I do run a fairly successful cake/catering business and as I stated before would be honest with any of my customers should they express a desire to know exactly what goes into the cakes. However I don't volunteer the info as to how I make ANYTHING. I usually assume thet cake is a splurge kinda food and not really a basic staple and I think that most throw caution to the wind when they are going to indulge in a fat filled gooey dessert.
I do not HIDE the fact that I use some mixes, I simply don't feel compelled to tell everyone who orders a cake the exact process involved in making it. Nor have I ever stated that cake mixes were the only way to go or the best tasting. They serve a need, plain and simple ... and in my opinion are still better tasting than the MART-cakes. As I said there are going to be markets for both scratch and mix. Also when I eat dinner with a friend I don't usually question their cooking either, but I guess all are different. See folks what I said about can of worms?
If someone tastes your cake, likes it, and then refuses to buy b/c it isn't scratch....that's her loss. Who needs someone that difficult for a customer anyway? 
Yes, I do ask what is in the food I order from a restaurant if I'm unsure of the ingredients. I am sensitive (not allergic) to milk and it is often a hidden ingredient. I could get a very bad stomach ache from some of your cakes because of some add a lot of dairy products to the cakemix. I'd also like to know about the extra dairy b/c the added butter, milk, and extra eggs really ups the fat content.
People have a right to know what they're eating. If it's good food, then people will eat it. I love scratch cakes, but I'm pretty hard pressed to pass up a Hostess DingDong. They're just so darn good!
I use mixes as my base and I am honest about it. I don't care if they don't like it, they can go elsewhere - they obviously like my product, I have been selling cakes for several years. (and I have never had a person tell me that they were upset and going to go buy their cakes somewhere else because mine started with mix)
Now, about HONEST - I think if you should have to induldge that your cakes start out from a mix - those who FREEZE their scratch cakes (to get them moist or whatever) need to tell them - "BTW - your fresh made from scratch cake will be frozen then thawed before it is decorated" Honest is honest.
You are not less of a baker or a decorator becasue you use a cake mix - and anyone who tries to make you feel that way is just wrong.
I use DH cake mix--of course I doctor it up. When people ask me I tell them I buy the cake mixes but add extra ingredients. I also tell them if they want a cake from scratch it will be extra. I have never had anyone complain--if anything they tell me my cakes taste just like they are made from scratch.
If restaurants (other than fast food) and even our friends who cook dinner for us on occasion, were completely 'up front' about everything that goes into the food they prepare that we plan on eating, I dare say that the only place some people would be eating from is their own kitchen. Assuming things must be from scratch just because they come from one person cooking out of their house kitchen, whether it's regular food or baked goods, is kind of snobbish thinking, IMO. Ever had a box of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese?? geez....
People know that even most bakeries do not make everything from scratch...the 'from scratch' bakery is a very rare thing these days. In fact, bakeries use things that have more additives in them (on the whole) than us home bakers who use cake mixes do. They order doughs that are pre-made, come frozen; commercial cake mixes with even more additives than the boxed versions; icings in buckets; egg 'product', etc. (I've been researching suppliers for my bakery that I'm opening in April & I can tell you the ingredient lists for some items (such as cake mixes) are so long, with many things that are nearly unpronounceable...lol.) They may have certain items that are done from scratch, but the majority of what they offer has more stuff in it than we would care to know, really. But in the end, it's really just another version of 'processed crap' that tastes good to some people.
And I also believe that some people who buy cakes from people like us (home bakers) are people who are perfectly capable of actually baking a cake (scratch or doctored mix) themselves, but they're buying more than just the cake....they're purchasing the talents, abilities and patience that they don't have to put it all together and make it look as great as it tastes.
If people want to know, they will ask and I will tell them. If they don't ask, then it probably doesn't make a difference to them...plain and simple. JMHO 
I only do cakes for fun & would rather spend my time decorating it than making it so I always use a cake mix and I have never been disappointed with the flavor. I always use Betty Crocker & find them to be quite tasty. I have only used the cake extender mix once & liked it a lot too. But I suppose if people were paying me for them & they asked I would be honest with them as some here have suggested & say that the base or starting point is a cake mix with extras added to enhance the flavors.
P.S. Suzyqqq27 - love the picture of your girls!! I thought I was the only mean mom who dresses my girls alike even though they're 2 years apart!! 
they're buying more than just the cake....they're purchasing the talents, abilities and patience that they don't have to put it all together and make it look as great as it tastes.
Yeah - I agree.
I like Joe's idea about offering both scratch and mix. Atleast then you don't have to hear them complain about it being a "box cake".
Swoboda,
Thanks! I love dressing them the same. They're getting closer in size now and I can get them even more things the same. I had three sisters and growing up, my Mom would dress all four of us alike. Some of my sisters hated it but I loved it.
Suzanne
P.S. Thanks for all your replies...I didn't intend to start any brawls but the feedback is good.
I do all my cakes from scratch, mainly because in this country box mixes are so expensive and don't taste very good anyway! The prices I charge reflect this, which I think is fair!
The prices I charge reflect this, which I think is fair!
Fair?? I feel that just as much work goes into the cakes I bake from mix as those that I make that start from the flour on the shelf. I DO NOT give anyone a discount because their cake started from a mix. The only time I charge more for a "scratch" cake is when it requires extra costly ingredients (such as liquor, nuts, etc.) I don't feel it is less work to make a nice cake from a mix, at least the ones I make aren't. They all take time and talent. (IMO)
Since we don't know what cake mixes are like in other countries, we'll have to take your word for it bonjovibabe. In the US the mixes with embellishment tend to be as good if not better in some cases then scratch. Most people are so used to the flavor of cake mix, that scratch can taste not as flavorful, depending of course on the recipe. Also, scratch cakes are much more difficult to bake perfectly as embellished mixes tend to be much more reliable, therefore I throw less out! IMO 
I bake mainly from a mix, somewhat doctored, and if a customer asks I am straight forward with them. I explain that it not only keeps my, but also their, costs down. Besides, truth be known I feel like they are paying mainly for the the decorations, not the cake itself.
Anyone can make a cake...it is the decoration that leads them to purchase, instead of baking it themselves!
Nobody has ever asked me out right if my cakes are from a box or from scratch. And like some of you, I often wonder what I would say if they did. First I would ask if they can taste the difference, then I would just tell them it's not from scratch but it's made from home. ( how's that? hee hee! 
) I have only used boxed mixes, never doctoring any of them and have yet to have a complaint. In fact, everyone comments on how moist and delicous they are. I want to try some doctoring up though but would want to eat them first before making them for anyone else. I agree that pretty much anyone can bake a cake. To me, it's all about the decorating and anyone who comes to me has no clue, time or desire to do that.
KimAZ
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