DH has been my favorite for a long time but I have not purchased any lately because they increased in price at least 75 cents here. What's up with that? Have also not been on sale since fall.

Diane

I recently came across a link on another thread (I'm sorry...can't remember which one it was right now!), with a recipe for a "MASTER CAKE MIX". I think I am going to give it a try before I buy a whole lot more cake mixes! I have a lot of mixes on hand at this time, so it may take me a while to get this thing going but, I am losing my faith in DH! I have bought the new mixes, that are supposed to be the "old" formula. Well, they may taste the same but it doesn't seem to me like they are making as much batter as the older version of the formula. Plus, as said above...the prices are going up! Luckily for me we have not seen such a dramatic increase in price, but that is probably not long in coming to stores near me!

After some searching...here is a link to the "Master Mix" mentioned: http://forum.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-68583-master.html+mix

So it is safe to buy DH as long as it has the OU without the D on the label now?

Until I read this thread I thought is was something I was doing wrong with my cakes by them sinking and shrinking...I paid no attention to the box labels and wouldn't have known the difference anyway, I never knew the boxes were coded with the OU and D till today :\\

Has anyone tried the Butter Cake recipe with the OU code and seen a difference in it?

I have a wedding coming up in April and she wants butter/yellow cake...should I use BC or is it safe use DH now?

All suggestions are welcomed and would be highly appreciated, cause I sure don't want to bake a cake for a wedding and it sink,shrink and is mushy inside.

Looking very forward to your reply's, suggestions and comments, Mary

Mary, my suggestion would be to try the DH but make 2 cakes: 1 with the code and one without (if you can get them both) and see which one works best for you. If that is not successful, I would suggest that you find a great scratch cake or switch to BC or even Pillsbury. You have time between now and April to research what will work best.

HTH,

Odessa

You're welcome. And you're right: you can't risk disappointing someone who is relying on you to come through, and you can run the risk of any bad word-of-mouth. And since you have the time to do some Research & Development, you may come up with a totally awesome alternative to a box cake that will just BLOW THEM ALL AWAY!!! Including us! Go for it and have fun.

Happy Baking,

Odessa

OK so I read most of this post and like other am a little confused. I just checked my pantry and have both kinds of mixes, with the D and without the D. Which is the old formula (good) and which is the new ( bad). I recently made 2 cakes, one sank in the middle completely and the other fell apart when I took it out of the pan. I thought it was just me

It's my understanding that we don't want the "D". I, too, have some of each.

Hmmmm..... After reading all 15 pages... I'm glad to know that I am not the only one that has had trouble with DH cake mixes. I made a Golden Vanilla mix and a Strawberry Mix (did a checkerboard cake with them.) They baked well in the oven, but literally fell apart when I flipped them.
I set the rack on top of the pan and flipped it over (so they didn't have far to fall.) But when I took the pan off the cake fell apart (didn't stick to the pan... it had a good coating of cake release.) It did cook all the way through, so I guess that's one small plus.

so... now attempt # 2

I made Milk Chocolate Cakes, filled the 8"- 2" deep pans with the RIGHT amount of batter and put them in the oven. They rose so much they came over the top of the pan and burned in the bottom of the oven. SMOKE DETECTORS GOING OFF... WINDOWS/DOORS OPEN, etc.

So.... now attempt #3

Devil's Food Cake. FINALLY I have some cakes!! But they look terrible!
The middle (when tested) comes out clean, but they look like it is still not done. Also the cakes are cracked and the sides are not at all stable. It's going to be a long night with some BC frosting!!

I'm just glad to know I'm the only one that is have trouble! ALL of my boxes I've used have both the circle U and the D on the box. You better believe I'll be paying more attention the next time I buy... or choose a different brand.

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I LOVE Duncan Hines but I must admit, I have had the sunken cake problem before. I am soooooooooooooooooooo glad that I'm not crazy. I had this happen to me about 2 weeks ago (and a few other times before). And I COULD NOT figure it out. Normally, I would check the dates but my hubby now does the supply shopping for me...and boy, sometimes what he brings home. LOL. I get all kinds of damaged goods, cut boxes, beat up cans etc. But he's getting better. LOL

I decided to email Duncan Hines today. I sent them the link to this forum hoping they would read all about what everyone has had to say. I got an email saying they had received my email and would follow up with me within two days. We'll see...............

Diane

holy smokes, there's a LOT of people posting in here!!!

I think I'm gonna cry....I baked 5...yes 5 cakes DH and they all were sunk in the middle. Insanity was taking over...seriously. I just decided that the next one, a 6" , 3"deep was gonna cook till it burned. I just pulled it out...350 degrees and it took 1 hour and 10 min....PERFECT...light golden brown. The top was crusty but I trim it off anyway.
Anybody else have to extend the baking time on these pesky mixes?

I've never used a 3" pan, but I'm astonished at over an hour for a 6" cake!! Was it dry? How long would you normally bake it?

The other night, my Wilton 1 instructor said she "only uses DH butter mix". Kind of made it sound as though that is all we should use. Personally, I mostly use the Betty Crocker brand and am perfectly happy with it.

If it's true there could be nuts in the mix, that could obviously pose a problem for those with allergies.

I am sooo glad to hear that I am not the only one having this problem... I thought I was doing something wrong... The cake's texture is different.. The middle looks gummy even when the pick comes out w./o batter on it. It does sink more and then sometimes the side crinkles ? Like there is a dent on the side for no reason, after it pulls away from the pan.. So has anyone tried the "new " version yet? What's the verdict? Good? Bad? Ok? Help, I still have alot of boxes left that I bought on sale and need to know if I need to buy another brand or something else...
TIA,
Melyssa

Got a reply from Duncan Hines:



Dear Ms. Jeffery:

We appreciate the time you've taken to share your thoughts and concerns
about a Duncan Hines® product with us. We have forwarded your comments to
our Marketing and Product Development groups for review and consideration
as they continue to improve existing products and develop new items. We
are working hard to provide you with the kinds of products you want, and
it is important for us to know when we do not meet your expectations.

Thank you for taking the time to email us. Contact us again if we can be
of assistance in the future.

Sincerely,


Sandra Kohler
Consumer Services Representative

So I have reported what I know.

Diane

I have been doing this for three and a half years. I have always used Betty Crocker. Yesterday I had two very important cakes to do that 200 people were going to see and eat. On a whim I tried DH because it seems like most of you use that. I had a complete disaster was almost in tears! I used the "darn good choc. cake" recipe on this site. So I did spruce it up a bit. It did not rise at all in the middle. I am going to stick with Betty Crocker. No need to fix what isn't broken! Anna