Made me a bit mad----

[Emerald]

Don't you find it interesting that we are now a generation of people thinking that starting with a boxed cake is making from "scratch"? I realize people on here don't think so but you talk to the average person and they do.

Yikes! Yes, I saw SIL on FB commenting on having to make pumpkin bread for her son like it was a pretty big endeavor--and it was from a box, too. Not judging her, but it is interesting where these skills have gone.

Moolie--Looks like an excellent recipe, thanks! Cake is the ONE thing I sometimes get from a box. I can't make a moist cake (unless it has beets or carrots, and the kids get weary of that ) from scratch to save my life.

Thanks for your post!! lol I had to run out on the deck and get the "Galeux dEysines" pumpkin that I got with the Halloween pumpkins for a buck.. they are supposed to be the best tasting due to high sugar.. I want it for making my pumpkin pies in a couple weeks for thanksgiving! The weather took a turn here in Michigan today.. off and on rain/snow/ice pellets/sunshine all day and the temp is dropping down under 30.. it would have frozen if I hadn't see this post!
I think I roast it and puree the flesh and freeze it till I need it. Thanks again!!

 

[Living the Simple Life]

I find the easiest thing to to is when I am making a cake, just to make up several "convenience" cake mixes at the same time. Basically, putting your dry ingredients together just like a boxed cake mix (except in a ziploc or jar if preferred). Next time you want to make a cake, just pull out a baggie...as "convenient" as a box mix, except I can pronounce all the ingredients!! This is one of the recipes I use (I found it on the hillbilly housewife blog years ago).

Dark Rich Chocolate Cake Mix

1 cup unbleached white flour
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1-1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/4 cup dry buttermilk powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon instant coffee crystals

Use a plastic, gallon sized, zipper bag for this recipe. Measure all of these ingredients into the bag. Zipper it closed, and gently shake to combine all of the ingredients. Label the bag, and make sure it is sealed all the way. Store on the pantry shelf until needed. Make several at once for the most convenience.

To Prepare

1 package of Dark Rich Chocolate Cake Mix
2 cups tap water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 medium eggs

Empty the cake mix into a big bowl. Add the water, oil and eggs. Beat with a whisk or electric beaters for about 2 minutes, or until the mixture is smooth and any lumps are gone. Turn the batter into a well oiled 9″ x 13″ rectangular pan. Bake at 350 for about 35 to 40 minutes. The sides should be pulled away from the sides of the pan, and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean. Be careful not to overbake. Cool and frost as desired. Makes about 24 pieces.

 

[Leta]

I make that cake mix! (Except I don't include the coffee crystals.)

A couple of years ago, I put together that cake mix, a pint of homecanned pumpkin, and a cup of chocolate chips. On the card, I had a recipe for "4 Ingredient Cake":

1 jar cake mix, 1 jar pumpkin, mixed together and baked on 350 for 25 minutes. Then, dump the chocolate chips in a saucepan and add 1 cup heavy cream (provide own cream). Melt together over low heat, while whisking, until completely mixed.

When the cake is done, allow to cool for 15 minutes, then pour the ganache (cream + chocolate) over the cake. Allow to cool until ganache is firm.

It was a huge hit! Then, this year, DH put something on FB about processing our jack o' lanterns into pumpkin puree, and everyone was like, "Ewww!" DH turned to me and said, "I wonder where they think all their yummy cake pumpkins came from."

 

[~gd]

you are right Homemaker
it is an illusion of baking

wonder if those who use the boxed cake shortcuts could make a cake if the internet went down

Are you all stay at home moms? While I was working every day I often used the shortcuts (even that was better than buying a store made cake. BTW I don't get the dig about the internet going down, the box mixes have complete instructions on the box. I use the internet for strach Baking. Mama didn't have recipies for EVERY baked good! Also if you have the time and experience you can produce a box mix at home and then add the extras. PS I am a male.

 

[me&thegals]

I used to work strictly from home, half time, no childcare. Now I do my CSA farming at home and work 24 hours per week out of the house. No daycare.

I totally understand that not everyone wants to devote as much time to food prep as I do. And I use the internet extensively also for all sorts of things like recipes, learning new skills--just like you, GD

LTSL--Thanks for that mix--it looks great! I will be trying it!

me&thegals

 

[~gd]

I make that cake mix! (Except I don't include the coffee crystals.)

A couple of years ago, I put together that cake mix, a pint of homecanned pumpkin, and a cup of chocolate chips. On the card, I had a recipe for "4 Ingredient Cake":

1 jar cake mix, 1 jar pumpkin, mixed together and baked on 350 for 25 minutes. Then, dump the chocolate chips in a saucepan and add 1 cup heavy cream (provide own cream). Melt together over low heat, while whisking, until completely mixed.

When the cake is done, allow to cool for 15 minutes, then pour the ganache (cream + chocolate) over the cake. Allow to cool until ganache is firm.

It was a huge hit! Then, this year, DH put something on FB about processing our jack o' lanterns into pumpkin puree, and everyone was like, "Ewww!" DH turned to me and said, "I wonder where they think all their yummy cake pumpkins came from."

Please remove me from your gift list!

 

[me&thegals]

I make that cake mix! (Except I don't include the coffee crystals.)

