Duncan Hines Reducing Size Of Their Classic Box Mixes
Decorating By Apti Updated 5 Feb 2015 , 9:54pm by MamaChills
The problem is the batter charts -- it will take MORE batter to fill the pans, meaning more cost for cake makers.
Just to clarify, I think you mean it will take more batches not more batter. The amount of batter required for 2 6 inch rounds will be the same, it just may take me a box and 1/2 to get there
FYI, for the people who purchase dozens of boxes a month, you may want to look into purchasing the 50lb bags of commercial mix. There was a thread recently that DH is now selling these. I'll be interested to check out the cake doctors mixes as well.
Yes, more batches to create more batter is how it should have been said. Thanks for clarifying!! 
just a thought, but would the cake mix extender recipe work here? It may make it back to "regular" size.... I might try this later today.
I just used the extender recipe with the BC Vanilla Sunday with no issues. I say try it out and see. I actually ended up with 7.5 cups of batter doing the extender with one box of cake mix.
Thanks Texas!!! Maybe I'll just have to do that with all of them instead. I just spent the last 1/2 hour on the phone with DH and unfortunately the 50lb bags are not available in Canada where I'm from. Supposedly Costco carries 5lb bags, but I've never seen it here. The telephone rep said she is a professional baker and she doesn't foresee any problems using the new "formula" mixes.
... I just spent the last 1/2 hour on the phone with DH and unfortunately the 50lb bags are not available in Canada where I'm from. ... The telephone rep said she is a professional baker and she doesn't foresee any problems using the new "formula" mixes.
Yeah, right. She works for them. What else can she say?
I know we'll all manage, but it's just annoying! Texas Sugar~~Thanks for giving feedback about using the extended recipe with the BC. That's the first thing I thought when I found out about the new, smaller DH mixes, but just wasn't up to trying it out. I have LOVED my "Cake Mix Doctor" recipes that don't use the extenders. Boo Hoo...... 
Now I'll have to come up with NEW Go-To recipes!!! I HATE THAT!
Ha Ha!! Have been commenting on their facebook page and of course as soon as they see it they delete it. I think I'll just keep doing it for fun.
Good job, that way DH will have to hire more people to manage their facebook presence, further increasing their costs and contributing toward making the mix boxes even smaller and/or more expensive. 
Ha Ha!! Have been commenting on their facebook page and of course as soon as they see it they delete it. I think I'll just keep doing it for fun.
Good job, that way DH will have to hire more people to manage their facebook presence, further increasing their costs and contributing toward making the mix boxes even smaller and/or more expensive.
Well, since we won't be using it anymore, it doesn't make any difference and maybe the squeaky wheel......? They certainly won't change it if we don't complain.
For those of you who, like me, went to the grocery stores and found the cake mix shelves empty, try a Hispanic supermarket like Fiesta or Michoacana. I found the 18.25 oz boxes and they were at the old prices, too (around 1.25)! I now have a kitchen table completely covered in boxes of cake mixes. 
On their face book page they have an annoucement today......not what we're wanting to hear im sure. they also give a phone number to contact them under all the posts that write about this issue.
On their face book page they have an annoucement today......not what we're wanting to hear im sure. they also give a phone number to contact them under all the posts that write about this issue.
The big announcement is a new line of frosting with a single starter product and powdered flavor mixes.
http://www.duncanhines.com/frostingcreations/howitworks
The solution is simple. Just dump the cake mixes into a bowl and weigh the usual 18.25 ounces of dry cake mix and make the recipe as usual.
It just sucks that it will take an extra box of mix to make the other 8 boxes the regular size.
GGGrrrrrrrrrrrr
I just noticed that the DH mixes will still be slightly bigger than the BC ones. DH=467g BC=432g
Anyway, I just experimented tonight with the BC French Vanilla. To it I added 1c all purpose flour, 1/2c sugar, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp vanilla, 1/2c water and 1 egg PLUS the ingredients listed in the directions on the box. It made the Wilton Strawberry Shortcake pan (I needed to see how it would work with the shaped pans, as these are what I use the most of) and 32 mini cupcakes. It tasted awesome and the crumb was the same as it would've been with the old mixes. I guess it might not be that bad... just have to increase the cost of my cakes slightly to accommodate for the extra ingredients I now have to use plus the increased cost of the mixes.
*edited to add: and I'm going to run out of freezer space with all the cupcakes I will be making LOL
I think I'll need to find a white scratch recipe that will hold up under fondant. I have ones I can use for sheet cakes and cupcakes but they are nice and soft, so they don't hold up under fondant well. 
I know it's been a while since this was posted, but I just noticed something while on the Duncan Hines website a few minutes ago. I don't go through the cake mix section of the store any more, since they all reduced the weight of the cake mixes 'to remain competitive'. Those who still buy mixes do may have noticed this already: DH has a new Wilton Decorator’s Choice cake mix, which weighs 18 oz. According to their blurb, it is a "firm and delicious cake mix, perfect for decorating. Its no-crumb formula gives you a solid base for your most amazing creations.'
I'm not going for it, I think they should have kept the integrity of the 18.25 oz mix to begin with instead of giving us less while claiming the result would be the same. I've been making more from scratch since they reduced the classic mix, I'm going to stick with scratch cakes.
Quote:
I know it's been a while since this was posted, but I just noticed something while on the Duncan Hines website a few minutes ago. I don't go through the cake mix section of the store any more, since they all reduced the weight of the cake mixes 'to remain competitive'. Those who still buy mixes do may have noticed this already: DH has a new Wilton Decorator’s Choice cake mix, which weighs 18 oz. According to their blurb, it is a "firm and delicious cake mix, perfect for decorating. Its no-crumb formula gives you a solid base for your most amazing creations.'
I'm not going for it, I think they should have kept the integrity of the 18.25 oz mix to begin with instead of giving us less while claiming the result would be the same. I've been making more from scratch since they reduced the classic mix, I'm going to stick with scratch cakes.
Thanks for the info, MamaChills, and welcome to CakeCentral! This is kinda funny.... They are basically saying that all of us were correct and they were fibbing when they claimed the result would be the same. As Homer Simpson would say, "DOH!"
Ah well...they made a marketing decision to reduce their mix sizes and some of us have made the necessary adjustments. In reading a lot of posts on cake forums, there are apparently 4 basic approaches to the use of the smaller mix sizes (whether DH, Betty Crocker, or Pillsbury):
Use the new smaller mixes with no changes.
Add 3-1/2 ounces from a second box mix to the new, smaller box mix.
Add these ingredients to a smaller box mix: (this is the adjustment I've made for all my doctored recipes)
1/2 cup flour
1/8 to 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Start baking scratch.
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