I myself have never made a cake or cupcakes from a 'packet', (only due to the fact i love natural ingredients' - but I read on here a lot, that many of you use packet mixes?

You wouldn't use a packet mix if you were selling them would you?
and if you do, do you tell the client?

I wonder if there are any 'organic' or 100% natural packet mixes out there for me to try?

If you are already a scratch baker, there is no reason to try a mix. Mixes have chemicals in them to offset any errors made by the baker... overbaking, underbaking, wrong amount of ingredients, left out ingredients, etc. You can taste the chemicals if you are used to scratch. On the plus side, they are cheaper if you usually use fine ingredients. They are also a huge asset if you have trouble baking from scratch. They are convenient. It is a question of where you want to position yourself in your market.

I only bake as a hobby for family and friends. I used boxed mixes. I am up front about it. Since it is a hobby and i am now working full time and I have 2 kids left at home and 5 grandkids I just don't have time to do it from scratch.
But when I do the big cookies, those are from scratch.

There is a brand called Bob's red mill and I belive the other brand is called Arrowhead. The have organic cake mixes. Central Market, Whole Foods, Sprouts, and Trader Joes have a large array of organic and all natural cake mixes. I'm sure you can find something you can try at one of these places.

I'm from the UK, we don't really 'do' box mixes over here. I have tried a cupcake mix for children and it just tasted very artificial but different strokes for different folks I guess.

Unlike the US - packet mixes are NOT cheap here (Australia) - so in fact it IS cheaper to cook from scratch

There are many top end cake decoraters who only DECORATE their cakes - they have outside bakers bake their cakes

I have recently started using boxed cake mixes for smash cakes, but that's it. I'm an all natural Earth mama myself, and everything else I make is completely from scratch. In fact, when I make carrot cake, the carrots come out of my back yard

There are bakeries here in the US that sell boxed cake mixes or they alter them to be like WASC cakes. However some still do the old fasion scratch baking. I do a bit of both. I grew up on boxed, and still make boxed for certain things or if I just want a quick cake. I am a WMI so for Mandatory demo's and and the first night of Decorating Basics when I must have a cake to just demo icing, I usually go for a box, mainly because they are cheap. If I am making a cake however for someone probably 80 percent of the time it is scratch. Occasionally I will use a box, but it is usually requested or I don't have all the stuff or time to do scratch. Mainly that is because I do a lot of chocolate cakes that require Blooming of the chocolate which then has to cool and sometimes I just don't have the time for that.

If I get my bakery open though, I believe that everything I will do will be scratch because I feel that if people are going to pay 2.50 to 4 dollars a serving they deserve good scratch cakes. Now i have heard of people requesting boxed cakes so then I would do what the client requested.

I prefer scratch. For me it's just as easy (and self-gratifying) for me to bake a scratch cake. Tastes better too!

But, alas, my kids love box mix...especially a modified one.

These "box vs scratch" threads usually generate a lot of heated debate. IMHO stick with scratch, however many folks in the US grew up on cake-mix cakes and they don't like scratch. Whatever your clientele and you are happy with...

One isn't better than the other, and one isn't more 'right' than the other. Just do what you like and what you feel more comfortable working with. For me, it's boxed mixes. But, as you'll see around here, it's different for everyone.

Scratch baker here...I couldn't sell someone a $3 cupcake knowing it was from a box, lol.

People prefer box mixes over a cake baked by a person who does not bake from scratch well. I have never seen, in all my years of baking, someone choose a box mix over a fine scratch cake. On the other hand, the worst cakes I have ever had were poorly baked scratch cakes.

Great scratch baking is an art. It is a skill learned with much practice, a knowledge of baking science, and a passion to reach the top of the field. With that said, I will have to disagree that scratch and box are the same. There is no right or wrong, but scratch baking, done well, and with fine ingredients, is a higher quality product.

