Looking For A Homemade Recipe With The Texture Of Box Cake

Baking By gardyboy Updated 6 Jun 2006 , 6:52pm by Rodneyck

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gardyboy Posted 5 Jun 2006 , 4:59pm
post #1 of 25

Hola to all

I am looking for a homemade cake recipe with the texture of box cake. My recipes tend to be more dense and not as airy. I have a potential customer that wants the texture of the cake to be more like a box cake, and I just dont have a recipe for it. I have search but not sure what to look for.

Anyone that can help with this request, I will be gratefull.

Thanks

Ed icon_biggrin.gif

24 replies
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MomLittr Posted 5 Jun 2006 , 5:09pm
post #2 of 25

How about "doctoring up" a boxed cake mix. Alot of us do that and folks think it is homemade. Actually my last cake that someone thought was from scratch, all I did was replace the oil with melted butter, used milk instead of water, and added an additional tsp of flavor (vanilla as it was a french vanilla cake). Try one for yourself and see what you think. Would also recommend "The Cake Mix Doctor" book. and reipies from this site.

deb

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CherryMerry Posted 5 Jun 2006 , 5:12pm
post #3 of 25

Do you whip your egg yolks until very light (barely yellow), and whip your whites & sugar until stiff but not dry? This will give you a nice, moist, spongy texture.

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HollyPJ Posted 5 Jun 2006 , 5:19pm
post #4 of 25

Is there any reason why you can't use a boxed mix? If that's the texture the customer wants...

As was mentioned already, you could add some extra ingredients for improved flavor.

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gardyboy Posted 5 Jun 2006 , 5:30pm
post #5 of 25

Reason is they do not want all the preservatives, and they feel a homemade cake has a different flavor to it. (I do have to agree with that, I like homemade cakes myself)

They have loved all my other cakes, but this one they want it more of that texture.

Thanks

Ed thumbs_up.gif

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HollyPJ Posted 5 Jun 2006 , 5:34pm
post #6 of 25

Makes sense to me!

I wish I could help you, but my scratch recipes are more dense in texture too.

What flavor cake do they want?

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gardyboy Posted 5 Jun 2006 , 5:46pm
post #7 of 25

It will be a coconut cake. Well more like a Pina Colada. I have made this before for them, but for what ever reason they want a lighter in texture cake.

Its really simple and well received.

Ed

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fearlessbaker Posted 5 Jun 2006 , 5:52pm
post #8 of 25

I don't know if you can replicate box cakes exactly. But the cakes in Dede Wilson's books come pretty close and the Whimsical Bakehouse recipes are good too. I do both boxes and scratch. It always seems to me that whenever the box mixed is opened, no matter the flavor, there is always this peculiar sweet smell that lasts for a few seconds. One way to make your cakes "health friendly" is to get unhydrogenated shortening from the health food store. LOL

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gardyboy Posted 5 Jun 2006 , 6:09pm
post #9 of 25

Thanks for all the tips.... I do appreciate this

Ed

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HollyPJ Posted 5 Jun 2006 , 6:10pm
post #10 of 25

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_10072,00.html

This recipe looks quite good and it got good reviews. I think the buttermilk and number of eggs might give it a light texture.

You might try epicurious.com and allrecipes.com for cake recipes. Both allow users to rate recipes, which makes picking out the good ones easier.

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gardyboy Posted 5 Jun 2006 , 6:25pm
post #11 of 25

OHHHHH you are the best.... and I am always at that site.... But Emeril is not on the top of my list..LOL....

Thanks for that link.

Ed

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butternut Posted 5 Jun 2006 , 6:54pm
post #12 of 25

Emeril, Emeril who???????? lol

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Rodneyck Posted 5 Jun 2006 , 7:33pm
post #13 of 25

The best white and yellow cakes with a light, even crumb that resemble, I guess, box mixes (I don't do these) but without all the chemicals is from Cook's Illustrated. They do the pastry method, mixing flour with butter first then adding wet ingredients. This protects the flour and prevents gluten from forming resulting in a light texture with a perfect crumb.

The only thing I do differently is bake all my cakes at 325 degrees and take them out when there are crumbs on the toothpick, but no wet batter. I also use the wet strips around the pans.

The white cake recipe is actually posted on CC's recipe section but under a different title than CI's, same recipe, "Classic White Cake II";

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake_recipe-1967-14-Classic-White-Cake-II.html

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fearlessbaker Posted 5 Jun 2006 , 7:43pm
post #14 of 25

The Cooks Illustrated Baking Book has this. Their cake recipes were recommended to me by a woman who owns a pastry shop in Seattle and these are the only recipes she uses even for her wedding cakes. Havent tested them yet but I may this week .

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Rodneyck Posted 5 Jun 2006 , 7:55pm
post #15 of 25

I test a lot of cakes and nothing has beat them yet, both recipes are great for the lighter variety which are perfect for wedding cakes.

I did try CI's chocolate cake recipe which oddly does not use the pastry method like the white and yellow. I found it to be ok, good, but nothing has beat the double chocolate layer cake recipe from Epicurious.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/101275

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gardyboy Posted 5 Jun 2006 , 8:04pm
post #16 of 25

Thanks for all the info.

I best get busy and try the recipe.... I hope this helps another person with the same request.

Thanks for all the input and information.

Happy Decorating

Ed

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fearlessbaker Posted 6 Jun 2006 , 12:48am
post #17 of 25

OK Rodney, Now, I will have to try the CI cakes. Have you tried anything from Martha's Baking Book?

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Rodneyck Posted 6 Jun 2006 , 3:45am
post #18 of 25

fearlessbaker, if you are using the "Baking Illustrated" book from CI, there are a few major typos in that book, what a shame. Check out that Amazon website for reviews of the book to find all of them, but under the Yellow Layer Cake, it should read 2 1/4 cups of cake flour sifted, not 1 3/4 cups. They should have some place on their website for corrections.

