good grief !!! you girls are killing me.. my sides hurt..my voice is all scratchy..from laughing.. my husband is hollering from the other room that he cant hear the tv...i really love this site..
my two cents.. on the original topic.. a penny for each word... Who Cares... which kind.. as long as it tastes great and the client loves it... i make both... they both go to the taste testing..and I try not to think.. ill...mean tempered thought about duncan hines..when they usually pick that cake over mine !!! 
Are you an actual pastry chef then?
Well, I've never been to culinary school and the only job I've had in the biz is as a grocery store decorator...so techinically, no I don't qualify for a toque. But, I have been cooking, baking and decorating for 24 years.
I do a lot of online researching and a lot of experimenting. Plus, if there's a cooking/baking gene, I have it. My mom used to make everything from scratch, including grinding her own wheat into flour and making the peanut butter we put on the bread she baked with it and my great-grandmother owned a confectionary in Pittsburgh.My dream is to one day own a cafe/bistro and patisserie.
And to beat Bobby Flay in a carrot cake throw-down.
I love Bobby Flay.
I would also love to become a pastry chef. I mean, what could be better than creating desserts all day?? Eating them, I guess.
I think I already said this in here, maybe not, but I'm going to look into the pastry chef course and see how much time and money is involved. I'm no spring chicken and this cake gig is actually a big career change for me (if all goes as planned). I'm just not sure I want to go back to school again even tho I would really love to learn the trade/art.
I am going to be doing some apprenticing at my school tho so I'll learn a lot more there.
but are you telling clients that you're using boxed mixes?
I'm speaking from a consumer point of view and I think, no, I know if I were ordering a cake from someone I would expect the cake to be made from scratch. To me the flavour is just as important as the decoration. I don't think that boxed cakes would use natural flavours or premium ingredients like Lindt chocolate.
If anyone wants some tried and true scratch recipes that are really easy to make I have some. Vanilla, chocolate and almond (to die for!)
I'd sure be interested in your recipes, especially the vanilla and almond. YUM!!
I bake from scratch and mixes. I almost never use a mix straight anymore, even for cupcakes, because there's so much I can do with extenders. I don't feel compelled to bring up scratch or mix with my customers because I don't feel it's important. If someone asks I'll tell them, but it's only come up a couple of times over the years I've been making cakes and it didn't seem to matter to the customer after they inquired. What really gets my customers is trying to figure out a certain taste in my white cakes. I've had people track down my dd trying to find out what it is. She just smiles and says "oh that's her secret ingredient, and I can't tell." Usually you see them walking around with a second piece. THAT'S what it's all about to me. Making something crazy good that they can't put down and can't figure out. And it helps if it's really pretty too!!
I already have 
You just have to go back thru the pages to find them.
Sorry to be an annoyance to some but I didn't think I was doing anything wrong.
Nah, you didn't do anything wrong. I've posted questions myself without surfing to see if it's already been asked and beaten into the ground. Anyone who is annoyed can easily ignore a question and look to the next. It's easy. Now, about those recipes!!!
You know SallyBratt I've seen your cakes somewhere, Flickr maybe?
I recognize the cat one, it's bugging me because I can't remember where I saw it.
I'm pretty sure it was'nt here on CC.
You know SallyBratt I've seen your cakes somewhere, Flickr maybe?
I recognize the cat one, it's bugging me because I can't remember where I saw it.
I'm pretty sure it was'nt here on CC.
Likely Flickr. I've posted to some cake groups on there. I have my own group on FB too (House of the Rising Cake) and all my pix are posted there as well.
Carol Ann...as icer and I alreayd said, they're posted in the thread. Can you please do a lil search for them as I don't want to repost them? Thanks hun.
It must have been Flickr, you're probably in my contacts and I did'nt even know it...lol
I'll look u up on FB.
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So does this mean that people with hip replacements are no longer "from scratch" since they now contain "artificial ingredients"? 
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So does that mean that someone with breast implants....... oh never mind, I'm going to bed. Nite!! Ü
LMAO...
Does it make me a hypocrite if I want to doctor my body a little?? 
I know, as far as my body's concerned, I'd like to start over...from scratch!
Badum CHISH
What about those of us who are missing body parts?
Yes this post has gone from idiotic too ignorant lol
Your cake pics look real nice, and I bet they taste yummy as well. Keep up the good work!
