I like to make from scratch with the exception of Vanilla cake as I have yet to find one that tastes nice and moist. As for price well a box is cheaper but after you add in the eggs and oil and doctor it up it ends up costing the same as scratch. As for eating shortning well if you like pie crusts or buiscuts that's exactly what you're eating in most cases especially if you want them nice and flaky. Here in Montreal we do not have the variety of puddings, coffee mate and box mixes that the states have therefore the reason I make from scratch. I would also never buy frozen cookie dough or frozen pies or pie crust from the store in my mind these are even easier to make than cakes and you can control the amount of sugar you put in. I have tried so many vanilla cake recipes from scratch and end up not liking any of them so even any one has a super moist white cake recipe pls let me know.

All from scratch all the time unless it's fondant or jams (I make jams,but not in the quanitites I'd need to do all of my cakes with them.. LOL).. then I buy it but the best I can find organic (jams) with nothing artificial. I like knowing what goes into my cakes. I don't like cooking with mixes because of the chemicals they put in them to make them come out nice no matter what you do to them. Not to mention I don't like the texture at all. It's a preference. A lot of people like the boxed mix cakes.. I don't and won't make them because of that. I make cakes from scratch for the same reason I make bread.. I control what goes in.. nothing artificial.. no preservatives. My family eats a lot of organics.. so my customers get the same by default.. LOL.

If I am in a hurry or have a lot to do, then I doctor up a box cake mix. I've never had any complaints. I really like the carrot cake, red velvet cake and other specialty cakes that I make from scratch. I've seen box mixes for these specialty cakes, but I won't even consider touching them.

" Over time though, she has seen how truly homemade tastes better and since her sister got chrone's, she's learned how to do more an dmore things from scratch... they take more time, but are worth the results. "
I guess it is all a personal preference..... I've tasted "scratch" cakes that belong in the dumpster, and others that melt in your mouth.... the same with boxed mixes..... Until I start getting complaints on my "doctored" box cakes, I'll keep on keeping on....

When I first got married I couldn't boil water. My new MIL and her sister decided they were going to teach me about cooking.

At first I was annoyed but soon after my lessons started I was hooked.

They taught me about baking....canning and making homemade jams and jellies...and they taught me about the wonder of taking fresh ingredients and turning them into something wonderful. I still love the smell of yeast dough rising.

I learned and did all of this while working a full time job and taking care of two little kids. It wasn't easy to get it all done but I learned how to manage my time.

It is about control . I know exactly what goes into my recipes. It takes time and patience to learn how to bake from scratch and how to do it well. For those of you willing to try and learn, keep it up!!! I give classes locally, for baking and cooking. I am amazed just how many younger women have no clue how to make pie dough. They buy it from the grocery. They grew up in a fast food and convenience food era. Home made to them seems like too much work. I will say that probably 90% of my students who learn scratch cooking and baking stay with it after they finish their courses. Many of those women had no one to teach them how to prepare things from scratch. Their mothers either did take out or fed them whatever came out of a box or packet.

For me it is about controlling ingredients.

I truely think cakes made from scratch are overratted so i usually use the cake mix from duncan hines and just add to it and its only $.99 sometimes less , but if I were to ever open up a cake shop i would make them from scratch b/c it would be cheaper I think.

Thank you, keepontryin. I am going to look for that book. How exciting!!

Also, someone mentioned shortening used in pie crust recipes and biscuits etc. I think shortening is ok if it is baked into something. It is different when you are using it for buttercream and you eat it raw. Not to say that this type of icing doesn't have it's purpose...it definately does. To me, it's a personal preference.

Of course it's all personal preference. For me I just couldn't sell/give something I wouldn't eat myself, which is why I make mostly organic cakes because that's what I eat. Is there a HUGE difference in taste? probably not, but I feel better about it even though it costs me more per cake (but I sell for higher prices too). Plus, I wouldn't want to buy milk for home and milk for cakes and so on... I only have so much space.

