A Dumb Baking Question

[OldGuy43]

This may sound kinda stupid, but I just baked a carrot cake from a box mix. I followed the directions and I ended up kind of embarrassingly "low rise." Than I noticed the fine print on the box,

Quote:​

Is there any reason that I can't mix two batches together? (ie. two boxes at once.)

 

[Oregon Blues]

You can always do 2 boxes of cake mix at a time, but I am puzzled about what you think that is going to do for you.

 

[Oregon Blues]

Also, if you are not happy with the way the box mix performed, I suggest that you do not buy any more of that brand.

 

[mickey328]

Also, do keep in mind that the very nature of a carrot cake prevents a lot of rising and fluffiness...they are heavy, dense cakes.

 

[OldGuy43]

The only thing I was really unhappy with was that the cake looked kinda lost in the pan. Less than half-way full.

 

[True Grit]

Stands to reason that two boxes would fill up the pan better. Did it call for eggs? If not maybe you could throw a couple of eggs in with the mixes.

 

[OldGuy43]

Stands to reason that two boxes would fill up the pan better. Did it call for eggs? If not maybe you could throw a couple of eggs in with the mixes.

Called for 2 large eggs. I put in 3.

 

[Oregon Blues]

If the layers are flat and you want a taller finished cake, instead of filling the pans fuller with additional batter, fill more pans. You will end up with a tall 4 layer cake instead of a 2 layer cake that maybe has problems getting baked all the way through.

It's traditional to do carrot cake in a sheet pan. Probably because it is a dense cake.

If you are adding fresh carrots and raisins to a cake mix and the layers come out flat, maybe you could add a teaspoon of baking powder at the same time. The mix should have enough leavening for what's in the mix, but you are adding more stuff, so maybe adding a bit more leavening would help.

Grating the carrots is the most work for a carrot cake, so if you are already grating carrots you might as well make the cake from scratch instead of a mix.

 

[cadeschicks]

If the layers are flat and you want a taller finished cake, instead of filling the pans fuller with additional batter, fill more pans. You will end up with a tall 4 layer cake instead of a 2 layer cake that maybe has problems getting baked all the way through.

More layers = more frosting = better cake

 

[janinepeters]

If the layers are flat and you want a taller finished cake, instead of filling the pans fuller with additional batter, fill more pans. You will end up with a tall 4 layer cake instead of a 2 layer cake that maybe has problems getting baked all the way through.

It's traditional to do carrot cake in a sheet pan. Probably because it is a dense cake.

If you are adding fresh carrots and raisins to a cake mix and the layers come out flat, maybe you could add a teaspoon of baking powder at the same time. The mix should have enough leavening for what's in the mix, but you are adding more stuff, so maybe adding a bit more leavening would help.

Grating the carrots is the most work for a carrot cake, so if you are already grating carrots you might as well make the cake from scratch instead of a mix.

Yeah, I would make from scratch, but if I had to use the mix for some reason, I'd get 2 mixes, and bake them each in a separate pan, and use them as 2 layers of the same cake. If you put both boxes in 1 pan of the same size that you baked the single mix in, it might not cook well in the middle. To get it to bake well in the middle, you might have to bake until the edges are overdone. A 2 layer cake with evenly cooked layers is better than a thick single layer with burnt edges. Also, I like the idea of extra frosting, too.