Do People Not Like Dense Cakes?????
Decorating By missyjo30 Updated 27 Jun 2006 , 3:44am by MrsMissey
Well with such small amounts, as compared to a whole cake full of the chemicals or made up of them, you don't get that much in extracts and food colorings. However, I try and use frostings or Italian meringue buttercreams where you can add liquors or natural flavors such as orange zest and juice whenever possible. Pure ingredients are always best.
It is true, especially with today's foods where everything seems to be injected with some chemical not to have them in your products, which is why it makes sense to limit as much as you can, starting with the main culprit, mixes.
Now cake mix is the "main culprit" of chemical filled product??? COME ON! This really is ridiculous!! Why must one always try to push off their views by digging on someone elses.....I suppose you'd say though we're all entitled to our opinion...?? But apparently not so.
I have to ask though.....you complain and "worry" about chemicals in cake mix....but do you not never feed your children or eaten yourself things like mac and cheese....or storebought cookies and crackers?? Have you ever looked over the ingredient list in bread or cereal?? I mean the list could go on.... oh and you might want to check on that milk 
its not as non chemically treated as you think
and wow.... I am entirely impressed if you truely have the time to make everything preservative free and homemade.....and not just with "cake"
I make my cakes entirely from scratch and that is what people always ask me to make.
They are NEVER dry because I soak them in simple syrup and I can achieve a nice moist cake every time.
If I make a cake mix doctored cake, they can immediately taste the difference. Not saying that they are bad, but they prefer the taste of scratch.
I should then mention that I make hispanic cakes and they are always looking for that "spanish taste like back home taste" when they were growing up... I can't achieve that with a cake mix. I've tried but have not been successful. I use liquors, almond extract a lot...
I have even made cakes for people not accustomed to scratch cakes soaked in simple syrup and they just loved them. I had this guy come to a birthday party where I made the cake and he said: "Yummy, I just love the taste of Puerto Rican cakes.." and he's not hispanic.. He was talking about the mixture of liquors that are such a staple on the cakes back home and the smell and taste of almond in the icing... They make a killer combo.. 
Sometimes it comes down to cultural diffences, tastes, etc...
There are cake mixes available without all those chemicals/preservatives if you're sensitive to them. It's important not to assume that just because it comes from a mix, it will be "full of chemicals." There's something for everyone
That is very true. There are also vegan cake mixes available, from what I have read.
Well, this discussion certainly got out of hand quickly. I feel sorry for the originally poster. It was such a simple question too. I think it is all a matter of personal taste. I like dense cakes, scratch and doctored (I have made both). My family likes both scratch and mix, because they are just happy when they get cake. Good for those of you who stand by your scratch and your cake mixes (doctored or not). Diversity is a wonderful thing. Neither is good or bad, just different.
Can't we all just get along?
I have to ask though.....you complain and "worry" about chemicals in cake mix....but do you not never feed your children or eaten yourself things like mac and cheese....or storebought cookies and crackers?? Have you ever looked over the ingredient list in bread or cereal?? I mean the list could go on.... oh and you might want to check on that milk
its not as non chemically treated as you thinkand wow.... I am entirely impressed if you truely have the time to make everything preservative free and homemade.....and not just with "cake"
Actually, personally, I am not so much worried about the chemicals, that was a response to a question asked about chemicals in cakes. I just do not like mixes because they taste bad to me, lol.
I am concerened about chemicals, in any food, as I would think anyone would be and it is just one additional reason not use mixes, for me, but not the main reason. Like I said before, if you like mixes, fine use them, taste is all subjective.
MariaLovesCakes, I am in the midst of making simple syrup. Can you tell me how much you put on your cakes. I want to put some on a 9" scratch cake and a 6." Do you have a great recipe for a Dulce De Leche Cake from scratch that I could use for a wedding or Quincinera Cake? Thanks
from this thread, i've learned that if you put "lol" after a biting comment, its supposed to make it not so biting. ha ha. or shall i say lol? :O) sorry, i couldn't resist. i vote mix for chocolate and white-- i vote scratch for carrot and pound. is anybody still reading this thread? who is winning, mixers or scratchers? ha ha.
Would you tell someone that the cake was/wasn't from scratch if it wasn't/ was? Like if so and so commented that your doctored cake mix wasnt from scratch because it didnt taste like a "boxed mix" but it was really was... or do you let it roll?
MissyJo, in all honesty, I think it depends on the person. I prefer a homemade scratch recipe, but that's what I am accustomed to. Most people I have dealt with are accustomed to a box recipe and prefer that as it is a familiar taste.
FWIW, I am a big fan of organic farming. 
from this thread, i've learned that if you put "lol" after a biting comment, its supposed to make it not so biting. ha ha. or shall i say lol? :O) sorry, i couldn't resist. i vote mix for chocolate and white-- i vote scratch for carrot and pound. is anybody still reading this thread? who is winning, mixers or scratchers? ha ha.
