Comments

1. Paula Forrester January 30, 2017 at 12:26 pm

   Could you do a nonalcolode version of this cake?
2. Valencia January 30, 2017 at 3:06 pm

   Is this doctored cake recipe good for making cupcakes?
3. BeBe January 31, 2017 at 10:55 pm

   Hi Paula, Members who have made the pink champagne scratch recipe have told us that they have used sparkling white grape juice, the taste would not be quite the same but it would work. Someone also used raspberry lemonade. I think you could also just make a white cake recipe using champagne extract. You may need to order the extract online.
4. Melissa Diamond February 3, 2017 at 1:05 pm

   @Valencia- Yes, you can use this recipe for cupcakes also!
5. Anita Fernando February 5, 2017 at 11:56 pm

   I am from Sri Lanka. I like to join with you Melissa because I am also interested this. You made lovely cakes.
6. Melissa Diamond February 6, 2017 at 12:43 am

   Thank you, Anita! We would be happy to have you as a member. You can either join by visiting our “join” page, or if you would like for us to e-mail an invoice to you, you can send an e-mail to [email protected]. Thanks!!
7. GuppyLove February 12, 2017 at 6:07 pm

   I made this over the weekend and it’s just fabulous!!! When I try a recipe for the first time I always make a cupcake for taste testing? it came out great too!! ???
8. Christi March 24, 2017 at 3:57 pm

   Have you made a gluten free version of this cake? Would love you’re suggestions!
   Thank you,
   Christi
9. Kate March 28, 2017 at 11:54 pm

   I made the doctored recipe and butter cream for mini cupcakes and it was delicious. I did use a different champagne. But the mini cupcakes were flat looking and also every single wrapper pulled away. (The wrappers were fine for a different recipe I used the same day) Do you know what causes that? Also when sifting a cake mix what difference does that actually make? Thanks!!
10. Prisca April 17, 2017 at 3:03 am

    Would you recommend using the pink champagne doctored recipe or the scratch recipe for cupcakes (not sure how different the texture or taste is from one another)? How long should I bake them for? Thank you!
11. BeBe April 17, 2017 at 11:20 am

    Hi Prisca, I think you will be fine using either recipe. I can’t remember any distinct difference between the two. Bake cupcakes at 350 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with only a few crumbs attached.
12. Cindy Miotek June 4, 2017 at 1:07 pm

    Looks yummy
13. Zubia khan June 13, 2017 at 3:27 am

    Its so sweet and delicious, ensuring it comes out fantastically moist. This is a great base recipe to use . I love this cake.It looks so fresh and tasty. Can’t wait to make it at home . Its the best for summer . Hope me and my family will definitely like this.
14. Heather June 28, 2017 at 10:41 am

    How many cupcakes would this make? A box makes 24, so with the added ingredients, I was just wondering :) How much of your champagne buttercream would get used (I know it varies and your recipe is designed for frosting a cake with frills and such, but 8 cups is A LOT of frosting LOL I made about half that and still had a decent amount leftover after frosting 24 cupcakes last week) Also… why start with a box if you’re going to add flour and sugar anyway? I’m a from-scratch girl, but I started with a box last week and it made my life so simple that I’m keen on doing it again especially when I need to make a large amount of cupcakes for a bridal shower in a couple of weeks!); when I was researching, a few friends told me that professional bakers do it all the time–I was floored!
15. Lynn Edmondson June 28, 2017 at 8:53 pm

    Will this recipe hold up to Swiss Merengue Buttercream and fondant?
16. BeBe June 28, 2017 at 10:38 pm

    Hi Heather, I am not positive on the number of additional cupcakes, maybe 8 more. Using a box mix as the base ingredient is convenient and speeds up the process of baking a cake. Also, box mixes are very forgiving and almost always result in a good cake. Adding flour, sugar and flavorings eliminates the box cake mix taste, making it taste more like a from scratch cake. Yes, it is true that many professional baker use a pre-made baking mix.
17. BeBe June 28, 2017 at 10:39 pm

    Hi Lynn, yes, the recipe will hold up to fondant.
18. Heather July 11, 2017 at 9:18 am
    

    I made these (and a half recipe of the buttercream). I think they’re amazing (serving them a little later today). Instead of vanilla, I put raspberry flavor in both recipes :) FYI… I got 30 cupcakes out of this recipe (using the Pampered Chef Large Scoop). And they totally don’t taste box-y! :) (I put a little more frosting than shown in the picture, I was just having a hard time finding one where the wrapper hadn’t pulled away almost completely :( wrapper issue, not cake–that company is my next stop HA)
19. BeBe July 11, 2017 at 10:23 pm

    Hi Heather, I am happy you liked the recipe! Thank you for posting your thoughts and information. As for the wrappers pulling away, we have found that if the cupcakes are stored in an airtight container it can cause the wrappers to loosen. We usually store ours in a bakery box.
20. Diane December 6, 2017 at 10:04 pm

    Hi there,
    Could you use this cake mix for a bundt cake pan? Or a wilton dome shaped doll pan? I wonder if it would be too “doughy” or if it’d be ok? All the champagne recipes I’ve seen have always been layer cakes but I prefer bundt type cakes. What do you think?? Your recipe sounds great!!
    Diane
21. BeBe December 7, 2017 at 9:19 am

    Hi Diane, I have not used this recipe in a bundt cake pan, but I think you could do so. The recipe makes approximately 7 1/2 cups batter. If you are using a dark colored pan, you will want to lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees. We have not used it in the Wilton dome Wonder Mold pan so I am not sure of the baking time. The instructions that come with the pan or an online search will help with that.
22. Diane December 7, 2017 at 10:14 am

