Betty Crocker Downsizes Cake Mixes To 15.25 oz.

[mixfinder]

Pound Cake

If you look at early recipes for poundcake no one had heard of kitchen scales. Lumps of butter the size of four eggs etc were how they were written. Clearly weighing ingredients is the most accurate but not always worth the bother. I recently bought a Taylor 4 cup measure that has a scale built in the base. Getting out the scale and dinking around with adding just tich more or take a bit out is slow and cumbersome compared to the dip and sweep method of measurement. In 98 percent of homebaking a single recipe the difference a scale would make is neglible since at least 98% of American recipes are written for volume measurement and then you'd be trying find new recipes or conversion charts. Not worth the time, mess and effort at my house. I can bake 6 cakes in the time it takes most people to get out the ingredients.

 

[frigilux]

Kelly---While you're here, I have a question for you. Someone in this thread (Hunter, perhaps) heard a tip to improve a boxed cake mix: Add 1 cup of flour and 1 stick of butter to the mix. Have you ever heard of doing this? I would think adding a full cup of flour would mess with the ratio of sugar and leavening. And I suppose nothing is hurt by adding a stick of butter, LOL. I know you're a strictly-from-scratch man when it comes to cakes, but what's your take on this tip?

Aside: I have no rational explanation for my love of the boxed cake mix. I make all my own bread, dinner rolls, cinnamon rolls, even hamburger buns; but I almost always use a boxed cake mix these days.

 

[mixfinder]

Don't Mess With Me

I have no luck using Betty crocker with or without additions. Pillsbury are my favorite and they seem to put up with anything. I used to add a stick of butter and an extra egg and liked the more solid texture. When making wedding cakes I used a cake mix, 4 eggs, 1/2 cup oil and a package of Dream Whip along with a 1 1/4 cup water. It makes a light but stay together cake good for stacking. I haven't used a cake mix since the 70's so I can't say much about how they do now. I think Hunter's idea of adding the flour would bring the sweetness ratio in line and the extra butter is always a nice addition to the shortening used in cake mix. You can buy dehydrated shortnening and butter which is added to the dry ingredients. Its much like mixing up a cake mix because it's one bowl action. I buy cake flour in 50 pound bags, butter anyt time its on sale for $2.50 or less and baking powder in 3 pound jars because I burn through it in about three months. More if there are functions like the St Patrick's Dinner with dessert auction the church is doing. I always use Molina or any Mexican vanilla I can get my hands on. Keep baking and let us know what you learn.

 

[frigilux]

I'm going to give the "add a cup of flour and a stick of butter" tip a try when I bake this weekend. I like moist, dense cakes, too. I make various cakes for work on a rotating basis, and this week the lineup includes Damn Good Coffee Cake (using a mix); Blueberry-Cream Cheese Coffee Cake (scratch); Lemon Poppyseed (mix); Chocolate Coca Cola Cake w/ Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting (mix).

Below is a mix-based coffee cake recipe I get a lot of requests for. I've tinkered with this recipe for awhile and really like it in its current form, so it gets my "Damn Good" designation. When I retire, I plan to self-publish a series of Damn Good cookbooks. That ought to keep me off the streets and out of trouble, LOL.

The recipe for Damn Good Coffee Cake is in the frame following this one. Try it, you'll like it!

 

[frigilux]

DAMN GOOD COFFEE CAKE
1 18.25-oz. box yellow cake mix
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil (or very soft butter)
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
4 large eggs

Filling/Topping:
16 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 13" x 9" baking pan.

2. Make filling/topping: Put flour, brown sugar, butter and cinnamon in bowl of food processor. Process in 2-second pulses until butter is cut into flour. Pour mixture into a bowl. Stir in chopped pecans. Set aside.

3. In bowl of stand mixer, combine cake mix, sour cream, oil (or butter), sugar, water and eggs. Beat at high speed for 2 minutes.

4. Spread a little less than half of the batter in prepared pan. Sprinkle with half of the filling/topping. Repeat to use remaining batter and filling/topping.

5. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted near center of cake emerges with no raw batter on it.

NOTE: You may use granulated sugar in place of brown sugar for the filling/topping if you prefer. However, this negates the "Damn Good" designation.