I dont know...but I think we can all agree we dont milk cows!!
I have honestly never had someone who bought (or just tasted) one of my cakes ever ask me if my cakes were from "scratch" or from a "box" ~ the only thing I have ever gotten was that it is the best cake they have ever eaten......and I have had people buying cakes from me for years now. I truely believe there are only a few "cake snobs" out there who actually ask that question. OR maybe I am just lucky they like my cakes and don't think it is an issue.
IF I were ever asked, I would be honest, I have no reason to lie to them. Yes, they start from a box, but I add my own special touches to them. I am not embarassed about how I bake, it works and it is good.
(HEY ~ I HAVE milked cows though not recently!! )
FWIW, I am a big fan of organic farming.
Good for you!!! I am trying to be more aware of what is in my food. Organic produce and meats are on the rise here in the US, and that is a good thing.
My dad just went through prostate cancer last year and had to go through aggressive chemo and radiation therapy. He is fine now and I am thankful. In the doctor's office my dad asked a legitimate question, "Why do we get cancer?" There were several theories, but one of the main ones, the doctor explained, was that through the years we have started to use more pesticides on our crops and inject cows, pigs and chickens with growth hormones, etc., and so they believe this is the connection. There was a 20/20 report on this as well, which was quite scary. I also believe this is why the whole organic thing is starting to catch on with people. Pretty much, everyone knows some relative or friend who has been diagnosed.
I have no idea if any of the chemicals they use in cake mixes are harmful; after all, they have been on the market for years. But in a more general way, everything we eat should be scrutinized and that is the point I was not so eloquently trying to make. I would never want anyone to go through what my dad did. Now, for a bit of levity, I will leave you with a "lol", that one is going out to you, elvis (reference the post above.)
nobody ever asks...but i know i would have to be honest about my "shortcuts". the day i claim to have slaved away on a scratch cake when it really was box, is the day that i run into that person later at the grocery store with a mountain of mixes in my cart!! 
on the organic note-- i love the superfoods book...and love me some dr. weil, i even put the organic milk on my overly processed honey nut cheerios. maybe i'll get to that next level one day!
One thing I don't get is, how much harder is it to just make it yourself? I mean really, you can make your own bagged mixes of dry ingredients with a label of what wet ingredients to add in, and there you go! As simple as a boxed mix. The comment about chemicals in bread and cookies and crackers, don't you want to give your customers the best you can? Why not go to the trouble to make a cake from scratch? Shouldn't getting the best you can be part of what you get when you order a cake? Anyone can make a cake out of a box. Isn't that what sets us apart? Can anyone tell me what every ingredient in a cake mix is? Can they pronounce them? Why have all those extra things in there that aren't in a cake from scratch?
Also, I get my butter fresh from the local creamery. Right off the line.
I think most people that use box mixes do so from a taste standpoint, not because its easy. That's why this thread is a million pages long! B/c everyone has difference of opinion on what tastes the best. There's not that much difference in the labor part... you're right.
potato potaaahto, tomato, tomaaahto, let's call the whole thing off!
FWIW, I am a big fan of organic farming.
Good for you!!! I am trying to be more aware of what is in my food. Organic produce and meats are on the rise here in the US, and that is a good thing.
My dad just went through prostate cancer last year and had to go through aggressive chemo and radiation therapy. He is fine now and I am thankful. In the doctor's office my dad asked a legitimate question, "Why do we get cancer?" There were several theories, but one of the main ones, the doctor explained, was that through the years we have started to use more pesticides on our crops and inject cows, pigs and chickens with growth hormones, etc., and so they believe this is the connection. There was a 20/20 report on this as well, which was quite scary. I also believe this is why the whole organic thing is starting to catch on with people. Pretty much, everyone knows some relative or friend who has been diagnosed.
I have no idea if any of the chemicals they use in cake mixes are harmful; after all, they have been on the market for years. But in a more general way, everything we eat should be scrutinized and that is the point I was not so eloquently trying to make. I would never want anyone to go through what my dad did. Now, for a bit of levity, I will leave you with a "lol", that one is going out to you, elvis (reference the post above.)
Sorry to hear about your dad, but glad to hear that a medical professional took the time to be honest and explain the theory. FYI- Whole Foods carries a mix that is organic that has no preservatives!
Anyone can make a cake out of a box. Isn't that what sets us apart?
Nope, not anyone can make a cake out of a box mix ~ let alone a scratch one. You would be amazed at the people who cannot bake. That we take the time to make a cake (mix or scratch) and then turn it into a work of art - THAT is what sets us apart.......I love my mix based cakes and some will only eat their scratch ones.....the thing is that we actually take the time to make them.
Why not just close this thread??? It's the same thing over and over and over and over and over... I'm really saddened by some of the comments made in this thread. Everyone is entitled to their opinion...Who cares if you bake from scratch or use a mix. If your customers are happy, that's all that really matters!! Enough already... 
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