I recently gave Kakeladi's WASC cake recipe a try several times now (in the recipe section). It was complimented the first two times I made it; however, both elderly recipients like a cake that is "not too sweet" and even asked for no frosting on the exterior (only filling) because neither liked sweets that much. Not a very pretty cake but they were happy.

I just tried it again this week. I asked my best friend for her opinion because I knew she would tell me the truth about my efforts. She said it needed a bit more flavor because it seemed a little bland to her. I'm sure the recipe is just fine and the deficiency is completely mine!

Do any of you have a suggestion as to how I might adjust the flavor level just a bit since I'm not getting it right? Maybe a different recipe would be better for me as a newbie? What are your thoughts?

Everyone has different taste buds What is sweet to one person isn't to the next; what is salty is welcomed by some but not by others. For someone who does not like sweets, of course they are going to find cake with icing to be 'too sweet'.
Could you have over baked the cake? That will kill flavor!
What brand and flavor cake mix did you use? Did you add the salt in the recipe? May kick it up just a bit - like a 1/4 teaspoon more.
You can always kick up the flavor of any cake by adding some vanilla - by about a teaspoon.
If it's a chocolate cake use strong, brewed, black coffee instead of water. I'm not a coffee fan but I see where it might be used in other flavors too - like with butterpecan mix or fr. vanilla?

Since we are all soooooo different in our likes and dislikes you have to play around w/recipes a bit to find what exactly pleases you and your customers.

I used Betty Crocker cake mix and I did add salt. Maybe I should add a bit more salt and a little more vanilla as well? I did twenty mintues at 300 degrees and then about fifteen minutes at 325, then a couple minutes additional with me checking for doneness because it was not quite done after the 15 minutes. It appeared to be moist and I was able to complete my 10 in and 6 in tiers with no problems. I used apple juice for the liquid because the birthday girl thought that would be good - could that be the problem?

Maybe I was just too cautious! "Baking Outside the Box" is not one of my better talents! I'm a creature of habit and trying something new causes me to not really "go for it!"

I use the WASC recipe as the basis for most of my flavors. I've found that I prefer more flavoring, I usually double whatever a recipe calls for, for vanilla extract. I would probably add an extra half (of whatever measurement) for almond... And for chocolate I agree about using strong coffee in place of the water.

Honestly, for this request I would abandon the WASC ship and go with an angel food cake. With a cake mix, plus added sugar, I think it's going to be way to sweet. I watched an episode of Ciao Italia (on the public broadcasting station) and she did an angel food cake with a crushed berry/whipped cream icing. I remembered thinking at the time that it would be good for an older person or a diabetic.

I just realized that I responded to a totally different part of your post, LOL.

I do Kakeladi's WASC and have done it with both DH and BC mixes. For the standard WASC, you could add some vanilla bean paste and some extra almond extract.

Remember, there are some people out there who think that white cakes don't have any flavor, which is why I like to use a good vanilla.

Sorry about my initial post.

Annie

Annie, not a problem! It is difficult to respond to posts because we can't see the original or prior post when we reply.

I think my problem is that I am tooooo cautious about over powering with flavors and I need to do more - not less. I will follow the advice in this thread and add a bit more vanilla and almond next time. Where does one find vanilla paste - is that a special order product or can it be bought in a basic grocery?

I am going to purchase a better quality vanilla as well. Stepping out of my comfort zone is such a challenge for an old lady!

The recipe made a very moist cake so I want to stick with the recipe and just do a better job at tweaking it for the tastes of each recipient.

Thanks to all and I will try again....and again!

Do any of you add Princess or Creme Bouquet to your WASC?

You can use other flavorings too...if I'm making a vanilla WASC, I usually add two teaspoons of vanilla and one of creme bouquet.

I use emulsions instead of extracts, except for vanilla. If you've got a Ross store near you, you can find the Lorann emulsions there for $2.99. They have some vanilla bean paste for $5.99 too

I think the apple juice instead of water may have been the reason it tasted bland...not enough apple flavor to totally taste like apple, but enough to cancel out the other flavor in the cake.

Texas Rose, Ross store as in the discount clothing store? I know that they have a small area of miscellaneous products but I have never ventured into the few aisles long enough to see those items.

I will make sure that I do not venture too far off the "liquid" path next time. Wanted to make the birthday girl happy because she was helping and I should have known better. Having "help" and comments from others in my kitchen is never a good idea for me.

I will stick with the recipe next time.

I use the Nielsen-Massey vanilla bean paste which is pricey but a little goes a long way. You can also just scrape a vanilla bean (which may be easier to come by at the grocery store) into the batter.

I use the WASC for all different flavors, and yes you can use Princess or any other emulsion you'd like. I just made a lemon WASC yesterday using a white mix but one tablespoon of lemon extract. I don't like the lemon mixes by DH or BC because the neon yellow color is strange, so I prefer to add flavor with zest and extract instead. Works just fine.

I will say that I thought the better quality vanilla was all hype, until I tried the NM vanilla. It is so rich and creamy tasting and it adds such a good flavor. I use their regular extract as well as the paste. My backup is good old McCormick vanilla. I just watched America's Test Kitchen and it won in a taste test of supermarket vanillas.

You can go to kingarthurflour.com (kind of overpriced) or look on Amazon for the NM vanilla.

Please, no imitation vanilla!

Ok, here's my problem with flavorings: I have a disorder that causes flavors to be distorted, so I can't tell whether something tatstes good or bad. I have to rely on my husband to tell me whether my cakes taste good or not. I have both Creme Bouquet and Princess emulsion, but don't know what they taste like. Can anyone tell me whether one tastes better than the other?

Creme bouquet, vanilla paste, emulsions and NO imitation vanilla - got it! My husband will swear "we don't got it" in the budget but we shall see.

Good caking is not cheap!

Thanks....

The good news is a little goes a LONG way!

Good to know...I feel the need to run a few errands and check that out.

By the way, I love your featured cake that always appears in your forum posts. Beautiful!

Thanks Texas_Rose!