If You Use Cake Mixes, ?

Business By newb2 Updated 10 Aug 2010 , 3:48am by kansaslaura

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indydebi Posted 18 Jun 2010 , 12:04pm
post #31 of 91

I mean that the question comes up usually when the "baking for family and friends" starts to turn toward "I want to do this as a business, but I bake from mixes! What do I do?"

I honestly don't know where this comes from unless mix bakers feel that scratch bakers look down their noses at mix bakers. And that, too, I don't understand because there are too many threads and comments on here from mix and scratch bakers alike who encourage these folks to "be proud of whatever methods your customers like!"

Pillsbury sells 50 lb "mixes" that are used by bakeries across the country and there doesn't seem to be any stigma attached to that. Those mixes are "just add water", which is way more "mix" than the Betty crocker mixes that add egg and oil and water.

It's a personal interest of study for me to wonder where folks pick up these little insecurities from. We aren't born with them ... they are taught to us.

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KHalstead Posted 18 Jun 2010 , 12:05pm
post #32 of 91
Quote:
Originally Posted by EvMarie

Thanks Mama_

I was just wondering about listing those wacko "xamthagum" type ingredients.





By the way, I have a couple "scratch" cake recipes that call for Xanthum gum!!

All it does is replace some gluten....you find it in gluten free cake recipes a lot! I've also seen it in recipes for pizza crust and bread

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-K8memphis Posted 18 Jun 2010 , 12:11pm
post #33 of 91

Me too that's why it's a stigma--there's no real basis in fact but it persists has a definite life of it's own and it is fascinating.

Calling out to everyone >>>>Duncan Hines white cake mix has no preservatives hello-o-oooo

Somebody please check your DH boxes & see if any other flavors say no preservatives--it's on the top or bottom in real small letters.

What about Betty & Pillsbury?? Do they say no preservatives?

I'd like to encourage you to look up the definition of a weird word and post it list your source.

Quote:
Quote:

Xanthan gum is used by people who are allergic to gluten to add volume and viscosity to bread and other gluten free baked goods. A natural carbohydrate.




Natural carb--who knew?

from
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00015UC6Q/?tag=cakecentral-20

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3GCakes Posted 18 Jun 2010 , 12:41pm
post #34 of 91
Quote:
Originally Posted by RoccosMom

Me too that's why it's a stigma--there's no real basis in fact but it persists has a definite life of it's own and it is fascinating.

Calling out to everyone >>>>Duncan Hines white cake mix has no preservatives hello-o-oooo

Somebody please check your DH boxes & see if any other flavors say no preservatives--it's on the top or bottom in real small letters.

What about Betty & Pillsbury?? Do they say no preservatives?

I'd like to encourage you to look up the definition of a weird word and post it list your source.

Quote:
Quote:

Xanthan gum is used by people who are allergic to gluten to add volume and viscosity to bread and other gluten free baked goods. A natural carbohydrate.



Natural carb--who knew?

from
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00015UC6Q/?tag=cakecentral-20




I agree about looking up/researching ingredients! It wasn't until a few years ago that I started to learn a lot about the subject, and it has helped me tremendously.

Ever seen that commercial where the lady at the kid's party is about to pour juice for the kids...and the one mother says "You're going to serve the kids THAT?? Don't you know what they say about high-fructose corn syrup??"
And the pouring mother smiles and says"What? That it's made from CORN and, like sugar, is ok in moderation?"

Yep. That's the kind of schooling I'm talking about. Don't be afraid to look into anything on that box of mix, or in that bag you're using. There are rarely any monsters listed, and if there are, there is another box without them.

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indydebi Posted 18 Jun 2010 , 12:42pm
post #35 of 91
Quote:
Originally Posted by 3GCakes

Ever seen that commercial where the lady at the kid's party is about to pour juice for the kids...and the one mother says "You're going to serve the kids THAT?? Don't you know what they say about high-fructose corn syrup??"
And the pouring mother smiles and says"What? That it's made from CORN and, like sugar, is ok in moderation?"

