Duncan Hines Reducing Size Of Their Classic Box Mixes

Decorating By Apti Updated 5 Feb 2015 , 9:54pm by MamaChills

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Apti Posted 13 Feb 2012 , 5:12pm
post #1 of 50

Yes. It's true. A fellow Wilton.com forum member just got off the phone this morning with a confirmation of the bad news:

"OK ladies, I just got off the phone with a rep from DH and he said yes, they have reduced their Classic line from 18.25 to 16.5 in an effort to remain "cost competitive". He said only the Classic line but those are the ones I use. He had a long story to tell about the reason they are doing this: to keep from raising their prices. I understand that but I would rather pay a little extra than have the sizes cut!"

Here's the link to the Wilton.com forum thread:
http://www.wilton.com/forums/messageview.cfm?catid=8&threadid=159844&STARTPAGE=1&CFID=30277720&CFTOKEN=87393896

49 replies
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Herekittykitty Posted 13 Feb 2012 , 5:27pm
post #2 of 50

Ummmm, they did just raise the price. Same price + smaller product size = price increase.

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shannycakers Posted 13 Feb 2012 , 6:00pm
post #3 of 50

o no! this is aweful news!! Thank goodness alot of my recipes are scratch now!! I only have one recipe that uses a doctored mix..and i love the taste, boohiss. I wonder how it will effect the recipes..

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metria Posted 13 Feb 2012 , 6:08pm
post #4 of 50

nnnnnnnnnoooooooooooooo!!!!!!!! thumbsdown.gif

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dawnybird Posted 13 Feb 2012 , 6:24pm
post #5 of 50

Awe, man, what a bummer! How will this affect our "doctored cake mix" recipes? Will we have to change amounts? I'm not happy!

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sweetflowers Posted 13 Feb 2012 , 6:25pm
post #6 of 50

I had emailed BC and complained bitterly about them making their boxes smaller. I then emailed DH and told them to keep the box size the same no matter what, I'd rather pay more than lower the amount of batter I get, obviously they don't read their customer emails. I won't buy anything that is lower than 18.25, so it'll be scratch for me from now on. I hope they all go out of business for not listening to their customers.

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sillywabbitz Posted 13 Feb 2012 , 6:38pm
post #7 of 50

Check the expiration dates, but I'm going to be stocking up while they still have the larger size. Some people said when BC went down to 15.x that they didn't tell a difference in wasc, so I will try the smaller size when it comes out. If it doesn't work then that's what my kitchen scale is foricon_smile.gif
I can just measure out the extra couple of ounces for each batch. I basically weigh everything else so this won't add anything to my work flow.

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cindy458 Posted 13 Feb 2012 , 6:40pm
post #8 of 50

thumbsdown.gif What a rip. Just like everything else "downsizing". We pay more for less product. that's going to really mess up alot of recipes I bet.

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jason_kraft Posted 13 Feb 2012 , 6:49pm
post #9 of 50
Quote:
Originally Posted by Herekittykitty

Ummmm, they did just raise the price. Same price + smaller product size = price increase.



In terms of the unit price, yes, but many consumers shop by shelf price rather than unit price. If they see a competitor's product for less (as the BC mix would be since they made their mix smaller) they will buy the competitor's product even if the unit price is higher.

If manufacturers don't make these adjustments in terms of higher prices and/or smaller package sizes they will go out of business, just as a bakery will if they don't pay attention to changes in input costs and how competitors are pricing.

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TexasSugar Posted 13 Feb 2012 , 6:56pm
post #10 of 50
Quote:
Originally Posted by sillywabbitz

Some people said when BC went down to 15.x that they didn't tell a difference in wasc, so I will try the smaller size when it comes out. If it doesn't work then that's what my kitchen scale is foricon_smile.gif




I just made a cake last night with the BC Vanilla, not even thinking about it being smaller, and didn't have any problems with the WASC. I also made DH Red Velvet, with the WASC, but have no idea what size the box was.

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Rosie2 Posted 13 Feb 2012 , 9:04pm
post #11 of 50
Quote:
Originally Posted by TexasSugar


I just made a cake last night with the BC Vanilla, not even thinking about it being smaller, and didn't have any problems with the WASC. I also made DH Red Velvet, with the WASC, but have no idea what size the box was.


