Informing Customers Of Box Cake Mix?
Business By cakerator Updated 11 Sep 2006 , 9:28pm by lehall2006
I have a question for those who use box mixes when baking their cakes.
For those of you who sell your cakes (legal or non-legal), do you inform people that your cake is made from a box mix? even if you're adding things to the mix to doctor it up?
I'm just curious if you feel the need to let people know if they ask.
Thanks 
i do also!!!!! but my price stay the same for as charging....
If someone outright asks me if I use a box mix, I answer 'yes, and I add it to my own recipe' because I doctor my recipes quite a bit. I feel like this gives them the truth but explains that I don't follow the recipe on the box also.
If they don't ask, it's not information I spell out. Not that I'm ashamed, I just feel like recipes that earn me money should be my own business. I know there are lots of opinions on that here on this board as evidenced in previous threads. That's my opinion, and nothing more. Take it for what you want.
It's funny, with all the cakes I've made for friends, family, coworkers, or sold to customers, only 1 or 2 people have even ever ASKED if my cakes are box mixes or scratch! Of the couple who have asked, of course,I tell them the truth...but if they don't ask, I don't tell! They must like them, because I have a lot of repeat customers!
It's funny, with all the cakes I've made for friends, family, coworkers, or sold to customers, only 1 or 2 people have even ever ASKED if my cakes are box mixes or scratch! Of the couple who have asked, of course,I tell them the truth...but if they don't ask, I don't tell! They must like them, because I have a lot of repeat customers!
Same here. In over 20 years, only 3 maybe 4 people have asked if I make mine from scratch. I just tell them "You couldn't afford me if I made them from scratch" and they are fine with it. I figure why re-invent the wheel? And the box mixes must not be too unpopular or Sysco, GFS, Clark Foods, US Foods, etc., wouldn't be selling so many of the large commercial size mixes.
I would never lie to a client and tell them the cake isn't boxed. I would also never volunteer that information. I consider my cakes "homemade" but not "from scratch" so I sell them as such. You wouldn't believe how many clients I've had eat my cakes and say they can tell they're not "from a box" like other peoples'! I don't even doctor mine that much. I just make sure they're moist by adding puddin.
what if they´re allergic to something that comes in the mix?
If they are allergic to something in cake mixes, I would think they would ask if a mix is used or not. In which case, as I said before, I would say yes.
Is it common practice in the US to use cake mix to make cakes to sell? I don't think I could ever get away with that here in the UK! Would anyone know if American box mixes taste better than those availablein the UK, because every one I've ever used tend have a plasticy texture and taste yuck, more like a birthday cake you would get from McDonalds ( I had unimaginative parents and they couldn't handle kids messing up the house!) rather than actual cake. No offence to those who do this btw
Ezmerelda, maybe I've only been around really bad bakers, but anytime someone has given me cake (or especially pies!) with the "This is made from scratch!" I always found it tasted awful! My worst experience was when I was newly married (the 1st time) and we went to visit his relatives in another state. All I heard was how great his aunt's homemade pies were! We get there and she gives me a big 'ole slab of apple pie (starting off with apple pie is NOT my favorite anyway!) and I swear it was the WORST thing I had ever eaten! Being the newlywed, I had to be nice and made up some excuse about being too full and couldn't finish it, so could I wrap it in a napkin to take with me? It went straight into the trash when we got to the hotel and I made him promise to NEVER do that to me again! 
There was a cake decorator in my home town who everyone thought did good work but everyone also said, "her cakes are beautiful but they taste terrible!" (gosh, I wouldn't want anyone saying that about my cakes.) She told everyone "....I use a mix but I doctor it up to make it taste better." Uh..... she missed! I often wondered why she would "fix" something to make it taste bad?
I see some really talented folks on this site and I'm betting that if I had a chance to taste their work, I'd probably change my mind, but at this point, that's all I've ever encountered so that's my mindset. When my friends ask for my recipe, I tell them "it's the same box you use" and they think I'm lying to protect my "secret".
frankandcathy, I agree..... there's a difference between "homemade" and "from scratch".
I use box cake mixes unless its a pound, red velvet or cheesecake. Those are always from scratch. I've only had one person blurt out "this tastes like Betty Crocker!!" I smiled and politely replied "it should because thats exactly what it is. Wow, do you taste test cakes often?" 
