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Im sorry ive never used a packet cake in my life i dont believe in them lol, they do tend to dry out extreamly quickly if in the oven for to long i also find the will dry out and cook quicker if you are using a fan assisted oven.
After you seperate the egg whites, let them sit so they become room temperature. Like they say you really need to preheat oven, make sure your using the correct kind of good oil. If it happens again I would try reducing the baking time, slightly, maybe your oven runs hotter, check it with a oven themometer ans see if the temperature your setting it at, is actually what your achieving after preheating.
After you seperate the egg whites, let them sit so they become room temperature. Like they say you really need to preheat oven, make sure your using the correct kind of good oil. If it happens again I would try reducing the baking time, slightly, maybe your oven runs hotter, check it with a oven themometer ans see if the temperature your setting it at, is actually what your achieving after preheating.
Anyone using eggs straight from the fridge should expect a hopeless cake, i truely do think its the oven since we changed from gas to electric fan assisted ive found it drys out alot of stuff a hell of alot quicker than normal.
There is a fix for this. First I will assume that you are following the package instructions on the box (pre-heat oven, dark vs. light colored pan or glass, convection oven vs. conventional oven, let eggs set at rom temp, etc.).
Second, be sure that yu check the doneness of the cake with a toothpick periodically before the end of the cook time it states on the box. One thing that people usually confuse is the "the cake is done when the toothpick comes out clean" saying. If the toothpick is still wet, without chunks of cake stuck to it, even little chunks, the cake is done. Some people take this to mean that the toothpick has to be clean AND dry. Not so, just clean.
Lastly, if the first two topics are all in order; use sour cream or mayonnaise. Sounds weird, but it works and it won't taste like sour cream or mayonnaise. For an 18 oz. box (give or take) start with 2 Tablespoons of sour cream or mayonnaise. I prefer real mayonnaise (Hellman's). It already has egg and oil in it, but it stays wet.
Lastly, for flavor development, I have used the Betty Crocker products in the past, but as a restaurant chef, we use little secrets to make a cake craveable. First, get some Instant Pudding Mix, start with vanilla for white or yellow cakes. for an 18 oz. box (give or take) of cake mix, start with 2 Tablespoons of pudding mix and experiment.
With this information you should be able to make some great, moist, cakes.
On a personal note, I prefer Duncan Hines cake mixes. Betty Crocker is OK, but Duncan Hines are better.
My wife is a Cake decorator and always uses Betty Crocker cake mixes.
She advises using eggs and milk.
The next trick is to cut a strip of cloth(Tea Towel) about 2 inches wide. Soak the cloth in water and wrap around the outside of the Cake pan. Leave it on the pan when you bake the cake.This keeps the outside of the pan cooler and the edges moist.
The other thing is don't keep the cooked cake in the refrigerator. The icing should keep it from drying out.
Sound like you have lots of things to try.
good luck
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