Now, I do make things from scratch, but for things I don't know how to make and don't want to get everything I need to make it, I go out to eat - like Indian and many Chinese dishes (as well as other ethnic cuisines). We've bought a few packaged Indian dishes, but that's about it.

I make bread too (whole grain), but not NEARLY what I should - it's just such a time commitment, but OOOOOOh so yummy!

Melissa

I do all scratch all the time. I did alot of reading of textbooks to find out why some things work and others don't, what could be causing problems in recipes, etc...I think that made a huge difference. Back when I first started baking cakes and trying scratch, they did come out a bit dry because I didn't know what I was doing...(I also discovered that since I had a small kitchen, I was cooling the cakes on top of the stove and heat was, of course, coming from the cooling oven and drying them )

I have to put an ingredient label on everything I make to sell at the farmers market and I surely don't want to be listing all the ingredients that come in a boxed cake. I like to have really basic ingredients that people can read, especially since there are alot of health conscious people that shop at the market.

Also, I don't know how people can trust boxed cakes for decorating and especially for wedding cakes. They seem so crumbly to me. I'd be afraid that they would not hold together for construction...

That's my 2 cents...I think that whatever works for one person won't work for the next. We all have our preferences and if it works for you, go with it. I certainly won't knock a great decorator because her cake isn't from scratch. It all depends on what is your number one priority. Some people think of the cake as simply a canvass for their artwork, others think of the decorating as just being the finishing touch. It's your prerogative!

Ok I make my cakes at home...

I do make one cake from scratch Tres Leches cake you cannot make this from a box! Anyone who says you can hasn't had a real Tres Leches cake.

I guess I learned about doctoring cake mixes here on cake central and I am still trying different recipes and have not found one that is just incredible, found my icing!

I guess I wish I could make a real mean cake from scratch but it is also hard a enough to get people to pay for cakes in my town let alone making cakes from scratch will cost more to make and I do not buy wholesale. so that's why I do it. even with a doctored cake mix, my cakes with buttercream dream taste better than grocery store cakes so I'm proud of what I do anyways

Forgot to menntion my cookies are always from scratch! My husband buys already made dough

As a die-hard scratch & organic baker, just want to throw in my 2 cents here. I'm not sure if we're allowed to recommend specific books here...but, for anyone who has only experienced scratch cakes that end up dry, crumbly, or "only fit for the bin" - PLEASE buy yourself a copy of Rose Levy Beranbaum's The Cake Bible.

You can learn about every kind of cake, what causes those types of problems, and you'll have a treasure chest of perfect recipes to play with. And no, I don't know Rose, and my business is in no way affiliated with her or anything to do with books or publishing!

Just trying to make the baking community a more informed, healthier & happier place!!

I mostly use mixes because of time constraints. I work shift work for a 911 center and try to do cakes on the side. It is just easier for me to go to walmart at 3 in the morning and pick up box mixes and then go home and bake. I feel that there is less room for error when I'm too tired to think!

I agree with Ritz, The Cake Bible is a wealth of information.

Sandy

You mean I have a book that could help me... and I don't even know it?? Now, I have to dig it out (in other words, find it). I can't wait to start baking again. Too bad, I start a full-time job on Tuesday.

I am too a baker first ....then a decorator. I enjoy every part of the baking process. No schooling here just by reading books but I do think you have to have the passion for it

I understand some people like box which is ok but i don't understand when someone says that it taste like scratch.....iam sorry but it doesn't!

I am in the mood to bake now

I love to cook and bake. Soup, cookies, pies, whatever- I cook from scratch. When I first started baking and decorating, 17 years ago, it was all scratch for me. But then, as I began to make more and more cakes, up to 3 or 4 a week, I just didn't have time to bake from scratch anymore. I began using mixes and everyone always raved about the flavor and how good it was. I think the biggest secret to a good cake is to make sure it is moist - that was one of the best tips I got from my teacher when I took my Wilton classes. At that time, people mainly wanted white or chocolate cake too. If it was white or chocolate, I used a mix. If it was any other flavor, I made it from scratch.

