This moist and delicious White Cake (doctored box mix) recipe has a wonderful flavor and fluffy texture, making it PERFECT for both cakes and cupcakes.
We have quite a few fabulous doctored cake mix recipes on our site, which have all of the convenience of using a standard cake mix recipe, but with a few extras that make ALL the difference in flavor and texture.
I hope to one day have a scratch version and doctored cake mix version for each of our cake recipes. We’re off to a good start! (Don’t forget to check out our full collection of favorite cake recipes in our Recipes section!)
This particular recipe has a “secret” ingredient. Nobody would ever guess, but a dollop of mayonnaise (2 tablespoons if we’re being exact) lends an unmistakable boost of moisture to this cake! I promise that you cannot taste it, but that added bit of fat really does make a difference! It’ll be our little secret.
White Cake (Doctored Cake Mix)
Ingredients
- 1 box White Cake Mix ( I use Duncan Hines 15.25 oz. cake mix)
- 5 Tablespoons all purpose flour (34g)
- 2 Tablespoons Mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 1/8 teaspoon almond (or imitation almond) extract
Directions
- Sift cake mix into mixing bowl. (Sifting improves the texture)
- Add ingredients according to box instructions
- Add vanilla, almond, flour and mayonnaise
- Mix all ingredients for 2 minutes on medium speed.
- Leftover batter can be refrigerated for up to one day.
- Pour into 2 greased and floured 8" pans and bake at 325 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs
- *Also works well for cupcakes! For cupcakes, bake at 350 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached.
I have another secret for a super moist cake that I want to share with you. I do this step whenever possible for both scratch cakes as well as doctored cake mix recipes.
After removing your cakes from the oven, allow them to cool for ten minutes or so and then while the cakes are still warm, wrap them with a layer of plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, and place into the freezer. (We often place the cake layers on aluminum-foil wrapped cake boards for stability so that we don’t have to worry about them becoming misshapen.)
Whether you freeze your cakes for a few hours, or a few months, I guarantee that they will taste ultra moist. They key is wrapping them while warm, so that the steam/moisture becomes trapped and works it’s magic!
*The “fluffy factor” of this White Cake recipe makes it less than ideal for covering with fondant. It could *possibly* work if the filled, unfrosted cake is fully settled for several hours and covered with a sturdy base coat of ganache frosting…but I wouldn’t recommend it. The softer the cake, the more likely it is to settle, and the added weight of the fondant makes it even more likely to bulge.
This is my preferred doctored cake mix recipe for white cupcakes since they bake up nice and fluffy. However, for layer cakes, I also love this White Almond Sour Cream Cake recipe which is a bit denser! It is also a great choice if covering a cake with fondant.
Also, make sure to check out our Chocolate version of this doctored cake mix recipe! This doctored chocolate cake is fluffy, moist, and deliciously chocolatey! Again, a favorite of mine for doctored cake mix cupcakes! Chocolate Cake- A Doctored Cake Mix Recipe.
Thank you for stopping by! Now that you have an amazing doctored White Cake recipe, you’ll need a fabulous frosting! We have SO many frosting recipes in our Frosting section, but for a great go-to Vanilla Frosting recipe, I highly recommend our Classic Vanilla Buttercream recipe!
I use a similar recipe but with sour cream, will it have the same effect?
Melissa, I just tried this white cake recipe to make a coconut cake for my hubby’s bday. OMG, it was very moist & delicious. I bought the cake mix with the pudding in it but tried using the best foods mayo & it was great. I will use this again. Thanks for the great ideas!
Laura (Santa Fe Springs, CA)
Hi. Can anyone please tell me if I am supposed to mix this recipe for 2 entire minutes if using a stand mixer? Usually I cut the time in half.
Hi there–I’ve always done 2 minutes and had good results! ;0)
Do you use any particular brand of mayo for this recipe? It seems like different brands significantly vary in taste…
SO sorry – I just noticed you said Hellman’s in the recipe! Please disregard the last comment! :)
Would this recipe work well with cupcakes?
Hi Tara, yes, it makes great cupcakes. It is the recipe we use most often for cupcakes.
Am I able to stack this cake for a 3 tier cake?
