This easy White Almond Sour Cream Cake (Doctored Cake Mix Recipe) is delicious, dense enough to hold up to fondant, versatile enough for cupcakes, and sturdy enough to handle light carving.
Some bakers want to work exclusively with scratch recipes, while others prefer to only work with doctored cake mixes. I have recipes that I LOVE that fall into both categories. Whether it is a scratch cake recipe or doctored doesn’t matter so much to me as how the cake tastes!
This White Almond Sour Cream Cake is a great example of a tried and true doctored cake mix recipe that would please any crowd.
I love the flavor and texture of this cake. The sour cream in the recipe gives it a nice density without being too heavy. I like almond desserts and so for me, the hint of almond in this cake recipe is delicious.
However, if you are not an fan of almond, no problem! Simply leave the almond flavoring out and you will have a fantastic White Sour Cream Cake recipe to serve your friends and family.
If your cake calls for more extensive carving, or tapering as with a topsy turvy design, the much denser “Durable Doctored Cake Mix Recipe” in our Recipes section is probably the best bet. This White Almond Sour Cream cake is very versatile. You can substitute other cake mix flavors with great results.
We also have a fabulous Chocolate (doctored cake mix) version of this cake which you can find here!: Chocolate Sour Cream Cake: Doctored Cake Mix Recipe.
We discovered this popular White Almond Sour Cream Cake years ago on CakeCentral.com (where it is very well known and often abbreviated as WASC). We use this recipe often, but also get rave reviews for our scratch version of this cake which can be found here: Scratch White Almond Sour Cream Cake Recipe.
White Almond Sour Cream Cake {Doctored Mix, Extended Recipe}
Ingredients
- 1 box cake mix, sifted (we use cake mix without pudding in the mix)
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- generous dash of salt
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup water
- 3 whole eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon almond or lemon extract or you can use all vanilla
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour two 8x2 round cake pans. In the bowl of your mixer, combine dry ingredients and whisk at least 30 seconds to blend. In another bowl, combine sour cream, water, eggs, & flavorings. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stop after 1 minute to scrape the sides and bottom of bowl then continue to beat for the second minute.
- Pour into prepared pans and bake at 325 degrees....check at 35 minutes to see if middle of cake springs back when touched, a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake come out clean or with just a few crumbs attached, and the cake will be slightly pulled away from the pan. We bake at 325 degrees to decrease the height of the dome on the cakes.
- Makes about 7 cups of batter. Works well for cupcakes.
We also have an amazing White Almond Sour Cream Cake from scratch recipe! You can find it here & pin or print it for later: White Almond Sour Cream Cake from Scratch!
Thanks for stopping by! We hope that you enjoy this White Almond Sour Cream Cake recipe! For a full collection of our FAVORITE frosting and cake recipes, make sure to stop by our Recipes section!
(*The cake in our photo was frosted with our Classic Vanilla Buttercream. We used the beautiful piped buttercream technique which we teach in our free video tutorial for Cascading Rosettes of Buttercream!)
Hi Brandy, I am sorry there was a problem, but it sounds like the oven temperature is too high. It would be a good idea to buy an oven thermometer to check the accuracy of your oven temperature. If your oven temperature is correct, move the oven shelf down to the next level. Also, make sure to whisk the dry ingredients at least 30 seconds. You want to have an even distribution of the sugar and flour throughout the cake mix. Hope this helps. Let me know if you have other questions.
Hi, I have made this recipe for a 12×18 cake and it was awesome. I now need to bake a 12 x2 double layer and wonder if a double recipe would work for this. I have read where I need 10 cups of batter but I don’t feel confident at all.
Thank you
Hi Donna, This recipe makes approximately 7 cups of batter. You will need 7 1/2 to 8 cups of batter for each 12 round pan. Doubling the recipe is very close to what you will need, so it will be your decision to have slightly less in your cake pans or make another recipe of cake batter to make up the difference. We often use Wilton’s Party Cake guide for batter amounts, here is a link, link to wilton.com. This and other information can be found on the homepage of the site. Look for Member Resources on the right side of the screen, click on Helpful Links . Also, remember that with a cake this large you will need a heating core or 2 inverted rose nails to give you even baking. This is another chart you might like to have, link to fromkarenskitchen.com. Let me know if you have other questions.
