I found this recipe on CakeCentral.com— It is delicious and a great choice for carving cakes….especially cakes that are tapered at the bottom (Topsy turvy cakes, Pillow Cake, etc.).
The pudding in the recipe along with the sour cream gives this cake a nice, tight crumb but it is also very moist.
**If using (pudding in the mix) cake mixes, I do not add the box of instant pudding .
**I often double this recipe.
White/Yellow Durable Cake for Carving~Doctored Box Mix
This delicious doctored cake mix layer cake recipe has a very tight crumb, making it great for carving (as well as stacking, covering with fondant, etc).
Ingredients
- 4 egg whites
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 small pkg (3.4 oz) (96g) of instant vanilla pudding mix — (not the cooked variety)
- 1 cup sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 Incorporate all ingredients together one by one on low speed.
- Make sure to mix thoroughly between each ingredient.
- Once all ingredients are mixed turn mixer to medium and mix for approximately 2 minutes.
- Bake at 350 for 30 – 35 minutes
Hi!
I was asked to make a strawberry champagne geode cake. This means I need to use a durable recipe for carving so I guess this would be the best. SO: 1. Can I use a strawberry cake mix and add champagne OR SPARKLING GRAPE JUICE for a non alcoholic version instead of white cake mix and water ?
And 2. Can I use whole eggs instead of 4 egg whites ? If so, how many ?
Thanks so much !!
Hi Bunny, Yes, you can use a strawberry cake mix with the Durable Recipe. I think using champagne will have more of the flavor you are looking for, if that works for your customer. Also, it is best to use the egg whites because the whites give more strength to the cake for carving. For our geode cake we did not use the durable recipe because the carved heart was not very deep ( I think only about 1 inch in) . It sounds as though you will be doing more carving than that. Hope all goes well.
Good evening, would you please tell me how many boxes of cake mix, A long with the additional ingredients, I would need to use for a quarter sheet cake? Thank you very much.
Tambra
Hi Tambra, For a 9×13 quarter sheet cake you will need to double the ingredients listed in the recipe. This should give you a two inch high sheet cake. Fill your cake pan only 2/3’s full. You may have a bit of cake batter leftover.
Hi. Is this version better to use for mini cakes?
Hi Theresa, we only use this recipe when we have a cake that needs a lot of carving, for example a topsy turvy cake. You would be fine to use the White Almond Sour Cream (doctored) recipe from the recipe section. You can leave out the almond extract for a vanilla cake.
Hi there, which version would be better if covering cake with fondant and making it quite high? The durable or regular doctored cake? TIA!
Hi Kristina, Of these two choice, I would use the durable recipe. We usually use that recipe for cakes with a lot of carving or topsy turvy cakes. I don’t know how tall your cake is, but our first choice for a doctored cake mix is the White Almond Sour Cream (doctored) recipe. Leave out the almond extract for a vanilla cake.
Do I have to use sour cream in this recipe?
Hi Jennie, You could substitute plain Greek yogurt or plain regular yogurt. For best results the yogurt should be full fat. You could use 1 cup milk but it would not be as durable if your cake requires a lot of carving.
Awesome! Thank you so much!
I am making a 2 tier cake. Will this be durable enough as the bottom tier?
I need to make a tiered yellow cake so is this cake durable enough to be the bottom tier and can I use the whole egg instead of just the egg whites? Thank you
Hi Crystal, We only use this recipe when we will be doing a lot of carving for a cake design. Your favorite yellow cake recipe could be used. We often use the White Almond Sour Cream doctored recipe ( leave out the almond flavoring for a vanilla cake) when we are using a doctored cake recipe. Here is a link:
https://www.mycakeschool.com/recipes/white-almond-sour-cream-cake/
Whenever you are making a tiered cake, the bubble tea straws or wooden dowels hold the weight of the of the upper cake tier. The upper cake tier will be on a cardboard cake circle that is placed on the dowels. Melissa has a video on Tier Stacking under The Basics, here is a link if you would like to watch it:
https://www.mycakeschool.com/video-tutorials/simple-stacked-tiers/
Let me know if you have other questions.
