It is so funny that people actually prefer mix cakes to scratch. I don't even think cakes made from a mix are worth eating at all. I do everything form scratch and I have very consistent results--but I weigh everything. The recipes that come from America's Test Kitchen have been amazing for me. I used to always make the Hershey's Chocolate Cake (it is so moist and dark) but then the chef from Guittard Chocolate gave me one that he developed that is very similar but bakes so perfectly flat and even--I love, love, love making it. I also like older cake recipes. My mom's old beat up Betty Crocker book has some real gems--and they are always very simple to make with easy-to-find ingredients. I make the white cake from The Whimsical Bakehouse and people LOVE it--except me. I think white cake is so blah. If you can find powdered egg whites it definitely makes a scratch white cake easier though. I would encourage you to learn scratch baking if you are interested. It is fun! Good luck!

i've actually eaten the vanilla and chocolate cakes from confetti cakes - and they were very moist (actually for a few days). not dry/crumbly.

I bake both ways... IMHO some cakes just need to be scratch such as Red Velvet and German Chocolate. That being said, I fall back on Alton Brown's take on cake mixes... Paraphrased, he says you can't go much wrong with a cake mix in terms of flavor, texture and overall consistent good results. I figure if ALTON says it, that's good enough for me!

Bonniecakes08: I usually doctor mixes but it works just as well with scratch. The nice thing about Margarita mixes is that there is a ton of flavor in just a small packet so it doesn't change the integrity of your recipe. I just add it to the dry ingredients. (Village Gourmet packets are 35g or 1.2oz).

For the strawberry cream I have a couple options. If the cake is being served soon I make a thick homemade whipped cream and just fold in the strawberry preserves or semi-crushed fresh strawberries. If the filling needs to be more "stable" I fold preserves into vanilla pudding.

Wow, I can't believe this thread is still going! I baked the Hershey's chocolate cake (off the unsweetened cocoa can) and it was excellent, definately a keeper. Cookieman and K8memphis, your points are well taken, did not mean to offend!! Newmansmom, I'm going to try the cake doctor's book. I've decided to choose recipes I like, whether or not they are from scratch or mix. Thanks for all your imput! Oh, and Alanaj, thanks for the info on the powdered drink mix, and MJNJ, would you be willing to share your chocolate cake from Guittard? You can pm me if you like. Thanks again!

Boyajian oils also makes natural fruit flavorings (citrus oils, etc) that are really good to use for flavorings.

alanaj, can you post the link for Village Gourmet? I found a lot of options when I googled it, but apparently not the right one yet. Thanks!

Alanaj - if you are willing to share the Guittard chocolate cake recipe, I would love to try it. Thanks.

Sometimes I add 2 tablespoons of instant pudding mix to the hershey's recipe. It makes it more dense and ties the cake into whatever filling I'm using. Butterscotch is my favorite

Sorry, I left this thread hanging!

sayhellojana, the Guittard wasn't mine but it sounds like something I'd like to try too!

The name is actually "Gourmet du Village" (guess I don't read the packages very carefully) .
Here's the link:
http://www.gourmetduvillage.com/

I will post the Guittard Chocolate Cake recipe when I get the chance. It is everything a chocolate cake should be--dark, moist, rich and chocolatey! You guys will love it.

AI have the book an I just make 1 recipe is banana cake and is mi favorite moist an rich

For me...I am a decorator...not a baker.   I find the wasc gives me the best of both worlds.   The box part gives me the shelf life and moistness....and the added stuff gives me the texture of scratch.    I have not yet found a scratch cake/recipe that wasn't dry...that's just me.   Again, I don't have any interest in the baking part.    I just want to stack & design.