Do you Bake from a Box?

DIna00

DIna00

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I never grew up with things like Duncan Hines and Betty Crocker, so when I taste them now I am not used to the flavor and texture and don't really like them. My husband on the other hand grew up with them so he enjoys a cake from a box.

However, I recently found the most excellent mix for a Marzipan Loaf/cake from Aldi this past Christmas. The mix is made in Germany and there are only the most basic simple ingredients in it. It tastes very much like a homemade cake. It is excellent!

If you live in Europe, are there a lot of cake mixes sold in bags or boxes, that have just pure simple ingredients?

Do you do a lot of baking from boxes?
 
I make cakes, muffins and cookies from a cake mix. I always add something to the mix to make it taste more like home made. It is usually a cup of strong coffee instead of water or the required liquid. It is hard to tell my baked goods started out as a box mix.
 
I grew up in a household where my mother knew nothing about baking unless it came from a box, so once out on my own, I used the boxed mixes too. It wasn't until I was married and had my daughter that I decided I wanted to have the choice of ingredients to use. It was such fun making everything from scratch and quite the learning process too. I won't say, I never use mixes anymore but if I do its a rare occasion.
 
I am not from Europe and I am not sure my mom (a Caribbean person) will be so proud of me knowing that almost all of my cakes were from a box up until recently. So, yes, I do bake from a box and have been doing it for years. I wasn't into baking much but since I have recently been exposed to more bakers, I have been trying more and more things from scratch.

I have heard a story of a lady baking for years from a box for all kinds of occasions and getting lots of compliments for her excellent work. They seem to work well for some people and I used to one of those people.
 
I honestly prefer baking a cake from scratch, I've never been a big fan of a cake in a box... I enjoy adding the ingredients myself and being able to control what I put in the cake and how much of it I put in.
I will try the cake in a box one of these days though, especially on days I am too lazy to make the cake from scratch! Thanks for the share.
 
blueeyes said:
I grew up in a household where my mother knew nothing about baking unless it came from a box, so once out on my own, I used the boxed mixes too. It wasn't until I was married and had my daughter that I decided I wanted to have the choice of ingredients to use. It was such fun making everything from scratch and quite the learning process too. I won't say, I never use mixes anymore but if I do its a rare occasion.
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I was like this, but my mom could also cook truly as well. Most nights since she was so busy she'd end up using box meals to keep us fed (I have a little sister and two elder brothers) so I took it upon myself to learn to cook to lessen her burden and I figured it's a good life skill to have. Some kids my age were too into games or outdoor activities, but I liked to cook.
 
Shimus said:
I was like this, but my mom could also cook truly as well. Most nights since she was so busy she'd end up using box meals to keep us fed (I have a little sister and two elder brothers) so I took it upon myself to learn to cook to lessen her burden and I figured it's a good life skill to have. Some kids my age were too into games or outdoor activities, but I liked to cook.
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That's great that you took an interest in cooking to lessen your mom's burden. My mom didn't have a burden with cooking, she just wasn't very good at it. I understand her mother (my grandmother) was a very good cook and did all kinds of baking. Obviously my mother never learned from her.
 
These moms not being great in the kitchen stories always make me smile. As a child I thought all moms could cook and bake and mine was the best. I found out later I was wrong on both counts.

I have moving away from the box but yesterday at the supermarket I decided to pick up mix in a "bag".
 
Ha! I grew up with stuff from a box too, though certain things were purchased already baked, and still others were made from scratch. I'm not sure why that is, I suppose it was a question of convenience. These days I rarely use a packaged mix for anything because I am wary of the preservatives, etc., in purchased mixes.
 
When I first started baking cakes, yes, I did them from the box.

Then my first-ever cake that I made from scratch was a pound cake. That was in the very early '70s!
Pound cake has become my most favorite cake to make over the years!! I've also made the classic German Chocolate Cake, as well as pineapple upside down cake!

I'm not too overly fond of frosted cakes, especially birthday or wedding cakes, because of the astronomically amount of frosting that's on them! I WILL however, on occasion, drizzle some homemade icing on the pound cake.

I also used to used the Jiffy Corn Muffin mix from the box. Then around that same time, I began making cornbread from scratch, and have been doing it that way every since! It is a very proven recipe that works every time!! :wink:
 
I am planing to do something big from scratch and post as my first MAJOR achievement. I have been doing little things from scratch and have some little issues here and there. I popped into the supermarket recently and saw a box mix gluten free cake and could not help but pick it up. I made it yesterday and there was nothing to show of it after a few hours. I guess I will be alternating between the box and from scratch.

While I want to accomplish big things with doing everything from scratch, I still feel a box cake might be okay from time to time.
 
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I recently baked a white cake from a box that I got from a friend, but I made my own filling for the center and it came out quite nice with a little vanilla/brown sugar frosting.

When I cook from boxes, I still try to make as much of it as I can from scratch out of habit.
 
I only bake from a box, I do add something special to the mix to make it more like homemade. I bake from a box to avoid running out of sugar for the household, the mix has everything it so I do not have to purchase extra sugar to bake with. To avoid preservatives that are in the boxed mixes I cut everything else from scratch.
 
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