OK... I baked the DH yellow cake added the cake extender etc.....It didn't seem to raise like the cheaper cake mix I experimented with first...ugh...in fact!!!!! it kind of sunk in the middle....
What caused this.... I've always used DH mixes...now I'm wondering what caused this...
TIA
cakegal

You know, I'm beginning to think it's the yellow mix..... I don't have any problems with the white or chocolate or even the strawberry but I've made the yellow a few times and that has happened.....now I did doctor one up using sour cream....I think I got the recipe off this site and it turned out okay, but still not as well as the other flavors.....it's weird! I've always made my cakes from scratch but when I started taking the decorating classes I decided the box mixes would be okay for that purpose, and now I'm hearing how you can doctor all the box mixes and they taste like scratch...think I'm going to explore that avenue some more.....just got the Cake Mix Doctor, can't wait to start trying the recipes in here.

Low and sudden changes in the oven temperature cause the cakes to sink in the center. The oven's door should not be open during the first 30 minutes of baking. I personally set my timer to 45 minutes to avoid that problem.

Sometimes the excess of liquids cause the sinking and/or the consistency of the middle of the cakes. HTH

This weekend I was reading a book by one of the major cake mix makers (I can't rember which one) but it said not to add a packet of pudding to their mixes because it will make them fall.. I'm not sure if this helps (or if it's true!)

I didn't add pudding to the cake mix....
I used buttermilk for the liquid...and added sour creme...and the rest of the things the cake extender said to add....
I never open the oven door til the first cake time is up....35 min or so....
this cake took 50 mins to bake....
I'm going to try another flavor to see what happens there...
And DH yellow is a favorite of my family's too....
Thanks for the feedback....
The Cake Mix Doctor book is out of stock at my wal mart store...have to wait til they get them in again before I get mine...
Happy baking..
cakegal

The cake bible says that pudding should NOT be added to cake mixes with the pudding already added; the final result is a very dense cake. I used to add pudding to my cakes mixes but not anymore as I always buy the ones with the pudding included. However, when using regular cakes mixes it does'nt hurt to use 1/2 pack of pudding.

I trie dthe cake mix extender with a white cake and it tasted great... but it didn't rise very well at all! Is it because of the sour cream?? It tastes soo good, but I'd have to do three layers for it to be tall enough for a wedidng cake. Any insight??

I'm thinking it's the extender. I've added both pudding and sour cream to a pudding already added cake mix and it ends up being a higher cake than just cake mix alone...if only because of the added volume. I do this whenever I want a dense cake I can sculpt.

I use the extender a lot and dont have this problem. Can I ask how old your baking powder is. That does have a shelf life and can go bad which can effect how your cake will rise if you are adding it.

cakeconfections,
I used the other extender recipe... not yours with baking powder. I'm thinking of trying yours next. I'm driving my family crazy with all of the white cake. Today will be cake #4. What do you add to your white cake when you make it??

The white box cake mix i used , had pudding in the mix already, I didn't add pudding to it...I used the cake extender.....this cake turned out beautiful.....and the taste was EXCELLENT...
It was the DH yellow box cake, using the extender....didn't add pudding...this cake didn't raise like the white cake did....
I'm going to try the yellow cakemix in the brand that the white cake was made from...I'll let you know what happens with this one...
Thanks everyone for the info...
cakegal

see, I find that white never rises like the other flavors... yellow is never a problem with me...but then I dont doctor up the cake mixes much when I do they come out really heavy, and a little dryer then if I leave it alone..

Have any of you ever tried adding meringue powder to your cakes? I was reading in one of the Wilton class books where it gives tips that it will make your boxed cakes rise higher. This makes alot of sense as it is made from egg whites. I haven't tried using it as I haven't had any problems with my cakes rising, but then again I've yet to try a white cake.

Have any of you ever tried adding meringue powder to your cakes? I was reading in one of the Wilton class books where it gives tips that it will make your boxed cakes rise higher. This makes alot of sense as it is made from egg whites. I haven't tried using it as I haven't had any problems with my cakes rising, but then again I've yet to try a white cake.

I don't add meringue to my cake mixes, but I do add an envelope of Dream Whip to each one. Janice

I use the Yellow SourCream Cake recipe from the Dr's Book. That is my signature cake! Everyone that's tasted it orders it every time! It always rising high & tastes wonderful!! Nice & thick, nice & moist & not crumbly. I think your problem cakegal might be that you are using buttermilk & sourcream. I only use yellow DH, 1/4 c milk, 1 c sourcream, 1/4 c sugar, 1/3 c oil, 1 t. vanilla, 4 large eggs. My cakes turn out perfect everytime! I bake either on 350* or 325* depending on the size of the cake.

I think your problem cakegal might be that you are using buttermilk & sourcream. I only use yellow DH, 1/4 c milk, 1 c sourcream, 1/4 c sugar, 1/3 c oil, 1 t. vanilla, 4 large eggs. My cakes turn out perfect everytime! I bake either on 350* or 325* depending on the size of the cake.


WHITE ALMOND SOUR CREAM CAKE
1 BOXES WHITE CAKE MIX (I PREFER BETTY CROCKER)
1 CUPS FLOUR
1CUPS SUGAR
3/4 tsp SALT
1 1/3CUPS WATER ( I used buttermilk instead of water)
1/4 CUP VEGETABLE OIL
1 tsp REAL CLEAR VANILLA
1tsp ALMOND EXTRACT
1 CUPS (16 oz) SOURCREAM
4 LARGE EGG WHITES
So I should have used the water instead of buttermilk???
I followed this same recipe using the white box cake mix and that cake turned out beautifully.....
I will give it another go using DH...I always use DH and I would like to stick to using it....
tcturtleshell I will give your recipe a try....Do you use a cake extender with your DH?????
thanks,
cakegal

Hey there Ms. Veejay...question...I bought some boxes of the Dream WHip to use...My question is, when you added the dream whip to the cake mix, did you just "add" it and simply followed the cake mix ingredients or did you use the dream whip ingredients on the whip box to the cake mix.

I read the directions for the dream whip and got myself confused. I want to try it for the wedding cake I have to do for the June 4th.

Let me know okie dokie.......

Hi Crashdummy, sorry I didn't see this sooner.

I just add the envelope of dream whip as powder along with my other ingredients.

1 box cake mix
1/3 cup veg. oil
1 env. dream whip
4 eggs
1 cup liquid (milk, water, coffee creamer...your choice)

Good luck with your June 4th cake (When I was married that was my anniversary date!) Janice

I did use pudding in my cake mix that already has pudding in it and guess what! it sank in the middle jjijiji turned out to be a very stiff pound cake in the middle and fluffy on the outside but then again I did add half of the pudding box!

Hi Veejay...I just wanted to let you know I tried the Dream Whip in the Duncan Hines Yellow cake mix and WOW did it turn out not only great but it taste so yummy!!!

So moist just like a bakery cake to me.....

So thank you for the tip!!!!!!!!!!!!