I'd like to swtich to cakes from scratch but haven't set aside the time to perfect those yet. I strictly use DH cakes and have had RAVE reviews from every single customer. I have found that, to keep it moist, I add about 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil, or even one full tbsp when I made a champagne cake (the bubbly zapped out the moisture during trial runs). I always, never fail, sift my cake mix. I've had horrible luck with Betty Crocker, it seems to develop a lot more air pockets in spite of all of my tapping, jiggling and banging to get the bubbles out. I'll never use anything but DH cakes until I move to making them from scratch.
stampinron....they are just right when you use just 1/2 of a small box of pudding mix. When torting or layering, I use a thin layer of BC or filling when I am making a scratch recipe or one of these. They seem to work just fine that way. That has been my experience anyway. I got this recipe from a local bakery that is always very, very busy and people just love her cakes. Please give it a try and let us know! Good Luck!
I almost always use DH, and have never had a dry, flavorless, or crumbly cake. I do sift my mixes to break up any lumps before adding the other ingredients. I am also very careful to never overbake, and I always bake at 325.
The only mix that I have ever had trouble with is Pillsbury, which seem to like to fall, get rubbery or hard on the outside, and just in general taste not-so-good.
My faves are DH yellow, DH devil's food, and BC triple chocolate. The DH coconut is particularly good, too.
I prefer DH as well if I'm not baking from scratch. I tried doctoring a few times, and those were the times I had trouble.
I don't add pudding or extra eggs. I add more vanilla and use milk instead of water and the cakes bake fabulously and the texture is perfect. Not too soft to decorate, but are still moist and taste great.
I would just find a mix that bakes well for you.
Good luck!
Angie
I use DH as well. Although, I haven't had very good luck using the cake extender on the Butter flavor recipe. When it was baked, it tasted flavorless.
I rebaked by the box and it turned out perfectly.
The cakes I have served have gotten great responses for being so moist and delicious.
I'm wondering if where we live have something to do with it. Maybe not. I noticed California, Alabama, etc. mostly warmer weather states. How many are midwest states and use DH and don't have any problems? Those of you who are warmer states how many of you do outdoor weddings? Do you have problems with the cake cracking down the center or the frosting just falling off the cake in big sections? Let me know this is a very good conversation.
I'm in California, and I have never had a cake crack down the middle or have the icing slide off--except one time when I stupidly used chocolate ganche on a 100+ degree day, and didn't make sure the cake stayed cool on the two hour long drive. The ganache melted. (The cake was fine though.)
I'm not sure why the cake would crack, if it is properly supported, both on a strong base and with sufficient doweling.
I haven't done an outdoor wedding, but I have done outdoor parties of other kinds with some pretty ornate cakes.
How hot was it? Or could it be the humidity it was pretty nasty here! Almost hit 90 degrees and for here we should have been in the 60's.
It was easily 90+ degrees. The wedding was in Mississippi. It was hot and humid. It had rained early that morning, so that made it even worse.
I made the chocolate fudge cake with chocolate buttercream icing and then drizzled the chocolate ganache over the top. Three tiers.[/img]
Question about pudding in the mix boxes......do your cakes ever seem too moist or heavy when filled and frosted?
For me they feel heavy...so i only do them for cup cakes or when i use whipped cream!
To be honest DH is heavier when you do the pudding mixture as I post earlier......this recipe is really for when you need a pound cake texture...... To make it less heavy don't use a whole box of pudding.....
The recipe I posted earlier is really good for 3-d cakes....but I use it all the time except when making the DH butter cake....and I have no problems...but to each there own desire.....
I use DH and this is what I put in it and I have no complaints...
DH mix
4 eggs
1 box of instant pudding
1 cup of water
1/2 cup of oil
The only one I don't do this with is the Butter Cake.....I just follow the directions on the box
HTH
I reposted your recipee..and i will try it...When i talk about DH i am talking about the cake in the simplest way wich is how it comes out directly from the box...I guess if is Dr it can be helped!...I will try your recipee! 
I use the same extender/dr as Shyanne_Mommy, but I am curious...if I want to make a white box mix (DH) can I add sour cream and almond ext without adding the extra egg, flour, sugar, oil and pudding, or will this thin out the batter too much. I dont need more cake, I just want the almond sour cream flavor...
I use DH as well. Although, I haven't had very good luck using the cake extender on the Butter flavor recipe. When it was baked, it tasted flavorless.
I rebaked by the box and it turned out perfectly.
The cakes I have served have gotten great responses for being so moist and delicious.
I use DH too, and follow the WASC (and variations with different box flavors) recipe. I thought the same thing with the butter cake, but tried 1/2 liquid coffee creamer 1/2 water instead of the 1 1/3 C of water in the recipe and it made all the difference. The one that has gotten the most rave reviews was when I used Creme Brulee coffee creamer ... no one knew what the flavor was, but thought it was awesome. I used it on my friends daughter's b-day cake and I've had people stop me at the bank and on the street to tell me they had some of that cake and it was the best they've ever had! I always bake my cakes at 325 and start watching it after 30-35 minutes. Chocolate takes longer, but in my opinion, chocolate is always worth the wait. I also add a bout 4 T of cocoa to the extender recipe, as I LOVE CHOCOLATE and feel that extra cocoa adds just the right amount so that it's not too bland, but not too rich that you can't enjoy a whole (big) piece!
