Cake Mix Vs Scratch !

Baking By yjflores1 Updated 29 May 2016 , 12:29am by littlejewel

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yjflores1 Posted 25 May 2016 , 4:22am
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Hey guys I got I asked today if my cakes were made from scratch or cake mix. I was honest and told her cake Mix mix and Doctor it up. I have 2 questions .... How would you approach this ?? I've seen a few cake bakers buy cake mix in my local too at my local grocery store lol and I've read that most bakery's order big bulks of cake mix. Question 2... If using cake mix have any of you guys ever experienced a rude customer asking why you charge the way you do if you use cake mix???  Not that it's a bad thing because I know how long it takes to work on a cake but I just think some people wouldnt be afraid to say something like this.Thank you!! I've tried baking from scratch but cakes are not as most and have the flour taste to them also its so time consuming.

11 replies
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kristykgs Posted 25 May 2016 , 10:06am
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You will get different opinion on this, as some are partial to cake mix and swear by them and some are partial to scratch and swear by them. I am a scratch baker and if your scratch cakes taste like flour, something is not right. My cakes do not taste like flour and are very moist. So I am not sure what is going on there.

As far as your questions, I would definitely tell the customers that I use a mix if that is what I do. Don't lie to them. And if you encounter a rude customer, handle like you would any other rude customers. "I'm sorry you feel that way, but I only use the mix for the base, i.e flour, baking soda, sugar and so forth, everything else in there is added" 



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costumeczar Posted 25 May 2016 , 11:49am
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If someone asks you straight out it's a yes or no question, so just answer. If someone gives you a hard time tell them they're paying for the skill to put the ingredients together and decorate the ingredients, not just the ingredients. I bake from scratch and use that as a selling point, but there are a lot of people who don't want to eat boxed anything these days. 

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1cross_fire Posted 25 May 2016 , 12:34pm
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You mentioned the cake tasting like flour, if you are not already doing so try using cake flour. I have tried Swans cake flour and King Arthur cake flour, in my opinion Swans taste like flour and K.A. has a bread texture. As for the rude customer I agree with Kristy KGS. 

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Jeff_Arnett Posted 25 May 2016 , 4:38pm
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Quote by @kristykgs on 6 hours ago

You will get different opinion on this, as some are partial to cake mix and swear by them and some are partial to scratch and swear by them. I am a scratch baker and if your scratch cakes taste like flour, something is not right. My cakes do not taste like flour and are very moist. So I am not sure what is going on there.

As far as your questions, I would definitely tell the customers that I use a mix if that is what I do. Don't lie to them. And if you encounter a rude customer, handle like you would any other rude customers. "I'm sorry you feel that way, but I only use the mix for the base, i.e flour, baking soda, sugar and so forth, everything else in there is added" 


I might add that if a customer doesn't like the idea of your using a mix, then be polite, thank them for inquiring, and suggest that another baker might be more in line of what they are looking for...and go on your merry way!  I'm sure you'll have plenty customer who like the cakes you make.




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yjflores1 Posted 25 May 2016 , 10:43pm
post #6 of 12

Thanks ladies I just wanted some suggestions on how I should handle it if someone was to ask me the same question again!! Thank a lot !!! I'm a cake mix girl but I'm looking into recipies to switch over to scratch! :)

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hippiecac Posted 27 May 2016 , 3:56am
post #7 of 12

I only bake from scratch and none of my cakes are dry or taste like flour. I'd be happy to direct you to some good recipes/cookbooks, but if you're most comfortable using mix then why not stick with it? Don't let one rude customer make you rethink your business model! 

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yjflores1 Posted 27 May 2016 , 5:09am
post #8 of 12

Thank you I've been searching for some recipies fromsctatch I think vanilla has been the hardes to find I've tried a couple and they just don't cut it for me. The only one that comes back is the Wasc recipe but I want something a little more moist ! I'm open to any recipies lol thank you !

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SeriousCakes Posted 28 May 2016 , 3:46am
post #9 of 12

I used to use box mixes but here's what would happen:

"This cake is so delicious! Is it box or scratch?"

"Box."

"Oooh, THAT'S why it tastes so good."


I really didn't like that lol, so I started trying a whole lot of recipes and came across this one (well, this is a variation of the original):



I didn't want a recipe that called for a lot of crazy ingredients, or separating the yolks and whites, etc. It's moist, it's delicious, and I was able to use ingredients that I already had on hand :D

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yjflores1 Posted 28 May 2016 , 11:21pm
post #10 of 12

Thank you for the recipe I'm going to try it !! :)

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SeriousCakes Posted 28 May 2016 , 11:44pm
post #11 of 12

You're welcome! Let me know if you like it!

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littlejewel Posted 29 May 2016 , 12:29am
post #12 of 12

If your cake is dry and taste like flour, you are doing something wrong. I would not loose sleep over what that customer said. If you do end up choosing scratch in the long run, let it be your decision not a customer's.

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