Same here...now that I remember the box did looked smaller and I didn't pay attention, although the cake came out okay icon_biggrin.gif

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Apti Posted 13 Feb 2012 , 9:40pm
post #12 of 50

I've sent an email to Anne Byrn, author of the "Cake Mix Doctor" series of books asking about the impact this will have on the recipes in her books. I'll keep you updated on her response.

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All4Show Posted 13 Feb 2012 , 10:14pm
post #13 of 50
Quote:
Originally Posted by Apti

I've sent an email to Anne Byrn, author of the "Cake Mix Doctor" series of books asking about the impact this will have on the recipes in her books. I'll keep you updated on her response.


I'll be interested to hear what she thinks. Her doctored recipies are my go to cakes.

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sweetcakes Posted 13 Feb 2012 , 10:26pm
post #14 of 50

all i can say or shout out is WTF!!!! think i too will be taking a closer look at my cake recipe books for some reliable scratch recipes. This news did not make my day!!!!

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kelleym Posted 13 Feb 2012 , 10:40pm
post #15 of 50

I'm a Pillsbury girl, and they haven't announced a change yet (that I know of) but the writing is on the wall. Time to stock up. icon_sad.gif

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Goreti Posted 13 Feb 2012 , 11:34pm
post #16 of 50

The grocery store I went to today still has the 18.25. Looks like I'll be buying a few and of course, there is always scratch cakes. Sometimes I like to use the mix though. I'm sure this won't do any good but I just sent an email to Duncan Hines letting them know how disappointed I am about their decision.

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jenscreativity Posted 13 Feb 2012 , 11:46pm
post #17 of 50

I prefer to doctor mixes when rushed vs scratch,,so this affects me too at times! I"ll E-mail Duncan Hines tonight also! Maybe more ppl can do this and possibly change their minds?? If they have to raise the cost a little, that's ok...anyone else willing to e-mail them and see if it works? Just a thought!

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kelleym Posted 13 Feb 2012 , 11:59pm
post #18 of 50

I would never tell anyone NOT to contact DH, because it's always possible this can make a difference. However, when BC changed theirs, in the face of the same kind of customer feedback, it was only a matter of time until the others followed suit (and since Pillsbury is owned by BC I'm actually surprised it's the holdout..)

The thing that really gets their attention is if you stop buying the smaller packages. Money talks.

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bakencake Posted 14 Feb 2012 , 12:10am
post #19 of 50
Quote:
Originally Posted by sillywabbitz

Check the expiration dates, but I'm going to be stocking up while they still have the larger size. Some people said when BC went down to 15.x that they didn't tell a difference in wasc, so I will try the smaller size when it comes out. If it doesn't work then that's what my kitchen scale is foricon_smile.gif
I can just measure out the extra couple of ounces for each batch. I basically weigh everything else so this won't add anything to my work flow.



that's exactly what i was thinking. not happy but will have to do thumbsdown.gif

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jenscreativity Posted 14 Feb 2012 , 12:33am
post #20 of 50

Hi CCers!!

Email Duncan Hines to complain! It should be worth it! I just did and told them about cakecentral and that they can see for themselves of the complaints on here about there boxes being downsized! I told them ppl will be e-mailing them with complaints and that they may have already had some! You never know!! Go for it as it only takes a minute of your time!

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ycknits Posted 14 Feb 2012 , 1:26am
post #21 of 50

This is so extremely annoying. I used to buy less than a dozen mixes a year... now as merely a hobby decorator, I go through dozens a month. When I only bought a few, I had no idea what they were "supposed" to cost and I certainly wouldn't have not purchased one because it was a little less or more in cost! Who does their marketing studies???

I used to be a die-hard BC fan. So I stopped buying them and switched to Duncan Hines. Now I will switch to Pillsbury! All we can do is vote with our buying habits. I'm certainly to send an e-mail to DH to let them know that they're loosing this "new" customer!

Damn!

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jason_kraft Posted 14 Feb 2012 , 3:16am
post #22 of 50
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rosie2

Quote:
Originally Posted by TexasSugar


I just made a cake last night with the BC Vanilla, not even thinking about it being smaller, and didn't have any problems with the WASC. I also made DH Red Velvet, with the WASC, but have no idea what size the box was.

Same here...now that I remember the box did looked smaller and I didn't pay attention, although the cake came out okay icon_biggrin.gif



Sounds like the smaller box works the same as the larger box, if that's the case then I'm not sure what the big deal is.