I strayed from DH once and went right back to it. My sister is a caterer and I made a cake for her using BC. I didn't tell her I used BC because I thought it was no big deal! She immediately asked me what happened to the cake, it was dry and it didn't have the rich, full flavor. Needless to say I'm sticking with DH Now I would really love to start using the extender recipes with DH.
This is my altered DH recipe: I use this recipe all the time, I use different flavoring depending on the requests, get lots of compliments all the time.
1 box DH yellow or butter cake mix
1 cup sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt (optional)
1 cup sour cream
1 1/3 cup milk
4 lg eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla (I use Dominican vanilla is very strong all you need is 1/2 tsp )or other flavor.
1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
mix all dry ingredients (I sifted the cake mix and flour together)
then add the rest and beat for 2 minutes only!
this is good for a 10 x 3 round at 325 for 60 minutes
remember to use a flower nail.
I was wondering, for Lomikesa's recipe, could you use flavored coffee creamer instead of milk? It would add a different flavor and notice on another post that someone else had done that but they may have used a different recipe.
I was wondering, for Lomikesa's recipe, could you use flavored coffee creamer instead of milk? It would add a different flavor and notice on another post that someone else had done that but they may have used a different recipe.
I have never try it with coffe creamer, will experiment this weekend with the creamer minus my favorite vanilla.
Lomikesa, if you could let me know how it goes witht he cream I would really appreciate it!!
I use DH and this is what I put in it and I have no complaints...
DH mix
4 eggs
1 box of instant pudding
1 cup of water
1/2 cup of oil
The only one I don't do this with is the Butter Cake.....I just follow the directions on the box
HTH
I reposted your recipee..and i will try it...When i talk about DH i am talking about the cake in the simplest way wich is how it comes out directly from the box...I guess if is Dr it can be helped!...I will try your recipee!
Todena
When I make a white cake I only use egg whites and I make sure to get a white color pudding like white choloate.
Here is a recipe that Christy633 left right after my suggestions on 1st page...maybe you could try it too, this one has the sourcream in it and instead of 3 whole eggs just use the egg whites.
Dh works well for me - to the mix I add
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup water/milk
1/2 cup oil
1 pkg pudding mix
3 eggs
I'm in the minority here - I don't like DH. If I can't bake from scratch, I use BC or Pillsbury. I'm in the northeast, so we don't get a huge amount of heat or humidity up here. Next time I bake will be a WASC cake, so maybe that will change my mind.
Ok, Think of a cake decorated and ready to go put it in the vehicle, drive to the reception place open the door and the frosting is literally peeling off the sides of 2 cakes out of 4 cakes. You take the cakes from the vehicle to a outdoors tent and as you are pulling the cakes out of the car the frosting at least a cup and more fell off and hit the curb. Then my husband was carrying a cake and frosting fell off in the grass. We took the cake into a air condition building, I went to the store and bought ingredients to make more frosting borrowed a mixer and some bowls from a friend who lived closer to the reception. Went back to this small kitchen at the reception to scrape all the frosting and decor off the sides and completely redecorate. I salvaged all the cakes but the one that split all the way thru the center. I had to pull all the dowel rods out of that cake cut it into sections and put it in boxes for the bride to give away. I can't believe I even pulled it off with redecorating 3 complete cakes in 2 hours. The bride was so happy.
For the cake mix extender recipe I always add extra flavoring to whatever cake I'm making, to make up for the extra flour and sourcream. For example in a butter cake I use butter extract, in a chocolate cake I use cocoa and in a strawberry cake I substitute the water for pureed strawberries and add strawberry extract. I've never had any complaints and every one raves about he moistness, as far as what brand I use, I use them all.
I am also a DH user and never have any problems with it.
Get rave reviews all of the time about my cakes and the flavor.
I too and confused as to how we all get different results from the same mix. Aside from the fact that some enhance and doctor as I do myself. But DH straight from the box is still awesome.
Can anybody shed any light on that, it just doesn't sound right.
DH is the only one I always use.. Not a single problem.. maybe you are just used to the taste ? since you always use Pillsbury.. is it taste and texture , or just everything about it ? that's strange . 
I am so glad to hear that many of you are DH fans. I am as well. I am just getting started with my business and I was really debating about mix vs/ scratch. I have since learned that many bakeries use DH as well, so now I am feeling better about using the mix method.
I did have a question. Many of you mentioned using the instant pudding addition to the mix. Are there specific flavor puddings you add that correspond to each DH mix?
BTW, I am so glad to have found this website. It really is addicting, but I have learned so much already.
Thanks!
Try Betty Crocker. That's what I use for any last minute orders. I also make a simple syrup and give the cakes a soak before I decorate them (as you would a rum cake but lighter).
Try that and let me know how it taste!
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