Okay, i have a wedding cake to do on July 31st & I was just told that the MOG is "allergic" to box mixes ... 
ummm ... I'm a box mix baker! I can do the choco from scratch no prob, but what is a sure fire recipe for white cake? It's got to be "all from scratch" ... ???
Please help. i need to try this in advance to make sure I get it right please
TIA
Casey
I would ask specifically what she is allergic to...because box mixes and scratch recipes all have pretty much the same ingredients - flour, baking powder, baking soda etc... Unless it's a specific preservative or chemical that may be in mixes (remember the sulfites in salad bar warnings) she may have an allergy to. You may be able to find a box mix at a health food store (Whole Foods, Trader Joes or similar)...that doesn't have that particular item.
A sure-fire recipe for white cake? I don't believe there is one. There are many good white cake recipes out there, but white cake is delicate, and although I'm a scratch baker, I'm up front about the fact that my white cakes and my strawberry cakes are docotored mixes...
White cake is made without yolks, (which act as an emulsifier), and the beaten egg whites are part of the leavener, and this is the kind of cake you used to hear about "in the olden days,,," "Don't slam the door or you'll make the cake fall" "Don't run through the kitchen or you'll make the cake fall" "Don't open the oven door or you'll make the cake fall." Trust me, the only decent white cake I've ever made is when I got extremely frustrated and took my timer with me to the neighbor's to vent while the last one I was going to ever make baked. It was the best one, because there was NO movement in the house while it baked.
Good luck to you.
I don't know if you use WASC recipe or not, but if you do.....there was a thread that discussed "gourmet flavors". Macsmom developed a word document that had all the recipes, including a scratch version of WASC. I haven't personally tried it, but.....here's the link to the google doc if you're interested.
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=df4f9hbq_46cs9f28fs
Waaahhhhh! Here is the one use, it is most definitely a white cake and does not use egg whites as the leavening agent--no need to have it quiet or it will fall. It does have a pretty strong almond flavor. I have also made this as a strawberry cake substituting some of the milk for strawberry puree and vanilla for the almond extract. The only problem was it came out a bit "gummy" because I did not account for the added acid of the strawberry puree. Think I have that part figured out but have yet to try it again.
However in terms of it coming out moist and tender it was good in those departments. To be clear there is no gummy problem with it as a white cake. I have not done it in anything other than 9 in rounds so cannot speak to how it scales. I bake by weight which is another reason I like this recipe. The white cake is not mine, credit goes to the folks at America's Test Kitchen. This makes enough for two 9 in rounds.
2 1/4 cups cake flour (9 ounces), plus more for dusting the pans
1 cup whole milk , at room temperature
6 large egg whites (3/4 cup), at room temperature
2 teaspoons almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar (12 1/4 ounces)
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon table salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened but still cool
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Pour milk, egg whites, and extracts into 2-cup glass measure, and mix with fork until blended.
3. Mix cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of electric mixer at slow speed. Add butter; continue beating at slow speed until mixture resembles moist crumbs, with no powdery streaks remaining.
4. Add all but 1/2 cup of milk mixture to crumbs and beat at medium speed (or high speed if using handheld mixer) for 1 1/2 minutes. Add remaining 1/2 cup of milk mixture and beat 30 seconds more. Stop mixer and scrape sides of bowl. Return mixer to medium (or high) speed and beat 20 seconds longer.
5. Divide batter evenly between two prepared cake pans; using rubber spatula, spread batter to pan walls and smooth tops. Arrange pans at least 3 inches from the oven walls and 3 inches apart. (If oven is small, place pans on separate racks in staggered fashion to allow for air circulation.) Bake until thin skewer or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 23 to 25 minutes.
Is it surefire? Not sure any scratch recipe is ever surefire, but give this one a try.
I've tried many white scratch recipes and the one I like best, and get compliments on is the WASC scratch one from here, it's fantastic and I have halved it also, it's a big recipe.
