Hi everyone!

I'm new to these forums but I've been creeping for awhile now.  I figured someone here might be able to help.  I am starting out selling cakes. Most of my "customers" are happy with doctored box mixes, but this particular customer's husband is very picky (cake is for him) and he can apparently spot boxed a mile away, so scratch it is.  It's a 9x13 vanilla cake.  I doubled the recipe because one wouldn't give me cake high enough to torte and fill and two whole cakes would have been too much. When I say doubled the recipe I mean that I made it twice and mixed the two together, not doubled as I was making it.  I read somewhere that if you're unsure if a scratch recipe can be doubled, making it twice is the better way. Anyway, I used the metal flower nails (2) in the centre of the cake and baked for 50 minutes, though recipe said 40-45, at 325 degrees.  I always bake at 325 so I don't get a dome.

My result I'm unsure of.  The cake tested done, but seems really, really dense to me.  I'm not used to scratch recipes for cake so I have nothing to compare it to.  Are scratch cakes supposed to turn out dense?  Or should they be light and fluffy like a boxed mix?  This customer is so excited about this cake and I don't want to mess it up.

Thanks if you can help!!

Is it a recipe for a dense cake like Madeira with butter, or a light Victoria sponge type where a lot of volume gets beaten in with the eggs?

Its possible there is nothing wrong with the cake, just that you're not used to making with fresh ingredients.

The box mix false fluffiness is why the guy doesn't like them

The husband might think its delicious.