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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Cups of Batter Needed
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.
NaResha Paige says
Slow moment ??♀️ I didn’t read... you answered all questions I had above I just didn’t read!
Sarah Hammond says
Hey there!:) Love your show and recipes.. Would I change anything in this recipe for yellow cake mix?
The Sugar Geek Show says
I would use the same ingredients for yellow mix
Diane says
Ty for this recipe! I baked today, but I followed exact as stated, with one exception...hand mixer! The cakes tasted amazing but one pans batter sunk in the middle and was raw? It took so long at 335(?) so I increased temp to 350 for about 20-25 mins longer! I used two 8” round Wilton pans with baking strips! Any idea what could have gone wrong? Also was very hard icing after being cold for several hours?
The Sugar Geek Show says
Hi Diane, not sure what could have gone wrong. Perhaps under-mixed or under-baked but an 8" pan shouldn't take that long to bake. Maybe the ingredients got mixed up somewhere along the way? To be clear, you only used the ingredients listed in the recipe not the ingredients on the back of the box plus the ingredients listed?
TSusan says
I made this cake for my grandson’s birthday and it was sensational! Not to mention so easy! This will be my go to white cake always! Thx!
Rica Muhammad says
I absolutely love this recipe!! It comes out perfect every time.
How would I cut this recipe in half?
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yay! The only way to cut it in half is to only use half the box 🙂
Stephany says
This recipe was amazing I made exactly as written using pillsbury white cake because my Walmart is never stocked well and it was perfect the flavor was right the consistency was nice and it wasn’t dry I baked in two 9in springform pans because that was what I had spraying the bottom and lining with parchment paper. I wrapped and froze the cakes slightly til they were sturdy enough to cut them rewrapped and froze til the next day then I stacked filled and frosted them sticking the finished cake in the fridge until night I paired this cake with a white chocolate mousse filling a raspberry filling and an almond buttercream I topped it with another small layer of white chocolate mousse and it was amazing decadent and exactly what I envisioned. Thank you for the recipe I will definitely use this for my cakes in the future
amy says
hi! i'm aiming to do three layers in 8" round plans. can this single recipe be divided across three or do i need to double? also, do i follow the measurements in the beginning of each line or the end? 9 oz sour cream or 1 cup? sorry, i have used this recipe before but don't recall having that question.
The Sugar Geek Show says
Hi Amy, yes you can divide the cake batter into three cake pans, they will just be a little shorter than if you used two cake pans. 9 ounces of sour cream is one cup so it doesn't matter which measurement you use 🙂
Justin P says
Any adjustments for cupcakes? And is sweetened condensed milk work in lieu of water/milk?
The Sugar Geek Show says
Sweetened condensed milk is not the same as milk. It has sugar added to it. Regular milk is preferred. No adjustments needed for cupcakes.
Sarah says
Hi! I have to do a 14" stacked round. Will this be strong enough. I did the traditional cake mix directions first and my layer literally fell apart when I tried to stack it. So, I have sour cream, 2% not skim, and no buttermilk. Any ideas how to doctor this? Also, I am not sure how to measure flour in ounces without a scale. Help!
The Sugar Geek Show says
Your cakes should be chilled when you are stacking. Please watch my how to make your first cake video for more information on assembling a cake. You don't need a scale for the WASC recipe, to the right of the oz measurement you will see the cups measurement.
Jacqueline M Andra says
Question , I am needing to make a true 1/2 sheet cake with this 15x11 ...would double be enough or would I have to triple it? Thanks
Tammy says
Liz!!! How many boxes of doctored cake mix should I use to fill an 11×15 pan?
The Sugar Geek Show says
I would do two
Sara says
Does the type of milk matter, such as 2% or whole milk? Thanks!
The Sugar Geek Show says
No it doesn't matter 🙂
Sara says
Thank you!
Veronica says
I'm making my son his 2nd birthday cake soon but I'm wanting to give the cake a pistachio flavor with pudding mix. Can I add the pudding mix or will it completely alter the cake?
The Sugar Geek Show says
Since this is a box mix I think it would be fine but I haven't tested it
Sewqueen says
Everyone loved this cake! I was so happy, some even had a second slice.
Adelaida Gonzalez says
What is AP flour ?
The Sugar Geek Show says
Regular all purpose flour or plain flour