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?
Are you agreeing with Xantum Gum or disagreeing?
Agreeing or disagreeing with the use of zanthan gum? I've used it for years. I don't get your point I mean of course any oil is different than a stabilizer. There's good fats and bad fats. I wasn't making a point about healthiness of cake ingredients. Cake in itself isn't so healthy at all yes?
What is condescending? About ptsd?
I'm not really understanding where you're coming from.
Sorry about the ptsd.
Playful sarcasm about zanthan gum or ptsd? No I was serious about both. But I haven't said anything about oil prior to responding to you in this post.
If I got a choice about you for a groupie or not, no thanks.
But you just are one 'cause you wanna be I guess?
You said you're gonna go through my posts and expose me for whatever you wanna expose me for...so...drum roll on the big reveal...
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
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!
Newb2; I hope you do feel welcome, everyone is really helpful and does have a lot to offer; however there are a few topics that get people going. You will figure them out as you go along, just don't get let it scare you away!!! They really are harmless and very talented!
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
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!
Newb2; I hope you do feel welcome, everyone is really helpful and does have a lot to offer; however there are a few topics that get people going. You will figure them out as you go along, just don't get let it scare you away!!! They really are harmless and very talented!
Thanks Karen. Some of these posters do seem quite aggressive. I had no idea I was hitting such a sore spot, I guess there is a "stigma" or maybe people wouldn't be so defensive. I know there is a lot of talent here and I can't wait to learn more......maybe I'll just keep quiet a bit longer! I come in peace.....really!
Ah still no comments on the PTSD amd it mysteriously is missing from the siggy! Pure amusement! Wheres the popcorn. I also like a good nut!
Meowcakes, I don't understand why you joined CC? I can only come to the conclusion that you thought it might be great fun to get on the board and see how well you could stir up trouble.
I do have a gut feeling you're not as "new" as you say, but that's just my thoughts.
After reading your comments on this thread, & reading some of your comments on other threads, its quite obvious you don't have much good to say about anything.
I think it's more that the "wolves in sheeps clothing" act gets old.
To go looking for trouble and then act victimized when you find it...I'm not down with that. Decency and respect should be a two way street. 
As for the "stigma", I feel a gernous portion of it is self-induced and kept alive.
Okay...I'm just going to say it. I am sure that there are a lot of us, myself included, who are relatively new to Cake Central, and would love to benefit from the extraordinary wealth of knowledge that resides here. But enough is enough. Really. Is all the sniping necessary? The caustic language and the rudeness? People ask questions so that they can benefit from the discussion, not to start a fight or to listen to a bunch of adults behaving like school children. Now I am not going to call anybody out by name, and I am more than certain that I'll get snide responses to this post but frankly, all this bickering and downright meaness is what prevents others, such as myself, from trying to contribute in the first place. I read one thread that dissolved from a simple question into acusations about legality. Then this thread turns from a legitimate question about an honest concern into a pissing match. So to get back on topic: I do agree that there is a stigma concerning mix versus scratch cakes. For me, it comes down to price. If I have a client on a budget, I go box. If I have a client who is willing to pay for organic, locally grown ingredients, then I go scratch. I've never had a complaint with either. People love good cake...and most are not all that interested in the process of making it, only the process of eating it. So what'ya say kids...can't we all just get along?
I think it's more that the "wolves in sheeps clothing" act gets old.
To go looking for trouble and then act victimized when you find it...I'm not down with that. Decency and respect should be a two way street.
As for the "stigma", I feel a gernous portion of it is self-induced and kept alive.
Yes on both counts.
To the new folks on - WELCOME!
You will find (rather quickly!) there are a few on here that you need to just IGNORE. (they are usually a disgruntled member who has been banned in the past who just keeps rejoining under new names) They're very easy to spot. 
Just ignore the bad, there is a lot more good and lots of great folks willing to help others on here.
You will find (rather quickly!) there are a few on here that you need to just IGNORE.
Just ignore the bad, there is a lot more good and lots of great folks willing to help others on here.
Yes, I agree...there are a few who should turn the mirror around. 
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
This is 100% right. I have been trying to feed my kids healthy things and I was buying them whole grain bread. I looked at the ingredients last week and saw HFCS was 3rd in the list. It made me furious! And wheat bread? They add molasses to it to make it darker and appear healthier instead of actual wheat. Ugh.
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.
I haven't read through the entire thread, but I've gotten up to the point quoted above, and I just wanted to add my $.02 as a new baker, and somewhat of an outsider to the industry...and this is just from my own personal experience...
