8O Does Anyone Make Homemade Cakes? Why Or Why Not?
Decorating By brittanydear Updated 29 Oct 2013 , 12:04am by gypsygirl
I use mixes first for cost thing, then an ease thing. I have had a hard time getting a scratch cake to turn out with as good of flavor and texture a mix.
I have a good chocolate cake recipe, but it is so much more work than the mix and I havn't found a good white recipe (way too much work with whipping egg whites separately, epsecially with one mixer and one bowl.)
Stephanie
When I whip egg whites, I use my hand mixer and then use the kitchenaid for the rest of the cake so it's not that bad then... I could understand if you don't have the big mixer though...switching out all the stuff could be really annoying.
the only scratch cake I make is a Miracle Whip cake. The rest are box mix. I figure I mix it, I bake it, I doctor it a bit, I clean up after it, and it is a secret family recipe handed down from my Uncle Duncan, or Aunt Betty (depending on who is on sale that week)....SO therefore, it is a homemade cake.
I had one person, a self described cake snob, swear that she could tell the difference between scratch and box and she said mine were definitely a scratch mix. I never told her any different.
as far as the comments about the mixes consisting of chemicals etc, i just wanted to say that using bleached flour and iron filled baking powders ,cant be that much better then using a box mix (unless you are truly using organic ingredients its all the same as far as health is concerned) like i said before its all about personal pref , i dont eat a lot of scratch cakes but the one i have tried i didnt like, i can say that i can tell the differance between a cake bought from the grocery store and a cake made out of A box and i definitly dont like cakes bought from the store, now those are some dry cakes!!! so i know that some people feel the same way i do about grocery store cakes as they do about boxed mixes. or should i dare bring up the age old question coke or pepsi?
I use all box mixes except for my carrot cake and that is probably because I have a good recipe for carrot cake. I've had a lot of compliments on my cakes and I've had people assume they are made from scratch.
For me its more a matter of time than money. The carrot cake I make from scratch takes a lot of time. I'd rather spend my time decorating the cake rather than baking it.
I would say that if I had a good, consistent scratch recipe that I knew would work everytime, I'd probably bake from scratch. But right now, I don't have the time to find that recipe.
as far as the comments about the mixes consisting of chemicals etc, i just wanted to say that using bleached flour and iron filled baking powders ,cant be that much better then using a box mix (unless you are truly using organic ingredients its all the same as far as health is concerned) like i said before its all about personal pref , i dont eat a lot of scratch cakes but the one i have tried i didnt like, i can say that i can tell the differance between a cake bought from the grocery store and a cake made out of A box and i definitly dont like cakes bought from the store, now those are some dry cakes!!! so i know that some people feel the same way i do about grocery store cakes as they do about boxed mixes. or should i dare bring up the age old question coke or pepsi?
I don't used bleached flours, but yes, for American cakes I do use baking powder (not in my euro. cakes). I TRULY try to use as little artificial as possible - no artificial flavorings, organic flours, dairy, organic free range eggs, etc. Only the food colorings I'm guilty of (and non organic sugars as organic is WAY, WAY expensive).
melissa
I use box cakes unless someone request a carrot cake or strawberry cake or any other special cake but the classic white or yellow cake even a chocolate cake come from my favorite box cake (pilsbury) it is a soft fluffy cake that all the people that keep coming back enjoy. But i do doctor up a little with extra flavoring and a lil egg white powder to get a little stiffer to work with.