I think the debate gets heated, or I know what bothers me in my market, are box bakers passing their products off as scratch or made with fine ingredients. I hope, with the government stepping in on nutritional labeling, that all bakery goods will be required to have a nutritional label in the future. All of the other food industries have to comply, but because unpackaged goods are usually exempt, there is room for deception.

Box vs. scratch, do what you and your customers want. I agree with scp 1127 that some of the worst cakes are poorly baked scratch cakes- and I have been the guilty baker on at least one occassion.

Box cakes are pretty much goof proof; however, many of them are pretty blah IMOP. But If you grew up thinking that was the way a cake was supposed to taste, then the taste and texture of a scratch cake would be disconcering.

Those who like scratch cakes will quickly learn to avoid box bakers; and the reverse is equally true.

Nari, I have never found a box cake lover who did not enjoy a great scratch cake. Many times it is a experience that they have never had.

Jamie, last January, my grandson was in the hospital. All of the cakes had their ingredients... flour, eggs, sugar... you get the idea. The cakes were obviously scratch because of the labeling. I got a slice of carrot cake. The cake and icing, cream cheese, were the worst dessert I had ever put in my mouth. Because I have never been anything but a scratch baker, I didn't understand all that I read on CC about people preferring box mixes. After that day, the lightbulb came on. I couldn't brush my teeth fast enough. I passed it around and we all had a laugh.

A great scratch cake is a delicious tasting experience. But it takes awhile to get to that level in baking. If you are not there, use the box mixes. Even mediocre scratch cakes could put you out of business. But, as with any business, you have to be mindful of future competitors. For this reason, I have always suggested to keep working on your scratch recipes in your spare time. You may need them one day. If you haven't worked on them, you may not be prepared for when this whole baking industry gets saturated and some have to go. If you watch the growth of this industry, you will know that the time of saturation is sooner rather than later.

Sorry Linda.

I usually do a search always before i post anything actually. My bad.
But not heated and the info was interesting.

thanks everyone.

Doesn't matter where it comes from I think the outcome is what matters. Taste. If your client likes the taste then do it! Also try to do really yummy combinations of frostings and cake and sell them that way. Get 4 really good combinations and those can be your specialties. I don't know what my problem is but I CANNOT get scratch right EXCEPT my apple cake. It is amazingly delicious but its the only one I can do! lol! I am still working on it but I agree when people say a bad scratch cake is much much worse than a good mix cake. I find it funny that people would get really heated about this subject. Sounds like people have a lot of time on their hands.

P.S. Sorry if you have already done/know my suggestions its just something I have learned works personally for me so I figured I would pass it on. Happy baking either way you choose!

I'm with you Linda. This subject in the past has gotten TOO heated. The bottom line is do what you do best. weather it be from a box or scratch. Everyone has a preference. Me, I prefer scatch because that's what I like and do best.

If I bake a box mix I always use the extender recipe. Using the added ingredients makes it taste a little better than not adding anything at all. But again that's just MY opinion. I'm not going to say one is better than the other because it's a personal preference. I prefer scatch because that's what I do best.

I only bake from scratch.

You should bake in a way that gives you enjoyment and great results.

I'm new to this forum (and still fairly new to baking), so I won't answer as a baker but rather a customer. If I were to order cupcakes from a baker/bakery (and pay the going rate) I personally would expect from scratch. I could easily go to the grocery store myself and make cupcakes or a cake from a box and spend a lot less.

If I'm going to spend $2-$3+ per cupcake, I expect something more than a box. I think it's important to be up front with the customer, and my feeling is that most customers would assume it's from scratch.

I love baking from scratch, but I'm not the best at it yet- I've had them come out too dry on more than one occassion. Working full time, going to school full time, etc etc I often don't have time to bake from scratch. If I'm asked to bring cupcakes to work, school, a friends..I sometimes use a box-but ALWAYS doctor it up!! I don't think I've ever used it straight out of the box! I always add buttermilk instead of water and tsp of a vanilla...makes it taste a little more "from scratch"