Yep. That's the kind of schooling I'm talking about. Don't be afraid to look into anything on that box of mix, or in that bag you're using. There are rarely any monsters listed, and if there are, there is another box without them.



Oh, good one!!!

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-K8memphis Posted 18 Jun 2010 , 12:50pm
post #36 of 91

Myth bustin' ~~ that's what I'm talking about!

Thank you, 3G.

Gonna go ride my bike--gotta wedding to attend in September--gotta churn the large curd cottage cheese into small curd.

Y'all kids play nice.

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Karen421 Posted 18 Jun 2010 , 1:11pm
post #37 of 91
Quote:
Originally Posted by RoccosMom

Me too that's why it's a stigma--there's no real basis in fact but it persists has a definite life of it's own and it is fascinating.

Calling out to everyone >>>>Duncan Hines white cake mix has no preservatives hello-o-oooo

Somebody please check your DH boxes & see if any other flavors say no preservatives--it's on the top or bottom in real small letters.

What about Betty & Pillsbury?? Do they say no preservatives?

I'd like to encourage you to look up the definition of a weird word and post it list your source.

Quote:
Quote:

Xanthan gum is used by people who are allergic to gluten to add volume and viscosity to bread and other gluten free baked goods. A natural carbohydrate.



Natural carb--who knew?

from
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00015UC6Q/?tag=cakecentral-20





This is true. It is the only cake I can bake for my friend and her family. They are allergic to preservatives, some coloring, all hooved animals, whey, and dairy. Fat (beef/pork I believe) is a base in pills, capsules and tablets. So, unless I want to send them into an anaphylactic shock - it is only Duncan Hines.

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7yyrt Posted 18 Jun 2010 , 1:28pm
post #38 of 91

"High-fructose corn syrup is found in such a wide variety of foods and beverages, like fruit juices, sodas, cereal, bread, yogurt, catsup, and mayonnaise and Americans consume 60 pounds of it every year on average," said Dr. Kim Edward LeBlanc, the head of the Department of Family Medicine and expert in nutrition, exercise and sports medicine at LSU Health Sciences Center.
-
Teens average 73 grams of HFCS a day, and most people take in about 55 grams, mainly from the HFCS in sweet drinks, desserts and candy.
-
New research published in the current issue of the Journal of Nutrition [2008] shows that the ratio of fructose to glucose is important in how efficiently we turn sugar into body fat. Three different test groups were used. One group drank a 100% glucose drink, one group a 50% glucose/50% fructose mix, and the final group a 25% glucose/75% fructose mix. All three groups consumed the mixture in the morning. To make a long and rather complicated story short, body fat synthesis was measured immediately after these sugar drinks were consumed showing a significant increase in lipogenesis as the fructose concentration went up. Lipogenesis is the process in which sugars are converted to body fat.

The higher fructose mix given at breakfast also impacted the way the body dealt with lunch fats, increasing the storage of converted fats rather than using them for other purposes. Once the process was kick-started in the morning, it continued. Dr. Elizabeth Parks
------
I've even seen it in canned green beans.
I didn't buy them.

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bekkajojo Posted 18 Jun 2010 , 1:44pm
post #39 of 91

I just have to say that my favorite cake recipe for decorating is a "doctored-up" recipe I found on RecipeZaar. It is fantastic, and has a great structure. Duncan Hines mixes are the best, as there is not the chemical taste that some mixes have. http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/White-Almond-Sour-Cream-Wedding-Cake-69630

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kelleym Posted 18 Jun 2010 , 1:44pm
post #40 of 91
Quote:
Quote:

Ever seen that commercial where the lady at the kid's party is about to pour juice for the kids...and the one mother says "You're going to serve the kids THAT?? Don't you know what they say about high-fructose corn syrup??"
And the pouring mother smiles and says"What? That it's made from CORN and, like sugar, is ok in moderation?"



Except that when it's in nearly all processed foods, it's hard to eat it in "moderation". Especially when it's in things like bread and crackers where you aren't looking for it.

