Just wondering if any one else feels guilty about keeping quiet about doctored cake mixes that your customers swear are homemade. I used to bake from scratch all the time until finding this site. Now I do both. I love doctoring up DH's mixes especially the Golden Butter recipe which I use about 90% of the time. When I shop I look around to see if I know some one, because I don't want them to see me buying mixes. I even keep them out of site If they come to my house. I know this sounds crazy and it's almost funny. One of my friends did see a mix while visiting me and I just played it off by saying that I used mixes when I did the Wilton classes. Does anyone else feel this way??

From what I gather on this site and others, this is a very controversial issue. I always bake from scratch when baking for paying customers, but if I'm doing a free cake for a relative I sometimes use a doctored box and people still love it. I tell my customers I bake from scratch and wouldn't want to mislead them. I think there is nothing wrong with using box, but you shouldn't tell people its from scratch if it isn't.

I don't feel guilty at all, I'm way to busy to make one from scratch. Although I hope to give it a try someday. I work full time, have two kids at home, drive an hr to & from work, plus I'm still taking a class or 2 and one week I even had 3 classes. I'm Trying to sell my house, and see my fiance to boot. If they don't ask I don't tell them. It's half homemade with all the extra's isn't it??

i agree that you should keep it honest. integrity means a lot, especially in the business area. doctored DH, IMO, is fine. just let the customer know. they will be wowed by taste, but even MORE wowed by the design(which seems to get more attention).

i agree with katwomen1up. it's not like you went to walmart, bought a cake, then put the design on it. so i guess it is half homemade!

I wouldn't feel guilty at all. If they ask, tell them. I don't think you need to feel ashamed or hide that it's not from scratch. If your cakes look good & taste good, that's probably all they care about. When I've had to purchase cakes before, I've never even wondered nor cared what they use. I'm there for the convinience of not having to do it myself. Even though it may be a doctored mix, you've still provided a valuable service -be proud!

As of today no one has ever asked if my cakes are from scratch or box. I use box and use the enhanced recipie from here. If any one should ask I would tell them. I do make some cakes from scratch like carrot cake. NO one has complained yet.

If they ask I tell them that I use box mix but add an extender recipe to it. If they have allergies or need a scratch cake for any reason I will make them one, it's not a problem.

But I believe you should be honest with people because of the risk of alleriges to certain things. I recently had a potential customer ask "Do you make scratch cakes" my husband answered her "We can". I think it's important because there are alot of children and adults with food allergies and alot of kids are allergic to red dye and for some reason that is used in yellow cake mix

Commercial bakeries start with a commercial base. It is no different for us to do the same. I can scan my BakeMark catalog and show you all the different cake mixes in 20 pound bags. So we buy a base in 18 ounce boxes, and use our own high-quality ingredients...milk, buttermilk, sour cream, eggs, flour, sugar, cocoa, extracts, flavorings...what is the difference?

No, I don't feel badly about starting with a base. Some of my cakes don't start with a base, some do. In my experience, most people rave about my cakes that did start with a mix. People want what they're used to, what they grew up with. Cakes that start with a Duncan Hines box give them that familiarity. Adding our own ingredients makes it our own.

I see no difference. When I buy cakes from my favorite bakery and know that they started with the same BakeMark mix that I can buy, I still love that cake and don't feel I got ripped off at all.

Sherri

I don't feel guilty when I start with a mix. Sometimes I start with a mix, other times it's scratch. It depends on the cake. If it's a normal sheet cake, I always start from a mix and doctor it up. People don't normally ask, but if they do, I say I start from a mix and add my own ingredients from there.

i don't fell guilty either for using a mix i have baked from scratch before and my chocoalte cake was once really moist and good then the next time i made it was really firm and dry, so idon't even bother with scratch anymore, my vanilla cake tasted like crisco i like mix because its reliable everytime

I do scratch as well as boxed mixes! Now i completely bake from scratch.

If I was not telling my customers I was using a mix and I was using one I sure would feel bad about it. I see nothing wrong with using a mix if you choose to, but don't lie to your customers and say it's from scratch if it isn't. That seems wrong to me. I make everything but preserves and fondant from scratch and it will be clearly stated on my website that I do not make them and use a commercially prepared product for those applications. I buy preserves because it's easier to get the fruits that aren't in season and Fondex fondant because I haven't had luck making fondant (MMF) at home and it tastes so good. I think the fact that I make it all from scratch sets me apart from other places.. but it's not a requirement. If you use a mix you shouldn't feel it's something you need to hide. Many bakeries use them. But do let your customers know if they ask.

