My Favorite Cake & Cupcake Recipe

This is my all time favorite cake recipe and can be made as a vanilla, chocolate or butterscotch cake.  I’ve never made it for anyone who hasn’t loved it.  It’s from Taste of Home (anyone who knows me, knows that Taste of Home is where all my good recipes come from).   If you compare the original recipe to mine you’ll see that I’ve made a couple of changes, but it’s basically the same.

Ingredients

• 1 package (18-1/4 ounces) vanilla or chocolate cake mix (depending on which flavor cake you are making)
• 1 package (3.9 ounces) instant vanilla or butterscotch or chocolate pudding mix (depending on which flavor cake you are making)
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet white chocolate or butterscotch or chocolate chips (depending on which flavor cake you are making)

 

• For Vanilla cakes - use vanilla cake mix and white chocolate chips.
• For Butterscotch cakes - use vanilla cake mix and butterscotch chips
• For Chocolate cake - use any chocolate cake mix and chocolate chips

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, sour cream, oil, water and sugar. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Stir in chocolate chips if using chocolate chips (for other chips, see directions below).
• Pour into a greased and floured 10-in. Bundt pan. Bake at 350° for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes; remove from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
• For cupcakes or mini cupcakes bake them for 12-18 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. 
• For regular round cakes bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
• If the cake is not quite cooked, the center will fall when it cools.  It almost tastes better if it’s slightly uncooked as it’s extra moist.
• If you are adding white chocolate or butterscotch chips I find that if I add them to the batter they fall to the bottom of the pan and burn.  I cook the cake for about 10 minutes and then scatter the chips on top.  They fall into the center of the cake.  For cupcakes bake for about 5 minutes and then scatter them on top.

 

• Whether you make this recipe as cupcakes or a cake, they freeze like a dream.  I put them in a ziploc bag and freeze them flat.  If you just need a few cupcakes, pull them out of the freezer, ice them when they are frozen and leave them at room temperature and they’ll be ready to eat in about 20 minutes.