A more serious talk about HFCS:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67NMir6K0xk&feature=related

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PiccoloChellie Posted 18 Jun 2010 , 2:40pm
post #41 of 91
Quote:
Originally Posted by kelleym

Except that when it's in nearly all processed foods, it's hard to eat it in "moderation". Especially when it's in things like bread and crackers where you aren't looking for it.




My fella and I were running a bunch of errands the other morning and stopped at our favorite little diner for breakfast. When the waitress placed a bottle of ketchup on our table, it was hard to miss the HUGE letters on the front label screaming "NOW WITH NO HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP." I think it was Heinz brand maybe?
Yeah, it really is in everything.
I'm making more and more stuff myself just to try and avoid this garbage. Made a big batch of granola yesterday and it turned out significantly cheaper than storebought AND without any HFCS. I figure if I can try to eliminate it from what we eat at home, it's at least somewhat moderate consumption when we go out to eat.

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7yyrt Posted 18 Jun 2010 , 2:46pm
post #42 of 91

Ooh, I love homemade granola. You can make it exactly as you want it.

I make soft granola bars for my grandson with the foods he can have so far, and don't need to worry he's getting something his body isn't yet ready for.
Grownups love them, too.

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carmijok Posted 18 Jun 2010 , 4:15pm
post #43 of 91

The bakery I worked for used Betty Crocker mixes for their vanilla, strawberry and lemon cakes. And may I say there was a minimum of 'doctoring' to the cakes...only the addition of an emulsion...and they tasted awesome.

We would buy tons of boxes and take the bags out, put them in bins and throw the boxes away so the customers could not see the boxes. Why? Because when a client is paying a minimum of $2.75-$3 per serving for cake, they want to believe it's a scratch cake...something the baker devised themselves from years of experimenting, squinting over grease-stained hand written ingredients and slaving over hot ovens in the dead of night. OK, maybe not that exact scenario, but something like it.

It can dilute the illusion if they know the cake--no matter how delicious or skillfully decorated it is--is from a $2 mix doctored or not. Somehow, in the backs of people's minds is the thought 'why am I paying so much for something I could buy myself and make for a lot less'. Right or wrong, you can't tell me that thought doesn't enter their heads! It's like going to a 5 star restaurant and seeing cans of Del Monte green beans on the shelf. Kind of bursts the bubble.

And because we had 2 bakers and 20 - 30 cakes a week--usually for Friday and Saturday, they would do all their baking on a Tuesday and (gasp) FREEZE the cakes until needed. I was always astounded at how people thought their cake was baked fresh the same day they picked it up. Granted, it tasted like it, but geez get real!

I actually had people say they could always tell when a cake's been frozen...which is why they liked coming to us because our cakes were so fresh. I would smile and hand them the box. The thing is, people want to believe that bakery cake is something very unique--something they could not possibly duplicate.

Which is why if someone asked about our recipe for the French Vanilla cake, I would only tell them that it's a recipe that our owner devised some years ago. I guess the point of this rambling diatribe is that I think if you are in business, your recipes belong to you. Box cake, scratch cake, there is no reason for full disclosure.

If someone has an allergy and asks about nuts or wheat or whatever, then that's a specific request that you can answer with a simple yes or no. Why give the secret of your success out to the general non-baking public? You never know who might jump in and become competition down the road. And you never know what kind of illusion may be diminished for your customer.

Just MHO! icon_smile.gif

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EvMarie Posted 18 Jun 2010 , 6:11pm
post #44 of 91

Holy Sha-moly.....I thought I was pulling the "xanthan gum" thing out of my head! I must have retrieved it from my brains' archive the last time I read a box mix ingredients listing!

I did once upon a time sell, via cottage law in Ohio, cakes. However, I jumped ship with regard to cakes, when I got irritated with my learning curve for the larger more expensive cakes. Now, I just focus on cookies, specialty and cut out. Which I have been baking for many years.