I feel like most people out there don't understand how much time and energy goes into making and decorating a cake- so when they are looking to buy a cake and it costs $XXX+, they expect it to be something totally unlike what they could make at home.
I'm not saying that they can decorate a cake as well as all of you experts (they know that, otherwise they'd be doing it themselves), but as I was once naive enough to think, they expect it ALL to be totally different than what they would do at home, and so they don't expect to be paying so much money for a mix cake that they could buy for $2 a box. A lot of times, they just don't understand that they're paying for all the time and effort that's put into making a cake beautiful, they just see the cake part.
I don't know if that made sense, but I do agree that it's a stigma- not necessarily amongst bakers since they all understand what their job entails, but more so amongst the public who doesn't understand all it takes to do your job. 
IMO, if someone asks, you should be honest. Since I've started baking with box cakes, I have a totally different idea of what a box mix cake is like. I used to snub my nose at box mixes (yeah- I was that person!! SORRY!!!), but I'm really learning to appreciate them now. If you doctor your mixes, I think it's best to tell them that you start with a mix for your basic dry ingredients and add much more to make it your own delicious concoction. I've had family members ask that, and after I've given that response, they've come back with, "So, it's basically from scratch." If they see that it's not totally straight from a box, it seems like it's better received. IDK why, but it does!
Point is...make YOUR best cake, be that box or scratch.
I did my first "taste test" at 12, making a cake for my sister who DEMANDED scratch. I made a camera (rectangle with a smaller square on one side as a flash cube). LOL... My inner Duff in 1972.
Anyway the camera was scratch , the flash cube a box (UNDOCTORED!). Kids and adults tried both, and no consensus on better or worse. <sigh>.
I don't knock ANYTHING if it works... and is yummy.
it's just funny how it's NEVER the scratch recipe that's flawed, it's ALWAYS the baker who is "unskilled" and doesn't put it together the right way. I'm just sayin...
that's generally the case, yes.
Okay...I'm just going to say it. I am sure that there are a lot of us, myself included, who are relatively new to Cake Central, and would love to benefit from the extraordinary wealth of knowledge that resides here. But enough is enough. Really. Is all the sniping necessary? The caustic language and the rudeness? People ask questions so that they can benefit from the discussion, not to start a fight or to listen to a bunch of adults behaving like school children. Now I am not going to call anybody out by name, and I am more than certain that I'll get snide responses to this post but frankly, all this bickering and downright meaness is what prevents others, such as myself, from trying to contribute in the first place. I read one thread that dissolved from a simple question into acusations about legality. Then this thread turns from a legitimate question about an honest concern into a pissing match. So to get back on topic: I do agree that there is a stigma concerning mix versus scratch cakes. For me, it comes down to price. If I have a client on a budget, I go box. If I have a client who is willing to pay for organic, locally grown ingredients, then I go scratch. I've never had a complaint with either. People love good cake...and most are not all that interested in the process of making it, only the process of eating it. So what'ya say kids...can't we all just get along?
I'm feeling the same way! After being a member on this forum for all of about a week, I am already amazed at how much condescension and snarkiness (At least, that's how it comes across to me) I see in just about every topic. Not to mention that any time someone asks if they should start a business, many people respond in such a way that makes a cake decorating business/bakery etc. sound like HELL.
I get that you all are trying to help people make informed decisions and think long and hard before jumping into something like owning a business, and that's good, but can't there be just a little encouragement along with the healthy dose of reality?
All that said, I have learned a lot and appreciate those that are helpful and encouraging, it's just kind of crazy how many things dissolve into "pissing matches", as LuluSweetArt so aptly put it. 
Scratch vs Box is so last year, let's talk about half scratch, that's a whole nuther subject.
it's just funny how it's NEVER the scratch recipe that's flawed, it's ALWAYS the baker who is "unskilled" and doesn't put it together the right way. I'm just sayin...
It's both, and saying so is not a put down to the baker, it's letting them know something is wrong and to work at it.
There are certainly some bad scratch recipes out there. However, if we're talking well known, highly praised recipes from a book, let's say, and the cake is crap when you make it, well then, it's the baker's issue, not the recipe.
Scratch baking is all science and technique. If you don't know that, you can't bake well from scratch consistently and you are the mercy of the recipe at hand, well written or not.
Why people get mad about this is beyond me. Get a book or two, learn the science, then try scratch baking. Until then, someone saying "I made a scratch cake once and everyone hated it so that's proof that scratch cakes suck" is just plain silly. When people talk about preferring scratch cakes to box mixes, they mean well executed scratch cakes, which a lot of people don't know how to do.
