I made a scratch yellow cake (from this site) to compare it to the usual box mixes. Personally, the box mixes are too sweet for me and while I liked the density and the taste of the scratch cake I found that within 24 hours it had gotten pretty dry. Is there a happy medium?

I'd like to know also so i'm bumping you up.

I recently bought the "Cake Mix Doctor" book - you start with cake mixes but she has additions that make cakes taste great! The first one I made, double chocolate rum, was fantastic! Can't wait to try more. What is great is the convenience of mixes, with the taste of scratch

deb

Once you make scratch you'll never go back to box mixes. I feel so guilty when I don't have time to make from scratch and turn to the cake doctor book -- I usually don't charge for them.

There is a great chocolate cake recipe on this site called "Chocolate layer Cake". It's the best! It stays fresh in the frig for weeks. (Believe me, I'm still eating leftovers from 2 weeks ago).

I agree white and yellow cakes do dry out faster but if you use a simple syrup and wrap well with saran and aluminun (spell?) foil then it will stay moister longer.

I make my simple syrup with 1 part water 1 part sugar and a little vanilla. I use a brush to apply. Some use a spray bottle but I haven't tried that yet.

Attached is a white cake recipe that I have great luck with. Let me know if you try it. The site won't allow me to attach the doc. If you want it, email me at [email protected]

Recipes with with buttermilk and oil instead of butter tend to stay moist longer.

I do all my cakes from scratch, they are much denser, but I like that. I find them easier to frost, I never get crumbs in my icing...I prefer the taste as well...Most of my customers say that they have never had a cake taste so good!

With that said I made a cake for a friend of a friend at cost a few weeks ago, and she actually complained about how she wished it was a lighter cake, she hated how heavey it was....I politle stated" I guess you are just so used to box cakes, and never had a real cake, ha, ha"

I make my cakes with a mix as the base so that I always receive consistent results. I doctor them up soo good that people don't know that I have cake mix as the base.

I think that it depends on your personal taste and that of your customer. If they want the yumminess and hardiness of a scratch or doctored cake kewl. If they would rather have the airy sweetness of a mix cake also kewl. It just depends on what the customer wants.
Personally, I have better luck with scratch and doctored. For some reason I can't get a box cake to bake correctly at all. (always ends up lookin like a crater) o well. I guess I will stick to scratch (can play more with the flavors that way).

i use doctored mixes. one time i did a scratch yellow, and it was dry, so i've been shy to try them since. also, i do think most people around here are used to a lighter cake. i get great raves on the doctored mixes, so if it ain't broke....

I can follow a recipe but I have no idea how to "doctor up" a cake from a box or from scratch. Any ideas on how to make scratch cakes lighter? Would using just egg whites help? DH took one of my cakes (that happened to be from a box) to work and everyone loved it. Hmmmm....I don't know what to do! Anyone have a phenomenal white or yellow cake recipe?