Is this the cake recipe you used for the spiral train cake? Would the Chocolate durable recipe work for the train cake?
Has anyone tried this with a gluten-free cake mix and gluten-free flour?
Hi Bebe! On March 15, 2016 you commented with your version of the doctored recipe which included vegetable oil but there was no sour cream listed. So I was about to run to the store with my list and was thrown off by that. Do you leave the sour cream out of the WASC cake now when using the 15.25 yellow or white cake mix?
Hello Coreen! To answer your question, this WASC recipe as listed at the top of the page should be made just as it is (sour cream and all). No changes are necessary to account for the change in box size.
I’ve altered the comment that you mentioned to make it a bit more clear. Mom was actually referencing/listing our doctored White Cake recipe in that post (where we actually did add a bit of flour to account for the change in box size.) -That was just to explain that while we didn’t make any alterations to our WASC recipe, we did change up the other recipe a bit. I hope this helps!
This cake is AMAZING! I am a stickler about vanilla cake because it’s my favorite. This cake has so much flavor & is incredibly moist. This is my new go-to vanilla cake!
Hi Jenny, Thank you for posting your comment on this recipe. We’re very happy you like the recipe.
Hi. What frosting/filling do you recommend for this cake?
This is a cake recipe that can be paired with almost everything. If you leave out the almond flavoring and lemon flavoring you will have a basic vanilla cake. Adding a bit more almond flavoring and you could have a raspberry filling with vanilla buttercream. Cherry flavored buttercream goes well with almond and well as a butter pecan buttercream. Leaving out the almond and adding a bit more lemon goes well with a lemon curd filling and lemon buttercream. Also good with a coconut filling plus coconut frosting. Lots of possibilities with this cake.
Hi Melissa –
Can this recipe be doubled for a large batch?
Thank you
Michelle
Hi Michelle, Yes, the recipe can be doubled
Hi there, I was wondering if all of your recipes and tutorials are on Pinterest?
HI ejfan, Most of our cake recipe are on Pinterest and also pictures of cakes. The cakes that are video tutorials can only be viewed by members of the site.
You can pin the video tutorials, do I not need to pay for a subscription anymore?
Does this wasc dense enough to hold multiple layers / stacking
Hi Nannie- Yes, it is dense enough for stacking but you will need to use supports for your tiered cakes as usual. Hope you enjoy the recipe ;0)
Quick I need help! lol I am making mini naked cakes for a party and they want 60 individual cakes (double stacked and I assumed I’d use a 4″ biscuit cutter to cut out)…..how much stuff should I buy to make all of these?!
@Hdureah- Hi- I would take out the sheet cake pans that you’d like to use for this project, flip one over, and using your biscuit cutter, see how many 4″ cakes you can get from each sheet cake. Then you’ll know how many sheet cakes to make. Here is a link to Wilton’s serving & batter chart which includes sheet cake amounts if you’re unsure of how many cups of batter it will take to fill your pans. This recipe makes about 7 cups of batter. Good luck!
link to wilton.com
can i use this recipe for a box red velvet cake mix fr cup cake.
Hi Rose, Yes, you can use red velvet cake mix in the recipe, I would add 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder (sift the cocoa to remove any lumps).
It will make great cupcakes.
Thanks so much for sharing such yummy cake recipes with us. The WASC cake recipe using the boxed cake mix—is there no oil or butter needed in this recipe?
Thanks so much,
ml
I LOVE this recipe!!! I get compliments on it every time I make it! Thanks for all the GREAT tutorials and recipes!!!?❤️?❤️
What is your favorite brand of cake mix to use for this? Thank you so much!
Hi Alicia, We almost always use Duncan Hines.