 

[hunter]

yes, you will...

If you decide to bake and cook by weight you will need a new cookbook.

Personally I am a big fan of "Delia Smith's Complete Illustrated Cookery Course" And someone else on this thread mentioned _The Cake Bible_ if you are doing cakes.

(Also, I would love to take credit for the 'add flour' etc. to a cake mix but it wasn't me who said it).

Personally I'd also love a Thermomix, but at that price, I just can't justify it - not after spending money on some of the other stuff I spend money on !!

 

[frigilux]

Whoops! My bad. The tip to improve a cake mix came from Louie. Thanks, Louie! I'm going to give it a try.

 

[lordkenmore]

There's one thing I've been wondering about with cake baking. Is there any sort of standard temperature adjustment for the oven to compensate for different types of pans? With bread, for example, James Beard said that one should reduce the heat 25 degrees if one uses a glass pan vs. a metal pan. Is there in general some similar temperature adjustment for cakes?

 

[launderess]

It's The Same

For baking breads and cakes, at least according to what one has read.

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipe/tools.html

 

[launderess]

Personally Only Use Vintage Pyrex

Glass pie dishes when doing that sort of thing. All other baking is done in vintage Ekco metal pans one has had since a teen. Or failing that whatever vintage Ovenex bakeware one has nabbed off fleaPay. Even have one those those large three loaf pans with lids for baking Pullman bread. What one thought one was going to use it for at the time of purchase god only knows. *LOL*[this post was last edited: 2/29/2012-23:11]

 

[mixfinder]

Oven Personality

Baking temperatures depend a lot on the range. GM Frigidaires brown less so 350 might be fine. GE has more radiant browning so dropping the temps 25 degrees are better. Ranges that don't have top elements that cycle during baking are a crap shoot unless they have convection. It all depends on the personality of your oven regardless of pans. If things are baking too slow or falling adjust the temperatures upward. If they hump, pull from the edges and have brown crusts lower the temperature and then make note of it for furture reference.

 

[launderess]

True, True.

One of the best things to do is besides using a good oven thermometer is to bake up a test cake using a recipe one knows backwards and fowards that never fails.

 

[lordkenmore]

Thanks for the insights about temperature and baking pans!

 

[alr2903]

Frigilux , my late dad would give  you a big kudos.  He first pointed this downsizing rip off, to me years ago , when " a three pound can of coffee" became 2lbs and X ounces.  alr

 

[frigilux]

I checked my local Hy-Vee grocery store. Pillsbury cake mixes are priced the same and Betty Crocker, but still give you a full 18-to-18.25 ounces of product. The store brand (Hy-Vee) is also full-sized and about 12 cents cheaper.

I guess I'm a Pillsbury/Hy-Vee guy, now.

Also: Just found a recipe to make your own "cake mix" which can be sealed in zip-lock bags and stored in the freezer until you need them. Going to give that a try as well. The mix has butter cut into it, then you add water/eggs/oil when ready to prepare. I'm guessing one adds cocoa powder to get a chocolate cake.

 

[cuffs054]

And speaking of buttermilk, what the hell is "fat free buttermilk"? It sells by the 1/2gal here in GA.

 

[circlew]

Krusteaz

Frigilux, have you tried Krusteaz cake mix? They come in 5 lb. boxes, and though I've not used them myself, one of my friends claims they are good. I was told you can measure out enough for one cake at a time if that's all you want to make.

 

[lordkenmore]

I guess I'm a Pillsbury/Hy-Vee guy, now.

Until, I presume, they also downsize?

If this downsizing continues, we'll sooner or later have cake mixes that are only big enough to bake half a cupcake.

 

[tolivac]

HMMM-if the downsizing continues--we will be cooking our cakes in a toy Eazy-Bake oven.

 

[lordkenmore]

There's something that might make those who are frustrated at Betty Crocker serving up smaller amounts better. Tonight I was at my usual grocery store, and I discovered they have organic cake mix. Quantity, at least on the one box I saw, was about what Betty Crocker has changed to. Price was something like 4 times higher.

On the other hand, the organic mix had nothing on the list of ingredients that I didn't recognize.