    Thanks so much for the prompt reply! I’ll give it a try for sure!
23. Jenniffer White March 16, 2018 at 7:04 pm

    Today I made this recipe, the from scratch pink champagne and Liz Merick’s pink champagne. Liz’s recipe was my least favorite because of the fake “sparking wine”extract and it was dense. The texture of your scratch cake was the very best. Light and fluffy! The taste of of this cake was the best and the texture is great. To be honest! I want to work on the scratch recipe so I’m going to try to add some salt and a little more champagne and cross my fingers. Both of your recipes are great and very worth a try!
24. Karrie October 22, 2018 at 12:01 pm

    I made this recipe as cupcakes for my sister-in-law’s wedding but started with a strawberry cake mix instead of white. Very good! :)
25. BeBe October 22, 2018 at 11:18 pm

    Hi Karrie, Thanks so much for posting your version of the recipe , that does sound good!
26. Fran Conrad March 19, 2019 at 8:41 am

    Hi Melissa. I made cupcakes using the doctored cake recipe. They came out flat and Shiney. What did I do wrong?
27. Genelle April 1, 2019 at 12:28 am

    Hi Melissa just curious if I have a betty Crocker strawberry and cream box mix could I doctered this from other of your recipes e.g. white almond sour cream cake ??
28. BeBe April 1, 2019 at 10:24 am

    Hi Genelle, We have not used the Strawberry an Cream box mix but it should work well for you, using the additions shown in the White Almond Sour Cream doctored recipe. I am assuming the cream (Strawberry and Cream) refers to the buttercream frosting in the mix.
29. Peggy July 3, 2019 at 8:59 pm

    Hi.
    My pink champagne cake did not rise. Let all ingredients sit out for almost two hours and sifted cake mix. Should flour have been sifted? It didn’t say in the instructions. I am always buying new cans of baking powder. Could it be champagne? Everything was according to directions.
30. BeBe July 3, 2019 at 9:22 pm

    Hi Peggy, I am so sorry you had a problem. We do not sift the flour in the recipe. There is rarely a problem when using a cake mix in a recipe so I am not sure what could have been the problem. If the oven temperature was too low or if there was too much liquid in the batter it would not rise properly.
31. Peggy July 3, 2019 at 11:05 pm

    Ok. Why do they rise and then fall after taking out of the oven?
    I baked same cake mix two days ago and it rose over pan and never fell after taking out oven.
    Thanks
32. Peggy July 4, 2019 at 10:53 am
    

    It came out fine. I just wanted it higher for contest. Thanks
33. BeBe July 5, 2019 at 6:34 pm

    Hi Peggy, Your cake is beautiful, looks like a winner for the contest! In your first post, I misunderstood, I thought your cake did not rise at all or very little. If it did rise and fell after taking out of the oven, the most common reason is that it was under baked or the oven temperature was not high enough. I’m glad all turned out well.
34. Donna Bundrum March 16, 2020 at 10:22 pm

    My mother wants me to bake the cake in her gas stove, is this possible? Thanks
35. BeBe March 17, 2020 at 8:37 pm

    Hi Donna, You can bake in a gas oven, though you may need to make some adjustments. Some tend to have hot spots so you could ask your mom about that. You may also need to rotate the pans for more even baking. It is best to avoid dark colored pans because they absorb more heat and the bottom of your cake could over. Light colored metal pans are a better choice. If you only have dark pans you could move the oven rack a bit higher and reduce the baking temperature by 25 degrees and bake a little longer. Keep an eye on your cakes.
36. Jennifer June 28, 2020 at 10:00 pm

    This cake turned out great! We will definitely be keeping this and using it over and over again!
37. Vicki September 6, 2020 at 1:42 pm

    Came out perfectly. Thanks.
38. BeBe September 6, 2020 at 2:48 pm

    Wonderful!! Thanks for the follow-up!
39. Myrna October 4, 2020 at 2:06 pm

    Melissa, want to make the doctored version for a special birthday cake for my daughter. Read both recipes and the previous comments. Please explain why the scratch recipe uses 1 cup champagne while the doctored recipe uses 1 & 2/3 cups.
    Could the additional 2/3 cup champagne be the reason some of the cakes did not rise?
    Appreciate a response because do not want a disappointed daughter.
    Thanks Myrna
40. BeBe October 4, 2020 at 3:27 pm

    Hi Myrna, The recipe is correct as written. Hope you enjoy the cake.
41. Kathy January 16, 2021 at 9:02 am

    Melissa. I want to make a 1/2 sheet pink champagne cake. Do I double the recipe, do you have any helpful suggestions. I always add pudding to my cake mixes with an extra egg. Will that change the consistency or just follow your recipe cake mix version and all will be moist. I always freeze all my bake goods it does make them moister.
42. Melissa Diamond January 17, 2021 at 2:53 pm

    Hi Kathy! This cake makes about 7 1/2 cups and so I would double.

    I’m not sure what size you consider a half sheet- I think of half sheets as 12×18 but some bakers define it differently. This chart is helpful for batter amounts needed- you’ll see a section of sheet cake pans sizes.

    http://www.fromkarenskitchen.com/tips/party_cake_batter_amounts_baking_times_2inch_pan.php

    We haven’t tried adding pudding to this recipe and so I cannot say for sure– cake mixes are usually pretty forgiving and so most likely it would work just fine. Of course, it would be a little denser than the recipe as written. Good luck on your cake!
43. Kathy January 17, 2021 at 5:55 pm

    Thank you very helpful. My 1/2 sheet pan is same as your