Can I use cake flour?
Hi Chan tell, Yes, you can use cake flour
Can you bake this cake in an 8″x3″ round pan? I need to make a tall cake (tiered and fondant covered) and was wondering if I can just bake this in one 8×3 round pan and torte my layers instead of baking in several pans.
Hi Nadia, We always bake in 2 inch deep pans. If you bake in a 3″ pan I would lower the temperature to 325 degrees and lengthen the baking time. You will probably also need to wrap the pan in a baking strip so the outside of the cake layer will not over bake. It is also good to use a baking nail (rose nail) in the center to help with even baking. Don’t overfill the pan, 1/2 full is probably best.
If I made this for a wedding cake (enough for 5 tiers) would it be possible to bake early and freeze so I can assemble at the last minute?
Hi Susan, We don’t freeze decorated tiers, I’m not sure if that is what you had in mind. I definitely recommend baking and freezing the individual layers or freezing the tiers filled and crumb coated. Just keep airtight by wrapping in plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Let thaw to add the final frosting or fondant. We have successfully frozen cake layers for 2 months. Hope all goes well.
Hi Bebe, in Nadia’s post above referencing 3 inch pans, you suggested that she reduce her oven temp to 325. I think the original oven temp is also 325. So I wasn’t sure hitch temp is correct. Thanks so much Bebe! Thanks for all you ladies do for us!
Hello. Thank you for hosting such a great site!
I made your scratch German Chocolate Cake for a birthday present, and everyone loved it :).
This cake and the chocolate sour cream cake look wonderful. I am planning to do mini bundt cakes (12 cavity pan) in chocolate, vanilla and strawberry, and I was hoping you could suggest how to doctor the strawberry cake mix, please.
I was also hoping you could share what kind of glaze or glazes would be good to go with each cake flavor. I do not want to use frosting so as not to cover the pretty shape of the bundts.
Thank you!!
It’s onerous to search out educated folks on this matter, however you sound like you already know what you’re talking about! Thanks
Can I make cupcakes with these
Hi Trina, Yes, you can make cupcakes with the White Almond Sour Cream, doctored recipe. If you want a vanilla cupcake, just leave out the almond extract.
Made this for a friend who asked me to bake a cake for her – I am a hobby baker. It was a hit! Very moist & tasted great. I did omit the almond extract, I don’t like the flavor. I topped it with the white chocolate buttercream icing. Loved it!
Hi Cyndi, Wonderful! We are so happy you like the recipe! We use this recipe very often for Melissa’s demonstration cakes. I usually leave out the almond also, it makes a great vanilla cake. Thanks so much for posting your thoughts on this cake.
What size pans for a round cake? Do you grease and flour or just grease? Thank you!
Hi Diana, For this cake we use two 8 inch round cake pans that are 2 inches deep. We grease and flour them. You could also add a parchment or wax paper round to the bottom of the pan for extra insurance against sticking. You would grease your pans, add the parchment paper, grease it also then flour the pan.
Do you change anything in this recipe if baking cupcakes?
Hi Sharlyn, Usually cupcakes are baked at 350 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes (checking at 18 minutes). Because this recipe uses a cake mix
the cupcakes will have a higher dome than when using a scratch cake recipe. We would usually bake this recipe at 350 and trim off the dome if it was higher than we wanted because frosting is going to cover the top. If you want a lower dome you could bake at 325 degrees, and baking time would increase a bit.
Hi… can this batter be tinted
Hi Kathy, Yes, the batter can be tinted.
Hi :)
I tried this for the first time as a trial run( I need to make cupcakes for a wedding ) and used Betty Crocker Butter Pecan mix….
I’m a scratch baker, and found the mix by itself was lacking, so tried this…just using vanilla
I thought the comment would be that the flavour was muted, but instead they said it was too dense ( I thought so too) Is there anything that I could add to ” de-densify ” ? Thank you!