Here is the one use, it is most definitely a white cake and does not use egg whites as the leavening agent--no need to have it quiet or it will fall. It does have a pretty strong almond flavor. I have also made this as a strawberry cake substituting some of the milk for strawberry puree and vanilla for the almond extract. The only problem was it came out a bit "gummy" because I did not account for the added acid of the strawberry puree. Think I have that part figured out but have yet to try it again.
However in terms of it coming out moist and tender it was good in those departments. To be clear there is no gummy problem with it as a white cake. I have not done it in anything other than 9 in rounds so cannot speak to how it scales. I bake by weight which is another reason I like this recipe. The white cake is not mine, credit goes to the folks at America's Test Kitchen. This makes enough for two 9 in rounds.
2 1/4 cups cake flour (9 ounces), plus more for dusting the pans
1 cup whole milk , at room temperature
6 large egg whites (3/4 cup), at room temperature
2 teaspoons almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar (12 1/4 ounces)
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon table salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened but still cool
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Pour milk, egg whites, and extracts into 2-cup glass measure, and mix with fork until blended.
3. Mix cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of electric mixer at slow speed. Add butter; continue beating at slow speed until mixture resembles moist crumbs, with no powdery streaks remaining.
4. Add all but 1/2 cup of milk mixture to crumbs and beat at medium speed (or high speed if using handheld mixer) for 1 1/2 minutes. Add remaining 1/2 cup of milk mixture and beat 30 seconds more. Stop mixer and scrape sides of bowl. Return mixer to medium (or high) speed and beat 20 seconds longer.
5. Divide batter evenly between two prepared cake pans; using rubber spatula, spread batter to pan walls and smooth tops. Arrange pans at least 3 inches from the oven walls and 3 inches apart. (If oven is small, place pans on separate racks in staggered fashion to allow for air circulation.) Bake until thin skewer or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 23 to 25 minutes.
Is it surefire? Not sure any scratch recipe is ever surefire, but give this one a try.
This is jusdt about my recipe, except i use i stick of butter & 1/4 mayo moxed in with the eggs... i would bet alot on this recipe, i use and abuse it for any flavor i need and love love love it... its the only recipe i use except for chocolate & coconut and everyone adores it... though when it comes out of the oven i flip it into heat proof saran and freeze it... good luck!
Good grief! Can't the MOG just eat the chocolate? She sounds like a primadona who needs something to be about her at her son's wedding. It's not exactly essential for her to eat any of the cake. That's just the silliest thing I've heard lately.
This recipe is a good one, and it's not finicky. Unless she magically becomes allergic to cake flour... : p
http://cakecentral.com/recipes/6865/buttermilk-white-cake
I feel sorry for any bride whose mother-in-law-to-be commandeers the cake.
Also make sure you CHARGE MORE for the scratch cake since it is not your typical recipe!!! If it is not something you do on a regular basis it will take more time and effort for that cake than your others.
Good luck!
Good grief! Can't the MOG just eat the chocolate? She sounds like a primadona who needs something to be about her at her son's wedding. It's not exactly essential for her to eat any of the cake. That's just the silliest thing I've heard lately.
This recipe is a good one, and it's not finicky. Unless she magically becomes allergic to cake flour... : p
http://cakecentral.com/recipes/6865/buttermilk-white-cake
yeah, that's kinda what i was thinking. 
if ya don't like it, don't eat it! hahahaha
Good grief! Can't the MOG just eat the chocolate?
My sentiments exactly. I'd insist on knowing what her exact allergy is "for legal reasons" and assure her that the cake will not contain that. Or, if you cannot assure that, I'd let her know that you cannot accomodate. Seriously, she'd have to be allergic to a preservative or something. And it wouldn't just be boxed cakes. It would be pre-made/boxed anything just about. 
I'm not saying she's lying, I'm just saying, in that situation, she would probably already be resigned to the fact that she's never going to eat in public again.
I feel sorry for any bride whose mother-in-law-to-be commandeers the cake.
Those were my thoughts as well. I don't know what she could be "allergic" to in a cake mix but Duncan Hines white cake mix doesn't have any preservatives. It's the only cake mix that I know of that says that on the package. Maybe it would work?
That's true about DH mix - there is a little boy in my son's class who is allergic to a whole bunch of stuff, but he can have DH cakes.
