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Mom's Layer Cake

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This is the closest you'll get to from-scratch butter cake taste when using a mix. The flavors in this cake will bring back memories of birthday parties of yesteryear�light yellow layers, fluffy chocolate frosting and that essential glass of cold milk. You couldn't keep your hands out of the mixing bowl as a child and you won't be able to as an adult! Instead of Fluffy Chocolate Frosting, you could also use Chocolate Pan Frosting. If you want to give the cake a particularly festive look, add chocolate curls.

THE CAKE DOCTOR SAYS . . . When you want clear flavors to shine through, you must begin with the most simple of mixes�the white cake mix. Choose one that does not include pudding, and use whole eggs, not just whites as directed on the back of the box. Add melted butter for fat, flavor and color. The cake will bake up fragrant and have the most delicate golden brown color. To save time, melt the butter, cut into tablespoons and place in a glass measuring cup; place in a microwave oven set on high for 1 minute. And use whole milk and pure vanilla extract, just as you would in a from-scratch cake.

Reprinted with permission from THE CAKE MIX DOCTOR by Anne Byrn (Workman Publishing, 1999)

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Mom's Layer Cake 1 Picture

Ingredients

  • Solid vegetable shortening for greasing the pans
  • Flour for dusting the pans
  • 1 18.25-oz. pkg. plain white cake mix
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 8 tbsp. (1 stick) butter, melted
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Details

Servings 16
Preparation time 20mins
Cooking time 50mins
Adapted from community.cookinglight.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease two 9-inch round cake pans with solid vegetable shortening, then dust with flour. Shake out the excess flour. Set the pans aside.
2. Place the cake mix, milk, melted butter, eggs and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping the sides down again if needed. The batter should look well blended. Divide the batter between the prepared pans, smoothing it out with the rubber spatula. Place the pans in the oven side by side.
3. Bake the cakes until they are golden brown and spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 27 to 29 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 10 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edge of each layer and invert each onto a rack, then invert them again onto another rack so that the cakes are right side up. Allow them to cool completely, 30 minutes more.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the Fluffy Chocolate Frosting.
5. Place one cake layer, right side up, on a serving platter. Spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer, right side up, on top of the first layer and frost the top and sides of the cake with clean, smooth strokes.
6. Place this cake, uncovered, in the refrigerator until the frosting sets, 20 minutes. Cover the cake with waxed paper or place under a glass cake dome and store at room temperature for up to 4 days. Or freeze it, wrapped in aluminum foil, for up to 6 months. Thaw the cake overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

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