For those of you out there who bake for others, when you first started out, did you use box mix or did you whip it up from scratch?

You should do what you are best at and are comfortable with. I bake from scratch, but it's not for everyone. Don't let anyone try to pull you in one direction or another- you have to decide what you and your customers like !

Amber

I use box on regular cakes.. doctored up by adding an extra egg or two and I sneak some flavorings in there.. now specialty cakes, pound, german chocolate, redvelvet, etc.... I use scratch recipes from my family that have been passed down. The one thing I get compliments on about my regular cakes (meaning those I would use in weddings or birthdays or sheets, unless they order specialty) is the moistness... I attribute this to the extra egg and a little overpour on my oil.. say it calls for 1/3 c, then I overpour a hair.... I do this because when I have a lot of cakes to make for a particular day, I make them a day ahead... hope this helps... I agree with Amber, do what you are comfortable with.. try one of each, let your customers or friends, or families taste test and then tell you... good luck and welcome aboard our little (ACTUALLY HUGE) cakecentral circle!

lori

I like to bake from scratch. My recipes make larger batches than box mixes and I don't have to add other things to it to get rid of the "box" flavor.

For me, scratch is fast (I can have a cake ready for the oven in less than 15 minutes), for others, the box is faster and easier. As mentioned before, it's really up to you.

I also consider scratch to be more consistent. I read a lot of threads about problems with some box brands in the changes in formulation and flavor.

Best of luck to you.

Michele

I always used scratch cause I was a cake Snob LOL. Then lo and behold I found some mixes when kicked up were very good. If you have tried andtrue scratch mixes and you love their outcome thats fine but with some folks I've found they think a box cake is the best thing they ever tasted. So I guess my advice is the outcome of a moist tender flavorful cake is your objective use what you have to to get it. Experiment(on your family) until you get the cake you desire. There are many wonderful recipes on here. I dont't know if I answered your question or not. (my old instructor told me that she preferred duncan hines above any cake mix) Good Luck!

Thank you all for replying! I guess it will depend on the occassion and complexity (is that a word) of the cake. My poor family is going to get fat tasting all those cakes

Doughnut, if your family is anything like my bunch, they won't mind at all. Anytime I add a new flavor or do anything new, they expect to have one too. Having a family is one of the good things in our line of work- you always have testers!