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melysa
Forum SuperStar!
Joined: Sep 17, 2006
Posts: 3260
Birthday: Nov 11
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Tue Jun 24, 2008 12:15 pm |
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i do not own a business, but i consider myself to be pretty experienced. i bake scratch, and like leah said, it sets us apart.even if someone were to ask me to make a mix cake to keep the budget down, i would not have a problem turning them down and letting them know that if that is what they wanted, they could get that just about anywhere. i pride myself in having learned the art of decorating AND baking and i like to be known as one who goes the extra mile, even if it costs me more time and money. (plus i think it tastes yummier!) |
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pjmw
Frequent Member
Joined: Jan 03, 2008
Posts: 242
Location: Illinois
Birthday: Jul 29
Gallery Supporter Member
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Tue Jun 24, 2008 12:20 pm |
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90% mixes...my favorite scratch recipe is my grandmother's ice water cake--it's kind of a cross between white cake and angel food. It's very expensive to make so I don't do it often. There are a couple of other recipes I do from scratch, but it's mostly mixes for me.
Paula |
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MadPhoeMom
Regular Member
Joined: Jan 15, 2007
Posts: 161
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Tue Jun 24, 2008 12:30 pm |
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i bake from scratch....
i only use a box if someone needs a white cake, and then i doctor (use butter, sour cream etc......i try to discourage white cake though....just cause it's not MY favorite.....i like a 'toothsome' cake....
i have attempted some white cakes from scratch before....never found one that i thought was worth repeating.....
and i bury my cake mixes under my other groceries....
so why am i a mixaphobe?
i don't really know....i suppose my mentality is that virtually anyone can open a box....i wouldn;t feel justified in charging for something they could do themselves....
i only started decorating to beautify my cakes....i was a baker before i was a decorator...my first love is baking....
call me a cake snob,
sally |
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melysa
Forum SuperStar!
Joined: Sep 17, 2006
Posts: 3260
Birthday: Nov 11
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Tue Jun 24, 2008 12:47 pm |
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| MadPhoeMom wrote: | i bake from scratch....
i only use a box if someone needs a white cake, and then i doctor (use butter, sour cream etc......i try to discourage white cake though....just cause it's not MY favorite.....i like a 'toothsome' cake....
i have attempted some white cakes from scratch before....never found one that i thought was worth repeating.....
sally |
have you ever tried a buttermilk white cake ? i love using bm in cakes, it makes them so moist. here is a link with several recipes, there are ones using butter down towards the bottom if you want to have a look. http://www.everyrecipe.info/se.....ilk%20cake |
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moxey2000
Frequent Member
Joined: Feb 23, 2007
Posts: 288
Location: Andros Island, Bahamas - Supporting Our Troops!
Birthday: Mar 08
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Tue Jun 24, 2008 12:53 pm |
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Scratch only. I'm so good at it that I can whip one up faster than most people could make one from a box. Plus I can make exactly the amount I need for whatever pan size I'm using. |
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mcelromi1
Junior Member
Joined: Apr 21, 2008
Posts: 93
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Tue Jun 24, 2008 1:14 pm |
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It depends on the flavor.
I like my cakes moist and without simple syrups (I absolutly hate cakes that have a simple syrup added for moistness). The box cakes come out moist and consistant every time. And all of my customers know which cakes are box and which are scratch.
Box choice: DH
Scratch Cakes: Pound, and specialty flavors.
All Icings: Scratch |
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MadPhoeMom
Regular Member
Joined: Jan 15, 2007
Posts: 161
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Tue Jun 24, 2008 1:23 pm |
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| melysa wrote: | | MadPhoeMom wrote: | i bake from scratch....
i only use a box if someone needs a white cake, and then i doctor (use butter, sour cream etc......i try to discourage white cake though....just cause it's not MY favorite.....i like a 'toothsome' cake....
i have attempted some white cakes from scratch before....never found one that i thought was worth repeating.....