Hi Jane, If you would like a less dense cupcake, I think you will like this simple recipe from the recipe section, White Cake (doctored cake mix) here is a link link to mycakeschool.com. Though mayonnaise may sound a bit unusual, it adds moistness and richness to the recipe. It will work with any flavor of cake mix. You can leave out the almond flavoring if you like. The vanilla extract helps take away the box cake mix flavor. I hope it works for you.
Thanks BeBe …but I do want the butter pecan flavour to be prominent…and I have to also make a small cutting cake …since my tiers are high usually, I’m concerned about the box mix holding up under fondant while travelling to their venue….
Will the version with just mayonnaise added be a smaller batch..like cake mix alone? Because the WASC made more..I was able to get 24 good sized cupcakes using roughly 52g of batter in each…Aah !!
Hi Jane, I didn’t realize you were making a cake also. The White Cake (doctored) will not hold up to fondant or make as many cupcakes as the WASC. To lighten up the recipe for a less dense cake you could try replacing the 1 cup all purpose flour with cake flour. Also, you could separate the egg whites from the yolks. Add the yolks with the other ingredients, beat the egg whites to the soft peak stage and fold into the cake batter at the end. Though I have not tried this it seems logical that it would work. I am going to give it a try soon. Good luck!
Hi, I need to make a cake using 2 loaf pans, 8×4. Will this recipe work if I extend the time of baking to 55-60 min? Should I lower the temp to 300 and/or use rose nails? Thanks in advance!
Hi Tabs, This recipe makes approximately 7 cups of cake batter. You should have about 3 1/2 cups batter for each pan. I think the pans could hold 4 cups of batter. I have not baked this recipe in a loaf pan, but it will be fine to do so. It will help with distributing the heat to use a rose nail, though not absolutely necessary. Bake at 325 degrees, check for doneness at 35 minutes, it could take up to 50 minutes. If the top seems to be getting too brown, cover loosely with a piece of aluminum foil. The cakes will be done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached. Let cool in the pan 10 minutes then turn out and let cool completely.
Tried this today. Used the creme bouquet and 1/2 tsp of Vanilla flavoring. Also subbed 1 C of milk for the water. Reminds me a angel food cake. Yummy!
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for posting your thoughts on the recipe.
Hi again…So what I finally ended up doing was switching to cake flour, adding in the 2 TBSPS oil, separating the all the eggs…yolks in with the batter, whites beaten and folded in last…used one cup water…1 tsp vanilla and 1/2 a vanilla beabn scraped….very happy with the result!
Thanks again!!
Hi Jane, It is good to know what worked for you to have a less dense cake when using the WASC recipe. Thanks so much for posting your method.
Hi, the cake mix sizes have been reduced and this sometime causes measurements to be off. What size are you using or does it matter ?
Hi Chaun, We most often use Duncan Hines brand of cake mix and it is 15.25 oz. I usually add 6 tablespoons of all purpose (plain) flour to the cake mix. With the above White Almond Sour Cream cake recipe I do not add additional flour because the recipe has 1 cup of flour . I hope you like the cake.
What is the best filling to use with this cake and also with the chocolate sour cream doctored recipe?
Hi BeBe…almost my “D Day”…pickup on Friday around noon for Saturday wedding…I had used your suggestions for cupcake trial
Jane July 27, 2017 at 6:40 am
Hi again…So what I finally ended up doing was switching to cake flour, adding in the 2 TBSPS oil, separating the all the eggs…yolks in with the batter, whites beaten and folded in last…used one cup water…1 tsp vanilla and 1/2 a vanilla beabn scraped….very happy with the result!
Thanks again!!
Now for the real thing…I’m going to bake the cupcakes and ice them thursday…actually 2 recipes and 2 types of icing…so was going to bake cake layers ahead..wondering how far I can …also need to cover it(I’m s l o w…) and I guess decorate it thursday…oh..using 6” pans ..3 or 4? with one recipe….Thanks!!
