Mamafrog,
You always make me feel good and I get all smiley when I read your replies to me! 
Thank you!!!
bubblezmom,
I agree with you...canned biscuits are NOT in my taste. My hubby loves them! I use my grandmother's recipe for angel biscuits. I still haven't "mastered" them, but I am working on it. I got really upset (hurt) one time...my inlaws came to stay with us for a weekend and one morning, after my walk, I made homeade biscuits and strawberry butter for them. They didn't say anything...thank you or nuthin. Then the next morning, feeling kinda miffed, I popped open a can of cinnamon rolls that my husband eats, and his mother JUST LOVED them. OMG!!!!!!!! No wonder my dh's taste buds are so screwed up, he grew up on too many "convenience" foods. LOL Now, don't get me wrong, I am all about saving time....but I think there are some things you go the extra mile for. LOL But I won't for my in-laws anymore....canned biscuits for them!!!! ha ha ha
Leslie
Oh thank you Leslie!!! 
That's so sweet!! It's funny you said that about DH's tastebuds b/c mine is the same way!!! When we were dating I made him a WONDERFUL cheesecake...he ate it and then said he would have preferred a Jello no-bake cheesecake! 
And apparently I didn't learn b/c later after we were married I made him SCRATCH banana pudding and he said he would have preferred instant! That's ok b/c I bake for people at work alot and they love it even if he doesn't!!
LOL Mamafrog!!
What ARE we gonna do with these men? I love to make everything from scratch, but I just love to cook. My hubby would rather have Kraft Mac n cheese, canned biscuits, little debbies, hamburger helper, spaghettios etc.
One day I got so tired and frustrated I fixed myself a big ol homemade meal and fixed him hamburger helper and told him that is what he was gonna eat from now on.....lol. He didn't like that idea too much.
I don't learn either, one year I made him homeade eclairs! Gosh what a task. But they were delicious, and i don't really like eclairs. He ate ONE!!!!!!!!
I am like you, I donate my goodies to people who will appreciate them! 
Poor souls....the great food they are missing!!!!
Leslie 
lol! My family thinks Royal no bake cheesecake is the ultimate. We all love sweets and so the family loves the sweet taste of the mix. We don't want our cheesecake to taste "too cheesey."
I think it is very admirable to those members, i.e. Maria, who have mastered their own scratch recipes. However, I do not really have the money to spend on ingredients to make scratch cakes that may possibly turn out bad. Cake mixes taste great and are dependable and don't leave you guessing.
Well, Leslie, there is a good question there, about the prices...
How much does it cost you for a box cake, after you have doctored it up and everything?
I just want to see the difference between one and the other...
Over here box mixes can run between $0.99 and $1.30. So if you add eggs, milk, oil, pudding... How much? Still I am sure less than a scratch.
How many boxes does it take to make a 8" x 4" inch round?
I will say for a scratch cake measuring 8" x 4" it will cost me about $4.00 to make it. But then, I also do the soaking syrup so add up another $1.00 or so.
Do you only use one box for an 8" x 4".
I think where it gets more pricey is in the icing and not the cake itself. Its relatively cheap to make a cake batter. The icing costs more. And like you say, it is better to make icing from scratch, especially if we are talking about buttercream.
Hey Maria!
You are exactly right and I know it would probably in the end be cheaper to make cakes from scratch. Like it is for most everything else (other types of food).
I guess I meant to say, until I have a good recipe that I know will turn out good everytime, I just don't have the money right now to spend on testing out recipes that I am not sure of, only to throw away, LOL. If I could come up with good recipes, like you have, I would MUCH rather bake from scratch. But I guess it does take time and money developing good recipes. For the time being, though, until I get my decorating up to par(and my speed), I need to stick with cake mixes, cause they seem to be ok with my 'customers'....but one day, I will hopefully have my own recipes.
I guess I just stick with things that are within my comfort zone, and sometimes that means I miss out on alot. he he he
Leslie
Hey Maria!
I guess I just stick with things that are within my comfort zone, and sometimes that means I miss out on alot. he he he
Leslie
Not really, Leslie! I don't think you are missing out. For those who do not bake with cake mixes as much or as well as you do, It will be a great help to have your expertise to help us out!
The recipes I have came from a well known cake baker and decorator in Puerto Rico. I cater to people from there because of the peculiar taste their cakes have in Puerto Rico. I have learned the soaking syrup recipe that is added to their cakes and people just love it! So, I continue doing the same recipes... I was lucky to stumble onto this lady's recipes (actually my mom sent me the book) and didn't have to experiment much until I found recipes I found comfortable with.
I have added a couple more recipes (one from another hispanic baker and a basic recipe for Sponge Cake) to my collection and I am sticking with those.
So, what's your favorite? Duncan Hines, Betty Crocker or other?
Maria,
My favorite is Duncan Hines. I started out using it since it is recommended by Wilton. I have since been "messing" with things, like adding pudding and trying to not use oil (fat content) I used applesauce instead (you can also use other fruit like prune puree or bananas...but bananas will alter the flavor) or egg yolks (cholesterol level). I never use egg yolks and don't have a problem. One time, I totally forgot the oil (by accident) and it turned out fine! All these different things I have just mentioned haven't altered the taste much, if at all. The only thing would probably be the density level. I guess it is sort of is useless trying to cut down on the fat content since icing is 100% FAT! LOL I am sure there is a way out there to even cut that down, but for now, I am not messing with the icing. I guess a little help is better than none.
It made me giggle when you said something about my expertise. ha ha! I am definitely NO expert and most of my recipes have come from recipes on here or from teachers. I am still new to this stuff and try to read and retain as much info as I can. I joined last year, but didn't post until July of this year cause everyone had so much good info, and I didn't and still don't have much to offer anyone. I don't make anything anyone else hasn't made. Alot of members talk about feeling guilty using cake mixes, well I don't feel guilty using a mix, but I DO feel guilty always having to use other peoples ideas for my cakes. I wish I was creative enough to come up with stuff on my own!!! Maybe one day.
I wish I could add the syrup like you do cause it sounds delicious!!! But I am so scared that I would mess it up somehow and my cake would be mush!! LOL
I am constantly seeking out new recipes to try, but just haven't made any yet. I have been tempted to buy the cake mix doctor book, but I think I can experiment just as well on my own or searching the internet.
Thank you for the nice reply!!
Leslie
Tangent: I tried the Hershey's Black Magic cake today. Delicious! It has a devils food taste and is the texture of a cake-like brownie. Very moist and flavorful on it's own so I did not add frosting.
Well here's my $.02 - I love baking from scratch. I love seeing everything going in and mixing it all together and then saying I did make it from scratch, but that's me. And since I bake everything from scratch I do have the baking powder, flour, sugar, etc... always on hand and grab extra when it's on-sale or I have a coupon so for me baking from scratch is almost equivalent money wise to baking from a mix and about the same amount of time.
For my yellow, chocolate, and pound cake (and practically everything else I bake) I use the Pillsbury Complete Book of Baking and it comes out great. Everyone loves the taste and they are never moist or dry.
Remember when baking from scratch use the proper liquid and dry measuring cups and don't beat the batter. Only a few strokes as you are alternating between the flour and milk and then stop. You can't beat it like a mix as it won't be as forgiving.
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