I love to decorate but hate the baking part so I'm not very knowledgeable about different cake recipes so I just use box mixes. I'm finding that these cakes although nice and moist are too soft to create tiered cakes. I'd like to keep using box mixes to save me on time so what can I add to make a firmer cake? Flour? And how much? I'm completley stupid when it comes to baking. Any words of advice would be very appreciated! thanks

In the recipe section on this site there is a "durable wedding or 3D" recipe. I have not tried it yet, but I have heard good things about it. Good luck!!! I hope this helps you!!!

Shelleylynn

I must admit that I'm not all that at baking per se. Everyone loves my cakes because I watch them like a hawk check them at the minimum time for baking and lower my oven by 25 degrees. I use box mixes and add instant vanilla pudding. Don't want all that extra sugar? I've even added sugar free instant pudding. The cakes are firmer and moister. Hope I helped out a little bit...

do you just ad the pudding to the mix, and follow the regular directions, or are you replacing something? Are you mixing the pidding first, and adding it, or just dumping the packet of dry pudding mix in with the cake mis?

I just dump it in at the same time as the dry mix. All the other measurements and directions I leave the same. It has never failed me (unless you count the one time I accidentally left out the eggs like a big dumb dumby head! ). Seriously though, I don't mind sharing this with you all because I have fallen in love with Cake Central. It's so interesting and informative! But I will NEVER tell my customers the secret; one lady at a part almost got me in a chokehold to tell her so she could do it herself; luckily, I came out of there alive! Now, can you tell me how to get this huge Cake Central Monkey of my back? I haven't even eaten today! LOL

I use the box mix, add whatever the box says to put in, then add a small box (3.5 oz.) of pudding and an extra egg.
Don't make the pudding; just add the powder straight from the box.
One poster mentioned that she adds some pound cake mix from a box instead of the pudding mix.

I do exactly the same as lsawyer.

The Enhanced Cake Formula in the recipe section of this site will give you a nice, moist, solid cake for which to do tiers.........the texture is easy to work with, and I have used it with all types and flavors of cake mixes and they turn out perfect..........my wedding cake (in my photos) held up very well and it was heavy with the seashells attached to it..........I think if you try that recipe, you will find that your cakes consistently turn out great every time! Good Luck!

Same here--I add sugar free pudding mix and an extra egg to the box mix.
If you want a really dense cake, and want it to be as easy as possible, try a diet soda cake. It is just a 12 oz can of diet soda and one boxed mix. You don't add the oil, water, or eggs that the box calls for. It's quick, easy, dense, and moist.
Hope that helps!

Wow nannaraquel! That's a neat recipe! I'm gonna try that out.

look under the recipe section for something called an "extender". just do a search for that word, and you'll see several...they really work, and none of my clients can figure out what i do..they think it's scratch! i use pudding in whatever flavor goes well with the box mix, i add extra eggs, extra oil, less water, and sour cream. it's yummy!!

lynda-bob...I love diet soda cakes! They make life so much easier, especially on those days when I just don't feel like baking but I want to decorate a cake, or when I want a cake just for DH and I that I don't have to feel guilty about eating! lol I'm a big fan of chocolate with diet Dr. Pepper, and white cake with Dt. Mt. Dew, although from what I've gathered, most people use diet Sprite or 7-up with white cake. I want to try a lemon cake mix with diet orange soda next.
This recipe doesn't rise as much as a normal cake, and I definitely recommend some sort of heating core (a flower nail in the middle of your cake pan).
Oh, and even though the recipe doesn't call for it, I've added a box of pudding mix to my diet soda cakes. If you're interested in a mt. dew cake, I have one in my photo gallery with the recipe I used in the comments.
Happy baking!

Thank you to ALL of you who replied to my post. I was so excited to see your comments. Thank you Lynda-bob for telling your secret. You all are so wonderful here at CC. I'm very new to the site and love to spin around a bit on the site when my daughter is napping. It is sooooooooo refreshing to see people exchaging decorating ideas, recipes, and their secrets. Around my parts the ladies are very caty and don't want to help because they want to be the best in town---not that I'm pressing them for info but you can tell by the way the all treat each other at bridal fairs. I'm pretty young and have had my feet in the water with cakes now for about four years but still somewhat new to tiered cakes and fondant. I finally got up the courage to do a fondant wedding cake for the first time when a friend told me to do what ever I wanted to do for her wedding just as long as it went along with her St. Patty's Day theme. I'll try and post it----please tell me what you all think.

Questions:

Why Diet? Is it about the sugar content? Does regular soda not create the chemical reaction that causes rising? Could you use regular soda instead of diet? Personally, I can't STAND the taste of artifical sweetener and can detect it in small amounts. Does the artifical sweetener flavor come across in the cakes or does it get baked away?

Great idea, and I can't wait to try it.

Wow Farber Family,

That cake is beautiful! Fondant virgin or not! LOL Really, though, it looks so regal. Great Job!

thank you! That means a lot. You made my day! I can't wait to do more fondant work.

That cake in the picture above is wonderful!!! You should be very proud of it!!!


Shelleylynn

Beautiful job! What color green did you use?

beautiful job!!!!

Those cakes were awesome, you did a great job.

Good Luck on your next one!

WOW! Beautiful job! I love the quilted pattern.

Thanks everybody!

lynda-bob: I forgot to ask you if you use choc. pudding mix for choc. cake or do you still use the vanilla??? Stupid question--maybe it doesn't matter much? Still haven't tried it yet--but I'll be very excited when I get the chance to.

handymama: I used the wilton color "moss green"-- but fairly strong doses of it.

angelcakesmom: thanks-- I wanted the pattern to continue to the top of the cake----that had me scratchin' my head for a while! lol here is another view of the cake:

WOW! Your cakes are beautiful! I LOVE the color green you used!

Yeah--gorgeous cakes! I like the patten on top. It does look tricky. That would give me fits! Well done!

I love your cake!!

I too am wondering why diet soda? I have a very strong allergy to aspertame (as do a lot of people) artificial sweetener. At a family gathering once, I had a piece of Coca-Cola cake and ended up in the ER that night with a migraine. I later found out it was made with Diet Coke.

Naughty, naughty!
You need to put that cake in your gallery so EVERYONE can see it...

I don't know why diet soda, honestly. It's just a recipe I picked up on a diet recipes website (and later saw that it was in the recipe section here, too), and I love the calorie control from cutting out the oil and eggs. Give it a try with a regular soda, I guess, see how it works out!