Jane
adding something else…I have pre baked and frozen …really well wrapped scratch cake layers…they were even moister…could I do taht with this recipe, and bake them today? I guess I need to worry about the friday pickup day…and hope that they keep everything sealed and fridged till saturday..
Thanks
jane
Hi Jane, Yes, you can bake and freeze the cake layers. Almost all of our cake recipes can be frozen. Take the layers out of the freezer on Thursday, the day you plan to decorate. Condensation will form on the top of the wrapped cakes, at that point, unwrap and let the layers continue to thaw. If you are using buttercream to frost your cake, you can crumb coat and decorate with the cake partially frozen. If you are using the Viva paper towel method of smoothing buttercream, you MUST wait until the cake layers are completely back to room temperature or it will take the buttercream forever to crust. If you are using 6 inch cake pans you will have enough for 3 pans, with 2 cups of batter in each pan. I had posted at the end of the recipe that there are 7 cups of batter, however, I made this recipe over the weekend and maybe I miscounted as I was filling the pans, but I thought there was about 7 3/4 cups batter. Anyway you will definitely have enough for 3 layers, possibly 4. If you do use 4 layers you will have a double barrel cake and will need to have a cake cardboard circle between the 4 layers (2 cake layers, dowels, cake circle, 2 more cake layers). We rarely refrigerate our cupcakes because we think refrigeration tends to dry them out. Once you have decorated them, put in a container, we often use bakery boxes. We do not seal the box airtight because in an airtight container, in some cases, the cupcake liners may pull away from the cupcake. If using a plastic container, just don’t seal the lid, leave it slightly open. The completed cake could also be left unrefrigerated unless it has a perishable filling. Your time line is good. Your order will be completed on Thursday for a Friday pick-up. Perfect!
Thank you…but I also have to cover the cake…sowill probably take it out to ice on wednesday afternoon/evening so I have time for mishaps :) It will have to be defrosted before I think…before I’ve done this in the fridge with my scratch cakes…thank you!
Hi Bebe,
If you using 8×3 cake pans…how many will this recipe fill? Goal would be to have a layered 4inch tall cake. Thank you!
Hi Maria, This recipe makes 7 cups of batter. You will need 5 cups for an 8″round 3″ deep pan. When cut horizontally into 3 layers, filled and frosted, it should measure 4 inches or nearly 4 inch tall. Do you have experience baking in 3″deep pans? I suggest using a flower nail in the center of the pan and also Wilton baking strips (or wet towel strips) wrapped around the outside of the pan. Here is a link with a batter amount chart and information on baking in 3″ pans that I think you will find helpful link to craftybaking.com
here they are …thanks again !
and more
and more :)
Hi Jane, Your cake and cupcakes are lovely, great work!! Thanks so much for posting your pictures!
I should have added…they froze beautifully, refrigerated beautifully…stayed moist and were apparently really good :) Thanks again!
:) now I’m thinking of using a bundt cake pan (2X) to make a 3D pumpkin…I guess I need one whole batch in each ?
Hi Jane, I am not sure the size bundt cake pan you are using. You can usually fill the pan 2/3’s full. This recipe makes 6 1/2 to 7 cups batter……6 to 6 1/2 cup will typically be enough for a 10 cup bundt pan, so you will need 1 recipe for each half of the pumpkin shaped cake.
Baking time could be from 35 to 55 minutes……….keep an eye on it and check for doneness with a toothpick.
Excellent cake recipe! I used a Duncan Hines Yellow Cake mix and added 1 teaspoon orange flower water instead of almond extract. I baked the batter in two 9″ cake pans, which were 2/3 full. They did rise above the pans by about 1″ so next time I will use less batter. Great texture and flavor. Thank You!
Hi Marlene, Thank you so much for posting your thoughts on the recipe!
I made this today with Italian meringue buttercream and it is awesome. Thank you!!!
Wonderful, Jeanne, I’m glad you gave the recipe a try. Thanks for posting!
Hi Melissa, I can change the Sour cream for Greek yogourt?