I print out a listing of ingredients to give to all my customers. And, when baking cakes with mixes, I just noticed that I was typing FOREVER!!! I typically would type the words cake mix and then list exactly how they listed on the side of the box. (Of course, adjusting the complete listing for add ins.) In purposely handing a customer an ingredients listing....I'd say they'd have a more direct opportunity to learn about what's in their cake. And, the chemical looking type ingredients might throw them, is all I meant. They may ASSUME you bake from scratch and there enters in your need to offer a simple explanation.

Personally I always wondered what all those chemical sounding words were. Thanks to the posters explaining what exactly that xantham gum is! I love learning about the science behind a recipe.

icon_smile.gif


Carmijok - - - exactly!!!!!

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Mama_Mias_Cakes Posted 18 Jun 2010 , 7:17pm
post #45 of 91

Like EvMarie, in Ohio I have to label so my clients know that I start with a box mix. Even with the labeling, no one has complained about scratch vs box. I have only gotten good reviews on the taste and moistness of my cakes. I attached a pdf of a copy of the ingredient sheet that I give to my clients. I just tape it to the inside of the box.

The outside label I repeat the type of cake, my address, and this is a home-baked item. Then i put the following on the bottom of the label:
Please see sheet in the box for complete list of ingredients.

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jqorso Posted 18 Jun 2010 , 8:53pm
post #46 of 91
Quote:
Originally Posted by carmijok

... they want to believe it's a scratch cake...something the baker devised themselves from years of experimenting, squinting over grease-stained hand written ingredients and slaving over hot ovens in the dead of night. OK, maybe not that exact scenario, but something like it.




I think that is EXACTLY what happened, it just wasn't me. It was Betty! Why reinvent the wheel if Betty Crocker, Duncan Hines, etc have already spent lots of money and research into making a good cake? If people didn't like cake mixes, these companies would go out of business. Just a thought.

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Larkin121 Posted 18 Jun 2010 , 10:11pm
post #47 of 91

There's likely only a stigma against box mixes by those who prefer scratch cakes. So to each their own. Some people like both, some only box cakes, some only scratch cakes. I choose scratch cakes, myself, both to make and to eat. So I'd hire a scratch baker. But my in laws, before they met me, would just as happily had boxed cake.

But the argument regarding corn syrup and processed foods... yeah, I try to stay away from it as much as I can and make a lot of stuff at home. There's way too much sodium, corn syrup, etc etc in prepared foods.... and ones made at home taste better (to me) anyway.

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newb2 Posted 19 Jun 2010 , 12:01am
post #48 of 91
Quote:
Originally Posted by indydebi

Quote:
Originally Posted by mamawrobin

.....these threads are usually started by people that aren't actually a business but rather "newbies" baking for friends and family?


And usually are under the impression (tho' god knows why!) that all foods in retail food establishments are made "from scratch". I REALLY wish I knew why people think that way. Seems like I've spent years correcting that thinking .... even my own family!




I'm not one of those people, sorry I've caused such a stir.

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saffronica Posted 19 Jun 2010 , 12:32am
post #49 of 91

There absolutely IS a stigma to mix cakes, and it's not just mix users who think so, either. Why do you think scratch bakers advertise that they bake from scratch? If they didn't think it were somehow better than mix baking, there would be no reason to advertise it.

For the record, I don't think there's anything wrong with advertising that you bake from scratch. Scratch baking is definitely a skill (that I'm working on but am far from mastering), and it's okay to be proud of that.

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indydebi Posted 19 Jun 2010 , 12:37am
post #50 of 91
Quote:
Originally Posted by saffronica

For the record, I don't think there's anything wrong with advertising that you bake from scratch. Scratch baking is definitely a skill (that I'm working on but am far from mastering), and it's okay to be proud of that.



