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
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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.
Brenna says
Can I substitute the Almond extract for Vanilla?
Liz Marek says
Yes, you can use vanilla instead. The color won't be affected at all. If you have more questions, come ask me in the Sugar Geeks community: https://community.raptive.com/sugargeeks
Megan Mollett says
Trying to make a coconut cake with this recipe for a wedding- could I replace with coconut milk and extract then add a 1/2 cup of coconut?
Elizabeth Marek says
Yes that would work
Mary Jacob says
This has become one of my favorite recipes. It always turns out wonderful. The only change I make is doubling the almond extract.
Debbie Coe says
What is AP flour?
Liz Marek says
All-purpose flour, plain flour that isn't self-rising. If you have more questions, come ask me in the Sugar Geeks community: https://community.raptive.com/sugargeeks
Debbie Anderson says
Currently this cake is in the oven and I used 2 eight inch rounds. It's flowing out of the pans. Did anyone else experience this while using eight inch rounds? I don't know how it's going to turn out until it's done. So I'll rate it after I am done making it.
Sophia says
Hello, I am making this white cake for the first time. I it's in the oven now, however I just watched the video and water went into the bowl, and there isn't any water listed in the ingredients, therefore I didn't put any water in...I hope it turns out!! Thank you for reading this.
Liz Marek says
No worries! You can use milk or water. Milk just has more flavor, so you're good. If you have more questions, come ask me in the Sugar Geeks community: https://community.raptive.com/sugargeeks
ashley williams says
How strong does the almond taste in this? I love almond so wondering if I should add in a little extra.
Liz Marek says
The almond is pretty subtle. You can add a little more, but go easy because almond extract is very strong. If you have more questions, come ask me in the Sugar Geeks community: https://community.raptive.com/sugargeeks
Maria Smith says
Thank you for this recipe! I wanted to make a special cake for my friend's 70th birthday but I had never tried to make a bakery-like cake. I used 3 6" x 2" cake pans and the cake came out absolutely fabulous! They did come out a little high - I figured that it was my error as I had the mixer on high and not medium as instructed! Not a problem though! I trimmed the cakes flat and enjoyed the remnants for two days! The cake is so good that my husband and I ate the remnants without frosting! I did frost the three layer birthday cake with your easy butter cream frosting recipe and I will never use store-bought frosting again! The cake came out beautiful - my friend and her family were so impressed! I do not have the skills to pipe anything fancy so I used gold and white decorating beads which looked great (I wish I could post a picture)! Once again, thank you - I am so glad I found your site and your recipes!
Liz Marek says
Happy 70th to your friend! So glad it came out fabulous.
Melissa says
Can I add the round disc sprinkles to this recipe to make a birthday cake?
Liz Marek says
Yes, you can just add sprinkles to the batter. If you have more questions, come ask me in the Sugar Geeks community: https://community.raptive.com/sugargeeks
Rebecca says
Is baking time still the same for three 6x2 pans?
Liz Marek says
Start checking at about 25 minutes and add time as needed. If you have more questions, come ask me in the Sugar Geeks community: https://community.raptive.com/sugargeeks
Rebecca says
I heard a lot of bakers say they reduced the size of cake box mixes and it's effecting their recipes. I wonder if that will be the case with this recipe? Has the recipe been updated since the reduction of the cake box mixes?
Liz Marek says
Box mixes have gotten smaller, but I haven't changed the recipe and it still works for me. If you have more questions, come ask me in the Sugar Geeks community: https://community.raptive.com/sugargeeks
Alsie says
Is it 4 ounces of melted butter or 1/2 cup? It looks great and I can't wait to try it! Thanks for posting it.
Liz Marek says
4 ounces of butter, melted. That's 1 stick, which is 1/2 cup. If you have more questions, come ask me in the Sugar Geeks community: https://community.raptive.com/sugargeeks
Anne says
My go to cake for all occasions! I get so many compliments when I make this cake along with your Easy Buttercream recipe. Thank you so much, Liz, for sharing your tremendous talent with us!! You're the best!
Liz Marek says
Thank you so much! So happy it's your go-to.
Missy says
I made this cake for a baby shower and it was delicious! By far, this is one of the best cake recipes I have used!
Liz Marek says
Thank you so much!
Alex says
I love this recipe, but I’ve never measure how many cups it will make I’m baking a half sheet and need 7 cups, will one recipe be enough? ❤️❤️ thank you!
Liz Marek says
One batch makes two 8" x 2" rounds. For a 12x18 half sheet pan I use a triple batch. If you have more questions, come ask me in the Sugar Geeks community: https://community.raptive.com/sugargeeks