Hi-Yes, you should be just fine as long as you make sure to allow time for settling (soft cakes like this do settle a little more than the denser ones) — and most importantly, you have to have good support. All of the weight should be supported by dowels or your support system, not the cakes themselves. This is true with any tiered cake.
**As I mentioned above though, I don’t recommend this cake for covering with fondant.
Whenever I have made cakes and cupcakes from box mixes, I always substitute the water with buttermilk, and add one additional egg. Can I continue doing that and still add the additional ingredients above?
Hi Heather–I think that your recipe should work just fine with the addition of the mayo and flavorings. Let us know what you think!
Can you use any other flavor with this recipe or only white? Sorry I feel like this is a stupid question.
Can you doctor a red velvet mix the same way you do the chocolate mix?
Hi Allyson, yes, that will be fine.
Can I use a different flavor box mix?
Hi Amber, yes, you can use other flavors. You can substitute the almond flavor for something else if you think it does not compliment your cake.
Hi Melissa can you use the Duncan Hines cake box…I don’t like the Pillsbury? Thanks for your great school and your help.
Hi Martha, yes, you can use Duncan Hines.
Hi Melissa and Bebe,
I know this has nothing to do with this post, but I also knew that if I wanted an accurate answer, you guys would be the ones to ask! How long do frosted cupcakes keep in an airtight container? Also, is there a better way to keep them fresh, I would rather not freeze them.
Thank You!!
Hi Krislyn, I think cupcakes are best eaten by the second day, especially if they are made from a scratch recipe. We keep our frosted cupcakes in a bakery box or other container that is NOT airtight……..being in an airtight container can sometimes cause the cupcake liners to pull away from the cupcake. The frosting on the cupcake helps to keep them moist but because they are so small they can dry out more quickly than a cake. If you have a large order, it is best to bake, then wrap the cupcakes in aluminum foil so they are airtight and freeze. When you are ready to use, allow to thaw wrapped, then frost. They will taste fresh.
Hi!
Does anyone know how much cake this recipe will make?
Thanks
Erica
Hi Erica, it will make two eight or nine inch layers
Hi Melissa & Bebe,
I just followed this recipe to make cupcakes for my son’s birthday party. The cupcakes tasted great but were very spongy in texture – a little too spongy. I baked them at 325 for 20 minutes but I did not freeze the cupcakes when they were warm. Does the freezing step apply to cupcakes? Will freezing improve the texture?
Thanks!
Vee
Hi my question is Can I use butter instead of oil? Thank you so much:)
Hi Elvira, I have not tried using butter with this cake mix recipe, but I think it would be fine to do so. Just have the butter softened to room temperature, or you could melt the butter.
Thank you Bebe. have a wonderfull day.
Have you made adjustments to this recipe since the box size has been reduced ? Will it come out the same ?
Can you recommend a good white cupcake recipe. I’m doing a large wedding and so far have tried several recipes. They either don’t crown or they pull away from the wrapper. I have 200 to do. Suggestions? Thanks!
Hi Vicki, We use the above recipe when using a box cake mix, it is a light and fluffy cupcake. We also like the Classic White Cake (Scratch recipe), here is a link, link to mycakeschool.com. If you would like your recipes to have more of a dome, Melissa has a video in Cupcake Basics, here is a link link to mycakeschool.com You can skip ahead to about the 2 minute mark. She is showing how to give the cupcakes a higher dome by giving the cupcakes a burst of high heat for the first 5 minutes of baking….. I think we state at the end of our recipes if they are good for cupcakes or not. Recipes that are very moist tend to pull away from the cupcake liners. Also, storing them in air tight containers can cause the liners to pull away.
Just used this rece to make mini cupcakes. Added some vanilla bean to the recipe. Topped off with your vanilla frosting but added melted white chocolate to the frosting. So moist, and so delicious. thank you!
Hi Sandy, Thank you for posting!! Your changes to the recipes sound wonderful!!
Hi Melissa,
Can you use a Betty Crocker cake mix? Thank you for all your inspirations!
you mentioned to wrap cake when it is still warm,how long do you do this for and do you put it in the fridge-frost when needed or after it has cooled somewhat-please state what the advantage of doing this is Thank you and I love your website!!!!!!!!
Hi how are you? How many cupcakes come out of this recipe?
