Ok so i officially give up. I have tried and tried every yellow cake recipe i can get my hands on. 
I have tried them all, i have even tried changing my betty crocker book recipe and made it the best i could figure out. I bought the cake bible souly for the yellow cake recipe. I have even bought the "topsecretrecipes" version of the DH yellow cake recipe and it just wasnt the same. It just still isnt the same compared to DH yellow cake. which i always get RAVE reviews about. I just cant compete. 
Im starting to think that maybe i shouldnt even try anymore because heck one box is $1.00 at walmart right? Im spending a good $3.00 or more depending ont he recipe for a yellow cake....
I'm just so disapointed. Anyone have any opinions on this? Has anyone else just given up like me????? It would be MUCH easier and less time consuming to make the cake.....
So disapointed 
I make the yellow cake out of the Better Homes and Gardens cookbake. I love the way it tastes! But, it's not loaded with food coloring or artificial flavoring like the box mix so it's definately different than what people are used to. It seems like it's more like a white cake to me. I totally agree with you on cost and time. It's so much quicker to make a box mix and tons cheaper. I almost feeling like giving two different price qoutes. If you want homemade it's $xxx and if you want box it's $xx. lol As long as your customers are happy that's all that matters. That's the important thing right? Don't worry about it!
Well......I've been experimenting with white cakes for about a year and a half. Lots of crap, but some OK to good. Don't give up. Use small six-inch cakes for your experiments to save money. So far, I'm leaning towards half scratch with half box. And, come to think of it, we're never really "done" re recipes. It's kind of like owning a home---the "final" project is never done. It's OK to be frustrated, but don't give up! Take a break!
Hey, the way I look at it is... If YOU like it, and Everyone else likes it, Why not just make your life a little easier, and use it. I love to cook,and bake, and I love to make everything from scratch, but let's face it, some things are better when they come from a box. I am not ashamed to say, I use box cake mix. I doctor it up, and everyone loves it, so why not.??? It's not like I'm lying about it or anything. They know what they are getting. It's just better than most of the scratch cake recipes I have tried.
subaru thank you. thats EXACTLY what i have been thinking. it dawned on me while at the gym (working off all the cake balls haha). why the heck was i killing myself.
lsawyer: i have found good ones but they just arent a DH cake. thanks for the idea of taking a break. 
i think for now im going to take a break and just use DH until i get up the courage again. Thanks for listening. sometimes you just need to get stuff off your chest you know?
Yeah I definitely agree with Subaru. People are always surprised when and if I tell them I use a box, because most people don't know "our secrets" of how we doctor them up and they can't make them that good even if they try. And why fix something that isn't broken right? I know I can bake, as I'm sure you can, which is why I think we can bake really great "boxed" cakes. But let's face it, Duncan Hines and Betty Crocker just have something that no recipe can duplicate!!
Also, if I make it from scratch I will have to charge more, and most people, around here anyway, don't like to pay a lot for cake. I would like to have some decent scratch recipes just in case I get an order and someone really wants one and is willing to pay the extra, but like you I've found it really difficult to find one that tastes as good as a box.
Lastly, have you tried the white almond sour cream recipe on here? It is really good and from everything you add, you can almost say it's from scratch
Subaru, What timing! I am so on your quest. I love my doctored DH recipe- but feel obligated to be baking from scratch. You've got me thinking though.
I have never figured out what the big deal is on using boxed mixes. My customers rave about how good my cakes are. Up until the last six months I didn't even add anything to them. I now use the cake extender on here part of the time. Unless it is a specialty cake I will continue using boxed mixes. Basically my orders are always white or chocolate anyway.
Diane
I am with you Lionladydi - I doctor up the cake mixes - I use the chocolate cake doctor book - which also has a fantastic yellow cake recipe in it which has gotten me tons of orders. Don't give up you will find something!! I would not worry about everything needing to be scratch so much. Folks are used to the box cake texture anyway. I do make specialty cakes from scratch but not the regular ones....
I like Toba Garrett's scratch yellow cake. But that's me.
I don't mind using mixes - but once I have a reliable kitchen and can take the chance out of baking, I'll only use scratch for customer cakes.
Rachel
I have one called Grandma's Chocolate Layer cake. It's a yellow cake, the best I've ever had. I've never had a problem with it.
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and flour your cake pans.
Sift together in mixing bowl:
2¼ cups flour
1½ cups sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
Add:
½ cup butter
2/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract
Beat for 2 minutes.
Add:
1/3 c milk
2 eggs
Beat for 2 minutes. Pour into pans and Bake for 30-35 minutes.
It's called "chocolate" layer cake because of the chocolate icing they give the recipe for too. YUM!!!
I personally use cake mixes now. I made up a couple of different cakes & took them to church. I put slices of cake on white plates, white forks, etc. I found a few willing people to tell me the truth about which ones they liked. They filled out a "survey" on taste, texture, over all preference. Almost everyone chose the mixes. I do "doctor" my mixes. I do tell people that I use mixes if they ask. After they taste my cakes they can't believe they are from a mix. I had a friend ask me one time to tell her my secret to getting the taste just right. I just smiled & said " If I told you it wouldn't be a secret anymore."
People worry too much over baking from "scratch". The way I look at it is : If you are not buying it already baked & decorated from a store then it's a scratch cake. The eggs & stuff don't jump in all by themselves. 
I dont fuss over making cake from scratch for customers either. Unless its something special and you're willing to pay for the extra it will be a box mix. So many people can't even boil water let alone cook a box cake which is why they pay other people to do it for them....along with the decorations.
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%