The perfect cake :

[Judy Judy Judy]

OK, so I'm sick and tired of my cakes always being so dry and I heard that if you add sour cream to a box cake mix it will come out moist, has anyone else heard this to confirm? Also anyone here have a chocolate icing recipe made from scratch that's great, I know there are 1000 recipes for a chocolate cake but I want something someone has actually done that turned out great.

Our church Christmas party will be the first week of December and I refuse to be the horrible cake maker again this year.

Any tips for cake making? TIA

 

[MosMom]

1 box any flavor cake mix
1 box complimenting flavored instant pudding (ie. chocolate pudding for chocolate cake)
3 eggs
1/2 C oil or unsalted butter
1 1/3 C water or milk
1/2 C sour cream

----

Yum. This makes an especially good chocolate cake if you use a devils food mix with instant chocolate pudding (3.9 oz). Frost with a vanilla buttercream. *drool*

 

[mytwotinks]

I'm going to have to try that!

I love chocolate cake w/ chocolate frosting and then take chopped up walnuts and press them into the sides of the cake! There is a lady at our old church that always did that for pot-lucks.

 

[Judy Judy Judy]

1 box any flavor cake mix
1 box complimenting flavored instant pudding (ie. chocolate pudding for chocolate cake)
3 eggs
1/2 C oil or unsalted butter
1 1/3 C water or milk
1/2 C sour cream

----

This will be my cake mix, it sounds perfect to me...anyone have a homemade icing recipe? I'm going to do the cake in chocolate as suggested.

 

[zagafi]

http://www.recipezaar.com/Kakeladis-Original-Wasc-White-Almond-Sour-Cream-Cake-309528

You won't go wrong. It is very, very good.

 

[bethbuchall]

I've had success many times with Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake and Frosting.

http://www.hersheys.com/recipes/recipes/detail.asp?id=184

 

[mamacatnv]

My Aunt swears by dropping a brick of cream cheese into the mix and being careful not to over mix. I live at a high altitude which affects the dryness.

 

[Judy Judy Judy]

From what I can gather all homemade chocolate icing is about the same recipe, so I guess I'll use the one from hershey's.

 

[Miss Park Avenue]

My Aunt swears by dropping a brick of cream cheese into the mix and being careful not to over mix. I live at a high altitude which affects the dryness.

This exactly what I was going to post. When the box says mix for 2 minutes, don't go a second over 2 minutes. Watch the clock if you need to. If it looks pretty well blended before the 2 minutes is up you can stop then.

Baking is a little less forgiving than cooking, so you have to make sure you get your measurements right and not overcook or overmix. I never put anything special in it to keep it moist, but people always compliemented my extra moist cakes. But one cake everyone liked was the white cake mix with chunks of oreos baked through it. Then I frosted it with white icing and then put some fine crumbs of oreo cookies on top. Easy and really good!

 

[C.Ann]

Whenever I have wanted a super moist cake I have always used the Chocolate Mayonnaise cake recipe..

 

[stacyp9]

OK, so I'm sick and tired of my cakes always being so dry and I heard that if you add sour cream to a box cake mix it will come out moist, has anyone else heard this to confirm? Also anyone here have a chocolate icing recipe made from scratch that's great, I know there are 1000 recipes for a chocolate cake but I want something someone has actually done that turned out great.

Our church Christmas party will be the first week of December and I refuse to be the horrible cake maker again this year.

Any tips for cake making? TIA

Cooks Illustrated Holiday Baking magazine. They will think you are brilliant!

 

[Lib E]

1 box any flavor cake mix
1 box complimenting flavored instant pudding (ie. chocolate pudding for chocolate cake)
3 eggs
1/2 C oil or unsalted butter
1 1/3 C water or milk
1/2 C sour cream

----

Yum. This makes an especially good chocolate cake if you use a devils food mix with instant chocolate pudding (3.9 oz). Frost with a vanilla buttercream. *drool*

Is that melted butter or room temp? I'm the worst baker and usually end up buying cakes when we need one.

 

[MosMom]

melted in the cake batter but room temp in the frosting.

 

[Lib E]

Thanks. Love your location BTW.

 

[Pikester]

I make sure that I always buy a Devils Food cake mix when I want Chocolate cake. I don't do anything special but follow the instructions on the box. Comes out very moist.

I also do the marble cake mix for birthdays and everyone always tells me what good cake it is.

I really like buttercream frosting but I don't like the work so I use the Duncan Hines canned Creamy Homestyle Butter Cream . Yummy! I know it's not chocolate but you could keep it in mind for a future cake.

 

[Judy Judy Judy]

Thanks for all the help, you know I always thought that you needed to beat the batter to death, I sometimes even beat it for 6 or 7 minutes...who knew

 

[MosMom]

Ohhh noooo. Beat until your ingredients are combined and quit. Watch for overbaking too.

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

Whenever I have wanted a super moist cake I have always used the Chocolate Mayonnaise cake recipe..

I have heard of using Mayo in a cake recipe...I would be afraid it would taste like mayo, but I'm sure it doesn't...does it?

Do you have a recipe? I think there is one on the label of one of the brands of mayo.

I love buttercream made with real butter..does anyone have a really fluffy version using butter?

 

[Miss Park Avenue]

Thanks for all the help, you know I always thought that you needed to beat the batter to death, I sometimes even beat it for 6 or 7 minutes...who knew

Yeah, it'll come out the texture of bread if you beat it too much. I had a great cookbook that explained the mechanics of it. I can't remember the name of it. But she explained that you can cream the butter and sugar together till the cows came home and it wouldn't matter, but once the eggs were added you shouldn't beat it cause it causes to much "gluten" or something in the batter (I can't remember exactly, I lost the cookbook in one of two cross country moves).

You'll have to let us know what kind of cake you made! A picture would nice too.

 

[mytwotinks]

Yeah, it'll come out the texture of bread if you beat it too much. I had a great cookbook that explained the mechanics of it. I can't remember the name of it. But she explained that you can cream the butter and sugar together till the cows came home and it wouldn't matter, but once the eggs were added you shouldn't beat it cause it causes to much "gluten" or something in the batter (I can't remember exactly, I lost the cookbook in one of two cross country moves).

You'll have to let us know what kind of cake you made! A picture would nice too.

I learned that in 9th grade cooking class! You should only ever mix baked things until they are just mixed. Especially muffins and pancakes. Those should still have lumps in the batter.