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.
Because this doctored mix bakes up sturdy, it works great as the base for my Oreo layer cake when you want to fold chopped cookies right into the batter.
Other tutorials that might be helpful for you
How to get sharp buttercream edges
How to cover a cake in fondant
Cake Batter and Frosting Calculator
Select an option below to calculate how much batter or frosting you need. Adjust the servings slider on the recipe card to change the amounts the recipe makes.
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Cups of Batter Needed
8 cups
Cups of Frosting Needed
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.
Melissa Meyer says
I am a very discriminating baker! This Christmas I found myself in a time crunch and used this recipe to cut corners a bit. What a surprise!! It is so moist and full of flavor. I will use it again even if I am not short of time.
Liz Marek says
That means a lot from a discriminating baker! Thank you.
Suz says
What is AP flour?
Liz Marek says
AP is all-purpose flour, regular plain flour (not self-rising). If you have more questions, come ask me in the Sugar Geeks community: https://community.raptive.com/sugargeeks
Geena says
Hi Liz, my local grocery store was having a sale on Duncan Hines cake mix for a dollar and I bought a bunch of the white cake mix. And then I came across your recipe and I am so excited to make this. I do have a question, I would like to make 3 nine inch cake layers. How do I adjust the recipe to get three layers? Thanks in advance.
Liz Marek says
For three 9-inch layers, the batter calculator above the recipe card says about 15 cups. This recipe makes about 6 cups, so plan on about 2 1/2 batches. If you have more questions, come ask me in the Sugar Geeks community: https://community.raptive.com/sugargeeks
Jan says
What does it mean when it say
5 oz AP flour 1 cup (spooned into cup, not scooped)
5 oz then say 1 cup
Is it 5oz or 1 cup?
7 oz granulated sugar 1 cup
7 oz or 1 cup??
Liz Marek says
They're the same amount. 5 ounces of flour is about 1 cup, and 7 ounces of sugar is 1 cup, so use whichever you're measuring with. If you have more questions, come ask me in the Sugar Geeks community: https://community.raptive.com/sugargeeks
Noma Mir says
How many ounces is the Duncan Hines box mix in this recipe? The box mixes have become smaller so I wanted to adjust accordingly. Thanks!
Also, absolutely love your recipes!
Liz Marek says
Box mixes have gotten smaller, but I use the box as is and it still works great. If you have more questions, come ask me in the Sugar Geeks community: https://community.raptive.com/sugargeeks
Carrie says
Does this pick up the almond flavor in the cake or should I rely more on the buttercream for that? Customer wants almond cake 😊
Liz Marek says
The almond is very slight. If your customer wants a stronger almond flavor, add a little more extract, but go easy because it's strong. If you have more questions, come ask me in the Sugar Geeks community: https://community.raptive.com/sugargeeks
Laura Gollinger says
Hi I am confused. I change the pan size etc for 3 nine inch rounds and it says i need 15 cups of batter for that but doesnt adjust the recipe? Are you able to assist in helping me understand the ingredients for 15 cups of batter please?
Liz Marek says
The calculator tells you how much batter you need, then you adjust the servings on the recipe card to match. This recipe makes about 6 cups, so 15 cups is about 2 1/2 batches. If you have more questions, come ask me in the Sugar Geeks community: https://community.raptive.com/sugargeeks
Melissa says
First time with this recipe. I used Betty C. Bc I had it. Used cake flour instead of AP. Wish I saw the sifting comments earlier. The rest of recipe as written. In oven now. Made more batter than I was comfortable with in my 8” so measured on scale so they’d be equal and rest in smaller pan.i use the Smart Bakers precut round parchment with tabs for ease or removable from pan. Baking for my mom’s 99th with a marscapone frosting. I’ll update with results.
Liz Marek says
Happy 99th to your mom! I hope the cake was a hit.
Kay Bonette Smith says
Many people don’t know this but Walmarts GV cake mixes are made by Duncan Hines. You can google it to prove it to yourself. And they are only $1. I made and delivered a 4 tier wedding cake July 14. It was 2 tiers of white and 2 of devils food. I got so many compliments on the flavor of the cakes.
Liz Marek says
Thank you for sharing that tip! A 4 tier wedding cake, I bet it was beautiful.
Cheryl Anne Kessler says
Can this be done with any flavor or just white? I was going to use it with strawberry.
Sugar Geek Show says
I have wasc recipes for chocolate, vanilla and strawberry! Here's the strawberry recipe: https://sugargeekshow.com/strawberry-cake-mix-recipe/
paulette moran says
How about yellow cake that’s what I have at home
Liz Marek says
Yes, you can use yellow cake mix with the same ingredients. If you have more questions, come ask me in the Sugar Geeks community: https://community.raptive.com/sugargeeks
Becky says
Hi there,
I’m making into cupcakes..what is the bake time different from 30-40 min? the back of the box says 18-21 minutes.
Thanks!
Liz Marek says
Bake cupcakes at 350ºF for about 15 to 18 minutes, until the dome is set. If you have more questions, come ask me in the Sugar Geeks community: https://community.raptive.com/sugargeeks
Steph says
This cake is amazing! Liz, I cannot thank you enough for helping me to become a baker! You are a wonderful teacher...and that's coming from a teacher lol. I appreciate you so much!
Tirza Rose says
Hi! Can I use this as the cake for the chantilly cake?? Just add the berries and frosting? Or would the flavors not work?
Sugar Geek Show says
For sure! Sounds delicious
Mary Jacob says
I have added strawberries, raspberries and blueberries on top of the buttercream almond icing and it was delicious.
Alexandra says
You and your recipes are so fabulous! I’ve learned so much from your blogs and tutorials — thank you for those!
I made this as the recipe said (though now I’m second-guessing myself) and my cupcakes all shriveled up when they cooled! They went from baby cheeks to Yoda after a night in the hot tub.
Any idea what causes that?
Elizabeth Marek says
I also have no had luck turning this into cupcakes, my guess is too much moisture from the oil. Try making it without the oil
Lisa in Austin says
As much as I take pride in baking from scratch, I have to admit this was the best (also easiest!) white cake I’ve ever made! Used this recipe as is (except i used boxed pasteurized egg whites) which generously filled 3 6”x2” pans- I thought they might overflow but did not. I took your advice and not only cut the domes off but shaved off brown sides and bottom and it looked so professional. Layered with raspberry filling, Swiss meringue buttercream. Decorated with roses that I wrapped the stems with plastic wrap and shoved in the cake. Thank you!
Amy says
Absolutely moist and delicious. So good my 9 year old doesn’t even want me to frost them (I made 39 cupcakes). But he’s a weirdo and I’m going to frost some of them.