This WASC cake recipe is a tender and moist cake that is perfect for white wedding cakes. It's firm enough to stack and cover in fondant but if you're looking for something to carve, you might want to try my white cake recipe.
What does WASC stand for?
WASC stands for white almond sour cream cake. WASC cake recipe has been used for years and adapted many times. I made this recipe many years ago back after reading a thread on Cake Central before I knew how to bake a cake from scratch. The funny thing is by adding all these ingredients, you're basically making a cake from scratch! The only thing you don't have to worry about is the mixing method which can be tricky at first but is easy enough to learn with a couple of tries.
The good thing about WASC is that it's easy to make, is fairly mistake-proof and tastes pretty good and is an easy way to make a boxed cake taste more like a scratch cake recipe.
WASC cake is a tender cake and needs to be fully cooled before you ice it with buttercream.
What is the best box mix to use for WASC?
I prefer Duncan Hines classic white cake mix. Duncan Hines, in my opinion, has the best tasting box mix to start with.
If you need more information on how to make your first cake, check out my full tutorial. In this tutorial, I show you not only how to make this WASC cake recipe, I also show you how to trim your cake layers, fill your cake evenly with buttercream and create a smooth finish.
Other tutorials that might be helpful for you
How to get sharp buttercream edges
How to cover a cake in fondant
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8 cups
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5 cups
Note: measurements are estimated based off the vanilla cake recipe using standard US cake pans and sizes. Measurements used are for 2" tall cake pans only. Your results may vary. Do not overfill cake pans above manufacturer's recommended guidelines.
Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 box white cake mix I like duncan hines
- 5 oz AP flour 1 cup (spooned into cup, not scooped)
- 7 oz granulated sugar 1 cup
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 9 oz sour cream 1 cup room temp
- 4 oz melted butter ½ cup
- 8 oz milk 1 cup room temperature
- 4 large egg whites room temperature
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
WASC CAKE INSTRUCTIONS
- The instructions for this cake are super easy. Basically, put all the ingredients into a bowl and mix it on medium speed for 2 minutes! Voila! Cake batter is ready. Pour batter into two prepared 8" pans and bake at 350ºF for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. It's ok to bake your cakes for longer if you're using larger pans.
Christina says
I absolutely love this recipe and have made it several times with rave reviews! I’m hoping to make a funfetti type cake and was wondering if I can use this recipe and just add the sprinkles to it or if there are other adjustments that would have to be made? Thanks!
Elizabeth Marek says
Yes you can just add sprinkles
Claudia says
I was looking for a vanilla cake recipe for my sister’s gender reveal cake for next weekend. I was wondering if instead of almond extract, can I use vanilla extract? Also can I put gel food coloring on the cake batter?
Thank you!
Elizabeth Marek says
Yes you can use vanilla and yes you can add in food coloring. Make sure if it's blue that you're adding that the color is a true blue because some blue colors look green or purple after baking.
Susan says
Can I use buttermilk instead if whole milk?
Elizabeth Marek says
Yes you can
Cindy says
Liz I have used the original WASC for years in my business. The recipe would not work correctly once the box mix went from 18 oz to 15 oz. I had to add additional cake mix to 18 oz. (4-5 wedding cakes a week)
Have you had to adjust for the smaller cake box ?
Thank you
Retired
Cherry Lane Cakes.
Elizabeth Marek says
I have not adjusted the recipe and it still works for me
Rick says
Any tips on adjusting this to make a lemon cake?
Elizabeth Marek says
Use a lemon box mix, lemon extract and add the zest of one lemon to the recipe
Lori says
I will be making a 12x18 pan of this cake, how many times should I make this batter for this pan size?
Elizabeth Marek says
You will a triple batch for a half sheet pan
Julie says
Best cake ever! This was super fast and easy! Thank you!!
Candy says
I didn’t have any sour cream so I used whipping cream and a tsp lemon added in!! So good 🙌🏻
Christel Laramée-Viens says
what is AP flour?
Elizabeth Marek says
AP = all purpose flour
cynthia Linnehan says
I just made this for my bff's birthday and legit people were fighting over the last piece! it is so good! I used a cream cheese buttercream frosting I have been making for years that consists of 8 ounces cream cheese two sticks of butter about 5 cups confectioners sugar vanill and a little almond...soooo good I I added festive sprinkles on top and voila.. love your web site.
Nb says
Hi! Can i use pasteurised egg white instead and how much?
Elizabeth Marek says
Yes you can. 1 egg white = 1 ounce.
