As much as we all like to promote the fact that our cakes are made completely from scratch, I don't see the harm in using a box mix if it produces a good cake and increases your level of productivity.

If you are inundated with orders or just generally pressed for time, why not use a cake mix if it produces a decent cake?

From a business perspective, I have no objection in using good pre-mixes. I'm confident in my ability to produce a good cake from scratch (so I don't need to prove anything), however it's time consuming therefore becomes counter productive.

If a cake is light and tastes good then nobody really cares if it's a pre-mix. Apart from your competitors that look for reasons to fault you because they're insecure themselves.

A cake mix is a convenience product. Convenient because it allows you time to concentrate on capacity and the decoration. If it's a good product then embrace it and use it to your advantage.

I know how to make puff pastry with my eyes closed, but why on earth would I spend hours making it when I can buy a good quality store brought one.  What I create with it is what the consumer is more interested in. 

So there it is, never be too proud to use a pre-mix if it's a good product. You know that you have the ability to make a great bake from scratch but are you being realistic with cost and productivity?

AYou make a great point, but the taste of most mixes has that familiar box mix taste. As long as you're happy with the end product.though. Do you doctor the mixes or do anything else to them?,

AI am not a fan of box mixes... Doctored or not. What I do to save time is pre-measure my dry ingredients in ziplock bags. Takes a bit of time on shopping day, but saves tons of time on busy baking days.

AI won't use a mix. I've worked as a pastry chef for over 15 years, and to me that's just a cheat. I've worked hard over the past few years that cakes have been part of my career, perfecting my recipes. I get rave reviews on my cakes, many people telling me my stuff is better than any bakery in town. To each his own, and if mixes work for you, more power to you. But I can plan my production and still make my scratch cakes along with the other restaurant responsibilities I have. I don't see the difference between the time it takes to follow a recipe and doctor a mix.

AEveryone has their preference. I just prefer to bake from scratch but I know a lot of people with very successful business using boxes. It's all dependent on what's your strength

AUse box mixes if you want, bake from scratch if you want. Just be truthful with your customers. Don't claim to bake from scratch if you don't. Just my two cents.