Hi everyone,
I'm somewhat new to cake decorating but have become quickly addicted. I'm taking the Wilton courses and enjoying them thoroughly. I've read a lot in these forums about boxed cake mixes vs. scratch and I agree that the boxed cake mixes are easy and come out really good. My problem is that I don't feel like I "made" the cake when I use a boxed mix and/or jar frosting. When somebody compliments me on how good the cake is, I feel this overwhelming urge to tell them, "well, I didn't really MAKE it, it's just from a box." This was particularly the case for a lemon cake I made with BC box and used DH lemon supreme frosting. The frosting was hard to work with and runny but I finally managed to make it look presentable. I have to say the cake was delicious. Everybody loved it. But because both the cake and the frosting were store-bought, I just felt that I couldn't take credit for the deliciousness of the cake.

I'm just wondering if anyone else out there has this problem? I don't think I should feel like this but I do! And I really don't want to disparage my work when I get a compliment either..... Thanks!

POC,
I doctor the mix to make it my own. (Yes, it's
DUN HIN) but, I add to it like everyone else.
I've made homemade to box and every person
sampling the cakes prefer the box. I don't
use the frostings though, I make my own.
I really haven't come across a homemade
I like yet, but I'm looking.
When someone compliments you on your cake,
thank them and that's that. I never tell it's a box
unless they ask. You'll be fine.
Your cakes are nice. Don't sell the box short.
vicki

First of all...if you add anything to the cake mix...it's yours LOL I always add a dry pudding mix , an extra egg, tsp. of vanilla, and swap out the water in the recipe for milk and the cake is a little denser and much much moister and richer....I usually make my own icing because the store bought stuff is too expensive anyhow...however if I need it in a pinch I add extra powdered sugar to make it a thicker consistency....and I have no guilt over calling them my own LOL I still tell people ....it's just a boxed mix...and they always say...well, when I make em' they taste nowhere near as good as yours....hahahhaha...and they keep comin back to me for more too!!!!

The few times I have attempted a "from scratch" cake, they were very dry and dense. Maybe I haven't found the right recipe yet. BUT...I love the way a boxed cake bakes up, very moist and light. I DO doctor them a bit, using sour cream, extra chocolate chips, extra eggs, butter instead of oil, etc.

I make all of the cakes for family functions and my BIL (who is quite a food snob) raved about my Easter cake, wondering what recipe I used. My sister told him, "Cris ALWAYS uses boxed mixes for her cakes." He was blown away, he couldn't believe it.

I told him I DO make my icings from scratch, though. Canned frostings to me are kind of sickly sweet and WAY too soft for working with. There are SO many recipes for excellent icings that are a breeze to make and come out deliciously. HTH

ditto on kh and vix!! if you made it in your oven its homemade!! sometimes i add extra sometimes not, i always make my frosting but thats just me. and everyone does like the box more than the scratch in my opinion anyway. i only make the red velvet and pound cake fron scratch!! (and they cost more too!) dont worry__ be happy people like your cakes!!

The only cake that I make from scratch is a chocolate Miracle Whip cake. The rest come from a box. I make them, I open the box, I add the ingredients, I break the eggs, I mix.....So therefore, I made the cake. If someone asks for the recipe, I usually tell them it is an old family recipe handed down from either my Aunt Betty or Uncle Duncan. Most people get the "joke" and then ask for the flavor so they can buy their own box.

btw___piece of cake---- we share the same bday!!

Who are you cheating? They want something that tastes and looks nice. You gave them that, right? What does it matter that the flour, sugar, flavoring came mixed together in a box instead of separately??

We spend too much energy on guilt! I'm the queen of guilt! I've just decided that I love decorating and hate baking. I focus my energy, limited time, and skills on decorating instead of baking scratch cakes. I have never ever had a complaint on a boxed cake mix. It's good!

Find a great icing recipe, give yourself a break and concentrate on the things you enjoy!

Not at all, your time is worth more than the cost of any ingredient.

I agree with every one here, don't feel guilty! If someone does ask if it's a box, say yes and tell them that scratch cakes sometimes don't come out as moist as a mix. I've never gotten a complaint about a cake and I mostly use all mixes.

I have for the most part learned to just say a heartfelt "thank you!" when I am complimented on my moist and delicious cakes. Even the times I have explained that I am not a "real baker" but instead a "box baker" people usually quip with "well, MINE never taste like that...You must alter the recipe; do something special...yada, yada, yada."

So this is what I have concluded. If they really like the taste and like it enough to compliment me on it (and I do find people genuine), it shouldn't matter how it was done. It is what it is and boxed or not, it's still delicious to them.

Just say thanks with no guilt involved. By the time i bake the cake & make enough icing to decorate with, I still have to decorate it, too. When I'm finally finished I do feel like I have genuinely made something.

I use only box mixes and almost exclusively Duncan Hines. I get nothing but compliments and never talk recipes with customers. I give them a superior product and more than their money's worth. I always make my own icings. The way I look at it is they order cakes because they can't or don't want to make them themselves. If my present customer can get a beautiful and delicious half sheet oval cake with an oval frame with script and roses for $30, plus delivery, she's getting a darn good deal. That's what I have going right now. It's been a while since I kept track of the time I've put into a cake from start to finish but believe me the customer would never believe it. I have nothing to feel guilty about.

What is the difference if you use DH mixes and it's "cheating" or if you use Wilton and it's "professional"???? YOU did the work, it is YOUR cake! You don't grow the wheat and make the flour, do you?