Beverly says
This is a wonderful recipe!! I live above 5,000 feet, though...couldn't see anything in comments on altitude adjustment...so I baked a 12 inch layer and it fell just a little, but would require some leveling with a knife. I have now baked many perfect layers by doing this:
Add an extra 1/4 cup milk
Remove 2 tbsp. sugar
Everything else is followed as written in the recipe. The batter is quite thick, so be sure you make the batter very level. I have baked 8 layers for a wedding cake and all of them are perfectly flat! Thank you for this great recipe!!!
Tiffany says
Hi Liz!
This cake was amazing flavor wise.
I normally bake from scratch, so I am used to slightly more structured (but not dense) cakes. I came across a problem, I followed the recipe exactly, same box mix and everything, used 3, 6x2” rounds as you specify, and stacked, but found it was still too soft for stacking, even just three layers. Even fully cooled, the edges started cracking and the whole cake started tilting because of the cracking edges. Thankfully the cake was for myself, but is there any way to make this more stable and less soft? The crumb structure was pretty loose and I still had large air bubbles in the baked layers even after dropping the pans on the counter many times. I’d really love to try this recipe again, but it’s not stack-able:( Any advice you have would be greatly appreciated! I really love the simplicity and taste of this recipe and would love for the structure to work out!
Elizabeth Marek says
I stack cakes when they are chilled, not room temperature. That helps them hold their shape while you are handling them. I have stacked this cake many times.
Treva j Dixon says
In the recipe you say 350 degree what type of oven. I have a convection oven is it still 350 or 325. thank you
Elizabeth Marek says
I have a conventional oven
Holly White says
I cooked this cake for the ladies at work using all butter for the buttercream icing. It was HUGE hit and it was gone in 2 days even though I had cooked it in 9inch pans and made a 3 layer cake. I will use this recipe for an up coming baby shower since it was such a crowd pleaser!
Brenda says
OMG the cake was deeeeelicious!! My family loved it. I used a cream cheese whipped cream frosting recipe I have and it pair perfectly with the cake.
Kellie Smith says
SOS. The doctored cake recipes are great for the multiple bakes I do for a local nonprofit. The chocolate is perfect. However, the WASC and the strawberry both shrink when I use the recipe for cupcakes (but not for cakes). When I pull the cupcakes out of the oven they are good form but after 5-10 minutes they become small, dense, flat-topped cupcakes. They are so small that little room is left on the top for decorating which is a priority for the nonprofit bakes. I have made them multiple times; summer and winter; oven is calibrated; etc. Any ideas of how I can fix this dilemma.
Elizabeth Marek says
This recipe has not worked well for me for cupcakes either.
Andrea says
I had a recipe very similar to this one in the 90's....I got it from a coworker when I lived in Atlanta. It was soooo good, and I had no control over eating it, I tossed the recipe. I had given the recipe to my mother but did not find it in her books that I have....so I've been hunting and hunting.
I made it this morning. It is close enough to be that recipe!!! I baked it in a Bundt pan at 325 as my pan is dark. (note to self, get a light colored pan) BTW, the batter is yummy too.
Kim says
I love this recipe. I use it as my go to when I’m in a need dessert quick mood. I always make 2 x 1 kg loaf tin cakes, they need 45 mins at 170C
Nancy says
I am making my firstborn wedding cake for a work friend whose whole wedding plans are shot due to covid. I made a sample and brought it to work for a taste test and some people thought it came from a bakery. Soooooo good! Thank you for sharing!
Brandi says
Hey! Question! Why under the ingredients does it say 1 cup at the end? Very new to this but it says 5oz then 1 cup, 7 oz then 1 cup so on ... ?? Help 🤦🏻♀️
5 oz (142 g) AP flour 1 cup (spooned into cup, not scooped)
7 oz (198 g) granulated sugar 1 cup
1/4 tsp salt
9 oz (255 g) sour cream 1 cup room temp
4 oz (113 g) melted butter 1/2 cup
8 oz (227 g) milk 1 cup room
Elizabeth Marek says
Just in case you need cup measurements since this is a beginner recipe. 1 cup of flour = 5 ounces. 1 cup of sugar = 7 ounces and so on.
Jordan Alexis says
The cake was AMAZING. Made it for my family tonight and they couldn't get enough. Can't even tell it's from a box. Will definitely be making more of your recipes—so glad I found this site
Abby says
What kind of frosting would you suggest?
Sugar Geek Show says
Easy buttercream frosting is my favorite! https://sugargeekshow.com/recipe/easy-buttercream-frosting/
Marion m bynum says
Great taste and texture. Loved it!
Tara says
Hi There! Would I need to bloom cocoa powered for your WASC recipe if I wanted to make marble cake or can I just separate some of the batter and add cocoa powder. Thank you
Elizabeth Marek says
Yes you would need to bloom cocoa powder. Check out my marble cake recipe and you can use that ratio to make marble cake with this recipe