sally |
have you ever tried a buttermilk white cake ? i love using bm in cakes, it makes them so moist. here is a link with several recipes, there are ones using butter down towards the bottom if you want to have a look. http://www.everyrecipe.info/se.....ilk%20cake |
hey.......i'm interested! i adore buttermilk cakes...seems to prevent ANY sort of errors....thanks! i am open to trying....last week i baked through a zillion of those blasted cupcake recipes. one neighbor begged me to quit bringing him samples....then called last night asking 'what i'd been doing lately.' he opted for ice cream.
sally |
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oliveoyle
Junior Member
Joined: Mar 15, 2008
Posts: 79
Location: texas
Birthday: Feb 01
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Thu Jun 26, 2008 5:11 pm |
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pmjw is your grandmothers ice water cake recipe a secret? if not I'l love to have it as my great aunt used to make one and no one in the family knows the recipe.
She also used to make a pinto bean cake(some type of chocolate cake with mashed pinto beans in it for moistness) and a tomato juice cake that were to die for so if anyone has a recipe for thoses I would certainly appreciate it.
now back to the question at hand scratch or doctored box both accually . |
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melysa
Forum SuperStar!
Joined: Sep 17, 2006
Posts: 3260
Birthday: Nov 11
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Thu Jun 26, 2008 5:27 pm |
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| oliveoyle wrote: | pmjw is your grandmothers ice water cake recipe a secret? if not I'l love to have it as my great aunt used to make one and no one in the family knows the recipe.
She also used to make a pinto bean cake(some type of chocolate cake with mashed pinto beans in it for moistness) and a tomato juice cake that were to die for so if anyone has a recipe for thoses I would certainly appreciate it.
now back to the question at hand scratch or doctored box both accually . |
there is a chocolate "surprise" cake in the joy of cooking that uses tomato juice. i've not tried it, but imagine it works in the same manner as buttermilk and coffee in a cake. bmilk to make a tender moist crumb and coffee to intensify the choc flavor. do you have that cookbook? |
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oliveoyle
Junior Member
Joined: Mar 15, 2008
Posts: 79
Location: texas
Birthday: Feb 01
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Thu Jun 26, 2008 5:43 pm |
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No I don't have that cookbook but I can certainly borrow it from my sister thanks for the tip. |
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milissasmom
Frequent Member
Joined: Dec 09, 2007
Posts: 495
Location: Apple Valley, Ca
Birthday: Jul 18
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Thu Jun 26, 2008 5:56 pm |
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Only and always a scratch baker. That's the only way my mom, grandma and everyone else in my family has ever done it. I know some will say the exact opposite but I have NEVER had a boxed cake that I preferred over a scratch cake ever. So I think it is just a matter of preference and what you like. |
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all4cake
Forum SuperStar!
Joined: Jul 02, 2006
Posts: 2157
Location: NC
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Thu Jun 26, 2008 5:58 pm |
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Scratch. I find it easier to stock the ingredients that are used for various products than to have to stock those ingredients as well as flavored cake mixes.
I like cake mixes...I used to use them...I just prefer scratch. |
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cocobean
Frequent Member
Joined: Sep 27, 2007
Posts: 402
Location: South Jordan, Utah
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Thu Jun 26, 2008 6:20 pm |
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MadPhoeMom, what is a toothsome cake?  |
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jennifer7777
Frequent Member
Joined: Dec 30, 2006
Posts: 289
Location: CA
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Thu Jun 26, 2008 6:29 pm |
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I used to stress myself out over only doing scratch cakes. I made sure that for every box mix, I could make the scratch version. Now I have gone back to boxes for orders for consistency/convenience purposes, but will still do scratch. I have found some wonderful scratch recipes that are very moist and good (white, yellow and chocolate).
Here's the thing, though...it's the icing that can really make/break a cake. |
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JanH
Forum SuperStar!
Joined: Mar 09, 2006
Posts: 9082
Location: Hebron, IN
Birthday: Feb 14
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Thu Jun 26, 2008 6:53 pm |
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| cocobean wrote: | | MadPhoeMom, what is a toothsome cake? |
As in, "My, that was toothsome!" 
Definitions of toothsome on the Web:
palatable: acceptable to the taste or mind; "palatable food"; "a palatable solution to the problem"
delectable: extremely pleasing to the sense of taste
HTH |
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