I don't used bleached flours, but yes, for American cakes I do use baking powder (not in my euro. cakes). I TRULY try to use as little artificial as possible - no artificial flavorings, organic flours, dairy, organic free range eggs, etc. Only the food colorings I'm guilty of (and non organic sugars as organic is WAY, WAY expensive).
melissa
I don't have anything against baking powder but all my cakes are leavened by soda + buttermilk or cream of tartar, something like that. The red velvet has soda+vinegar...LOVE the cage-free eggs. We have an organic egg farm up the road and they even deliver the eggs to us. It's so nice to have some eggs with strength and color to them
I don't used bleached flours, but yes, for American cakes I do use baking powder (not in my euro. cakes). I TRULY try to use as little artificial as possible - no artificial flavorings, organic flours, dairy, organic free range eggs, etc. Only the food colorings I'm guilty of (and non organic sugars as organic is WAY, WAY expensive).
melissa
I don't have anything against baking powder but all my cakes are leavened by soda + buttermilk or cream of tartar, something like that. The red velvet has soda+vinegar...LOVE the cage-free eggs. We have an organic egg farm up the road and they even deliver the eggs to us. It's so nice to have some eggs with strength and color to them
this is something I REALLY don't understand why people don't run to switch. First, it's less cruel to the animals, but they taste SOOOOOOOOO much better, and look TONS better and their shells' aren't super brittle. And really, they are like a dollar or less more expensive than the others. Just don't be tricked, cage free does not mean organic, they need to say both.
Melissa
I prefer doctored up box mixes. I have made scratch cakes before and I don't like the way they turn out. I guess maybe because Im used to box mixes. I also think they take more time than I have to give. I made a scratch red velvet cake for someone and they told me it was too dense, they like fluffy better...go figure. But if someone asked me for a scratch cake, Id be more than happy do do one.
i agree with this all the scratch recipies that i have tried i have not liked they are dry and dont taste that great so I guess ill still do the box thing . i have never had complaints and have always been told they are very moist and good. if i find a good scratch recipe id like to make them that way but until then its box for me
I don't have anything against baking powder but all my cakes are leavened by soda + buttermilk or cream of tartar, something like that. The red velvet has soda+vinegar...LOVE the cage-free eggs. We have an organic egg farm up the road and they even deliver the eggs to us. It's so nice to have some eggs with strength and color to them
this is something I REALLY don't understand why people don't run to switch. First, it's less cruel to the animals, but they taste SOOOOOOOOO much better, and look TONS better and their shells' aren't super brittle. And really, they are like a dollar or less more expensive than the others. Just don't be tricked, cage free does not mean organic, they need to say both.
Melissa[/quote]
yeah, ours are both We've even taken the kids to the farm to see the baby chicks and whatnot. They keep a very clean place and don't do anything weird to the chickens. They have a pen where they run around and then they have a big house where they lay and then some stalls inside where they incubate the new arrivals. It's really pretty cool that they do all that
ok so this might start a riot but i have nver been able to taste the difference between organic, cage-free, all the ther crazy stuff compared to the normal eggs i buy in the grocery store or anything else labeled organic for that matter
There's this lady (who's been baking for 100yrs) that I work with that makes all her cakes from scratch. She's brought multiple cakes to work and all have tasted very dry. Since I've taken up the hobby of cake decorating, I've taken quite a few "practice" cakes to work. All my cakes have been doctored mixes, & I've had several compliments on how much better my cake tastes. Everyone assumes that they are scratch. I know there's some excellent scratch bakers and I would love to have their recipes (please share). I would love to have some great recipes that I could get consistent results. I do make some non-decorated cakes from scratch (pound, carrot, red velvet), but those cakes don't get decorated.
My 2 cents on using all organic ingredients:
I would love to do this, but buying organic is very expensive, and customers here are not willing to pay extra for a cake that they think is already too expensive. Heck, I would love to eat organic myself, but I can't afford it!
ok so this might start a riot but i have nver been able to taste the difference between organic, cage-free, all the ther crazy stuff compared to the normal eggs i buy in the grocery store or anything else labeled organic for that matter
My sister gives me eggs from her chickens, and the only difference that I notice is that the shell is thicker. I don't notice a taste difference, but maybe I have underdeveloped taste buds.
If your scratch cakes are dry, it just means you don't know how to make a scratch cake. If you don't care to learn, that's fine, as my grandfather used to say " there's a butt for every chair".