The person I made the cake for was overly pleased at the product and so was the birthday girl. As most of you I charge more for "from scratch" cakes.
Happy Baking!!
Hi, Ezmerelda --
If you were to take a tour of some bakeries, especially those in large chain supermarkets here in the USA, you would find that most of them do not even bake at their location! They use frozen cakes that only need to be decorated. And of course, the people who do the baking for them are not about to bake from scratch, so they purchase the 100 pound bags of cake mix and mix them in giant Hobart mixers.
Most of my baking is from scratch, but of course, there is always that last minute cake that someone wants, and I find that all I have in the house are the ingredients needed to whip up a box mix. So I do keep them handy, in several flavors.
The drawback to using box mixes is that the manufacturer does not keep separate machinery for making mixes that contain allergenic materials, like nuts, so if you sell cakes that are made from box mixes, you should disclose the fact that there is possible contamination from nuts.
Theresa
I have to agree with Esmeralda! The difference is that we come from a culture where we are taught to bake (be it by grandmothers, mothers, or certainly for my generation - school), and to only bake from scratch. Sure there are people who can't do it well, but I think most Brits over 25 (and I hope younger!) can turn out a decent cake from scratch! I don't have mixes available to me, wouldn't use them if I did, but the skill and price of good scratch baking is reflected in my cake prices (i.e. a lot more than most people on this board charge for similar cakes!). Just my 2 cents!
My order form states that I use a box mix. I have no compliants. Also, if people wanted the scratch taste, there are other people where I am located that make their cakes from scratch. If that is what they want they can get it from them. For my customers and in this area, they are looking for a cake that tastes good, is well decorated, and doesn't taste like grocery store cake, along with a reasonable price. As mentioned in other posts, most of my customers probably wouldn't come to me if I made 'from scratch' cakes, due to pricing.
Hope that helps.
I have to agree with Esmeralda! The difference is that we come from a culture where we are taught to bake (be it by grandmothers, mothers, or certainly for my generation - school), and to only bake from scratch. Sure there are people who can't do it well, but I think most Brits over 25 (and I hope younger!) can turn out a decent cake from scratch! I don't have mixes available to me, wouldn't use them if I did, but the skill and price of good scratch baking is refelcted in my cake prices (i.e. a lot more than most people on this board charge for similar cakes!). Just my 2 cents!
Exactly, I started baking because I couldn't afford to keep buying it as a kid on 50p pocket money a week! I think your right, most people I know can either bake well or cook well. If I sold my cakes then of course this would reflect in the price, but you would be getting quality and I'm sure people would pay for it. My friends usually beg for a cake for parties and for birthdays as gifts etc, so I must be doing something right . As for most Brits over 25, I've been making them properly since I was 16, and I'm now 23, so I'm sure there are lots of younger peole making decent cakes.
tmriga - Thoughout sixth form college and university I've worked at various big name bakers in England and the UK and I've visited the main factory each time, so I'm aware of how things work on that scale. That being said, at the largest one (the biggest company for this in the UK) all cakes were baked on site using mixes that were made on site. All cake baking went on in the late evening and cakes were delivered out in the early morning, no freezing at all. The cakes then had a 2 day shelf life in the shop, before being thrown away. I had never heard of freezing a cake before I visited this site though.
Don't get me wrong Esmeralda, I'm sure there are lots of good bakers under the age of 25 in the UK - but I do know that the cookery element that I was taught in school (I'm 35), rarely exists now - but I did see on the BBC news yesterday that the government is going to make schools offer cookery again (as part of the health eating campaign now implemented in all schools), to all those who want to take it - hoorah I say!!! I was taught to bake by my grandmother, and my business is named in memory after her because of that - I owe her plenty for taking the time to pass on her skills and knowledge 
! I've certainly developed as a baker, and even more so as a decorator since then, but she gave me the grounding and passion that has led me to the baker I am today!
I had never heard of freezing a cake before I visited this site though.
Ezmerelda
I only bake from scratch. I was born in Uruguay in South America and now live in Melbourne Australia. I grew up baking from scratch and cooking all sorts of things with my gran.