Over the last 10 years, I haven't done much cake decorating - working, travelling, moving, remodelling. I'm trying to get back into it and have just started working with fondant and gumpaste. I really want to get back into bakeing and decorating more and let me just say, that this site just inspires me!

Just today, my DH ordered THE CAKE BIBLE by Rose Levy Berenbaum for me online. He's such a sweetie. We had been to a local bookstore and I saw it there. I pointed it out to him as a future BD/anniversary/Christmas gift. After we got home, he was online and asked me for the name of the book and ordered it! Can't wait! We are finishing a bathroom remodel that is taking FOREVER but should be finished within 1 or 2 more weeks. My kitchen better watch out then!

So, right now, mainly mixes, but hopefully, that will be changing soon.

I make most of my cakes from the box...DH. There are numerous reasons for this...I only do this as a hobby (can't afford to get a legal business up and running), I'm a SAHM on a limited budget, I don't have a wealth of recipes nor do I have a lot of money to "waste" experimenting, but mainly because I'm learning to decorate and that's what interests me more. I just whip up a cake so I have a "canvas" to put my art on! Perhaps as I get better at decorating and begin to make cakes for others outside of family friends I'll be more interested in scratch baking. For now my passion is the decorating.

I think it's all a matter of personal preference! I've tasted boxed cakes that I love and some I've hated...same can be said for scratch. As I said, I use mixes and I always get comments on the taste so the boxes are working for me.

I usually use Betty Crocker cake mixes, DH, I always have trouble with them cracking. I have tried to make scratch cakes a few times, but they always turn out too heavy compared to a mix. I think with experimenting with different receipes, I will find one that I like. But until then, mixes it is.

For me it just depends on the recipe. I have a lot of great scratch recipes and some that use a mix as the base. I just go with what tastes the best and Im always testing out new ones. I am definitely going to have to get the Cake Bible, Ive read so much about it on this site.... makes me want to go buy it right now! You can never have too many cake books right??!!

I am a home cook and have started making scratch cakes. I still fall back and rely on boxed mixes when I need a cake for which I haven't found a suitable scratch cake recipe....I have a good yellow and chocolate so far, but I am still on the hunt for other great recipes.

Okay-- read the whole thread.... and now I am going to say that for me it is the texture of the few scratch cakes I have tried. If I want something that feels like cornbread in my mouth I will make cornbread! I have tried a few scratch recipes and would like to have a few solid ones but..... texture. I have a nephew who can't have anything artificial and so I need a good recipe to make for him for all the family parties and even others that he goes to that will have cake served.

Those of you who do scratch... do you do your own fondant... cuz that doesn't really make sense to me... scratch cake not scratch fondant.

I can taste the chemicals in flavored box mixes (strawberry, banana, etc.), but not in the Devil's Food or White (not vanilla, just "white"). I learned here (can't remember who---sorry!) to use White as the base for flavored cakes-- I add my own fruit and PREMIUM ice cream and/or pure extracts and pudding. I use scratch for carrot cakes and cheesecakes. I'm still experimenting.
My SIL told me that she could tell my vanilla cake was from scratch (it wasn't) because it didn't have so many holes in it. I didn't know that was common with box mixes. Is it??

I make both scratch and box cakes. It depends on what I need. My goal is to be 100% scratch BUT I have yet to find deliciously moist white, chocolate, and yellow cakes. I have been experimenting but as others have said, it is expensive to experiment. Right now I am experimenting on chocolate cakes and am not having great success.

Until I find those delicious scratch recipes, I will continue serving doctored box mixes to my customers (who love my cakes as they are anyway).

So for those of you who prefer scratch recipes, would you be willing to share them with those of us who are striving to make scratch cakes 100% of the time? Pleeeeeeeease