Do most of you use cake mixes or do you make your cakes from scratch and if so, what recipes do you use?

This topic can tend to stir up a hornets nest. I personally make all of my cakes, fillings and fondant from scratch with real ingredients. I know there are a lot of people on this site that use WASC (doctored cake mix) and they love it. It is all a matter of personal preference.

I use the all occasion downy yellow butter cake from the cake bible as the yellow base for a variety of flavors that I do (this recipe is great but takes practice. I just recently mastered having it come out moist consistently, from the looks of the posts on the internet i'm not the only one who struggled with it but I love the flavor) I use gale gands chocolate cake recipe. It is fool proof and amazingly delicious. When chilled it carves like a dream. I use these as the base for most of my flavors adding different extracts, zest, juices, candies...etc. to make a variety of flavor combos.

I have been a baking fanatic since I was a teenager. So I have worked and reworked recipes for more years than I care to admit (wouldnt want anyone to be able to guess my "real" age LOL) so when cake art became a part of my life scratch baking them was a natural choice. Some people find it too much trouble when you can get good results with a mix. Again all a matter of personal preference.

By real ingredients i mean as natural as I can get. Real butter instead of shortening, juices and zests instead of artifial flavorings, again a personal preference and not meant to stir up a scratch vs mix fight

I use both.

http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-630891.html

^^^ Here's one of our latest forays into the subject.

WOW! I never knew such a simple topic could stir up such controversy. Not trying to step on anyone's toes. Thanks for the input guys. Momma28, surely you're only "28" years old as your user name indicates, LOL. I don't mind telling you I'm 46 and have also been baking for years but when it comes to cake I haven't been able to find a white cake recipe that comes out moist. There's a local bake shop who has delicious, dense white cake that's moist and I just wonder what they use???

Sylvia Weinstock's yellow cake--don't worry it comes out white--is awesome. Google it.

But I use a quarter cup more cake flour and I only use 2 whole eggs and 2 egg whites. And I add the eggs to the creamed butter & sugar mixture--I do not serarately whip the eggs.

It's a fantastic formula--it's so moist you don't even have to keep it covered and it does not get a dry edge from being exposed to the air.

tee hee.........love you guys!

OH NO NOT AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And you should ask the bake shop what they use--some bake from flour on up and some bake from mixes.

thanks k8memphis I think I'll try it.

Idea to get the most out of your zests--maybe you already do this but--
rub the zest into granulated sugar to release all the flavor--then add to
your recipe.
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(If you can't take the heat stay out of the kitchen)

Do you really think that helps? Zesting into sugar first? I have tried it both ways and couldn't really tell the difference, but maybe that was particular to the recipe.
Oops.....sorry to hijack your thread! I was just curious if you found it to really make a big difference.
Heather

Are we taking about the same thing? By 'into the sugar' do you mean rubbing the zest into the sugar with my fingers until it aromifies the room? Yes it makes a difference.

Well, I would tend to mash it in with a mortar and pestle,.....kind of like making a flavored sugar paste for a bar drink, but......same difference. The aroma of the room was about the same "zestiness" before mashing with sugar as it was after. I only tried it once and it didn't seem to do much, but like I said......could have been just that particular recipe.
Didn't mean to upset you with my question though. Just curious.

thanks k8memphis, I've never done that with zest. You've given me alot of great tips. Thanks alot!

AWW how sweet. What a blessing! I have 6 also, 3 of mine and 3 of his. They are all grown up so now I run a preschool because I love them when they are little.