I try not to use box mixes - ever. I've been reading a lot of threads about lemon cake recipes and 99% of you bakers seem to choose a store bought box mix doctored with lemon pudding or kool-aid or something else.  Just wondering why. Is there no way to make a scratch lemon cake mix that beats box mixes?

It's all a matter of preference, really.  You are going to get a million different answers on the box/scratch thing.  Some prefer doctored mixes, some prefer scratch and for a number of reasons.

You can easily make any white/vanilla cake a lemon cake with the addition of lemon zest and/or lemon extract which is what most scratch bakers do.  So, if you have a good cake you already like and use, you can try that.

Really, just try everything and see what floats your boat :)

storestore I make homemade scratch lemon cake all the time. One is a basic lemon and the other is a lemonade pound cake. Lots of great recipes out there.