Recipe for cake that will give the texture of a box mix? - Page 2

You can try the 1-2-3-4 cake recipe on the box of Swanson cake flour (also found here on cc). I use regular flour but you can also use cake flour for an even lighter taste. Sometimes even my family can't tell whether it's from scratch or a box. Also, for chocolate, try the chocolate recipe on the back of the Hershey's cocoa can. It comes out very fluffy like the Duncan Hines Devil food's cake.

Both recipes are super easy to make. Good luck!

You are a beginner in both making scratch recipes and your taste buds adapting to something made without that chemical taste.

I suspect that you did not taste the baking powder, because this is not too much for this recipe, but you tasted the tang of the buttermilk instead. And did you use cake flour?

Not only are the ingredients important, but the process by which you make the cake is just as important. you will get different results by using the creaming method, the reverse creaming, the two- stage and the whip the egg white method like the recipe is here.

Did you weigh your ingredients? If not you will inconsistent results every time. And there is way more to mixing a scratch than most recipes state. The recipe may say cream butter and sugar til light and fluffy, but how long does that take? Longer than you think.

Start by getting a couple of good books from your library - Bakewise or Cookwise by Shirley Corriher are real good ones. For the two stage method get The Cake Bible. Cook's illustrated has a book called Baking Illustrated. Cakelove is another good book. Basically you should just read any book on baking you can get from your local library and research, research, research. After you have exhausted your local library go to the next town or book stores. I think I was a good six solid months of research and testing before I perfected my scratch baking mixing skills. I'm not surprised that you didn't like these because your skills and taste buds are not there yet.

And each of these mixing methods produces a different cake. IMO creaming method produces the lightest and fluffiest cake, and is has been validated in my research too. This method for the yellow cake recipe is not the creaming method. Search the Internet under cake mixing methods and be prepared to spend the afternoon reading. There is a lot out there.

I feel like Yoda right now. I didn't mean to be a master teacher, I just want to encourage you keep at it and expect those failures. But keep going and one day the heavens will open and angels will sing the second you put that perfect piece of cake in your mouth.

I agree with LindaF144a.

If you aren't used to scratch, you will always try to compare it to a box and give the scratch the short end of the stick. Baking from scratch does take practice, lots of trial and error to be had until you find what you and your testers love. I have been eating and baking scratch cakes since childhood and I'm still learning new things and constantly trying new things. It's not as easy as going to get a box and having a virtually fool proof way to bake, but in the end it's so rewarding to have great success from scratch baking.

Hang in there and you'll see.

If you can get Sky High from the library or borrow it from a friend, try some of her recipes. I learned from this site that cake flour needs more moisture than all purpose. I also learned that egg whites dry out a cake, so they need more moisture. It's amazing what you learn from this site and I am grateful for it.

I've made the Cook's Illustrated recipe 3 times now, and even though I'm not the greatest scratch baker, it has turned out just as high and fluffy as their picture:

http://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/detail.asp?docid=12372

It's really tasty, too. This past weekend I turned it into lemon cake by using Penzey's lemon flavoring (the best!) and topped it with FromScratchSF's cream cheese Swiss meringue buttercream. Really yummy!

Could you post the recipe? You have to be a member to see it online.

It's on the first page of this thread--the one you said is not the creaming method I usually have excellent results with their baking recipes.

As much as I love scratch recipes, I do find that none of them hold up under fondant. Have any of you ever had this problem?

Cloetzu, Sky High. It will give you delicious cakes. They never fail.

But, here are some recipes from that book that you could try before you get it, if you want to:

http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/08/chocolate-peanut-butter-cake/

(vanilla buttermilk cake)
http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/07/project-wedding-cake-the-cake-is-baked/

She does use cake flour a lot, so be prepared to have it.

And if you have a Restaurant Depot near you, I bought a 50lb for $15.(That's if you plan to use it a lot, and I do)

You're welcome. And while you read about the creaming method and find out about the perfect amount of time...I think Sky High uses most the other creaming method. Reverse creaming method is supposed to give you fluffy cakes. Here's a thread from CC and a few more links!

Have fun!


http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopic-706229-75.html&sid=b0eed3ec76a4e221b4f4af779741346f

http://www.joepastry.com/2009/what_is_the_two_stage_a_k_a_reverse_crea/

http://www.joepastry.com/2007/the_creaming_method/

http://www.joepastry.com/2007/how_do_you_know_when_you_ve_over_creamed/

http://www.completelydelicious.com/2010/09/handy-tip-creaming-method.html

There is another site i go on and she has a recipe for what you are asking. A scratch cake recipe with texture of box. I don,t think i can say the site on this site. So google it and it will come up.hth