This mix baker totally agrees with you! thumbs_up.gif

I can make a chocolate scratch cake, but my champagne strawberry cupcakes? I sold them to a hockey team for practice pucks! icon_lol.gif

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BlakesCakes Posted 19 Jun 2010 , 1:26am
post #51 of 91

And, awaaaayyyyy we gooooooooo................................... icon_lol.gificon_lol.gificon_lol.gificon_lol.gificon_lol.gificon_lol.gificon_lol.gificon_lol.gificon_lol.gificon_lol.gificon_lol.gificon_lol.gificon_lol.gificon_lol.gificon_lol.gificon_lol.gif
LL

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Meowcakes Posted 19 Jun 2010 , 1:31am
post #52 of 91

Now THAT is funny! icon_smile.gif

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kellertur Posted 19 Jun 2010 , 1:36am
post #53 of 91
Quote:
Originally Posted by RoccosMom

Calling out to everyone >>>>Duncan Hines white cake mix has no preservatives hello-o-oooo

Somebody please check your DH boxes & see if any other flavors say no preservatives--it's on the top or bottom in real small letters.

What about Betty & Pillsbury?? Do they say no preservatives?

Natural carb--who knew?




With all due respect, there is a big difference between Xanthum gum and partially hydrogenated oils...health wise.

I've had legitamate PTSD since I was 10, so I understand it very well.
I think people feel attacked when their ideas & theories are challenged. It's human nature. Are you attemping to use playful sarcasm and I'm just perceiving it as condescention? icon_confused.gif Are you agreeing with Xantum Gum or disagreeing? icon_confused.gif

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EvMarie Posted 19 Jun 2010 , 1:59am
post #54 of 91

Blakescakes....you rock!

It's all just cake right? Just don't kill anyone that has an allergy and it's all smooth sailing after that!

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Karen421 Posted 19 Jun 2010 , 2:00am
post #55 of 91

Seriously people, what is the difference if I put 5 more ingredients in my mixer than you do or vice versa? It's cake and it taste good!!! And cake is suppose to be fun!!!! IMHO

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-K8memphis Posted 19 Jun 2010 , 2:18am
post #56 of 91
Quote:
Originally Posted by Meowcakes

Please do not refer to me K8 unless you want me to post pass threads to back the things I say. Truth hurt much? Now I'm off to bake my scratch cake, cause I know how. And if you make a cake from a mix, there is nothing wrong with that too. Just tell your clients the truth if they ask...though I know thats hard for some. Happy baking! birthday.gif




Please do not refer to me, Meow.

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kimmisue2009 Posted 19 Jun 2010 , 2:35am
post #57 of 91

I'd like to know which one of the methods it is that makes people so surly. Cake tends to make me happy..........

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kellertur Posted 19 Jun 2010 , 2:43am
post #58 of 91

My Grandmother had a giant rolling pin hanging over her kitchen threshold when I was a kid. On it was printed:
"For the bride in defenses only..."

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-K8memphis Posted 19 Jun 2010 , 2:54am
post #59 of 91
Quote:
Originally Posted by RoccosMom

Quote:
Originally Posted by Meowcakes

Please do not refer to me K8 unless you want me to post pass threads to back the things I say. Truth hurt much? Now I'm off to bake my scratch cake, cause I know how. And if you make a cake from a mix, there is nothing wrong with that too. Just tell your clients the truth if they ask...though I know thats hard for some. Happy baking! birthday.gif



Please do not refer to me, Meow.




In fact I seem to be pretty popular with you--I am in 6 or 7 of your posts--that's a huge percentage of 40 posts.

Post away.

In my store I have stools around the check out for my 'groupies' to sit & chat--are you one of my groupies? I'm in almost 20% of your posts. Interesting that I appear to be so important to you.

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newb2 Posted 19 Jun 2010 , 3:09am
post #60 of 91
Quote:
Originally Posted by 7yyrt

MichelleB0802
Try the gourmet flavors thread, many recipes there. http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-614554-gourmet.html
The document - http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=df4f9hbq_46cs9f28fs
Image




Thanks so much for these links!! Can't wait to go through them all and try some! Thanks for the welcome too....looking forward to learning tons from all of you! icon_biggrin.gif

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