I've put a (longer) explanation of why I want to do this rather than starting over, but my question is, can I put a cake back in the oven once it's already been out for a couple of hours? They don't appear to be cooked properly.

I've never seen a WASC before, are they supposed to be flat (like they haven't risen), and incredibly dense looking? The cupcakes I made with them are not as dense looking, but I cooked them at a higher temp.....????? I tried to attach a picture to this post, but it didn't show up in the preview.

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The long explanation:
So today I had a second go at making the WASC scratch cake (NOT boxed one). It was a disaster from start to finish. The shortening here in NZ is very hard, so I melted it first, then used it when it started to solidify. (this was advice given to me from someone here on forum also from NZ, who uses the same kind). I think I let it set a little too long, because it started going all lumpy in the mix. This is a BIG mix, and I can't afford to waste the ingredients, so I sieved the entire mixture. Oh yes, sieved it. And I carefully re-melted all the lumps and added them back in. That worked, thank goodness. Then I poured it into the tin and the cupcake pattys. Just as I was about to put it in the oven, I realised I had forgotten the eggs...arrghh!! So I scraped it all out of the papers and fixed that. Then cooked two cakes plus one batch of cupcakes. The kitchen was a disaster area when I'd done, there were drops of batter everywhere from my sieving bowl to bowl, and I was knackered.

Anyway, my cake tester came out completely clean, so I thought the cakes were done. they were also starting to crack just a little bit on top, and just starting to come away from the sides. All signs they're done, right? However I just cut one in half vertically as I want to use it on a carved cake tomorrow, and it does NOT look cooked. It looks very dense and doughy. The cupcakes do not look like that. The cakes didn't rise either, is that normal for WASC?

It was a lot of work trying to fix up all my mistakes today, and I would really like to salvage this disaster. I have a baby, and I work full time, so I don't really have time to make two more cakes.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I strongly recommend you start over again. The cakes sound like they're unusable. Im sorry for the bad time you're having.
Good luck

Oh, honey, I'm sorry for the bad time you're having...
Probably the temp in the oven was too high for the cake to bake evenly...
Did you use baking powder or baking soda?
If you used soda, did you bake right away?
The cuppies are smaller, therefore they baked more quickly, that's why they're OK...
But the cakes are unusable, I'm sorry

nnooooooooo!!!!! <---- hehe... that was my howl of mental pain/heartache at the thought of wasting all that time & ingredients

The WASC is just doomed for me. I love the flavour, but just can't make a good cake out of it. I've never in my life had a problem like this before, it's perplexing to me.

I used baking powder. I didn't know that baking soda must be used straight away, so I'm glad you mentioned that anyway, so I know for future cakes.

I feel quite glum about this. My husband and I are so busy, we sort of trade spare time. I look after the baby, while he does the things he needs to do, and visa versa. We usually do useful things, like renovations on the house, or cleaning. So this was quite a treat, spending so much time in the kitchen, and I don't fancy my chances of doing it again soon. booooooo!!!

OK, to try and get something positive out of it, what can I do with the cakes? Would this kind of cake be suitable to make those cake pops out of? Never seen one in real life, but they sound good. Anything else I can do with the cake?

I would certainly try the cake pops! why not:
Other than that maybe use them to practice carving a 3d cake?
BTW - has your baking powder been opened a while? I usually replace mine every month now just to be sure whether I need more or not because I've figured out some of my cakes have "failed" because of it............just something to consider..

take the cake that doesn't seem to be quite done, and pop it portion-sized in the microwave for the teensiest bit to finish it off, then pop it in your mouth!

the sour cream cakes are harder to bake sometimes, good luck!