Cake Decorating Community - Cakes We Bake

Here is why your WASC recipe is suddenly causing problems: It's not YOU!

Recently, the last of the major cake mix manufacturers changed their formulas.  If you buy a cake mix that has less than 18.25 oz volume, your WASC recipe will not work.  The manufacturers reduced the volume of their mixes to save money (a hidden price increase) and added more leavening to give you the impression that it makes the same amount of cake.  If you cut open one of those layers, you will find that it is FULL of holes from over leavenening and is not worth serving to your dog. (Fido may disagree as they aren't always as discriminating)  Therefore, your tried and true WASC recipe has been rendered useless.

It is time to bake from scratch.  Some premium mixes still have the 18.25 oz.  If you can find them, they should work.  But most now have 15 - 16 ounces.  Generics may also have the 18.25 oz, but then you have other problems including "off" chemical flavors and weird, almost neon colors - strange.  I tried the Aldi's brand yellow cake mix and it sort of glowed a yellowish green.

I highly recommend you go to Amazon and purchase the book:  Baking 911.  It is a great guide to scratch baking and problem solving.  Pay attention to following recipe instruction and you should be fine.  Scratch baking is your new best friend.

Views: 1881

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Duncan Hines released their "Premium" line last year, and upped the price by double.  Those mixes are still 18.25 oz. so you should be good there.  Betty Crocker and Pillsbury are 15.25 oz.  When I contacted Pillsbury about it they told me not to worry...it still bakes the same sized cake.  Really?  So I did a side by side demo for our cake club.  When you cut the layers of the new mix in half they were completely tunnelled.  Also, I baked it about half the time recommended on the box.  I keep a thermometer in my oven so I know it was at proper temperature.  If I had baked according to instructions, I would have had a chunk of charcoal with tunnels.  No bueno!  The sad part is, many new moms who just want to make a birthday cake for their kids will believe that they can't bake because their cakes will be such disasters.  Hard telling how long it will take the bean counters in the "big offices" to figure out they have completely destroyed their brand.

 

Hi Linda,

Can I add in 3 ounces of cake flour to the cake mix to make it denser-stronger??

TIA


 

Hi Linda,

Can I add in 3 ounces of cake flour to the cake mix to make it denser-stronger??

TIA

Make up the extra 3 oz with that amount of mix from a second box.  That way the proportion of leavening will be correct.  Just flour alone will throw it off.

Ok.

Thanks so much.

I haven't altered my WASC cake recipe since they changed the amount of mix in the box, and I haven't had any problems at all.

Reply to Discussion

RSS

© 2024   Created by Theresa Happe.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service