Thanks
Hi Margot, Yes, you can use greek yogurt instead of sour cream
I made these for my daughter’s class for her birthday with a chocolate buttercream and they were a huge hit! I was wondering if there was a chocolate variation so I could pair it with a peppermint buttercream for her Christmas party?
Hi Jeanette, Wonderful! I ‘m happy you like to recipe! In the recipe section we have the Chocolate Sour Cream Cake (doctored) recipe. Here is a link:
link to mycakeschool.com
Peppermint buttercream would be delicious paired with the chocolate!
I love your recipe but i have one question. My oven temp is 325 and baked this cake for 52 mins as the tooth pick came out completely clean.
But when cut the cake, the top was cooked completely, slighly brown color on the side and at the bottom, but the lower part of the cake was not fully cooked.
Can someone please explain why this is happening? Is it because of milk? My oven has 6 tiers and electric. I placed my rack on 3rd which is middle. Should i place my cake to little lower rack?
I removed the uncooked cake and cooked cake tasted amazing. I am in desperate need to make this recipe success for me so please help me understand what am i doing wrong.
BTW the cooked cake (After removing the uncooked part) tasted amazing.
Please Help!!
Hi Isha, I am sorry you had this problem. If you were baking in 8 or 9 inch round pans it should not have taken 52 minutes. You should be fine to bake on the middle rack of your oven. It sounds as though your oven is not heating properly. It will be easy to check this. Buy an oven thermometer, it is inexpensive and can be found at Target, most grocery stores, Amazon. Just place in your oven to see if it is heating to the temperature you set for baking. Let me know how it goes.
Hi there
My cake mix requires oil, do i still not add butter of oil at all?
Hi Jacqui, Don’t use the directions on the back of the cake mix box. We do not use oil or butter in the recipe. Some White Almond Cake Mix recipes on other sites use 2 Tablespoons oil and you can add that if you like. Let us know if you have other questions.
HI, I have baked this cake using tofu instead of eggs. I kept all other ingredients same. I didnt have 2 8 inch pans so used 9 inch cake pan.
I baked at 325 with wet strips for 50 mins. The tooth pick came out clean from the center. But when i cut the cake it was undone from the center (goomy looking)
I checked my oven temps with oven thermometer (350 maintained perfectly for 1 hr in the center middle rack. However 325 was reading at 340 over 1 hr)
I am going to give it a try one more time using the convention method, still using tofu, and will be baking at 350 using 2 8 inch.
I have never baked 2 pans at the same time, so can you please guide me on things to watch out for?
Thank you
Hi Isha, I am sorry you had a problem. We don’t have experience using tofu instead of eggs, though I have read that tofu can be used as a substitute. When inserting the toothpick to check for doneness, make a slightly bigger hole so when pulling out the toothpick the crumbs that are clinging to it will not be pulled off. If the cake is not done it will show up on the toothpick. I am glad you are going to give it another try using two 8 inch pans. Have the cake pans at least 1 inch apart from each other and the pans should not touching the sides of the oven. If you have a standard size oven you should not have any problem with space. You can bake at 350 degrees if you like, we bake it at 325 degrees so the cakes will not dome as high in the center. The cake will begin to pull away from the sides of the pan when it is done, also check with a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake. Hope all goes well. Let us know how it goes
Made this for a gender reveal party, used your crusty buttercream frosting as well, and topped it with pastel M&Ms. it was absolutely delicious! The only thing I would change is using 9” cake pans next time because the layers were – I can’t believe I’m saying this – too high. I had to trim off the edges to make it look nicer because it had spilled up and over my pans. My cakes never rise well and are just okay. But this one? Outstanding!
Hi Terre, Our 8 inch round cake pans are 2 inches deep. Some 8 inch pans are 1 1/2 inches deep. Possibly that was the problem. I will add the depth of pans to the recipe. It will also be fine to bake in 9 inch pans. We are so happy you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks so much for posting your thoughts!!
Hi dear what about if i use petty crocker instead meaning with pudding mix any changes on ingredients