I use cake mix for all my cakes, but I doctor them up a lot. My clients rave about the flavor. I make everything else (icings, fillings) from scratch. So when they ask do I make from scratch or from mix, I have to be honest, right? But I never use water and oil (standard box ingredients), and I add lots more flavor, etc. to the mix. I hate to sit there and explain that to clients. So what do I tell them? Thanks in advance for any advice.

Just tell them you start with a box mix but that you dont use their direction and add your own ingredients...Just use it as a base..No harm in that...

I always just tell people that I doctor a mix. They are more surprised at the fact that it's from a box then anything else! They don't really care about each individual thing that you put in it!

I am always honest w/them. I too doctor the mixes. I tell them that.

What do you replace for water and oil?

i would say something like, "i'd tell you, but then i'd have to kill you" and laugh. i wouldnt give out too much info....if people could duplicate your great tasting cake, they may not call you when they need one.
my 2 cents
melody

Honesty is the best policy. Tell them you take ordinary cakemix and turn it into supercake.

Instead of saying you start with a box of cake mix, you could say it starts with a commercial mix or the base is a commercial mix.

thanks so much for all the replies! instead of water i use buttermilk; instead of oil i use unsalted butter.

do you use the same proportionsof buttermilk to water and butter to oil? Also, do you add additional vanilla or anything else?? Also, do you add pudding?

When I tell people that ask about my cakes....they don't believe me that I use a box mix...LOL.... So I just let them think what they want...]
They think I just don't want to tell them how I do it....OH Well!!! To each their own..

Actually.....No customer has ever asked me if it was from a mix or not!! I don't think they really care as long as it tastes good (Which the mixes do) and it is moist and not dry!!

Yes, I always add the same proportions of buttermilk and butter. I was taught (in my Wilton cake classes) to always "beef up" the cake mix - if you're using box carrot cake mix, add real carrots. If it's strawberry, add real strawberry. To my chocolate cake mix I add 1 tablespoon of Ghirardelli chocolate powder. To make white cake mix have that "wedding cake" flavor, I add 1 tablespoon of almond and a teaspoon each of vanilla and butter flavor. My customers rave about the taste, texture, and moistness.

I too love the "I use commercial cake base and my own ingredients." That's what I'm doing!

Thanks for all the help.

My friend from Liberty, NY would say...when asked if her cakes are made from scratch..( and she uses cake mixes too)

"Sure, they are from scratch. I'm scratching my rear end as I put them in the oven".

This always cracked me up!

I'm a caterer and when I have someone ask for a recipe or the ingredients in a dish/cake I just let them know that I don't give out my recipes. I try not to be rude about it. Now, if it's for health/allergy reasons then I'm okay with that. In fact, I had a lady say to me when she found out that I cater "oh, I guess that means you don't give out your recipes!"

I feel the same way you feel. Although I'm not a caterer, I have catered food for my job. I bake all the cakes. A lot of times people will ask me what I put in certain dishes. I just lol and say "I can't tell you that".
I will say that I do use water either. I use milk, I've used buttermilk, rice and soy milk or juice for my cakes. I don't really like adding pudding.