used boxed cake mixes.

Thank you so much for all the encouragement. I played with fondant today and since I was experimenting with all things cake I figured I'd give the pudding a try. Just added a box of instant pudding mix to my Duncan Hines mix and got a wonderfully moist and yummy cake! Yay! (Though the price and quality comes out about the same as the cake I was making before... I'll have to think about this one!)

So anyway, I just wanted to thank all of you for cheering me on and helping me get some perspective on all this! I'm having a lot of fun here!

Elizabeth