Anyone needing any boobage, I can offer some nice material!
Wow, I'm offline for the night and it's come to boob donations! Who wants to make bets on when this will get either shut down or moved to the lounge?
I could build you new ones out of gumpaste. I'm pretty good at sculpting.
I know I'm an abberration, but I hate coffee. Many of chocolate recipes (including yours, SallyBratt. By the way, thanks for the great looking recipes.) include coffee in the recipe and sometimes quite a lot. I know I can just leave out coffee granules, but a cup or two of liquid coffee???? How do I compensate? Do you actually taste the coffee in the cake? Would I tatse it because I'm so sensitive to it? Help!
I know I'm an abberration, but I hate coffee. Many of chocolate recipes (including yours, SallyBratt. By the way, thanks for the great looking recipes.) include coffee in the recipe and sometimes quite a lot. I know I can just leave out coffee granules, but a cup or two of liquid coffee???? How do I compensate? Do you actually taste the coffee in the cake? Would I tatse it because I'm so sensitive to it? Help!
God no don't leave it out. No, you won't taste coffee flavor, but what you will taste is an even darker richer chocolate flavor.
Coffee enhances the chocolate, it doesn't overpower it.
I use brewed coffee only, never instant. When I make my "cake coffee" I use double the amount of coffee granules that I normally would.
The stronger the better!
I agree. That recipe I posted is a very dark rich moist chocolate cake. I love it. And even tho I also love coffee I can't taste it in the finished product at all. There's not really that much in that recipe tho.
I would never have thought about asking if a bakery or cake decorator used a mix or baked by scratch until I found this site. How many have actually ever been asked that? Do all scratch bakers make their own fondant? Which recipes do you use if so. The premium ingredients cracks me up though reminds of salons that advertise they offer precise hair cuts. It's all good cakers which ever is your preference.
sigh
*yawn*
wow...I'm a newbie and the one that started it and I'm even tired of this discussion now!
FACSlady - You can try one leaving the coffee out, but you must still include the liquid or it will mess up the recipe.
I'd probably try the recipe, divide it in half, and add the coffee to one half only.
That way it can be tested directly against itself.
I would never have thought about asking if a bakery or cake decorator used a mix or baked by scratch until I found this site. How many have actually ever been asked that? Do all scratch bakers make their own fondant? Which recipes do you use if so. The premium ingredients cracks me up though reminds of salons that advertise they offer precise hair cuts. It's all good cakers which ever is your preference.
Why does that "crack you up"? Are you saying that there is no such thing or that it doesn't matter?
Chocolate is a great example....there's Hershey and then there are the premium chocolates i.e. Lindt, Godiva, Hachez, Galler etc.
HUGE difference in taste and price on those.
Oh and the "hair cut" thing....There is such a thing and method of hair cutting called Precision hair cutting where the hair is cut using geometric angles and can be worn in many different styles because no matter how you check the cut it's perfectly "precision" to every angle. ALWAYS be sure you are getting a precision cut, because I guarantee you that your hair will never be easier to style. Not every stylist is trained in precision cutting.
Just so you know!
Oh and every one of my clients speaks to me about the fact that I am a scratch baker....every one of them!
galliesway's comment on the "premium" ingredients like the hairstylists that offer "precise" cuts cracked me up!!! Ridiculous! LOLOL
I just finished reading all 18 pages 
and I had to add.
I LOVE CAKE! I bake both scratch recipes and recipes that start from a mix and I love both. I have a scratch hazelnut recipe I use that I love and the Chocolate Stout cake (scratch recipe) is really tasty, actually this one is my hubbys favorite (probably because it has GUINNESS in it). And I just love the WASC recipe which starts from a mix (this is my SIL'S favorite). I absolutely have no preference. HAHA!
I also have made homemade bread and homemade biscuits and I also sometimes buy the Pillsbury brand bread and biscuit doughs that you just have to bake. And I love both versions of these too.
Lets see...oh I love homemade pizza but also love Pizza Hut & Papa John's (don't like Domino's though).
Never had homemade peanut butter but I absolutely love store bought peanut butter...oh JIF how do you do it?? 
There! I think that about covers it.
Edited to add:
Oh, there is one thing I do prefer "scratch"...although I do love campbells chicken noodle soup (the kind that is not condensed) nothing beats a bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup. YUM![/b]
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