In fact, I am so offended , I am challenging all you box bakers to a throwdown. You can choose the venue. I'll put any of my recipes up to the challenge and I'll write a $200 check to your favorite charity if your cake beats my cake in a fairly judged taste test.
Yeah, txkat, it sounds like some overbaking going on.
Also I use a wash on my cakes . . .
If your scratch cakes are dry, it just means you don't know how to make a scratch cake. If you don't care to learn, that's fine, as my grandfather used to say " there's a butt for every chair".
In fact, I am so offended , I am challenging all you box bakers to a throwdown. You can choose the venue. I'll put any of my recipes up to the challenge and I'll write a $200 check to your favorite charity if your cake beats my cake in a fairly judged taste test.
I mentioned that I knew that there were excellent scratch bakers as not to offend anyone. Sorry if I did!! I don't wish to have a throwdown (Bobby Flay), bc I know that you would kick my butt. We "boxers" need some expert advice and kick recipes.
I had always been a scratch girl until this past year and then I started really decorating and using mixes for my practice cakes (at the recommendation of my cake teacher).
I can understand the ease and quickness of doing a doctered mix when you are practicing!!!
I still prefer my scratch cakes, they just have a better moistness and flavor....but will grab a mix when in need. I have nothing bad to say about either one ! I just love cake!!!
[quote="txkat"]If your scratch cakes are dry, it just means you don't know how to make a scratch cake. If you don't care to learn, that's fine, as my grandfather used to say " there's a butt for every chair".
quote]
I am so glad someone had the nerves to say this.
If your happy with your box cake ...that great!
But don't bring down some of us that can actually bake one.......
I always make my cakes from scratch. I have modified other recipes, or developed my own. I've never had a complaint about any of my cakes. I just did my first Red Velvet about a month ago for someone, and was so nervous about it, but the girl said it was the BEST Red Velvet cake she'd ever had. Wow...haha. Talk about luck...
On a side note, some person I have never even met contacted me to do cakes for a banquet for 8- people in October. She had heard from someone else that my cakes were the best they ever tasted, and she loved my decorations. I was just really surprised, and very relieved that my trials and errors with different recipes and variations of them paid off.
However, I made cake-mix brownies with my brother a few weeks ago...and they were SO GOOD.
Finally got through this thread and so much to comment on but surely nobody's reading anymore.
Scratch baker here too and I don't eat no dry cakes. And they sure don't feel like cornbread!
The key to a good scratch cake is in the mixing, you just can't treat them the same as box mixes which are very forgiving. You can add extra ingredients or overbeat mixes and they will come out just fine. Do that to a scratch cake and you will have a sunken middle mess.
And if you really want to try scratch baking, I'd HIGHLY suggest getting a scale - a Baker's scale at that. Baking is such an exact science. Weighing the ingredients can be very helpful.
I see many requests for recipes but haven't seen any yet so I'll suggest a couple that I love.
I tried this chocolate cake for the first time Father's Day weekend for my dad's chocolate cake. I paired it with a caramel filling and the whipped cream icing from this site (also used for the first time) - it was heavenly. It's from allrecipes.com and what I love about that site is that others who've tried the recipes rate and review them and give their suggestions/feedback. So I look for the high rated ones and pour through the feedback before I even attempt one. The main thing with this recipe was to add more chocolate, double or triple the amount.
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Fabulous-Fudge-Chocolate-Cake/Detail.aspx
I also like the Hershey's one found on the back of the hershey's chocolate canister.
For white cake, I like one in The Cake Bible and also the Classic White Cake II here on this site. I use that as a base for others too. (lemon, orange, coconut, etc.)
May the scratch cake goddess look down upon any of you who attempt another scratch!
I think one of the problems I have with following the directions exactly like people keep telling us to do is how can you follow imprecise directions exactly!
For example, Say it tells me to mix on low speed- what does that mean...are they talking hand held low or KA low... it low 2 on my KA or 'stir'? I am serious you guys! I am not mocking you! I go through this dilema every time! Even when I make frosting!.........It is very frustrating......
