I was just wondering if anyone else is having a hard time finding Pillsbury Mixes? I went to 3 different stores, and they were no longer there. I use Pillsbury for my vanilla cake, and I don't quite like the other brands as much with the way I doctor the mix. (They don't bake as nicely as the Pillsbury).
If I can't do the Pillsbury, I am thinking about doing the cakes from scratch. Any good scratch recipes for a rich vanilla cake that anyone could recommend??
Thanks!!
Ellen
I have recently been using Pillsbury yellow cake mixes. I never have a problem finding them at Walmart. My second favorite is Betty Croker Supermoist golden vanilla. I prefer to doctor mixes instead of baking from scratch. Just is a lot easier...and I guess I am a little lazy.
I think cakes from scratch can be very good, but I have found them to be unreliable. sometimes they are good....but sometimes they are dry...I usually use Betty Crocker. Pillsbury is at almost every wal-mart...
I seriously went to Walmart tongiht, and nothing!! They had strawberry and funfetti, but no yellow. They did not even have a price tag for it on the shelf. I guess I 'll have to keep searching!!
My SIL works at Walmart, she says if you request a specific item then they will make sure they have it in stock...kind of like supply and demand...but you have to bring it to their attention that you want a certain product. I hope this helps.
Good luck in your quest!
Thanks!! I will definitely keep that in mind. I also just remembered that GFS also carries it in bulk, but I always thought it was overpriced for the amount you get. I apppreciate the tip!
I have noticed also depending on the Wal-mart, you can find different varieties. Here I can't find all the great pudding flavors to doctor with but I was able to find them at a Wal-mart about 2 hours away(so I stocked up-no room in the pantry left)! Like Randa said-supply and demand! I would think yellow cake would be a pretty common one though.
I have to say Pillsbury is my fav. I bought some Duncan Hines the other day because it was on sale. I used a couple of them and took the rest back. The cakes just didn't come out the same!
dodi, I completely agree about the cakes not working out right! The only Duncan hines I use is for my chocoloate......the dark chocolate fudge, becasue it does not have a box mix taste. I am still on the hunt for a scratch cake recipe....I have a few to try.
Oh dear, I'm certainly in the minority here. I'm a DH gal but recently ran across a Pillsbury price that I couldn't pass up. No stoning, pleeze... but I'm not the least bit impressed with Pillsbury mixes.
First of all, mixing yielded less than 5 cups of batter. Secondly and most disheartening, the finished 8" cakes measure only about 1" in height... no way is torting even a remote consideration. My first reaction when this happened was that perhaps the mixes were beyond their expiration date. Nope, still a full year to go... and eight more mixes remaining in my pantry because the store is now closed.
Y'all can have Pillsbury... I'll stick with dear Duncan from now on.
Ellen and everyone,
If you find a good white or chocolate scratch recipe, can you let me know? Being here in Germany it is financial suicide to use the mixes (DH cost over 5 = $6 (per mix) ) and the German mixes taste like cardboard I only have (good) recipes for German scratch cakes, but the batters are WAAAYYYY to dry and dense, nothing at all like American cakes. I would love to find a good scratch recipe. All that I have tried so far have not been anything worth repeating. I was craving American cake soooo badly last week that I broke down and bought a mix, but that can't become a habit
Cande...I am about to try Toba Garrett's recipe...i read reviews about her yellow cake, that it was very very delicious. I'll keep you posted on it.
DiH, I am sorry that the Pillsbury did not work out for you. I only use the Pillsbury doctored up with the butter, milk and vanilla. It bakes beautifully for me, and because of the extra ingredients, I get nice volume. Plus, the flavor is moist and rich.
The Duncan Hines yellow/white mixes do not bake nicely for me doctored up. Oh, well, to each her own.
I used to only use Pilsbury because they came out so moist, but I recently bought Duncan Hines(it was .67) and I liked it just as well if not better. I've only used the dark chocolate fudge so far and you get so much more mix out of the box.
I agree with you DiH the Pilsbury cakes didn't come out near as high. I think I'll give the DH a try for a bit seeing as I have about 20 on my shelves
I also would love a good scratch recipe that comes out moist and dense. I've tried about every one - even the one on the back of the Hershey's Cocoa container and they didn't taste very good at all. I think I might just stick to doctoring the mixes....just too lazy
For me, Duncan Hines is too dry. When doctored, they fall apart on the cooling rack.
I prefer Pillsbury Plus with the Pudding in the mix!
Then again, I just discovered that my oven temp is off by 50 degrees!!! Had to calibrate it. So now, I might just have to give Duncan Hines another chance.
I haven't really noticed a difference between the mixes as far as the moistness(is that a word? ) I always take a clean wet dish towel and press on the cakes to release the air as soon as they come out of the oven...then after I take them out of the pan I put them in the freezer for a bit. I haven't made a box cake that wasn't moist(knocking on wood). I'm going to try the DH red velvet...we'll have to see how it goes
Wow..it's so funny how different mixes work for everyone. If I doctor mixes, I, too, prefer DH and usually just use the French Vanilla or the Devil's Food. They come out perfect for me each time.
This past weekend I tried Betty Crocker for the first time. I did the same things I always do to my DH ones, baked until done - cake sprung when touched lightly, perfectly browned, pulling back from sides of pans, etc. Cooled a little in the pan and then once I removed it, totally sank in the middle. I mean a big dip. The second one, I made sure it was done - looked perfect coming out and it did the same darn thing. So now I'm turned off to BC.
I've yet to try the Pillsbury but I'm afraid to deviate again. lol Sale or no sale, I'm scurred.