I have never had a customer ask me if I used box or scratch. I have, however, had several relatives ask me, including one who asked me, and I quote, "do you ever, like, not make your own cakes?" I thought he meant like buying a slab or something? So I asked what he meant and he said "like, use a mix"

I have always used cake mixes with ad libs!! lol But when I got my KA mixer, I wanted to try some scratch cakes. It is really not that much more trouble than a doctored mix. And I have found some really wonderful recipes that I will now be using. I used to hide the mixes too, but no longer. I will probably still do both, but I will let the customer know.

i dont feel guilty using cakes mixes, I do however let them know i doctored it up. I also make cakes from scratch it just depends on which flavor they request. Be honest with your customers.

I agree you should be honest... if there is no shame in doing it why do people only tell when asked.. i proudly proclaim to people that i am a scratch baker. As i have said before.... i'd be po'd if i found out that i paid 500 bucks for some duncan hines...

I think, if they ask, then sure go on and say what you're using. I agree, the bakery that I got my wedding cake from uses a pre packaged base, and add from there. That is the biggest bakery in our area, where MOST people buy the cakes they do for parties, weddings etc. They also charge TONS more then anyone else. The grocery stores bake from boxes, and then have them shipped to them frozen. I just figure most people don't go around asking. Some of the cakes I bake are totally from scratch, and some of them for flavor reasons are from doctored mixes. I don't see most people going into food establishements and saying, so is your pasta here hand made or from a box? Do you make your macaroni and cheese from a box, or is it from scratch? Do you use hand shredded cheese or pre shredded cheese? Do you slice your own pepperoni or do you buy it pre sliced? I figure, if someone has an allergy or concern, they're going to bring it up and ask. If someone says, hey I want a white cake with white buttercream, I make the white almond sour cream cake with home made buttercream. Everyone has loved it... And for the prices they're looking for I simply can't bake totally from scratch it would raise my prices. When someone says to me, can you make a from scratch old fashion black out cake I say yea I sure can, and I price it according to my costs and time. I think it is just another thing for people to pick at. I'm not saying "don't ask don't tell" because that is just silly... But i'm saying for the most part, by the time you're putting all the extras in it's home made...
Jen

If they ask, I tell them. Genoise and sponge cakes are from scratch, as well as carrot. Everything else starts with a mix base. I have found that people expect cake to taste a certain way. And that way is what the cake mix companies have spent millions of dollars figuring out.
I also like the consistency of product that I get with a base mix.

The only time a bride asks is if she is going down the list of "Ten Questions to Ask Your caterer" (like they think I don't recognize the questions!). If they ask if I bake from scratch or mix, I tell them "You couldn't afford me if I baked from scratch."


(Pssst! I wouldn't mind the Ten Questions if only the bride knew what she was asking and why she was asking it.)

I have been asked by 1 of my customers. It was this week actually. I bake from scratch and from doctored up mixes. The cake she was ordering started with a base from a box mix and I told her that it did.
now comes the strange part:
She tells me that her sister does wedding cakes and doctors cake mixes to make them taste good, but I did mine differently and she liked it better, so that's why she's ordering from me.
So why did she then ask? I sometimes think it's just to tap you out for info I was honest though. If they like your product they will order from you regardless.

LOL indydebi

Thanks Guys, I see some of you are feeling some what as I do. I've never lied to my customers telling them it was from a mix. When they come to me and swear it's homemade, I just don't say it isn't. I just smile and thank them. Actually I do more to my mixes than I do to my scratch cakes. I use butter,sour cream,milk, and Watkins vanilla. I even add cream cheese when I doctor up a mix to make a pound cake. We have a lot of parties on my job and we have a lot of cake. But everyone either buys from Sams or they just bake a plain mix and use can frosting. So of course they think mine are from scratch because My mix is so doctored up. But I bake Toba Garret's moist yellow cake, Slyvia's Weinstocks Classic yellow cake And Wilton's Butter cake all the time. Before finding this site, I only baked the 1 2 3 4 cake from the back of the SwansDown cake flour box. Now I only use Softasilk cake flour for every scratch cake.

OMG, I feel so guilty! I got into this because I just loooooooved baking. But when I decorate cakes, it seems like so much more extra work! My mom was just giving me a guilt trip about this tonight, saying that I needed to keep making things from scratch. I still like baking, but it is so time consuming!