Do you bake from scratch or right out of the box?

[maslex]

I am known as the "brownie queen" around here. I cannot go to any party, picnic or gathering without bringing brownies. The thing is, they're made from a boxed mix but everyone says I make THE BEST brownies ever!!! I attribute it to the pan that I use (Pampered Chef all the way)

Anyhow, I also use boxed mixes for my cakes too. I think I've made a cake from scratch once, a long time ago and it never really came out right. It's been so long, but I don't remember if it was the texture or taste or something else but it was just gross. And for some reason I can never get a homemade frosting done right either, although I do love the taste of them.

Anyways, I found a recipe for a "made from scratch" cake on Pinterest and I would really love to try it but afraid it won't come out very good. Are there any tried & true tips/tricks to a homemade cake or frosting?

 

[mjkacmom]

Everyone raves about my Ghirardelli brownies - best box mix ever!

 

[gracie1]

The only thing I bake from scratch are applesauce cakes. Otherwise, it's box mix all the way! And I am always getting requests because I'm the best baker, and it only comes out of a box I love when I get requests for my chocolate chip cookies ... because I only go to bj's and get the already made cookie dough!

 

[ronandannette]

For basic cakes and brownies, I really can't make them from scratch better than what comes straight from a mix. For fancier cakes and cookies it's scratch from tried and true recipies. Often when I try a new cake recipe I'm disappointed in the results compared to a mix - they always seem too dense and heavy. I'll sometimes tweak one until I get it working but mostly I just never make that thing again.

 

[cluvsdisney]

I use box cakes but make cookies from scratch. I tried ding cakes but I just love me done Betty Crocker.

 

[turkeymama]

I make cookies from scratch exclusively. I never ever use a mix or do the slice and bake. And my chocolate chip cookies are always a favorite no matter where I take them. I use a recipe from a very old Better Homes and Garden cookbook that my mom gave me. I have used that recipe so long that I no longer have to reference the book.

Brownies I can do either way. It really just depends on how big of a hurry I'm in. The recipe I use is from the Hershey cookbook.

Cakes from scratch have always been tough for me. Recently I tried the depression cake recipe for chocolate cake and it was wonderful. No eggs, no dairy....it caught my attention because DD is allergic to dairy. Frosting is still a work in progress. I like the taste of homemade frosting, but the kids aren't big fans.

My son says the secret ingredient to making anything better is "love".

 

[GigglyFigment]

I baked brownies from scratch twice and could taste no difference between them and a box mix I made. I hardly ever fix brownies, but I'd just do a box mix from now if I did - dressed up a bit, of course.

I generally bake most things from scratch. The difference between "cooking" and using box mixes and baking is that it's much more about chemistry. Cooking is easy - if something is too salty you add a sweet component to balance it out. Baking you have to get things right as you do it as once you have the final product you can't really do much to dress up an error.

Make sure you use the same set of measuring spoons and cups. This way, your proportions will be correct. Do the steps in the order they are given to you. It might be easier to dump in the rest of the wet, but if the directions don't say that then don't do it. Eggs need to be room temperature unless otherwise stated, don't skip sifting, etc. Make sure you use the proper cake flour - the brand Swan's as an AWESOME cake recipe on the side.

Frosting also just takes practice. It's more like cooking, though, so if it's too runny, you just add a bit more sugar. If it's fat-based, you want to put it in the fridge a bit before spreading.

Most of all, it just takes practice. If you're used to using box mixes, baking anything from scratch is going to be difficult. Box mixes are designed to still work within a certain (large) margin of error. I spent a whole summer practicing bread!

 

[powellrj]

I have been making the homemade tasting box cake recipe on pintress that I think is pretty good. You add an extra egg and use milk instead of water and butter instead of oil. Unless its something like a mayo cake or wacky cake I never have much luck with a scratch cake. They even used a box mix on top chef one year!

 

[tink20]

I do both. I do homemade if I see a certain recipe and want to try it.

For Mother's Day, I wanted to try a new recipe, so I made some cupcakes from scratch and gave some to my mom and MIL. My dad really enjoyed them, told me they were great.

Well Father's Day came around, and I just didn't have time, so I made some cupcakes for dad and FIL from a box. I told my parents, sorry these aren't homemade. My dad was like, oh you bought them, I said no, I made them, but from a box. He said, oh well they are still homemade. (he doesn't know much about cooking or baking) He liked the box ones just as much as the homemade ones.....or at least that's what he told me.

 

[wiigirl]

I try to make things from scratch, but somethings like brownies are just better from the box.

 

[kimmyann]

I used to use box everything, now I make many things from scratch (brownies, cookies, banana bread & even some cakes). We think it taste better & plus I know what is in it.

 

[MeeskaMomma]

I make a lot from scratch (bread, cookies, pastries) but when it comes to cakes it varies. I have a really good chocolate cake recipe that I always make from scratch, the frosting is really good too, but for white cake and cupcakes I really like using box mix.

I have never made brownies from scratch. There are some really brownie mixes out there!

 

[mhsjax]

Brownies, Betty Cocker or Duncan Hines only. Cookies, scratch, HATE slice and bake or any type of cookie dough. Cakes, scratch, especially the one of the Hershey can, box can't touch it. Other flavors, I do a box, only because I very rarely use any other flavor than Chocolate. I also make a killer Carrot Cake also from scratch.

 

[mhsjax]

I used to use box everything, now I make many things from scratch (brownies, cookies, banana bread & even some cakes). We think it taste better & plus I know what is in it.

Nothing like homemade banana bread. YUM.

 

[Meriweather]

everything scratch.......except Ghirardelli brownies, they taste better from a mix

 

[mhsjax]

everything scratch.......except Ghirardelli brownies, they taste better from a mix

Am I the only one out here who doesn't like Ghirardelli brownies? I do wonder about myself sometimes, I just don't like them.

 

[ronandannette]

I have been making the homemade tasting box cake recipe on pintress that I think is pretty good. You add an extra egg and use milk instead of water and butter instead of oil. Unless its something like a mayo cake or wacky cake I never have much luck with a scratch cake. They even used a box mix on top chef one year!

Yep, it was the episode where they catered the wedding and the cake was important. They went with mixes because they KNEW it would be a more reliable result than scratch. This is my experience too...if the cake is for a function I'm using a mix every time.

 

[ronandannette]

Brownies, Betty Cocker or Duncan Hines only. Cookies, scratch, HATE slice and bake or any type of cookie dough. Cakes, scratch, especially the one of the Hershey can, box can't touch it. Other flavors, I do a box, only because I very rarely use any other flavor than Chocolate. I also make a killer Carrot Cake also from scratch.[/QUOTE]

Oooooh yes, carrot cake MUST come from scratch...those little pieces of dried carrot in the mixes never rehydrate properly and the cake comes out too light and crumbly...

 

[skatalite]

When my wife and I bake, it's usually unhealthy junk food. Like brownies. So when we do it, we do it right and make everything from scratch. This does two things for us:

1. Let's us get the absolute best tasting baked good without all the added preservatives and nonsense.

2. Reminds us how much work it is so we don't want to do it again for a very long time.

This is the mindset we have with other foods, like mashed potatoes and burgers. If your mashed potatoes don't have at least three sticks of real butter, a brick of cream cheese and a cup of half-and-half, then you ain't doing it right.

 

[pascalstongue]

Always from scratch. Box mixes always taste slightly synthetic to me.