Is is o.k. to do this? I'm using a recipe from the cake mix doctor and it calls for one box of devils food cake mix. I'm using Pillsbury and it says that it is a double pudding mix. So do I need to add the instant chocolate pudding mix? I'm using this mix for a 3D basketball cake.

I would still do it to make the cake firmer. Also add some melted butter in to help firm it up.

I would still add the pudding too. It might just be me but the pudding in the mix cake mixes don't really seem like they have pudding in them at all. The consistency doesn't even compare to when you add the pudding yourself.

Mmmmmmmmmm I'm not sure. If you read in the front of the book somewhere she talks about NOT using Pudding in the mix mixes, that's why she has you add it, but I can't find any mixes that come WITHOUT Pudding in the mixes. So I just use Pudding in the mixes and when she asks for it in the book I don't put in for fear that the cake would end up being TOO moist.

Ok, last night I did a test run of a the buttermilk devil's food cake recipe from the cake mix doctor. I used a double pudding mix and I added a box of instant chocolate pudding. This was for my 3D ball pan.

My Fiance' ate the scraps that were left over from leveling and he said it was very chewy. He said I should lay off the pudding but he also mentioned that some people actually like chewy cakes.

I like a dense cake but not chewy. Chewy is for brownies. I've never made that particular recipe. From everything I've read, it sounds like it would be great! When you try it without the added pudding, let us know how it comes out. Do you think maybe just the scraps were chewy and not the whole cake? Sometimes the parts we level off are overbaked.

I have used a cake mix with pudding in it and added more pudding. It is a very soft cake, but it should be chewy. It could have been just the top part that was like that. Maybe not chewy, but fudgy?

I've made this particular recipe without adding the instant pudding and it was just right. But will it be just right for my 3D ball pan? That's my main concern.

I don't think that you should have a problem.

I am going to try baking a cake tonight from the cake mix doctor book and switch out half of the oil with melted butter. I am making double recipes, so I am going to use 1 cup oil and 1 cup melted butter. I want to see if it helps firm the cake up and make it less crumbly. Also one or two of the cake mixes that I will be using has pudding in the mix already, so we shall see what happens.

I haven't had success in adding additional pudding mix to a mix that already contains pudding. Both the chocolate and the yellow sank like a stone when extra pudding was added. Chocolate cakes are especially prone to it-they come out really really soft. Not good for sculpting at all. I have better success using the enhanced cake recipe which calls for sour cream with the additional flour and sugar. These bake up nice and dense and moist. HTH.

My cakes didn't sink at all but I bake them longer than I normally do.

Mouse
Let me know how it goes when you try this. I would really appreciate it.

I make a chocolate cake that actually starts with a yellow pudding in the mix and has added chocolate pudding, sour cream, and chocolate chips. It is dense but never sinks either. Maybe lowering your oven temp and cooking it longer would help.

Ok, I made the Stacy's Chocolate Chip cake out of the cake mix doctor book, but I made some minute changes to it as well as make it a double batch, and both of my cake mixes had pudding in it...Below is what I used and what I did..
Cake was mixed in a KitchenAid Stand mixer and baked in 325'F oven
1* 18.25oz Pillsbury Moist Supreme Classic Yellow now with double pudding
1* 18.25oz Betty Crocker Super Moist Yellow with 1 cup of pudding in the mix (what the box said on it)
1 oz Baker's Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate, grated
1 5.1oz Vanilla Jello instant pudding and pie mix
1 cup of vegetable oil
1 cup of butter, melted
9 large eggs
2 cups of whole milk
2 cups generic semi-sweet chocolate chips
1) Pour cake mix into the mixing bowl, blend on 1st speed setting for 15 seconds to remove large lumps
2) Add pudding mix, vegetable oil, melted butter, eggs, and milk. Mix on 1st speed setting for 1 minute
3) Turn off mixer, scrape sides and bottom of bowl. Add grated chocolate. Mix batter on 2nd speed setting for 2 minutes.
4) Turn off mixer, remove bowl from stand mixer and fold in chocolate chips. Pour into prepared pans no more than 1/2 way full.
The batter was enough to fill 1*11x15 sheet cake pan, 1*5x2" round, 1*4x2" round, 1*3x2" round, 1*2x2" round, and 1*9x2" Heart.
The batter was as dense as the Bride's White Cake that I made (which has all butter in it), rises quite well, and should be bake 3-5 minutes longer after the cake has tested as being done. I always set my timer for 25 minutes and then keep adding 5 minutes additionally as needed. I would bake this cake a little longer so that the chococalte chips set up well in the baking process. Since the batter was denser the chips did not all sink to the bottom.
Notes***
1) I was baking cakes until 12:50AM CST (US) because I did not get started until after 9:30PM due to a family issue with my mom and her cat.
2) I only used 1 oz of baking chocolate because I was tired and did not feel like grating 4-8 oz of baking chocolate by hand, I also only had 2oz of baking chocolate on hand and did not want to grate a bunch of chocolate chips to make up the difference.
3) I used 9 eggs only because one of my "large" eggs was not so large.
4) The sheet cake was done after 35 minutes, but I would have baked for 40 minutes and I think I would have been happier.
5) I used Ladycake's technique of using parchment paper on the bottom and using cake release on the sides, which I also sprayed the sides with Original Pam spray. Wow is that nice - no more bottoms stuck partially to the pan.
6) After removing the pans out of the oven, allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing from the pan.
7) Don't fill 2" pan any higher than halfway, this batter rises pretty good.
8- I stuck a coated metal flower nail in the middle of the sheet cake pan to help the cake bake better.
I also made the Bride's Cake (double batch) and had that bake up pretty good.

Mouse

Thank you for trying this. So basically your cakes came out just fine with the extra pudding added to the already pudding mix.

Yup!

You are the best mouse! I really appreciate you taking the time to test this.

Hehe, no problem, I like baking cakes!

I just happened to read this thread, when I started into this cake stuff I prepared a cake and added a box of pudding. The response was that even it was "good" it tasted like pudding.????? then it stroke me what I have done. Then found out in one of my books that it should only be used on cakes made from scratch and never with mixes that already contain pudding. Since then, I had no more comments of this kind on my cakes.

I really think it is personal preference. I buy the cake mix with 1cup pudding already in the mix and add a package plus the sour cream and I love it. It makes it really moist and heavier. On the other hand my mother says it is too heavy and likes her cake light. You will have to ask the bride what she wantsI went to a wedding yesterday and the cake was HORRIBLE. The frosting was ok but the cake was tasted dry to me and seemed like it might have been overbaked. It made me feel really good cause hubby said my cakes taste so much better That sure was a nice confidence boost.

I'm going to try adding pudding to an already pudding in the mix.... I'm still waiting patiently for my CMD book....they emailed and said they sent it out..... how long does it take to get something mailed to you from Walmart.....gads....
My daughter brought me a piece of wedding cake home to try from a wedding she went to..... They don't like the buttercreme icing....complain it's tooooo sweet.....huh.... the cake she brought me...yuck on the icing...it was sooo sweet it made my teeth hurt.... I'll stick to my buttercreme... I love the taste of it... that's dawn's recipe that I use...
mmmmmmm....I'm going to try the MMF next...
Happy baking
cakegal

I made the red velvet cake on page 152 from the Cake Mix Doctor and added a chocolate instant pudding powder. The uncooked cake mix was very thick but turned out beautifully and my son said it was the best cake yet. I used white cake mix with pudding, chocolate pudding, sour cream etc as listed in the recipe.