I used to always make a box mix. I thought it was great. I am a big baker. I love it. I enjoy making all kinds of cookies, bread, and desserts but cakes from scratch are something that scared me.
I tried it and I can see why some are hooked on cakes from scratch. They are so tastey. I tried 5 recipes. I liked them all for different reasons. Funny thing is they have the same ingredients but bake up a little different.
Do you all use a paddle attachment to make scratch cakes or whisk attachment? I only have a wisk but need to get a paddle attachment for my mixer. I made sure I did not over mix any of the cakes. I mixed just to combine.
Only one cake was yucky to me. It was made with unbleached flour. I definitely like the cake flour and self rising flour. Loved it!
I am a believer. If I have the time, I will make them from scratch from now on but will use a mix if I don't have time. Honestly, they don't take that much more time if you have a good mixer. Especially, if you are doctoring a mix.
Edited to add: I went a baking spree because I wanted to bake a cake with out the artificial stuff in mixes. I have some friends that are into all health food and I knew they would feel better eating my cakes if they were from scratch with no preservatives.
Welcome to the club of the unadultered cakes.
Really, I like you, loved my box mixes..Until I was turned to a real cake (no offense).
It's a matter of finding a recipe that works for you and that is moist and light. Softasilk is the best cake flour so far...it's the only thing I use...eVen for my chocolate cake!
As for mixing, I use the paddle attachment...strong enough to cream my butter and sugar.
I posted a recipe for a Strawberry cake, a recipe posted on the ACD magazine some time ago...look it up in the recipe's board. It is DELICIOUS!!!
I don't use boxed mixes unless I absolutely have zero time to make a cake. I love making cakes from scratch. It is more fun and alot yummier!
Thats why I stick with scratch.
I have a lot of friends who are vegan and all natural. And it's so much easier to make the cakes from scratch. And no matter what they say, I have NEVER had a box mix (even doctored) turn out nearly as good as my scratch cakes.
I've always used mixes but wanted to maybe go to scratch. I tried my first one yesterday and thought it was heavy and not particularly tasty. I went to the recipe file and there were soooo many! I'd love to have people post links (or recipes) of the ones that have turned out to be winners for them. I'm looking for a good, basic recipe for yellow, white and chocolate. I want to nail those down first. So many of the scratch recipes I've found are for "fancy" flavors. Can anybody recommend good, basic recipes?
I've always used mixes but wanted to maybe go to scratch. I tried my first one yesterday and thought it was heavy and not particularly tasty. I went to the recipe file and there were soooo many! I'd love to have people post links (or recipes) of the ones that have turned out to be winners for them. I'm looking for a good, basic recipe for yellow, white and chocolate. I want to nail those down first. So many of the scratch recipes I've found are for "fancy" flavors. Can anybody recommend good, basic recipes?
Crimsicle, here is a chocolate scratch cake that I used to use a lot that is really good, it is tried and true for me
Chocolate Cake
2 cups sugar
2 cups self rising flour
1/2 cup crisco(oil)
1 stick butter or margine
4 tablespoons cocoa
1 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs, slightly beaten
Bring to a boil crisco, butter, cocoa, and water. Remove from heat: pour over sugar, flour, which have been mixed together. Add remaining ingredients and mix well (will be somewhat thin). Bake at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes in a 10x15 inch pan.
I used mixes before I decided to start my new hobby of cake decorating. Now I only make scratch cakes and they taste soooooo good. I did have a few that were nasty tasting but that's ok. I ripped those recipes out of my book and threw them away! LOL
Lazy_Susan
you guys have me half convinced to do scratch again- i had started doing scratch, then my yellow cake tasted odd for one of my customers ( thankfully a good neighbor) it kind of tasted stale, so now i'm too scared
I also prefer the taste of scratch cakes, but I have no problem with box mixes either - I think I just like cake!! I'm trying to find the perfect scratch cake, and I've had a lot that bombed! My family is getting sick of cake.
Still looking for a good white cake. While I don't really sell cakes, just a hobby, I'd like to have some good scratch cakes in my repertoire for when I do take the plunge. In my opinion, scratch don't cost that much more to make than a doctored mix. And in this day and age, people don't have time to bake, and when they do, they go for convenience. People seem to be impressed by scratch cakes around here...
baking is my passion, i just love it! i have baked many, many scratch cakes over the years. i, too, have used a box if i was in a hurry but i could never get away with doing that for my family, they are spoiled by scratch. i absolutely love the "cake bible", they have an amazing cake called "white velvet" that is my favorite, be sure you follow the directions carefully and i would purchase a food scale to ensure the best results. also, "baking illustrated" is another wonderful book to have, they have a white cake that is amazing as well. as far as chocolate goes, they're pretty easy to make, not nearly as tempermental as white and yellow. i personally love scott woolleys "chocolate brownie cake" very dense, rich and ever so simple to make, which is always a big plus.
the only flavor cake i haven't found a good recipe for is strawberry, for some reason they are always a big disappointment. i don't care for doctored up cake mix versions of strawberry cake either, the thing about box cakes is that they always have that same "taste" no matter what flavor it is. and the texture is to "fluffy" for my liking, i want a cake that is moist, somewhat dense and a tight crumb with a hint of butter in the background. i'm definitely gonna have to check out the recipe for godiva's strawberry cake, have fun baking!