And people keep telling me here and other threads.....weight stuff.....well most recipes don't give weights.......what then.........?
I think one of the problems I have with following the directions exactly like people keep telling us to do is how can you follow imprecise directions exactly!
For example, Say it tells me to mix on low speed- what does that mean...are they talking hand held low or KA low... it low 2 on my KA or 'stir'? I am serious you guys! I am not mocking you! I go through this dilema every time! Even when I make frosting!.........It is very frustrating......
And people keep telling me here and other threads.....weight stuff.....well most recipes don't give weights.......what then.........?
yeah, that can be annoying trying to figure out what exactly they mean in recipes. It's hard telling whether the author of the recipe uses a KA or a hand mixer or what. With cakes, if they're a typical scratch cake, they're pretty much always the same process. Sometimes there are little changes though. My white and yellow cakes both take whipped egg whites at the end. My red velvet takes soda/vinegar stirred in at the end, etc. but the mixing steps tend to stay the same on most cake recipes that begin by creaming the butter/sugar
As for the weights, I weigh all my flour and my sugar, but nothing else. The liquid ingredients are easy to figure out (a pint is a pound, all around). What I did is I measured out a cup of flour and took care to measure it exactly and then weighed it. I did the same with cake and pastry flour, then did sugar as well. This is what I found, not official but works for me:
1 cup AP flour = 5 oz
1 cup cake/pastry flour= 4 oz
1 cup table sugar = 7 oz
1 cup bakers/superfine sugar = 8 oz
I definitely need more practice on scratch cakes. Made one a couple of weeks ago for practice (toba's basic yellow cake), came out great! So then I made it for my nephew's grauation cake.......came out way too dense even though it was baked exactly the same way. Tasted good but was very unhappy with the texture. Still don't know what I did wrong (from reading on this site, maybe mixed too long?) and was extremely disappointed with myself. Still loved the taste and texture I got with that cake the first time. One of these days will have to try again!
deb
I think one of the problems I have with following the directions exactly like people keep telling us to do is how can you follow imprecise directions exactly!
For example, Say it tells me to mix on low speed- what does that mean...are they talking hand held low or KA low... it low 2 on my KA or 'stir'? I am serious you guys! I am not mocking you! I go through this dilema every time! Even when I make frosting!.........It is very frustrating......
And people keep telling me here and other threads.....weight stuff.....well most recipes don't give weights.......what then.........?
Low means at a "stir" speed.
Put some colored water in your mixing bowl...then test the speeds on your mixer. Watch and see just how much "action" your water is getting and you will get an idea about what is happening to your cake batter.
Cake baking is chemistry. The Cake Bible is a great book. It explains why you do certain things to achieve certain results. There are some points in making your batter that you want to incorporate air..naturally you would mix at a higher speed...then you want to incorporate your dry ingredients. You go slowly with this step because you do not want to activate the gluten in your flour and produce a dry or tough final cake.
If you think about why you are doing a certain step it will begin to make sense to you.
My understanding is that most recipes from books are assuming people are making cakes using a handmixer, so you need to think handmixer when making them. So, low handmixer means "what" on your big mixer.
In all honesty, just for ease of clean-up, I almost ALWAYS use my KA handmixer for making the cake. I leave the big mixer for the buttercream, bread dough and the like - things that are actually hard or difficult to do with a hand mixer. (My mixer is the Electrolux assistent).
Melissa
And just for the record, all liquids are not the same weight and volume. There are only four products where weight = volume. That means when you measure whole eggs, whole milk, whole butter or water then 8 ounces is 8 ounces whether you measure by volume or weigh it. All other liquids are slightly different--egg whites versus egg yolks, clarified butter versus whole butter, etc.
I weigh all ingredients. The very few "home" types recipes I use I converted first thing. One of the things about weighing that makes it easier for me is that I can weigh out ingredients in my mixer bowl and have a few less things to wash.