I have not tried any of Martha's cakes, although I do have a number of her books, mostly given to me as gift. I got burned on a few of her recipes, not cakes, but pies and tarts. They just did not thrill me. She goes on about her pate brise crust like it was the best thing since sliced bread. I thought it was tough and flavorless. I have tried a number of recipes from her magazine and they are hit and miss, so I always approach her recipes with that "poo in the cat box" look on my face. I think she needs to spend more time testing some of them, probably rushed to get them out to market, who knows.

I have heard that the white and yellow cake recipes in the Whimsical Bakehouse book are suppose to be good. They are on my list to try soon.

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fearlessbaker Posted 6 Jun 2006 , 3:06pm
post #19 of 25

Rodneyck, Thanks for the heads up. This happened to me with a Carol Walters book. You are right on about Martha. Even her cookies are hit and miss! I want to go through Nancy Silverton's book and see what happens with her recipes. The book that is my very favorite is Cocolate by Alice Medrich. I would love to find someone who has it on CC so we could chat about it.And then there is Rose Birenbaums book. I have used WBH but can't remember which ones. What are some of the books you have? Yesterday out of curiosity I did make the Super Enhanced DH lemon box mix recipe. To me it still tastes like a mix and has that too sweet taste and smell. Tomorrow I will make one from scratch and see what happens and compare the 2. I see you are in S.F. Are you going to the California Cake Camp? Oh, Again Thank You for all your help and all of your posts.

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katiecake Posted 6 Jun 2006 , 3:14pm
post #20 of 25

I have had the same trouble with martha's rec. including some of her crafts!
not sure why but not impressed!

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coffeecake Posted 6 Jun 2006 , 3:19pm
post #21 of 25

Fearless baker - I was wondering about the cake camp - is that the one that is in Las Vegas? Have you been before? (I am from Oakland area)

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fearlessbaker Posted 6 Jun 2006 , 3:56pm
post #22 of 25

Coffeecake, Yes that is the one. No I haven't been before. Go to www.cakecamp.com. All the info. is there. Let me know what you think and what you decide.

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coffeecake Posted 6 Jun 2006 , 4:55pm
post #23 of 25

When I first saw it , I was a little thrown by each seminar costing - but have not been to any cake/decorating conventions/seminars so maybe this is the way it is done. I am just a little frightened at how much is may end up costing $$ (and that is before I even hit the vendors displays)

I was also concerned as I have not found anyone that had attended.

I guess I should decide soon, as collette peters classes are already filling up and those would be among the ones I would want to attend.

I was also debating about going to ICES, but already missed the early registration (oh and texas in July is not enticing).

Fearlessbaker, are you going?
Does anyone else have any comments?

(sorry about the thread hyjack! - hopefully there are others that have intererest.

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fearlessbaker Posted 6 Jun 2006 , 5:04pm
post #24 of 25

Yes, I already registered and paid. I am not taking Colettes because of the blown sugar classes. It is costly. And my DH convinced me to stay at the Marriot instead of the Riviera.

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Rodneyck Posted 6 Jun 2006 , 6:52pm
post #25 of 25
Quote:
Originally Posted by fearlessbaker

I want to go through Nancy Silverton's book and see what happens with her recipes. The book that is my very favorite is Cocolate by Alice Medrich. I would love to find someone who has it on CC so we could chat about it.And then there is Rose Birenbaums book. I have used WBH but can't remember which ones. What are some of the books you have? Yesterday out of curiosity I did make the Super Enhanced DH lemon box mix recipe. To me it still tastes like a mix and has that too sweet taste and smell. Tomorrow I will make one from scratch and see what happens and compare the 2. I see you are in S.F. Are you going to the California Cake Camp? Oh, Again Thank You for all your help and all of your posts.




I think I have the La Brea Bakery book (somewhere) but have not made anything out of it yet. That is suppose to be a very good book. I have not delved into chocolate yet, YET, lol, at least as far as the confection dept end of it. That book got some great reviews on Amazon and seems to be out of print. I don't have that one, to bad.

I do have Rose's Cake Bible and Bread Bible. I am drawn to the two extremes over the Cake Bible. I love, love some of the recipes and thorough facts she instills in the book, much like Cook's Illustrated. Her mousseline (spelling?) buttercream is over the top good. However, unlike CI, some of her cake recipes are on the dry side and I have seen numerous claims by other bakers to back me up. The good news, is that she is working on a new book currently to update the Cake Bible, so maybe she will get it right the second time around.

I love Toba Garrett's book for decorating ideas and Dede Wilson for her contribution to strictly working with buttercreams (delicious recipes.) I think people get carried away with fondant, although I admit it is fun, lol.

For cookies, get yourself a used copy (not in print) of Southern Living's All-time Favorite Cookie Recipes, containing award winning recipes. The recipes in this book are excellent and there are tons of them packed into 144 pages. I couldn't ask for a better cookie recipe book

Pies and tarts, the Williams-Sonoma book with that title is excellent and I took a class with the author of the book (can't think of her name at the moment.)

I had no idea there was a cake camp. Thanks for letting me know and the classes are cheap. I am just signed up with a local cake supplies store to take their beginning, intermediate and advanced cake decorating classes. They also offer gumpaste work classes and sugar work, writing, etc. I may then go to a local pastry school and do their 6 month program, still thinking about it, so that may interfere with cake camp, lol.

Oh, and regarding the doctored cake mix vs. homemade, please post and let me know how that goes. I can almost predict the outcome, lol. I never use the boxes and yes, they are overly sweet. Another reason to use scratch, you can control that factor.

Thanks for all your suggestions!!!

Best,
Rodney

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