For those of you who use Duncan Hines, have you noticed a change in flavor?
I stopped using DH long ago. I got disgusted with their inconsiency.
I stopped using DH long ago. I got disgusted with their inconsiency.
Same here.
I could never figure out why DH was rated so highly! I switched to Betty Crocker and love it to pieces. (I use the WASC recipe for everything).
I haven't noticed a change in the flavor but I only use the white mix or the butter fudge mix. Is there a specific flavor you noticed a change in?
WASC = White (cake mix) Almond (flavoring) Sour Cream Cake
There are several recipes here on CC, and several variations for using different flavor cake mixes. Look in the recipes section
I have always used DH. This last time there were lots and lots of air holes in it. I just bought a couple boxes of PB to try. I've never use PB before, but I just want to see if there is a difference.
Haven't had a problem with DH.... hate the other mixes, not sturdy enough for me. I always doctor them though, and I only use white, yellow, and sometimes (but not always) chocolate. The butter yellow DH is awful.
I mostly use DH as well, and use it for doctored recipes. I haven't noticed any change in taste, but that could be by the time I've added all the extra ingredients you can't tell!
I haven't noticed any changes or inconsistancies. I only use Fr. Vanilla, Dark Choc., Yellow & Spice cake as my bases. All my other flavors are created from these bases.
I can't stand Betty Crocker cakes they are horrible. My standby is Pillsbury if DH is out.
When I do doctored cake mix, I use the Pillsbury plus I buy from my distributor. It is designed for professional bakeries (comes in 50 lb bags) and is very very consistant. I am afraid to buy anything from supermarkets or walmart because they are geared towards the consumers who bake a cake once in a while and wouldn't notice the changes. When all my DH yellow cakes were coming out cracked on top like cornbread, DH's only answer was to send me coupons.
I just do too high of a volume to wonder if my cake isnt' going to turn out because the company decided to play and not tell us!! (they are playing to for two reasons: To save money and the new transfat laws) Also, have the price of cake mix at Walmart has gone from 88 cents a box to 1.02 in about four months!!
Hmm, it is only .89 in the two Walmarts I use. When my storefront was open before I ordered the DH the same way you order the Pillsbury (from a distributor) But, since I moved and don't have the storefront opened, just using a commercial kitchen that isn't mine so I can't store ingredients, I have gone back to using Wal-mart or HEB. HEB is .98 a box. I've never had the issue that you are discribing except with the butter cakes. I don't like the texture or flavor of the butter cakes so I don't buy them.
I don't know about anyone else here, but I did a taste test side by side comparing all three DH, PB, and BC. My family and myself did not like any of the DH, just didn't turn out as moist or flavorful. Of course if the consistency changes, maybe I got a bad batch. But love the PB and BC white, strawberry is alright for a quick fix. Chocolate is never chocolatey enough from a mix, no matter how much I try to doctor them up.
BC bakes up better for me than PB - always consistent.
BC has a dark chocolate flavor that I use when I make the WASC variation. Recipe substitutions: I use 1-3/4 c cake flour, 1/4 c cocoa powder, add chocolate pudding mix, use coffee in place of water, and use 3 t Nielsen Massey's chocolate extract and 1 dram LoRann butter flavor. (the rest of the recipe remains the same).
My favorite for most of my cakes is PB. My family loves DH dark chocolate. Will not use BC! I've had several diasters using BC.
I only use DH Butter cake mix, sour cream recipe on the side of the box. I have not noticed any difference in the taste and have always gotten rave reviews.
Just baking out of the box with no doctoring it seems to me to taste more "chemically"-if that's a word. I do know what you mean, there is a difference. I had a couple of boxes in the pantry and used them for my son's playschool cupcakes. I thought they didn't taste the same either but thought it was me since I usually back from scratch anyway. I didn't get any complaints from the playschool though if that helps but I did think there was a "different" taste.
HTH terri
BC bakes up better for me than PB - always consistent.
BC has a dark chocolate flavor that I use when I make the WASC variation. Recipe substitutions: I use 1-3/4 c cake flour, 1/4 c cocoa powder, add chocolate pudding mix, use coffee in place of water, and use 3 t Nielsen Massey's chocolate extract and 1 dram LoRann butter flavor. (the rest of the recipe remains the same).
. . . I have never seen the "dark" Betty Crocker available in Canada (we have the fudge or devil's food) . . . is it just here in B.C. where I live . . . have other Canadians found the "dark" one????
. . . as for the OP . . . I haven't had any issues with inconsistency with DH . . .
I'm an exclusive DH user (if it isn't scratch). I haven't had any trouble until I made my son's bday cake last week. I used a Fr. Vanilla mix. This cake dried out much faster than any other cake I've made. It was almost too dry when we cut the cake, and that has never happened.
I do reduce the temp when I bake (to 325*) and bake a little longer, but that is something I always do, so it wasn't a new change to my routine.
I hope this isn't a change for the worse that they have made with all their mixes... if so, I'll be looking to find a new mix, or just go scratch. I'm pretty lazy so I don't really want to go totally scratch. *lol*
I'm a DH fan, and I haven't noticed any changes...except for the price, I'm lucky if I can get it for $1.25-it's been running $1.38 a box!!!
I'm a DH fan. I've tried BC Devils food because they were out of DH once and I could not taste the chocolate. So I always use DH. For strawberry though...I like PB for some reason. I've never even tried the DH strawberry to compare.
And yeah, the price has gone up.
I have always always always used DH. I hadn't noticed a change either until two days ago. I made a white cake, doctored using the WASC, and cooked it in 3 8inch pans. 1 of the cakes shrunk horribly and overall, they were much much dryer than usual. I ate some cake scraps this morning that I had sealed away in tubberwear (which usually makes them too moist for my tastes) and it was DRY!
What gives!
I never took it seriously when people said they were changing their formula.. but I think they have
speaking of strawberry cake does anyone have a wasc recipe that uses white cake mix to make strawberry cake? I have seen it with jello, but it sounds like it would be too sweet.
I have always been a DH fan...until recently. I don't get as much batter despite all the extras that are added in. Then they shrink. I see a change of brands in my future. mimi
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