Hello. My butter recipe boxed tier will be in the middle…i would like to leave the butter in. Do I leave out the sour cream? Also, what do you do with all of the yolks? I hate wasting food, but just thinking about the leftover yolks causes my cholesterol to rise.
Ronnie
Hi Ronnie, we have never tried the butter cake mixes. I don’t know how much butter is in the mix, but if you go that route I would leave out the oil not the sour cream.
Would I need to make any adjustments to this recipe if I’m using chocolate cake mix?
Hi Sally, No adjustments needed for chocolate cake mix.
Thank you. I used this recipe this weekend and it worked great!
https://www.facebook.com/occasionalcakes/posts/1694421890601305
Adorable, Sally! Glad to hear that it worked well for you!
Made this recipe to make a dinosaur cake. It looked beautiful when I took the cake out of the over. As it cooled it sunk. What did I do wrong?
Hi Sandy, I am sorry you had this problem. Did you use a cake mix without pudding in the mix and disregard the instructions on the box? Cake mixes are very forgiving so it is unlikely that it was under mixed or over mixed. The most likely cause of a cake sinking in the center is under baking. You might want to buy an oven thermometer to see if your oven is heating to the temperature you have set . It is inexpensive and can be found at Target, grocery stores or Amazon. Before removing the cake from the oven, insert a toothpick into the center and it should come out clean or with just a few crumbs attached. I hope your cake sank just slightly so you were able to use it.
If I were to do a chocolate version, could I use DH chocolate cake mix and add chocolate chips to the batter?
Hi Anita, Yes you can do that. Here is a link to the chocolate version that has a tiny bit more oil. Both are recipes from Cake Central
https://www.mycakeschool.com/recipes/chocolate-durable-cake/
Awesome! I will give this recipe a try! Thanks for your quick response!!
If you are doing chocolate would you use chocolate pudding mix instead of vanilla?
Hi Kelly, You could use either, but for more chocolate flavor chocolate pudding would be great.
Hi when you say you double this recipe do you mean 2 cake boxes with all those extra ingredients added only one time or just two cake boxes and double the ingredients?
Hi Taylor, When I posted that I often double the recipe, I mean that all ingredients are doubled.
Hi, would doubling all the ingredients work for a half sheet cake? Or would I need extra? Thanks!
Hi Heather, I did not see a note on this recipe for the number of cups of batter this makes. My guess is that it makes approximately 4 1/2 cups. I think you will need to make 3 times the recipe if your pan size is 11×15. Below are links to 2 batter amounts charts that will help you decide.
http://www.fromkarenskitchen.com/tips/party_cake_batter_amounts_baking_times_2inch_pan.php
http://www.wilton.com/cake-serving-guide/cms-baking-serving-guide.html
Thank you so much, BeBe! This helps a lot!
If I’m making the yellow version or chocolate, can I use whole eggs or should I still just use egg whites? I’m just wondering if the yolks are left out for color or for structure.
Hi Liz, The egg whites give the cake structure, making it a good choice if you are making a cake that requires a lot of carving. Two egg whites equal 1 whole egg so you could use 1 whole egg plus 2 egg whites if you like. The egg whites do make the cake lighter in color but not truly a white cake because of the pudding mix . If you need a chocolate durable cake, you would use the 4 egg whites plus a chocolate pudding mix (instant).
How many cups does 1 mix like this make? I’m making a 12″ ice cream filled layer cake,’cause for 8 year old twins it cant be simple! Do you have any tips? Would you glaze or something between layers before the ice cream?
Hi Laurel, I think the recipe will make approximately 5 cups batter. You will need 7 1/2 cups for a 12 inch (2 inch deep) round cake pan. This recipe makes a dense cake suitable for carving, do you need that type of cake? Between the layers you could spread on caramel or chocolate ice cream topping, such as Smuckers brand……then sprinkle on toffee bits, nuts or mini chocolate chips, whatever fits the flavor of cake and ice cream you will be using. We do not have any ice cream cakes on the site. Below is a link to a simple ice cream cake that I think is very cute. Read the comments under the cake for other helpful information. Hope all goes well.
https://iwashyoudry.com/homemade-oreo-ice-cream-cake/
Would I be able to add almond extract to this recipe without compromising the result?
