I'm proof that everyone CANNOT bake a cake using a mix. I used to try on occasion & boy were they pretty awful! I have a picture if you don't believe me!

But now with a little training, I have started using boxes & "doctoring" them up - people always love them. I used to work in a bakery where pretty much everything was "made from scratch," but guess what? They used "white cake mix" in quite a few things. It comes in a giant bag & I bet most bakeries (ours was a high-end one with picky customers too) use that for some of their products. We also bought our buttercream in giant tubs - I see them use those on Ace of Cakes.

I agree with whomever is saying it basically comes down to what you are used to/prefer to work with & what your customers enjoy. My customers (who have actually asked) are shocked that I doctor up a cake mix - they can't believe you can make a cake mix taste so good. And they don't know how to do it themselves or cannot decorate, so they buy mine.

Wow, I sat here after work & read thru this whole post! What a difference in opinions!! Geez, like Paper or Plastic! I grew up on making everything by hand. I didn't even know what "scratch" was because we just made it. My girlfriend would say, "Did you make this from scratch?" And I'd say, "Of course I made it." I didn't know what a 'box mix' was until after I was married! And frosting in a tub? That's just nasty!

I have all my old cake recipes from when I was a kid growing up. They are good. I don't think they would be good for carving like y'all do.

I believe most people who purchase their treats from a baker really like the frosting and decorating. It's just cool. And ever eat something that someone else makes just tastes sooo much better!



I've learned alot from all you cake queens

I just want to say that your upbringing can make a difference. I grew up in a house where nothing (and I mean NOTHING) was made from scratch. So of course I did not know that cakes could be made any other way than from a mix.

I am in the process of learning though, as I will be for the rest of my life. I have found 2 scratch recipes (from a close friend), of a wonderful chocolate cake and a "to die for" lemon cake. These cakes have taught me that I can be a baker, and not just a decorator like I thought before.

I have learned how to doctor my cakes well, and I have a repeat customer each month for 6 dozen cake balls (made from a box). He says they never last for more than 4 hours in his house. So that being said, even if I get a degree, he will always want the cake I make him now. But I will try to expand on every aspect until I can no longer function. JMHO

I totally respect all you guys that use cake mixes, but i personally dont like them, i am such a purist but my gramma baked from scratch, heck i have a 20 yr old Kitchen Aid that belonged to her and if i ever mix a box cake in it, my dear Gramma would die all over again not to mention that i have spent to much money for my degree in Pastry Arts, The bottom line is:" To each it's own " it's just a matter of preferance.

Happy Baking, Box or Scratch

Salome

Do any of you bake both? I mean what the customer wants?I bake both mixes and scratch according to what my customers want. Like REd Velvet,
Italian Cream, 7up pound cake and carrot cake etc. but usually I just use a cake mix and they think that's fine.I recently tasted a cream cheese cake,not cheese cake but a wonderful tasting cake made from scratch. I am going to try to get the recipe. it was the best cake i have ever tasted
and I would love to give it a try.

sandeeb

Do any of you bake both? I mean what the customer wants?I bake both mixes and scratch according to what my customers want. Like REd Velvet,
Italian Cream, 7up pound cake and carrot cake etc. but usually I just use a cake mix and they think that's fine.I recently tasted a cream cheese cake,not cheese cake but a wonderful tasting cake made from scratch. I am going to try to get the recipe. it was the best cake I have ever tasted
and I would love to give it a try.

sandeeb

You have customers who request one or the other?

I don't go into Olive Garden and tell them how to cook their recipes (allergy restrictions the exception of course). It is what it is.

These are my cakes. If the price or the taste is not what you are looking for, you are more than welcome to try someone else.

I'd like to chime in here. I bake from scratch and use the doctored recipes as I've found both to be popular. However, I have found in comparing expense of ingredients to make the cakes, typically not only is it easier to use the cake mix extender recipe it is also cheaper for me. I've a breakdown of ingredients that I use to price my cakes and I developed it using the typical grocery store pricings, though I buyin volume at Costco most of the time. The extender recipe calls for a box mix at 88 cents from Walmart, 4 eggs at 8 cents each, 1 cup flour at 20 cents, 1 cup sugar at 20 cents, 1 tsp vanilla at 4 cents, 1/3 tsp salt that's almost zero, and 1 cup sour cream at 50 cents. Total cost is $2.14 for the cake, minus icing ingredients.
I don't feel guilty at all making this instead of a scratch that tastes similar and is moretime consuming to make, especially when I can actually get the ingredients cheaper by buying in volume at Costo.

