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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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.
mygiftsy says
This WASC cake recipe looks fantastic ! Light, fluffy, and versatile—perfect as a base for birthdays, celebrations, or any layered cake creation!
Jeff says
Made this and it's delicious! Question--can I make this in a 9x13?
Elizabeth Marek says
Yes you can
Susan Turner says
Hi Liz,
I was wondering if I am going to make this cake into a vanilla flavored one should I use a vanilla box mix or use the white and just add vanilla?
Liz Marek says
Use the white mix and swap the almond extract for vanilla. If you have more questions, come ask me in the Sugar Geeks community: https://community.raptive.com/sugargeeks
Doris C says
I don’t even bother with a regular white cake anymore. Everyone raves about this. Reading all the reviews, I do think that not over mixing is the secret to a perfect outcome. I doubled the recipe because I get so tired of making it so many times and had no issues whatsoever with the outcome. Thank you for developing this recipe.
Tammy says
I loved the flavor of this cake but mine didn't come out dense enough. I used water instead of milk. I'll use milk next time. I also eased up on the flour, thinking of increasing the all purpose flour abit more.
Liz Marek says
Thanks for sharing! Milk definitely adds more flavor than water.
Kelsey says
Do you use unsalted butter or salted butter?
Liz Marek says
Unsalted. If you have more questions, come ask me in the Sugar Geeks community: https://community.raptive.com/sugargeeks
Star says
IT WAS SOOO GOOD! I used Pillsbury confetti cake, and replaced the almond extract with a tablespoon vanilla and it came out wonderfully! My only issue is that mine baked a bit too fast so the center was still raw, but nothing some foil over it can’t fix. The richness was awesome, and the crumb came out very fine. 100/10!!
Lea says
Compliments galore. This is my go to cake of choice. Add homemade buttercream icing
Keya says
Can you substitute the eggs for pasteurized egg whites?
Elizabeth Marek says
Yes you can
Marie says
Hi! Would adding buttermilk to this doctored recipe make it more like a “velvet” cake? I’d like to make a purple velvet cake. 🙂
Liz Marek says
For a true velvet cake, use my white velvet cake recipe and tint it purple: https://sugargeekshow.com/white-velvet-cake/ If you have more questions, come ask me in the Sugar Geeks community: https://community.raptive.com/sugargeeks
Aaron says
I was wondering what the ounces of the cake mix are. I know they have gone down many ounces in the past few years. Should I add more cake mix if the new ones are smaller?
Liz Marek says
They have shrunk, but I still use one box as is and haven't noticed a difference. If you have more questions, come ask me in the Sugar Geeks community: https://community.raptive.com/sugargeeks
Shaina says
I’ve made this recipe in the past and it’s so good! Planning on making a cake and cupcakes this week but trying to get ahead. Can I bake the cake and cupcakes and then freeze until the day before?
Liz Marek says
Yes, you can always freeze cake. Wrap it well and thaw before frosting. If you have more questions, come ask me in the Sugar Geeks community: https://community.raptive.com/sugargeeks
Richard S Terlizzi says
This was an excellent cake - light, fluffy, great taste! I just have one suggestion: You might want to start listing the weight of the boxes of cake mix now since companies have now dropped most cake mixes to 13.25 oz. I assumed this recipe called for a 15.25 oz box, but the original WASC was actually 18 oz. Anyway, just a suggestion to you and ALL bakers that use cake mixes as the base.
suzinaz says
This cake recipe is awesome! I did it with Lemon box cake and it turned out great; just added 1 t. lemon extract.
I really want to do this with a carrot cake box mix. Any thoughts on that? TYIA
Lynn G says
I have made this cake several times and always received rave reviews.Thank you! Do you think I could turn it into a coconut cake by substituting coconut milk for the milk and instead of almond extract use coconut extract?