A couple of years ago, I put together that cake mix, a pint of homecanned pumpkin, and a cup of chocolate chips. On the card, I had a recipe for "4 Ingredient Cake":

1 jar cake mix, 1 jar pumpkin, mixed together and baked on 350 for 25 minutes. Then, dump the chocolate chips in a saucepan and add 1 cup heavy cream (provide own cream). Melt together over low heat, while whisking, until completely mixed.

When the cake is done, allow to cool for 15 minutes, then pour the ganache (cream + chocolate) over the cake. Allow to cool until ganache is firm.

It was a huge hit! Then, this year, DH put something on FB about processing our jack o' lanterns into pumpkin puree, and everyone was like, "Ewww!" DH turned to me and said, "I wonder where they think all their yummy cake pumpkins came from."

Whoa--does that sound incredible!

 

[Leta]

The whole thing started because everyone was asking us where our jack o' lanterns were. We told everyone that we don't carve them until Halloween afternoon. We put a a beeswax candle in each one, and after trick or treating is over (about 8 p.m.), we bring them in, peel them, and put them onto boil. Usually we don't get around to canning them until November 1st.

It's not gross, really. The candles are food safe, and the pumpkins sit (in the cold!) for 4-6 hours, not 4-6 days.

We started doing this when I was pregnant with DD and we were on Food Stamps. We bought pumpkins with Food Stamps, and I looked at DH and said, "We really should eat these." So we did.

 

[FarmerChick]

you are right Homemaker
it is an illusion of baking

wonder if those who use the boxed cake shortcuts could make a cake if the internet went down

Are you all stay at home moms? While I was working every day I often used the shortcuts (even that was better than buying a store made cake. BTW I don't get the dig about the internet going down, the box mixes have complete instructions on the box. I use the internet for strach Baking. Mama didn't have recipies for EVERY baked good! Also if you have the time and experience you can produce a box mix at home and then add the extras. PS I am a male.

gd for me it is about 'scratch' and most on the board are the same

I google certain receipes and it comes up start with a box mix.
to me, if I want junk I can buy it, if I want scratch I have to make it....so to me those receipes are junk boxed plus extra.
I thought when I googled choclate cake etc that I would hit homemade real scratch recipes, the abundance of THOSE sites gave me boxed shortucts. Sign of the times which is not good actually lol

I know now I must say scratch in my google. Scratch cake is super simple less chemicals. Of course I used boxed before but not anymore considering the ease of the process to make real (real means no chem adds in that mix they add)

but why is boxed better than store bought cake? store bought cake IS boxed cake made for ya. ( maybe a day older lol)

internet goes down, people would not know how to make many things from scratch, like easy with 'buy store bought mix' and add----if the internet went down without a basic receipe you could not move forward at all. Internet goes down and cake mix off the shelf is gone could you make a cake? I can.

You don't need to 'produce a box mix at home' cause cake making is simple...yet so many don't know that. A box is easy plus chemicals, scratch is simple less chemicals.

It is all about what you want to eat. We are into health now. I guess it comes down to what you will eat with chemical additives vs. what is easy to produce without chemical adds........and of course it all comes down to what we allow in our diet vs. chems. and we all must pick and choose.

 

[moolie]

you are right Homemaker
it is an illusion of baking

wonder if those who use the boxed cake shortcuts could make a cake if the internet went down

Are you all stay at home moms? While I was working every day I often used the shortcuts (even that was better than buying a store made cake. BTW I don't get the dig about the internet going down, the box mixes have complete instructions on the box. I use the internet for strach Baking. Mama didn't have recipies for EVERY baked good! Also if you have the time and experience you can produce a box mix at home and then add the extras. PS I am a male.

I'm not a "stay at home mom", however I do work at home--in an office/studio in my home--during the business hours, so I am home all day. But other than starting a crock pot meal "before I go to work for the day" or having the convenience of my own home kitchen for lunch, my day is the same as anyone else who has a day job. With a shorter commute.

I stand by my points above about boxed mixes not actually saving anyone any time when it comes to baking. They're just the flour, sugar, colour, rising agents and salt portion of a recipe. One still needs to add oil, eggs, and milk. How much more difficult is it to measure the dry ingredients individually rather than dump out a box and still have to measure the remaining ingredients? It's all marketing.

The cake recipe I posted above works the same way as the box--dump everything into a bowl and stir to combine, then beat for 2 minutes and bake. How does a box save anyone any more than fractions of minutes in the process?

That said, I disagree that it is an "illusion of baking", there are several posts here that show how to make your own "mixes" for "convenience". No different from the commercial ones in application. Plus it is the combining the ingredients correctly and the baking correctly is the only way to produce an acceptable end product. And, if you read the ingredients you won't find many "chemicals" that aren't in your own cupboards. My only beef with commercially packaged mixes is that they purport to save the baker "time", when they really don't. They make baking cost more than if you do it from scratch and only save fractions of minutes.

As for the internet going down, I don't know about anyone else but I own several cookbooks, and even if I didn't I could go to any branch of my public library and find shelves and shelves of cookbooks on every topic. For free.

Finally, I will never understand people who tell me that cooking takes too much time. Cooking a good solid dinner doesn't take any more than half an hour as long as you have the ingredients available--meat thawed (or popped into the microwave to thaw if you have one), veggies in the freezer/jar/can/fridge, etc. add pasta, rice, a pastry crust for a pot pie--none of this takes any more than half an hour. It's all about being prepared and organized. Yes, there are more complicated recipes, but just cooking dinner is easy