Unless we grow wheat and sugar cane, raise chickens for eggs, et cetera et cetera, we all "cheat" a little bit. It's the IMAGINATION, not the INGREDIENTS, that makes a cake your creation!

Thank you to everyone for making me feel better! I brought a BC butter white cake in a few weeks ago to work, and 3 or 4 people said, ooh wow, there's nothing like a scratch cake! I felt guilty, but didn't spill the beans. I have found that the texture of cakes using the enhanced cake formula from this site (sour cream, sugar, flour, etc) is out of this world, and my hubby ate about 6 or 7 leftover cupcakes from the lemon cakes I made last night, so loves the taste! It's the time and talent in decorating and if it tastes good, I have gotten over the guilt! Besides, when cake mixes are on sale for 78 cents who can beat that!

I always stock up on the box mixes when they are on sale. I try different flavors that way. If I get it on sale for 79 cents then I don't feel badly if I don't like the taste. I found that the cinnamon swirl is very good and I don't like the strawberry. I probably would not have tried a cake from scratch in those flavors due to the cost of all of the ingredients.

Thanks everyone for your comments! I knew all of this deep down, but it really helps to hear everyone's opinions confirming this for me. Now, when I have the urge to say something, I'll instead just smile and say "thanks" and come and re-read your posts if necessary....

You guys are the greatest! It's so amazing that cake decorators from all around the world can communicate like this. I love it!

[quote="darandon"]I always stock up on the box mixes when they are on sale. quote]

know what you mean darandon, love to see the BUY ONE GET ONE FREE's

Y'all know what Rachel Rays says....Boxed items are just premeasured items so...Why not?

Compare the taste of your "homemade" cake to a storebought one and guaranteed your "homemade" cake will taste better!! I've never had a complaint about my cakes NEVER and they are all boxed. Sometimes I doctor them and sometimes I don't.
Don't feel guilty!! The cake is still HOME made!

As long as you are honest, if a customer asks, you shouldn't feel guilty.

I tell my clients, up front, that I don't use boxed mixes.

I'm not sure if that makes any difference to them when I give them a price. I've never asked.

I feel the same way. I don't want to tell everyone that I use cake mixes, but no one ever asks, so it's okay. Everyone raves. I did make a scratch cake once and it was dry, so I stopped. I lost business because of it and I wil never do it again. I do put more oil and an extra egg most of the time, so I kinda make it my own. I'm so glad I'm not the only one who makes cakes from a box!!!

I love the "Uncle Duncan/Aunt Betty" joke! I may have to use that the next time someone asks!

I almost exclusively use Duncan Heinz also...but on occasion I have used Pillsbury (they're okay) and Betty Crocker (not my favorite - but the pound cake is good).

Now, I have a question - when it comes to pound cakes, do ya still use a box? And do you alter it? The only reason I use pound cake is for 3D cakes (which I have only made 2 of to date, but I want to expand more into that area)...will it alter the density too much? I tried to duplicate a 3D cupcake (with 6" cakes - I saw Colette Peters make a GIANT one on Food Network) but used traditional boxes and it just didn't work out for me. The cake was too floppy! LOL For my Easter lamb, I used pound cake (and the Wilton 3D sheep pan) and it turned out perfectly. I presume I could add different flavorings in place of some of the water, but I'm not so sure about the egg or pudding or what not that I saw above. And would you use milk?

Any tips for this would be very greatly appreciated!

Don't give up on scratch cakes, if that's what you want to offer your customers! Just keep experimenting with recipes until you find ones that you like! There are so many good ones out there. I ALWAYS ALWAYS bake cakes and cupcakes from scratch and if you use fresh quality ingredients, you can taste the difference between scratch and boxed cakes!
Yes, you can "doctor" cake mixes, but the thing is, there are still additives and preservatives in the mix. I always find that customers who prefer boxed cake mixes, don't know the taste of a wonderful quality made from scratch cake.

Good luck!

If scratch cakes are your dream then don't give up. Search for recipes and use your family and friends as guinea pigs... that's what I did. It takes a bit of patience and it is more work than a mix but there are moist recipes out there. And personally I feel a sense of pride when people eat my cake and say how nice it tastes. Personally I dont like the aftertaste I get with a boxed mix and when I was younger I found that they made me sick. Plus I grew up with a mother who was a scratch baker and its the taste I grew to love.

There's nothing to feel guilty about...If you offer a product that tastes great, it shouldn't matter if it's from a box mix or from scratch. If people like it and they come back for more, your good to go!!

its not cheating, its whatever works.

I must say I felt the same way. I always felt guilty when people asked did I make the cake. I also worried about the additives and not being able to tell people what was really in the cake.

Up until a couple of months ago we only used boxed mixes and frostings, this was for a couple of reasons...

1 was convenience and

2. we didn't have any GREAT recipes that turned out each and every time.

After much research and some very generous people sharing on cake central I now have a handful of scratch cake recipes that I love and only use. I also now make the buttercream.

This is with the exception of ONE cake which I cannot yet find a scratch one that compares to the boxed and therefore still use the box for this cake.

Do not feel like it is cheating... its not. Everyone is different and what works for some does not work for others. I have often tried suggestions that people have told me are never fail and yet don't work for me.

So you do what you are comfortable with. Experiment as you go along and find what works for you.

No guilt.

karen