I've used the WASC recipe on numerous occasions and it's always perfect - very moist and tasty yet firm enough to sculpt and use with fondant.

The thing is, I've always used the Betty Crocker Butter Recipe (yellow cake) to get great results and last week I tried using the Betty Crocker Devil's Food (which called for oil) with the WASC recipe and it came out horrible. The cake was super moist but just fell apart as soon as it came out of the pan. I even tried freezing it prior to torting it and it was still just nasty and flimsy. I'm thinking the oil added to the recipe just destroyed it so I planned to just stick to the Betty Crocker Butter recipe with the WASC.

Here's the problem, I'm making a 4-layer Birthday cake for my step-daughters party this weekend and she has her heart set on a chocolate cake. I tried to find a chocolate Betty Crocker mix that didn't call for oil but no such luck. What I did find was a Betty Crocker mix called Decadent Supreme (Chocolate Mousse) and it calls for the butter instead of the oil.

I need a moist yet firm chocolaty cake that will hold up to some limited sculpting and fondant

Has anyone tried this particular mix with the WASC recipe?? Does anyone know if it was the added oil (that the mix called for) that destroyed that last cake? Any help or tips would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

I don't add oil when I make my WASC, even if the recipe calls for it. The sour cream and/or yogurt gives it the fat and moisture. Try omitting it, I like it better that way.

The WASC recipe calls for 4 Tbsp oil (for two cake mixes) Is that the amount of oil you added? When you make the WASC recipe you should not follow the box directions,. You should just add the list of ingredients the WASC recipe calls for. Could this be the problem? Too much oil?

I'm not a fan of BC. Don't like the taste as BC mixes seem overly sweet.
After lots of experimenting, I only use DH for doctored cakes. For chocolate I use DH dark chocolate or deep chocolate, 1 tsp double strenght vanilla, 1/4 tsp almond extract, self rising cake & pastry flour, 3 tablespoons chocolate fudge instant pudding mix, superfine sugar, chocolate milk for the liquid, 4 large eggs, 1cup sour cream, a large spoonful of Hersheys chocolate syrup, & a scant 1/3 cup oil. I've not had any problems with my cakes falling apart or crumbling.
HTH

Actually, the WASC recipe I use doesn't call for any oil of any kind. When you mentioned the oil I went into the Search function and found Rebecca Sutterby's WASC recipe that called for 4 tbsp of oil. I hadn't even seen that one before.... opps!

The *Original* WASC cake recipe
Ingredients

* The *original* WASC cake recipe by kakeladi
1 box cake mix (I prefer Betty Crocker) *see notes at end
1 cup flour*
1 cup granulated sugar
generous dash of salt

1 cup sour cream*
1 cup water *
3 whole eggs
1 tablespoon flavoring*

The only extra thing I ever added to this recipe was the 1 stick of softened butter that it called for on the Betty Crocker Butter Recipe Yellow Mix.

The Devil's Food cake called for 1/2 cup of oil and that's the only oil I added when I tried it. Could a 1/2 cup of oil make such a dramatic difference in the density of the cake?

Ok, so basically I should just use the BC cake mix and then forget about the box directions as far as what other ingredients it calls for? Just add what the WASC recipe states and go from there?

So even if the box calls for butter, I should just leave it out and rely on the sour cream for the moistness and fat content?

WarChild, that recipe you posted looks amazing and I'm going to try that one out for another birthday cake I have to do next week

Yes, absolutely, just add the ingredients in the basic WASC recipe. There is a variation of the WASC, as mentioned in an earlier post, that includes a small amount of oil for a "double" recipe, and if that's your recipe, then fine ... but use ONLY what the recipe asks for. Ignore the box completely!!!!!

The WASC is my go-to recipe, I use a doctored version of it for absolutely everything. Have done it with six or eight different mix flavors (both DH and BC, though I generally prefer DH ... but either has worked equally well), and it makes no difference. You follow your recipe and you're golden.

HTH!

Excellent!! That helped a ton Thanks to everyone for all the advice and help!

I know a 13 year old girl who will appreciate all of this when it comes time to have some cake for her party this weekend

Glad to have helped. The recipe posted by CakeCop41 is the one I use. I used to use the one with oil, but I found it to be too moist and unreliable. I like the one without oil better. Have fun and enjoy the learning process!!!