Does that make them stupid? Nope, just uneducated. And yet, watch how many people are gonna cry out how mean we scratch bakers are and how rude it is for me to say that. I'm more than willing to point someone in the direction of learning HOW to bake from scratch...but most people don't seem to want to have to learn and practice before having an awesome baked good to eat. Oh well...
I disagree with if it is in a book, it is automatically a "good scratch recipe" I personally have several cake books that are written by "famous" people, and there are only a couple of recipes in each one that actually turn out decent. If a person buys one of these books, and assumes that because the author is famous, they must all be great recipes, makes one of the recipes and it doesn't turn out right - it has NOTHING to do with their skill as a baker. There are just some BAD recipes.
Neither way is wrong. Do what you like and what your clients like!
IF you want to branch out....do so! Try your recipes out on folks that will be honest and tell you what they think before selling them.
For me, my best sellers have always been a doctored recipe. I make a great cake, and have a great business.
Yes, like I said, sometimes the recipe is flawed, but much of the time, the person saying a recipe is flawed is someone who also doesn't know much about scratch baking. If I don't know the person or the recipe they used, I'm going to first ask them what they know about the science and what technique they used with that recipe.
My post had nothing to do with the success of box vs mix, it was only in reply to the person who sounded mad that people blame the baker for recipe failure.
I started reading this thread last Saturday and cannot believe (well...yes I can) you guys are still at it! Geez....
I started reading this thread last Saturday and cannot believe (well...yes I can) you guys are still at it! Geez....
Yes, like I said, sometimes the recipe is flawed, but much of the time, the person saying a recipe is flawed is someone who also doesn't know much about scratch baking. If I don't know the person or the recipe they used, I'm going to first ask them what they know about the science and what technique they used with that recipe.
My post had nothing to do with the success of box vs mix, it was only in reply to the person who sounded mad that people blame the baker for recipe failure.
I agree with you wholeheartedly...and what is the big deal? If you enjoy baking from a mix, why does "stigma" matter??? Please, stop poking scratch bakers with a stick, and then being all upset with the answer you receive, or acting all innocent and offended over nothing.
It IS science! I'm tired of reassuring, comparing, etc...I've always been willing to help as well, but instead this happens. Why the competition? Why the constant spitting contest regarding who's cakes are THE BEST and why. ** If you are confident in the recipe/process you use FANTASTIC!! if not, then perhaps it's time to learn something new. I can ROCK a scratch cake like no body's business...but we all have our weaknesses. We ALL have room to grow ~
Just one more question... are there famous cake makers that admit to using doctored mixes? Does Bronwen or Duff or Pink Cake Box use boxes as a base?
whew! I just happened onto this post and I have spent the last hour reading the entire thread and it is hilarious! I got such a big kick out of all the bantering...how could anyone be offended, this is great stuff. For my two bits, I admire anyone who can bake a successful cake from scratch. I have been practicing for the past 2 years, and I'm still trying to perfect it. So in the meantime, I rely on doctored mixes which always turn out. But I'm still working on perfecting the art of cakes made from scratch!
Not to mention that any time someone asks if they should start a business, many people respond in such a way that makes a cake decorating business/bakery etc. sound like HELL.
I get that you all are trying to help people make informed decisions and think long and hard before jumping into something like owning a business, and that's good, but can't there be just a little encouragement along with the healthy dose of reality?
It's just that too many people seem to focus only on the baking/ decorating art and not the "business" stuff that will kill you if you are unprepared. Plan for the worst, and hope for the best. Many here have share nightmare stories of bureaucratic messes, construction disasters, legal tangles, supplier hassles, employee issues, etc. It's not just cake.
My sister, a doctor, has been bankrupt three times in her private practice. <sigh>. She just can't run the "business" end of it... employees, bookkeeping, billing, management, etc.
Look at the marvelous work of Edna on here. She works for someone else to focus on her art (spectacular!) and not fuss about the administration stuff. No, not everyone should run their own business. That is NOT to avoid competition, but to avoid heartache and financial loses that could be devastating.
Look at post "should I or shouldn't I" http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-688546-.html. 100% support for her art- because the business side was covered.
I use cake mixes and if anyone asks me I tell them the truth. I haven't found a recipe from scratch that is as moist as the box ones. (if someone has found one and would like to share it with me i'm all ears)
A box cake is a box cake its what you do with it that matters!
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