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DeniseNH Posted 14 Feb 2012 , 3:59am
post #23 of 50

I've noticed for about a year now that the contents of the box has been resized (downward). Regular DH box, less ingredients inside. Also, their dark chocolate is now the color of devils food cake AND those of us in New England got stuck with about 4 months worth of box mixes with bad baking powder - wouldn't rise. I emailed them telling of the problem and how many in my cake club were upset by it and they mailed me three one dollar coupons. I wrote back saying I don't want your coupons I want the problem fixed and they responded that they would be sending my request to their Quality Assurance Dept. Yeah, right. Good bye DH, hello scratch mixed with BC or whatever.

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Apti Posted 14 Feb 2012 , 5:12am
post #24 of 50

Here's my email to Anne Byrn, author of "The Cake Mix Doctor", and her response:

"Good morning, Ms. Byrn.
As you probably know, Betty Crocker reduced their mix sizes recently. Even though Duncan Hines said they would NOT follow suit, they have.

A member of the Wilton.com forum received confirmation this morning:
"Ok ladies I just got off the phone with a rep from DH and he said yes, they have reduced their Classic line from 18.25 to 16.5 in an effort to remain "cost competetive". He said only the Classic line but those are the ones I use. He had a long story to tell about the reason they are doing this: to keep from raising their prices. I understand that but I would rather pay a little extra than have the sizes cut!"

http://www.wilton.com/forums/messageview.cfm?catid=8&threadid=159844&STARTPAGE=1&CFID=30277720&CFTOKEN=87393896

What impact will these changes have on the recipes printed in your books? Do you have any suggestions?
Thank you."
-------------------------
"Thanks for your email. It is really distressing that food companies think they can keep reducing the size of products. For the past few years the mixes have lacked the structure, and I have advised cooks to add a little flour to the dry cake mix to ensure the cake will have structure and not sink while cooling.
I, too, would rather pay a little more and keep things consistent.
Let's let the dust settle, and I will be interested to try my recipes with the smaller DH mixes.
In the meantime, it's a good idea to add a little flour (up to 1/2 cup), a little sugar, if desired, and a half teaspoon of baking powder to the smaller cake mix before adding other ingredients.
Or, check out my cake mixes on my website - www.cakemixdoctor.com - clicking on Anne's cake mix. They are a little larger than the conventional cake mix.

Thanks for your interest, and let's keep in touch!"
Anne

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robinmarie Posted 14 Feb 2012 , 1:27pm
post #25 of 50

If I decide to add the extra ounces from another box, how long would would the left over box stay fresh until I use again?

Would putting it in a zip lock bag work to keep it fresh?

Thanks for any advice. This is so frustrating.

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paula0712 Posted 14 Feb 2012 , 2:19pm
post #26 of 50

just a thought, but would the cake mix extender recipe work here? It may make it back to "regular" size.... I might try this later today.

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bobwonderbuns Posted 14 Feb 2012 , 2:24pm
post #27 of 50

The problem is the batter charts -- it will take MORE batter to fill the pans, meaning more cost for cake makers.

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missre Posted 14 Feb 2012 , 2:34pm
post #28 of 50

I have been so dissapointed with the reduction in size of the BC cake mix...even after weighing the mix and adding additional mix from another mix, the taste and texture is not the same. I stopped using it and went to DH.

I am very sad to hear that DH is now following suit.

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sillywabbitz Posted 14 Feb 2012 , 3:14pm
post #29 of 50
Quote:
Originally Posted by bobwonderbuns

The problem is the batter charts -- it will take MORE batter to fill the pans, meaning more cost for cake makers.




Just to clarify, I think you mean it will take more batches not more batter. The amount of batter required for 2 6 inch rounds will be the same, it just may take me a box and 1/2 to get thereicon_smile.gif

FYI, for the people who purchase dozens of boxes a month, you may want to look into purchasing the 50lb bags of commercial mix. There was a thread recently that DH is now selling these. I'll be interested to check out the cake doctors mixes as well.

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sillywabbitz Posted 14 Feb 2012 , 3:17pm
post #30 of 50
Quote:
Originally Posted by robinmarie

If I decide to add the extra ounces from another box, how long would would the left over box stay fresh until I use again?

Would putting it in a zip lock bag work to keep it fresh?

Thanks for any advice. This is so frustrating.




I've actually done this when 1/2 recipes. If I only need 12 cupcakes, I'll weight out the mix and just 1/2 everything else. I have kept the left overs sealed in a zip lock for a couple of months without issue. I'm not sure exactly how long it will last but it's worth experimenting with it.

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