I don't use extenders but I do doctor a mix. To me there is a difference.

indydebi,

Yes I have customers that have asked for scratch cakes before and some don't ask, but i try to please my customers. Of course if it cost more to make I charge more. certain cakes like Italian cream cost more because the contain more costly ingredients not to mention they take more time but they are very delicious. To me it's not a problem.

sandeeb

Wow! This debate reminds me of the breast milk vs. formula debate on the stay at home mom's board I post on!

I have a killer chocolate cake scratch recipe (from here) that I use. For white cake, I use box mixes, because I have yet to find a scratch white cake recipe that doesn't taste like styrofoam. But I have never had a customer ask which I make before. I think if your customers are happy, who cares?

Somewhere along the line, the point has been missed. The question was not whether a person should bake from scratch or a mix, but if a person is going to the trouble to measure ingredients for a cake mix extender, then why not just start from scratch?

When discussing this thread with friend, she told me it takes two mixes for one 9x13" pan. So this is double the mix, eggs, oil, etc. The recipes that I use will fill the same size pan with one recipe. This means less 1/2 the extra ingredients needed for box mixes.

Please remember, I am NOT against baking from boxes, nor am I advocating that everyone should bake from scratch. I prefer scratch because that is how I was taught. I have tasted some wonderful scratch AND mix cakes, as well as some really awful ones on both sides.

Baking is a talent and an art. Either method takes both. There is nothing wrong with which method anyone chooses. My question was not meant to pit one against the other.


Michele

Dicalcium phosphate, monocalcium phosphate, polyglycerol esters of fatty acid, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, cellulose gum, artificial flavors, xanthan gum, dicalcium phosphate, maltodextrin........... does'nt that sound yummy.

I do at times use a mix to extend a certain recipe. I just dont like the chemical, fake taste of a mix.

To each his own I just love that we all love to do the same thing!

Shelly

Okay, so I got the amount wrong. Nonetheless, it still takes more than one box to make a 9x13 cake. This is a common size for many bakers. My chocolate cake recipe will fill a 9x13 AND a 6" round completely full. A double recipe will fill a 12x18".

It takes 1 1/2 recipes for me to fill an 11x15. Again, the point. If you are measuring for extenders or additions, aren't you still making a recipe? How is that so different from baking completely from a recipe?

This was not meant to be an argument over amounts, sizes, prices, for or against cake mixes. It was just a question of how much extra work a person may or may not put into a cake mix with additions or extenders. There is no judgment here on what method anyone uses. Please don't take the question any further than that.

Michele

Hi Sugarflowers,

I purchased your e-book and can't wait to try the recipes. I feel as though I am obsessive regarding scratch cakes as well. My biggest problem with using boxed mixes is all the chemicals that are in them. Yes, box mixes do taste good and may be faster to make, but what are the effects of all the chemicals. My husband hates store bought cakes or box mixes because of the aftertaste. He's a big supporter of my baking craziness.

Also, I was wondering if you use your fondant recipe for your cakes, they look beyond beautiful. I have used the Wilton recipe and it just doesn't seem to be elastic enough. What type of cream do you suggest for your fondant recipe? Heavy whipping cream?

Thanks for sharing.

Thank you for buying the book!

The recipe I use for my fondant is the one in the book. I like working with it for real or competition cakes. It's less expensive for me and I can make it the consistency I want. I have warm hands, so it doesn't take long for me to soften it.

I do like to use heavy cream for my frostings. It makes them taste fantastic. The cream also seems to add to the pliability of the fondant.

For the gelatin and glycerin, a health food store is a great source. You can buy much larger amounts for less. A 16 oz. bottle of glycerin for about $8 and a large jar of gelatin for about the same. It's at least 2 cups of gelatin.

I hope you like the book.

Michele