I am so frustrated, the last 3 white cakes I have made, have all been very crumbly. One split in half, one the bottom came out in a big chunk, tonights - the sides all crumbled apart. What is causing this? I have followed the recipes exactly, put parchment in the bottom of the pans, I JUST DON"T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO. HELP!!

What recipe did you use? WASC? Totally from scratch? Cake mix? White cakes are known for being really soft and more tender due to using just egg whites. Some recipes allow for adding a yolk or two in addition (for strength and flavor) so it doesn't change the structure of the color too much.
When are you turning them out of the pans? Too early, and they can crumble. If you can get them out of the pans, I would put them on cake plates or cardboard rounds to keep them stable, then wrap all of it in 2 layers of plastic wrap and freeze. When my aunt made cake mix cakes, this really helped her with firming up white wedding cake layers (keeps the cake very moist while making it more stable!). HTH

thank you so much. I have been using Duncan Heinz Moist Deluxe, because it is my favorite it flavor and texture. I appreciate your suggestions, as I will try them and see what difference they can make.

I ALWAYS line the bottom of my cakepan with wax paper or parchment paper (grease that as well). That way my cakes never stick to the bottom of the pan.

I did use parchment on the bottom, so the bottom did not stick, but now the sides fell apart. I am very curious about the response from sweetiesby kim and wonder if it has to do with the use of only egg whites?? If anyone tries to alter the recipe with success, please share.

I use DH mixes, but I add the whole eggs and a bit more oil and line my pans with waxed paper.....They still come out pretty white and the waxed paper sticks to the bottom of the cake better for easier handling... it peals nice and neat.

I used tp have this problem and figured out it was the cake release I was using. I started using the cake release recipe from here on cc and it has not happened to me anymore. Maybe that would help out as well.

This happened to me tonight with a box carrot cake mix. The box instructions called for 3 eggs, but I used an altered recipe that added crushed pineapple, and a bit more flour and only 2 eggs. I think that the 3rd egg would have helped bind it together better. The cake did not fall apart, but when slicing it, the bottom would just crumbled off. It still tasted great, not dry. I can only assume that the 3rd egg was needed and maybe the recipe was incorrect.

Must be a Duncan Hines issue because I have always used butter golden but for some reason the last two boxes are very crumbly. I thought it was the butter but it's not. Going to try pillsbury 

So many possibilities:  1) Do you have an oven thermometer to make sure your oven isn't getting hotter than it should.   2) Are you fully preheating your oven.  3)  Are you pulling out the cake as soon as toothpick or tester comes out clean or almost clean.  4)  Are you using large eggs.  5) Have you checked the expiration dates on the boxes.  6)  Maybe someone messed up at Duncan Heinz and they have some bad batches.  7)  Are you mixing the batter long enough.... I know it starts out thin and then becomes thick and smooth by the time it's mixed well.  8)  I had problems baking when the oven seal came loose.  This made heat escape too fast meaning that the oven came on more than usual, blasting the bottom of the pans with hot air the whole time and ruining my bread and cake.          

I've always preferred Duncan Heinz over BC and Pillsbury, at least for chocolate cake.  The flavor always seemed more natural to me.