Hi Calli, it would be fine to add almond extract to the recipe.
Hi. I am looking forward to trying this recipe to make a champagne bucket cake and I am thinking of trying champagne flavoring for the first time. How much would you suggest I use? Also, would adding colored sprinkles to the batter compromise it?
Thanks!
MJ
Hi Mary Jo, If it is a champagne extract, 1 teaspoon should be enough to add the flavor you want. If you are using a champagne oil, it can be a concentrated flavor that is 3 or 4 times stronger than the typical extract so you will need to follow the directions on the package.
Hope all goes well with your bucket cake.
Im attempting a grad cake to look like a book. Is the texture of this cake stll as moist as if i made a regular cake mix cake. Or do. I make the book like a topper instead. Will it be too heavy for a reg cake to hold. Any help. Thank you
When you say this is dense do you mean like a pound cake? I want a light and fluffy yellow cake so I am just wondering. thank you in advance!
Hi BeBe, I’m making this cake for my daughters wedding, I’m using a 12in round(3in deep), how many of this recipe would I do?
Hi Debbie, For a 12×3 inch round pan you will need 10 1/2 cups batter (Bake at 325 degrees for 65 to 75 min). I did not list the amount of batter this recipe makes but my guess is 4 to 4 1/2 cups. Is there a reason you are using the Durable recipe for wedding cake? We only use this recipe when we are doing extensive carving on a cake. Also, many bakers have trouble with the outside of their cake over baking when using 3 inch deep pans so I am thinking you must have experience using them. Hope all goes well. Below is a link to a batter amount chart for 3 inch deep pans that you may find helpful.
https://www.craftybaking.com/learn/baked-goods/wedding-cakes/charts/baking-time-and-batter-amounts-three-inch-deep-pans
Hi BeBe, I always cooked the durable chocolate cake for my family and they loved it. So I saw this one and cooked a small one, it was very moist and very good, so my daughter wanted that one to. I’m doing 3 different flavors, they won’t be stacked on each other. This is how I’m doing it.
Great plan, Debbeie, that will be perfectly lovely.
When you make the durable cake recipes do you also add the ingredients listed on the cake mix and add the ingredients on your list? Or is it dry cake mix only and your list of ingredients? Also when you are mixing do you beat the egg whites a bit before adding the wet to them then add the dry stuff?
Hi Reagan, We do not add the ingredients listed on the cake mix box. The recipe is the cake mix and the ingredients we give. We do not beat the egg whites before adding.
Do we have to use pudding in our cake mix? Also can I replace water with buttermilk
Hi Sandrabee, If you do not want to add a package of pudding to the cake mix, you can buy a cake mix that includes pudding in their mix. The pudding makes for a more dense cake, this is why this recipe is good for carving. We have other cake mix cakes in our recipe section that do not have pudding in the recipe. I have not tried using buttermilk, it adds more acidity to the cake so I can’t say for sure. Some bakers do add milk instead of water.
Would that be 2% or whole milk? And idk why but pudding makes my cake batter too thick also I would bake it what the box instructed
It could be either 2% or whole. If you are not using pudding in the mix, I would not use this recipe. I would use the White Cake (doctored recipe) from the recipe section (this recipe could be used for other cake mix flavors also. Below is a link to the recipe.
https://www.mycakeschool.com/recipes/white-cake/
Would this work for any cake flavor?
If I’m making a 14 x3 round 10 x 3 round 6 x 3 round for a wedding cake. Could you tell me how many cake mix and
ingredients for each one. Do we need to doubles the layers for the 3 inch cake.
Also , what doctored cake recipe do you use for a wedding cake, the 10 inch one they want to be chocolate and the 14 and 6 inch vanilla cake.
Hi Debbie, We like the doctored White Almond Sour Cream cake in the recipe section, it makes 7 cups of batter. You can use chocolate cake mix, yellow, or any flavor. Below is a link to the recipe and also a link to a batter amount chart that you might find helpful.
https://www.mycakeschool.com/recipes/white-almond-sour-cream-cake/
http://www.fromkarenskitchen.com/tips/party_cake_batter_amounts_baking_times_2inch_pan.php