And for really large scale recipes, you'd go nuts measuring by cups. For example last night, I weighed out 7.5 pounds of sugar, over 6 pounds of cake flour, 4 ounces of baking powder, etc. for cake batter that I'll mix up today.
I use box cakes unless someone request a carrot cake or strawberry cake or any other special cake but the classic white or yellow cake even a chocolate cake come from my favorite box cake (pilsbury) it is a soft fluffy cake that all the people that keep coming back enjoy. But i do doctor up a little with extra flavoring and a lil egg white powder to get a little stiffer to work with.
aapri, Pillsbury makes a strawberry cake mix. it's pretty good. I have only had a request twice for it ... but I don't actually offer it when people order cakes.
And just for the record, all liquids are not the same weight and volume. There are only four products where weight = volume. That means when you measure whole eggs, whole milk, whole butter or water then 8 ounces is 8 ounces whether you measure by volume or weigh it. All other liquids are slightly different--egg whites versus egg yolks, clarified butter versus whole butter, etc.
I weigh all ingredients. The very few "home" types recipes I use I converted first thing. One of the things about weighing that makes it easier for me is that I can weigh out ingredients in my mixer bowl and have a few less things to wash.
And for really large scale recipes, you'd go nuts measuring by cups. For example last night, I weighed out 7.5 pounds of sugar, over 6 pounds of cake flour, 4 ounces of baking powder, etc. for cake batter that I'll mix up today.
Anything water-based is going to weigh 8 oz to the cup. It's when there is a noticeable amount of fat in them that it starts to be off, like the butter or eggs.
yeah, weighing really does cut down on the dishes, so nice And yes, with the large recipes, it's so much better to weigh. I was making a big batch of cookie dough in my 20 qt so had to put in 4 lbs of sugar, 4 lbs of brown, etc...I'd hate to have to measure all that out in cups. It would probably end up being a little "off" too.
I use both. If I offer a flavor in scratch and I find a good scratch recipe I use it. BUT there have been times when I just haven't found a recipe I like so I doctor the heck out of it and viola!
People always seem to think all my cakes are scratch, I have even fooled my culinary school snob cousin who says she can smell a box mix a mile away..... what she did not know didn't hurt her.
Mind you I told no one else I did it, I just wanted to see if she really knew the difference.
Alot of the scratch cakes I try come out dry, so I am trying to delve into the exact mechanics of what makes a good recipe what every thing init does ya know. Then I figure I can play with the recipes and make them better hopefully!
OOOOOH, ALTON WHERE ARE YOU WHEN I NEED YOU????
Just wanted to say, on the Buttercream episode, Alton is on the side of box mixes, instead of scratch.
Edited to add: He uses the same reasons TxKat gave earlier, here in the US our box mix selection is huge. They even have "gourmet mixes" from big well-known bakeries. They have ingredients in them for texture, moistness, durability, life that are difficult for the home baker to replicate.
Keys to a great scratch cake:
1. Measure accurately; regardless of whether you're using weight or volume.
2. Allow milk, eggs and butter to come to room temperature. If I haven't planned ahead then I just microwave the milk for 40 seconds (then add the vanilla to the milk), place the eggs into some hot tap water for about 5 minutes, and microwave the butter for 35 seconds on power level 1.
3. Cream the butter well before adding anything, then slowly add the sugar. Cream the two for at least 3 minutes and up to 5. You really can't overbeat it at this point.
4. Beat the eggs in one at a time and beat well after each addition.
5. Add the pre-mixed dry ingredients, in two parts, alternately with the milk, beating each until well incorporated.
Find a recipe that you think is close to what you're trying to achieve and then work with it. I always use a tablespoon of white vinegar in the milk to make it sour. I also use high quality (King Arthur or Robin Hood) unbleached flour, whole milk, and large eggs. I can tell the difference if I run out of the good flour and have to use something else. Another way to moisten a scratch cake is to add a small box of a complimentary flavor of instant pudding.
These are the basics that I swear by and I am told repeatedly that my cakes are best.
Good luck!
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