Toba's yellow cake recipe is pretty good, I've tried that one. My favorite white cake so far I got from this site. Let me find it and I'll link it. I use a few from The Cake Bible also but have found those aren't always reliable. For chocolate, I like the one on the back of the Hershey's can.
DiH-try this if you decide to brave Pillsbury again: Once I get my batter mixed up I let it rest for about 4-5 minutes before I put it in the pans and then I let it rest for a bit again once it's in the pans. I don't know if this is something I should have been doing all along but I figured it out a while back when I got sidetracked while baking!! I also don't touch the cakes after I take them out of the oven until I get ready to remove from the pan-usually 5 min.
You are right that you don't get quite as much with the Pillsbury so when I do a special (like wedding) cake I usually end up using two mixes but I have been able to torte and fill doing it just the way I use above.
dori
WoW! I've never used Pillsbury I was told at class that they don't work as well, but it all depends what works for you. I only use DH and BC here at my walmart they carry both brands for around .87-.97 cents, where at Albertson's and Stater Brothers are $2.00-3.00. DH, lemon, banana and orange supreme, devil's food, red velvet, strawberry, french vanilla, banana nut, white and yellow cake w/butter. As for the BC, Confettie, strawberry, vanilla, french vanilla, chocolate, devil's food and white always got very good compliment's on flavor and very moist, I never add anything extra in my mix as for the orange supreme I use pineapple filling make from scratch it has a great taste to it.
I'm a Pillsbury person too! Especially for their white cake mix. I've never had a problem with an 8" cake only baking up to 1" before though. They don't sell the Pillsbury at all of my local stores and the ones that do cost more than DH or BC but it's been worth the little extra I pay.
Debbie
Gosh, this is great.....this is definitely a post I'm printing with so many different suggestions. I have had good luck and bad luck with every brand. I haven't nailed down a particular one yet that I love, but I have found that with most of them there is never enough batter to do a full layer that I can torte with good size. I learned last time instead of ending up with just a little bit of batter after fully filling one pan for a decent size cake, I "under" fill the pan and do 2 pans with equal batter. When they came out, they were each the perfect size of a torted layer. Plus even if it's just a little bit, I hate wasting batter at all.
DiH...I have also noticed that Pillsbury seems to give a little less batter. However...I just love the taste of the yellow. I guess it works for me because I like to fill my cake pans with lots of batter and when I mix up the extra mix...I do not have as much batter left over. Maybe you could save your Pillsbury mixes when you make some cupcakes.
OK this is the white cake recipe I've tried from here:
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake_recipe-1967-20-Classic-White-Cake-II.html
Turned out pretty good. Nice texture and pretty moist. You have to be oh so careful with scratch cakes.
For those saying there isn't enough batter with the Pillsbury mixes, have you tried adding the "extender" recipe?
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake_recipe-1977-0-Cake-Mix-extender.html
Awesome suggestions, everyone!! I am hoping I run into my Pillsbury again....I just think taste-wise, it's yellow is the best. I don't care if it doesn't deliver as much batter....the moistness of the cake is incredible, and the flavor to me is rich.
However, I am going to start a new thread about people's experience with scratch cakes, just to find out how they work for others. Thanks again! Ellen
Here is a wonderful recipe that Naty posted a few months ago and I LOVE it! It's a wonderful, moist recipe and I often double it. When I do double it I also use flowers nails to help with the baking. Don't change any of the ingredients and you will have a great cake...okay, I do sometimes add a touch more vanilla or even a little almond flavouring, but that's it.
My only tip is to thoroughly grease/flour your pan and use parchment on the bottom. I have made this recipe side-by-side with BC and DH and it won every time. Mind you, the last one I made was dry but that was my fault for forgetting it in the oven. It still tasted great though!
Enjoy!
Great American Cakes
by Barbara Kafka
Gourmet December 1987
Yellow Cake Layers
�This is probably America's favorite layer for any kind of cake; it is what the cake-mix people try to imitate and never get right.�
Makes two 8-inch layers
2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs at room temperature
3/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Into a bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a large bowl with an electric mixer cream the butter, add sugar gradually, beating, and beat the mixture until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the flour mixture and the milk alternately in batches, beginning and ending with dry ingredients, add the vanilla, and beat the batter until it is smooth.
Divide the batter between 2 lightly greased and floured 8x1 1/2-inch round cake pans, smoothing the top, rap each pan on a hard surface twice to expel any air bubbles.
Bake the layers in the middle of a preheated 350-degree F oven for 25 to 35 minutes, or until a tester inserted in center comes out clean and the layers pull away slightly from the sides of the pans. Let the layers cool in the pans on a rack for 8 minutes, run a thin knife around the edge of each pan, and invert the layers onto the racks. Let the layers cool completely.
thanks, triplet mom...looking forward to trying it.
Hey, BTW, did anyone see my post on scratch cakes? It seemed to have mysteriously disappeared, and I've been looking in all the sub forums for it...not sure it made it on.
I like David's Yellow Cake from Allrecipes.com - it's not dry like some scratch cakes.
Ironbaker, isn't that white cake recipe from the cake bible? I don't have a photographic memory, but it looks the same.
I think I am the only one who had bad luck with the cakemix extender. My cake stuck and crumbled and it was bland. Stretching out the cakemix seemed to remove most of the flavor. On the up side, I guess you could add just about any flavor of pudding to give it a flavor.
bubblezmom,
I read somewhere that for the cake mix extender to really work to use self-rising flour, I just can't remember where I read it. I didn't like the extender either however this tip makes sense. Since it has the levener already in, it would make sense that it would help to fluff the cake rather than make it more dense.
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