Godiva,
i looked for your strawberry cake recipe but couldn't find it, is it posted under strawberry cakes? thanks
edit-just found it!
the only flavor cake i haven't found a good recipe for is strawberry, for some reason they are always a big disappointment.
Are there any cakes where berries are baked into the cake and not added later? I don't know the food chemistry but there must be a reason that one doesn't bake strawberries or rasberries or any other berry in batter.
As handy as mixes are, and I am not offended by eating them...I prefer my scratch cakes to any of them also.
This 'one' does all the time. I've used blueberries, strawberries, raspberries in my pound cakes for years. For some reason, I think the batter needs to be a little heavier to hold the fruit, rather than a thinner batter, which tends to mascirate (sp?) the fruit and let it completely incorporate into the cake. I may not be using the 'correct' terminology here, but I'm speaking from experience with fruit in cake batters. I found that in a pound cake batter that the fruit is 'held' by the batter...it lets it sort of stay put or float all throughout the cake...instead of letting it get completely mixed in & turning to mush. Hope this makes sense Try it with a pound cake and you'll see what I'm trying to say here...lol.
Lol. I should have been clearer.
Cake mix strawberry cake has cake that is flavored like "strawberry." There are not solid strawberries in pound cake, it is the cake itself that is flavored.
This doesn't work with actual strawberries.
Another convert!
I've eaten more scratch cake this past 6mos than in my enitre life. It is soooo nice to get the rich, bakery flavor without paying the bakery price.
I've been trying to come up with strawberry flavored scratch cake using strawberry puree in the batter. The flavor comes through fine. Texture of the first runs was a little gummy (which can be fixed) but the biggest problem is the hideous color of the baked layers. Brownish, like decomposing pink or something. Not good.
If you wish to add fruits, nuts, chocolate chips or whatever to a regular (non pound-cake) batter, first toss them in flour and then fold them into your batter. The flour will allow them to stay suspended in the batter without sinking to the bottom.
Well with the Strawberry recipe I posted, the batter uses strawberry jello (not thrilled about using it) , but it really spikes up that yummy strawberry flavor and gives you a nice pink cake always...it also calls for 1 cup of pureed strawberries
Give it a try...you'll be hooked!
So what's the best yellow cake recipe... a foolproof one you swear by. So far I've got Godiva's strawberry recipe and the cake off the hershey's box, but no yellow or white!
I too have fallen in love with scratch cakes. I personally can tell the difference. But, like others have said, finding a good recipe is the key. I haven't found a good white or yellow cake but 'm going to try the CB white velvet cake next time I bake!
Godiva - I cannot find your strawberry cake recipe. What is the recipe called?
Here is the link to my posted recipe:
http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-15373-.html
I think strawberry cake mix is yuck. my dh likes it. I do make a doctored mix from the cake doctor.
Godiva,
Do you mean this recipe makes 3 (9 inch layers)? That seems like a lot.
That's what the instructions said...it's enough to fill 1/2 the pans...This will give you thin layers and you will not have to cut your cakes, just stack.
However, I make 2 8" and 1 6" from the batter...
This looks like a nice recipe Godiva, too bad it has gelatin...
Does anybody have a good scratch recipe that doesn't use gelatin? We're vegetarians, and would LOVE a strawberry cake.
Snowboarder,
Would you mind posting your recipe? I wouldn't mind the off colour on a just for home cake.
alien sunset,
there is a strawberry cake recipe on baking911.com i tried it and it didn't turn out well for me but it got really good reviews on another site so maybe one of my ingredients was bad. not really sure, but i think i'm gonna give it another try.
also, a great yellow cake recipe that is a favorite among my customers is the "all-downey yellow cake" from the cake bible.
Dailey- did the recipe you tried give you a pink cake or was it a brownish pink?
Alien Sunset- I haven't worked with this cake since last year and I tend to work without a net, but I tried to put my notes into something readable.
Recipe is based on the Cake Bible's Sour Cream Butter Cake. I chose that cake because I liked the crumb and tang from sour cream. I didnt write down my baking times or pan sizes but RLBs baking time for a 9 springform is 35-45 mins at 350. I know for sure I got 2 (6) layers and if I had to guess, I'd say I got a total of 2 (6") and 2 (4") cakes.
This needs tweaking because it's still a little gummy. My thought was to do something with the eggs but if you or anyone knows food chemistry and can offer suggestions I'd appreciate it.
Layers baked up nice and tall.
Combine
10.5 oz sifted cake flour
10.5 oz sugar
1/2 tsp b. soda
1/2 tsp b. powder
1/2 tsp salt
Combine yolks and ¼ of the sour cream, set aside.
4 oz egg yolks (about 6)
5.5 oz sour cream
Add to dry ingredients with remaining sour cream. Aerate, scrape.
6 oz unsalted butter
Add egg/sour cream mixture in 3 batches, beat 20 seconds after each.
Add.
8 oz strawberry puree
2.5 tsp vanilla
Bake 350.
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