Also make sure you CHARGE MORE for the scratch cake since it is not your typical recipe!!! If it is not something you do on a regular basis it will take more time and effort for that cake than your others.
Amen to that!
It also may be a preservative that would be found in a regular "scratch" ingredient too. You definitely need to find out specifically what it is before you take on this order.
And to play devil's advocate.... it's her money (or not but obviously the money people are letting her have say so) and if she wants scratch cake she should be able to get it regardless of her reason. Even if, in the end, it has to come from a different baker if you aren't comfortable with it.
YES, get exactly what she is allergic to as there could be tragic consequences. My son-in-law is allergic to dairy and if you read cake mixes there may not be milk listed as milk but another ingredient that is a derivative of milk. I make a chocolate cake with no milk or butter for him and he loves the treat.
evelyn
i'm not sure the MIL is allergic to anything. they just might not be able to believe that someone would make a wedding cake from a box (although i asked for box mix at my wedding) and this is there way around it.
s/n i use DH for a dairy allergy (milk choco flavor)
Exactly whose cake is this? The Bride's or the MIL's? Have you done a tasting and if so, did the bride confirm the cake? Does she know the cake will taste different with a different recipe? You don't want her coming back with a 'this was the worst cake ever...I want my money back" scenario. I would suggest another tasting with your new recipe to be on the safe side. IMO!
carmijok is absolutely right! Changing recipes in the middle of a job is a bad idea. I changed a PAN in the middle once and the result had a different texture than the sample the bride had tasted. I was scared spitless!! It turned out OK, but it could've been a bad thing!
MichelleB0802 - THANK YOU!!! As I was reading this thread - I was thinking the same thing. There is no allergy, she probably just feels that a box mix cake might be inferior or think why would I pay wedding cake prices for a cake made out of a box mix - not knowing there is more to it than that. They want to make sure you do a scratch cake - I can guarantee that is the whole deal here. Think about it, has she ever eaten cake in a restaurant - not all restaurants/catering places/bakeries make cakes from scratch. Before you drive yourself crazy trying to find a recipe you have not tried before, ask for the speicific allergy - how much do you want to bet they will not have a specific answer.
Seems like if there's a real allergy, she would specify. I'm gluten intolerant...I always ask if there's gluten in the food I'm about to order. My family runs a B&B, we get people with all sorts of different allergies, they always specify....."I have an allergy to nuts/dairy/wheat/gluten/ etc. etc." - no one who has a severe allergy would just say "I'm allergic to a box mix" because you could make a scratch mix with the very same allergen. She was probably reaching for a graceful way of saying she wanted them to have a scratch cake (but failed on the graceful part).
Hi everyone-- My two cents, as I haven't seen this mentioned.
The most common allergens besides dairy and eggs are wheat, corn, and soy. The MOG obviously isn't allergic to flour, so it's poosible she is allergic to the soy or cornoil in the box mix (as my stepdaughter is). You should NOT have to make a scratch cake for one person who isn't going to be paying for this cake anyway! Let her eat chocolate! Otherwise, I agree with Melvira:
1. Ask what the specific allergy is (for "legal" reasons)
2. Do what is best and easiest for you
3. If you go through the additional expense and time of making a cake completely from scratch, politely let them know that the "accomodations" will result in an unavoidable increase in the price of the wedding cake.
Good luck. 
I always use Colette Peters' white cake with no problems & it's pretty simple. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/cooking-live/colettes-white-cake-recipe/index.html . Good luck!
I always use Colette Peters' white cake with no problems & it's pretty simple. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/cooking-live/colettes-white-cake-recipe/index.html . Good luck!
I like Colette's too.
I don't know if you use WASC recipe or not, but if you do.....there was a thread that discussed "gourmet flavors". Macsmom developed a word document that had all the recipes, including a scratch version of WASC. I haven't personally tried it, but.....here's the link to the google doc if you're interested.
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=df4f9hbq_46cs9f28fs
I haven't tried the scratch WASC either but I have a friend who only bakes from scratch and she LOVES this recipe.
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