Which Part Did I Mess Up? There Were So Many....
Decorating By riveritaly Updated 6 Oct 2006 , 12:55am by bunit
I am just getting in to cake decorating, and one of my managers asked me to make him a cake. I bought a DH french vanilla mix, and I added a box of french vanilla instant pudding. I was going to toss in an extra egg, when I realized that my darling husband had eaten FOUR eggs ( 
) for breakfast, leaving only three left. So, I shrugged it off, used the three eggs and went to grab the vegetable oil....it was just a cm or two below 1/3 of a cup, so I freaked out and ran to the CC message board to see if olive oil could be substituted for the remainder. It seemed ok. I also put my flower nails in the cake pans this time for a heating core, but it seemed like it took extra long for the cake to bake. My cakes were so pretty and fluffy when I took them out of the oven, but after I pressed lightly on them with a clean kitchen towel, they sort of shriveled (I've done this several times before and it's always worked!). And, even though I only used a tablespoon (give or take) of olive oil, I swear I could taste it in the batter. AARUGH! 
Sooo....my question is, should I just toss this one out in the bin and chalk it up to my ever climbing learning curve, or is it salvageable? Right now, my dreams of impressing my manager with beautiful french vanilla cake with strawberry filling and cream cheese icing are quickly falling by the wayside! 
Thanks for listening to me rant,
Kim
That is not my favorite cake mix - love the brand just have had problems with the flavor....
EVOO - I have never used it in a mix - I doubt I would have, but others know a lot more than I do. I have great neighbors to 'borrow' from. I've made them 'a hair shy' before - no problem.
Maybe it was just a freak cake mix - sometimes we never know.....
Good luck with the next one!
Well, if you're trying to impress management, I would bake another cake. Olive oil has a distinctive taste to it, and since you needed to add a cm or two, to the 1/3 cup, that's quite a lot, definitely enough to make a difference.
I do personally believe that you should bake another cake... just to be on the safe side. And you can always eat the cake you've already made!! 
I hear cake balls are quite the popular thing these days
Good luck!
crystal
Next time if you have any mayo or applesauce you can use it to replace the oil.
I cook all the time with olive oil (good weight loss regimen)....great taste for savory but not so great for sweet. I won't even spray olive oil on baking pans when cooking sweet.
Next time see if that darling husband will run to the store for you. Mine does when asked the right way.
I am not an expert, but I would think that the olive oil was more than likely the culprit. It has such different characteristics than regular vegetable oil does - lower flash point, stronger taste - those are 2 I know for sure. I would never use it for baking sweet items. I would bake another one, IMO.
I cant tell you why it shriveled but I can tell you no olive oil in baked goods lol it has a taste that is all its own and is best left for cooking or salads or such. I have used less oil in my cake than is indicated when I dont have enough and they are fine. also when I dont have any oil I have melted shortening and used that and it works as well.
Ditto for me too. I would also bake another one.
Thanks everyone. Yes, I guess I will go ahead and make another cake. I'd rather give someone something that tastes good, than have my manager tell everyone "don't eat her cakes! they are gross!" 
I didn't even think to just go short on the oil - I was automatically thinking "I need more oil!" We were out of butter and I didn't know if Crisco would work. Moral of the story: double check the pantry before I bake a cake!!!
I would replace some of the oil for butter.
You can replace the 1/3 cup oil with 1/2 cup applesauce. The applesauce does not add to the taste.
I do not know if your boss likes really strong-tasting French Vanilla, but the DH mix has a Very strong taste to it. Before I switched to Betty Crocker (had lots of problems with DH mixes sinking since Pinnacle took over the brand), I mixed in a box of regular flavored vanilla pudding.
Theresa
Just a thought, but maybe the "shrinkage" was due in part to the shortage of that extra egg. This has happened to me , but in reverse! I made a cake which would have required 3 eggs, but for some reason, I added 6!!! The cake certainly was tall, and as far as I could tell, the only difference was that it was really yellow!! _B.
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