I had never considered freezing cakes 4 or more years ago. A Uruguayan lady that has been baking for a long time told me about it, i didnt think it would work well, and tried it for the first time on a cake i was making for a family birthday. It came out soooo good. So then i started to experiment with other recipes. Mud cakes freeze very well, as well as buttercakes. Some cakes with lower fat content dont do well in the freezer. Freezing works for me because i work full time, so if i was to bake and decorate all at once, I'd never get any cakes done in my spare time.
cheers
Nati
I'll have to try freezing cakes myself, if I have a few to do it would save me makes a huge mess day after day!
Bonjovibabe, I was taught to bake at school, albeit nasty fat-free,sugar-free and taste-free cakes! I'm going on to be a teacher next year, and as far as I know kids are taught how to make a pizza, cake, pasta dish and a sandwich(?) in Food Tech.
We live in a different age now. I don't remember seeing anything "boxed" when I grew up. I can remember being able to have my first TV dinner when I was a teenager. Stood by the oven until it was done, sank my fork in and ate it despite wanting to spit it out. (Swanson salisbury steak) 
I grew up with homemade everything. Jams, jellies,cakes,pies,muffins,rolls, you name it. We did alot of canning and everything was from scratch. That kind of baking takes practice and many people today just don't have the time or the patience it takes.
I taught some baking classes at a nearby elementary school. The first class I ever gave was for pie. I figured I would get maybe 4 or 5 students as I thought everyone would know how to make their own crust etc. I got 25 or more calls and was astounded. I just never realized that so many young women had no clue.
I wish schools would bring back classes in cooking etc. I think many young men and women would benefit from knowing how to cook healthy foods and stay away from boxed and fast food. I keep reading about alarming statistics about high blood pressure and diabetes in our young. IMO that stems directly from diet and lack of exercise.
Sorry for my rant... 
IHATEFONDANT My thoughts exactly! Good scratch baking does = time, patience, skill and being taught to do it! To each their own I guess 
!
The drawback to using box mixes is that the manufacturer does not keep separate machinery for making mixes that contain allergenic materials, like nuts, so if you sell cakes that are made from box mixes, you should disclose the fact that there is possible contamination from nuts.
That is exactly what I meant.
I also come from a different country. I'm from Spain and I didn't grow up on cakes made from cake mixes so I was very surprised when I came here and saw the huge variety of cake mixes available and that people use them not only for their home use but also for their business. Since I didn't know about them until I came here, I wouldn't have thought of asking someone: Is your cake from scratch or from a mix? I would have assumed it was from scratch. I have tasted cakes from a mix and I can tell they taste different, probably they weren't doctored, I don't know... I don't want to create friction by saying that they were better or worse since it depends on what each person likes and "para gustos colores" like we say in Spanish.
Inma
what if they´re allergic to something that comes in the mix?
If they are allergic to something in cake mixes, I would think they would ask if a mix is used or not. In which case, as I said before, I would say yes.
Just make a label to put on the box about any allergy warnings. It's amazing how many things out there that can get cross-contamination because the company uses the same equipment for other products.
Print up a bunch of labels to have ready - They can say something as simple as "Allergy Warning - Contains wheat, egg, milk prouducts, etc..."
Scratch baking does not have to taste bad. I do agree that it may depend on what you have grown up with, but when you find the perfect cake recipe, you will not go back. I have started baking from scratch and everyone has complimented me that the cakes taste amazing and better than the box mix. Surpisingly, they are not dry and tasteless.
I have to admit that I have spent alot of time and ingredients on cakes that didn't turn out great, but that just makes me appreciate the really good recipe that I come across.
When I did use box mixes, I would tell people that they were boxed. Most people can tell the difference immediately, anyway.
Angie
angelas2babies, I sure hope you're right and that I've just come across every bad baker in the world! I DO do a lot of scratch baking and cooking (my cookies, my brownies, my chicken-n-dumplings that my Marine son always requests first thing when he's home on leave!) so I'm optimistic that it can happen .... i just haven't come across it yet.
(But I'm pretty sure I'll always be one of those pie-crusts-from-the-red-box ladies! I may be able to make wedding cakes and pretty decent cookies, but I can't make a good pie crust to save my behind!)
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