so ive been reading all these great recipes. but alot of them use boxed mixtures. why do they do this? and do all professionals do this? i do all my cakes by hand. isnt that the way? and another thing is the sryups? why use these and what if you dont. is it cheaper to use these box mixes? i tried looking for a post to answer this but there is too many to look through.
please help

This is a subject that has been debated here countless times! You use whatever is right for YOU. I have always been a cook and baker from scratch until I came to this message board. I saw the recipes for WASC, and all the rave reviews, so I tried it. It's good!

You just do what is right for you. That's what it all comes down to.

I've been a scratch baker since I was 9 years old in 4H. It's not hard. And yes, I use a wash (simple syrup) on every cake.) it adds to the flavor profile.