Hi Radyne, The cake layer will cool in the pan maybe 10 minutes, then turn it out of the pan onto a cardboard cake circle, let it cool a bit longer, but while it is still warm wrap in plastic wrap and freeze. This will give you a more moist cake. The cake layers can be frozen for up to 2 months. If you are pressed for time you could freeze for 2 hours and still get a good result. Your cake will still be good if you skip this step, we just think it makes for a more moist cake. Also,
If your cake in going to be in the freezer less than 10 days you can Double wrap with plastic wrap and skip the aluminum foil.
Just want to mention, we wrap our cardboard cake circles in aluminum foil so they can be reused.
Hi Elviria, You will get 2 dozen cupcakes.
Hello! Quick question for you. Approximately how long would you bake three 6″ cake layers? Thanks for your help!! It is greatly appreciated!
Hi Lauren, If you are using 6 inch pans that are 2 inches deep with 2 1/4 cups batter in each pan you would bake for 35 to 40 minutes at 350 degrees.When a toothpick inserted in the center of a cake layer comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached it is done. It will also pull away from the sides of the pan, very slightly. This baking time is based on the Wilton Chart, link to wilton.com. This and other information can be found on the homepage under Member Resources, click on Helpful Links and then the Wilton Party Serving Chart
Thank you so much, BeBe!! This is incredibly helpful!
How would you make this recipe a little denser? I am doing a 4 tier wedding cake. I know you depend on the dowel rods for support. But don’t want the cake to crumble. Thanks.
Hi Terry, I think you should use the White Almond Sour Cream (doctored cake mix) recipe. You could leave out the almond flavor for a vanilla cake. The addition of flour and sugar extends the recipe to make it go further in addition to making it a denser cake. I think you will like it.
Just pulled my cupcakes out of the freezer. They are heavenly!!! I forgot to sift my mix and they still turned out delicious.. QUESTION.. do I allow for thawing before applying icing?? Or decorate while still frozen?? sorry.. I’m new to all of this.
Hi Brandy, Frozen cupcakes thaw fairly quickly and if you are doing a simple buttercream swirl, frosting while partially frozen is fine. If you are adding a buttercream frosting that needs to crust for smoothing (using the Viva towel method) you will need to let the cupcakes come to room temperature. I’ll just add that if you frost a cake with buttercream that needs to crust for decorating purposes, it will take HOURS for the buttercream to crust if the cake is frozen. If the cake was at room temperature when frosted, it would typically crust in 5 to 10 minutes, depending on humidity in your area.
thanks so much!!! perfect.. y’all are the bomb diggity!!
Would u recommend this for a sheet cake or should I go with the doctored white almond sour creme? The sheet will be a full sheet cake. I won’t cover in fondant, but I will have plunger butterflies and flowers all over it. Any recommendations?
Hi Terri, This recipe could be used for a sheet cake. It is lighter and fluffier than the White Almond Sour Cream doctored recipe. If you have any worries about “turning out” a cake this large, I would go with the White Almond Sour Cream.
Can you tell me if you used an 18.25 oz cake mix for this recipe, or the new 15.25 oz. box mix? Should there be an adjustment for the new reduced size of the mixes?
Thank you!
Hi JeanF, I used Duncan Hines 15.25 box mix and added 6 Tablespoons flour, whisking in the flour before adding the other ingredients. Some members of the site use the 15.25 mix adding more cake mix from another box of cake mix to bring the weight to 18.25.
do you have a doctored box mix recipe for a cake I plan to cover with fondant?
Hi Raquel, One of our favorite doctored box recipes is the White Almond Sour Cream Cake (doctored mix) here is a link link to mycakeschool.com You can leave out the almond extract and it will be a nice vanilla cake.
Can you leave out the almond extract?
Yes, it is fine to leave out the almond extract.
Thank you for updating this recipe recently to show the size of the cake mix you were using. I’m assuming you add the 5 TB of flour to it to bring it close to the original 18 oz size. Instead of adding the 5 TB of flour to this recipe would it be ok to just add 5TB of another cake mix? Or would it be better to stick with flour? TIA
Hi Tina, I have read that some bakers use additional cake mix to increase the weight. Anne Byrn author of The Cake Mix Doctor uses flour, so that was my reason choosing that, plus I always have flour:)