Hi CC,

I decided to make the Chocolate WASC Cake and am very disappointed in its taste. I don't want to say whose recipe I copied because I don't want to upset that person, so I know that will make it difficult, but they all have very similiar recipes, so that might help.

The cake was not as chocolaty as I would hoped. I used a BC Chocolate Fundge cake, Ghiradelli cocoa powder and followed the recipe to a T.

I used to make my box cake exactly as the box tells you to except I would use heavy cream instead of water, and I feel like it tasted better.

Everyone here RAVES about WASC cake, so does anybody have any thoughts/suggestions?

Thanks everyone!

I am actually glad you said this because I felt the same way when I tried it. I thought I messed something up. The texture was okay but I thought it was a little dry and the flavor wasn't chocolaty at all. Maybe that is normal?

I did a chocolate WASC recently, but replaced about a third of each cup of flour with cocoa powder. I ate some after cooling on the bench, and some after freezing straight out of the oven, and the frozen (thawed, obviously ) cake was much chocolate-y-er.

Also, by the time I covered it in ganache, it was plenty chocolate-y enough. Hope you have some success!

I do the WASC, but in my own version. I don't use any almond. I add the little container of premade chocolate pudding, coffee and of course the sugar, flour, cake mix (dark chocolate), cocoa, eggs, oil, etc. to it. But I still do not like it as well as the Hersheys chocolate cake on the back of the hersheys cocoa can. I just think it is the best I have had, especially if you use part reg cocoa and part dark chocolate cocoa.

Don't feel bad, I had the same reaction to both the original WASC and the chocolate version.

I don't understand the excitement over these recipes at all.......I'm an exclusive scratch baker but when I first joined CC I kept reading all the raves about WASC so I figured I'd give it a try.

I didn't like the taste or texture of either recipe.

I guess it's all what we're used to.

I love the WASC cake, but for a choc. cake I like scratch better.

try the triple fudge cake with it, it was delicious whenI used the cake extender with that....and thats close to that recipe I think

I tried the WASC once. Blah! Hocky puck! It was certainly easly to handle. If I needed to carve some shape, it would be my first choice ...as long as I didn't have to eat it. It is just a matter of taste. Most people love the recipe and rave about it. But there are some of us who don't like it at all.

I have never made the Best Darn Chocolate cake, but I have eaten it. It was very good. If you want a good chocolate cake from a doctored mix, I would suggest that you try that one.

I dont know what recipe you use...but I use Macsmom choco wasc. For the coffee liquid I use choco hazlenut coffee, instead of choco milk I use choco eclair creamer...and I add extra (coffee mate), instead of choco extract I use choco hazelenut extract (lorann), and my cake mixes I use BC devils food or milk chocolate, and I also add chocolate fudge pudding mixes. I have to say that it is super yummy...and by far my best raves so far!! The recipe is from the gourmet flavors thread. I think you can sub for the liquids with choco creamers....I think the choco eclair creamer really makes a difference in my choco wasc....IMO!!

Normita, a couple good chocolate cake recipes that I use are Toba Garretts Chocolate Fudge Cake and I'm also a fan of the Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate cake found on the cocoa tin, but I sub out Hershey's cocoa with Ghiradelli and use coffee instead of the hot water.

For white cakes I actually like Sylvia Weinstock's Classic Yellow Cake which is VERY light yellow in color and taste.......it's pretty close to a white cake. I also like the White on White Buttermilk cake.

All of these recipes are in the Chocolate and Yellow scratch off threads in the General forums.
HTH

I tried that the other day because I was making a marble cake and used wasc and chocolate wasc. Thought they would bake in the same amount of time. They did, but if you were blindfolded you wouldn't have known the cake was chocolate. I was surprised too because I used brownie coffee from my daughter's coffee shop. I much prefer Black Magic cake--- is that the name? Anyway-- it's on the Hershey website and I originally made it from a recipe of Ina Garten's on foodnetwork.com-- very same recipe---as someone else pointed out---yummy!

I second the recommendation that you sub coffee for the water in the choc. WASC cake I also leave out the almond and double the vanilla. MMMmmmmMMM Everyone always loves it when I make it. SUPER chocolaty.

i love WASC but was extremely dissapointed in the choc version. I do love the darn good choc recipe. Very rich choc flavor and color compared to choc WASC

I love the WASC cake ! I had been trying different cake recipes and couldn't find one I liked . (All scratch) I will be making cupcakes for a friend , her wedding is in Oct.

I asked here at CC for a moist white cake and this one was reccomended . The only thing I did different was used ALL vanilla and no almond flavoring. I loved it! and so did my friend!. So it sounds like there are some mixed reviews with that reciepe .

Jclvs2 they are complaining about the CHOCOLATE wasc, not the regular. I think the reviews are all pretty much good for the white wasc. I happen to love the choc. wasc, but I make mine replacing the water with coffee and it comes out awesome.

Oh I see! Sorry . I've never tried the chocolate before. I guess I will have to give it a whirl. Is that instant coffee you use or fresh brewed coffee? Does it matter? Thanks alidpayne for clarifing the main disbute. Happy baking!

The use of coffee definitely improves the chocolate version.
As I have said before.......everyone's tastes are different and you can't please everyone all the time

I bet if you were subjected to a true blind taste test you wouldn't have the same opinion
JMHOs

I have to say I have had many compliments on the WASC versions from macsmom! I've made the choco, choco chip, and strawberry versions and all were great! I make the choco wasc with the double choc fudge cake mix, double choc pudding mix, coffee, and choc milk, along with choco flavoring. Tastes yummmy!

'I use fresh brewed coffee. And don't be scared if you don't like coffee, you can't taste the coffee in the final product, it just makes it much more chocolaty.

To all of you who are using brewed coffee - are you making it strong enough (think Starbucks dark roast - it's almost black)? I use the Amazing Chocolate WASC recipe and it is now our favorite. Although, I still make Darn Good Chocolate as well for an occassional change. I'll have to try the Hershey's though sometime too!

I think I am going to try macsmoms versio of this. But on the gourmet recipes, she just has the ingredients. Do you just mix dry with dry and add all the liquids? Does local grocery stores carry choc flavoring? I have never used this. If I cant find it can I omit it?
How is this cake for carving?

I use the fresh brewed coffee in my Chocolate WASC recipe also, but I melt chocolate chips in it to really give it that extra chocolate taste.

Hi everyone! Thanks so much for all your feedback. I did use coffee, not water. I'll have to keep playing with it, but I"m just not in love with it. I'll also definitely try the regular WASC Cake as it seems like that is what everyone loves.

I don't do much carving, definitely nothing wild and crazy (yet), so maybe I'll just stick with my regular cake for now.

CHEERS!

I forgot to add - if you try it again, make sure you use Duncan Hines Chocolate Fudge, not Betty Crocker. I used BC once and I was very disappointed with the chocolate WASC too.

I also didn't care for the WASC and thought I might have messed it up because everyone raves about it. I think the cake was just too dense for my liking! Everyone has their own tastes which is part of what makes baking so wonderful!