Betty Crocker's New Cake Mix

[mixguy]

Has anyone tried Betty’s™ Original Recipe Scratch Cake Mix? three flavors Golden Yellow, Chocolate Joy and German Chocolate Delight Three times the price of the bargain mixes. Calls for butter 3/4 c. 3 large eggs, and 1 c. of milk. Once combined, directions call for 2 min. beating time at high speed. I wonder which original recipe is being referenced? I have not come across any cake recipes having these titles among my Betty Crocker recipes.

Is it really correct to refer to these mixes as "original"? I read that early cake mixes were made having the shortening, flavor and dried eggs and dried milk in the mix. Polls taken is that most people did not buy them because they tasted too artificial. New formulas were developed requiring the addition of fresh eggs and water. Lots of Youtube.com posts from the 1950s Betty Crocker cake mixes verify that fact. Anyone know if Betty Crocker cake mixes always called for eggs? Early Swan's Down cake mixes were "all you add is water type of mix"

http://https//www.bettycrocker.com/products/betty-crocker-baking-and-cake-mixes

 

[gyrafoam]

They tell you everything but the weight. Something tells me the "original" contained some extra ounces of mix the modern version conveniently omits in the name of profit. A pretty picture with a retro look does not necessarily make a good cake.

I've been known to use a boxed mix, well tchotchked up of course, and I still prefer the Pillsbury.
I also have to compensate for the missing mix.

 

[ea56]

Russell, the only cake mixes that I recall that didn’t require eggs were Jiffy Cake Mix, they are single layer size. I haven’t used one in over 30 years, so they may require eggs now, but at one time they didn’t.

I started making cakes with mixes, by myself when I was about 11 in 1962. All the mayor brands, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury and Duncan Hines called for eggs and water, some oil. It wasn’t until the late 60’s or so that oil also became an expected addition by the baker. And I’ve seen in old magazine ads where in the late 40’s/ early 50’s milk was a required addition in Betty Crocker cake mixes.

I often use milk in place of water when using a mix, which is seldom. Just because the instructions call for water doesn’t mean you can’t substitute milk, the cake will be richer.

Eddie

 

[appnut]

about 19 ounces.  Box says 12 servings at 45g each that works to be 540 grams. 

 

[mikael3]

I’m somewhat puzzled by cake mixes.  A plain yellow cake is so easy to make, it seems odd to buy a mix that requires eggs and butter.  The only other ingredients are flour and sugar.  Half the work of making a cake is buttering the pans, a task I really dislike for some reason—and the box does nothing to help with that.

 

[ea56]

John,

I’m not crazy about greasing cake pans either. I use baking spray with flour in it most of the time, unless I particularly want the flavor of butter on the crust. Its so much easier.

I prefer to make my own cakes from scratch too most of the time. Once in a blue moon I’ll use a mix, but I always doctor it up, use butter and milk in place of the oil and water. And I’ll often add an extra egg too.

And when I make a butter type cake from scratch I use the reverse creaming method, instead of creaming the butter and sugar the traditional way. The cakes come out better this way in my opinion and its almost as easy as making a mix. Just add the dry ingredients to your mixing bowl, use the mixer on low to mix them together, add the softened butter and mix with the dry ingredients on low until uniformily incorporated, should look a little like wet sand. Now add the eggs and other liquid ingredients and mix on low for 30 seconds, increase speed to med and continue to beat for another 2 mins. Then just bake as per recipe directions. Couldn’t be easier. Most of the time I don’t even use the stand mixer for this, just pull out the hand mixer. When I make cakes this way they seem to rise higher and retain their height when cooled. The crumb is moist and tender. Give it a try and you’ll really like the results and the ease.
Eddie

 

[lordkenmore]

I, too, am puzzled by cake mixes. They really don't offer a whole lot of convenience as far as I'm concerned.

 

My mother was not much into baking. She did use cake mixes, I think, particularly IIRC for chocolate cakes. But the #1 cake she made was from scratch--a simple recipe that she was able to do in one bowl. If she'd found that cake onerous vs. a cake mix, I suspect she'd have just used a cake mix.

 

I will admit that I'm a bit curious about these cake mixes, and I'd be willing to try one just to see what its like. But I can't imagine I'd actually regularly use these even if I started baking regularly again.

 

[mixguy]

19.2 oz

is the stated weight of the Golden Yellow mix. A mix that has less in the box yet costs more than twice as much as the other mixes. For that price, I expect it to be indistinguishable from a scratch cake.

In the early 1950s Betty Crocker had a Party Cake mix s that had directions for making flavor variations white (using egg whites), yellow (using whole eggs) and spice (adding cinnamon, ginger, cloves, & nutmeg). Devil's Food was a separate mix.

Why are they called Devil's Food when the flavor comes from chocolate or cocoa.

 

[mixguy]

Betty Crocker Party Cake Mix

from the 1950s

http://https//youtu.be/CrpzHMWTWCI

 

[launderess]

You have to understand.....

First and foremost until (was it?) Fanny Farmer and others sat down and did the hard work working out measurements, cake baking was much about science. Nearly everything was either done by weight, or worse "a pinch, one teacup full, a spoon full, etc...). Well you can see how that might throw a novice housewife or cook off.

Just a bit of history, a "pound cake" in French is "Quarte Quarts", because the original recipes used by bakers called for one quarter each of main ingredients (butter, eggs, flour and sugar).

Cake mix has been around since the 1930's (invented as way to use up excess flour a mill had lying about spare),

http://www.icakes.ca/history-of-the-cake-mix-redefining-baking/

https://www.bonappetit.com/entertaining-style/pop-culture/article/cake-mix-history

https://www.tastingtable.com/cook/national/history-boxed-cake-mix

The idea was simple; create a standard and easy way for even a young housewife/inexperienced cook to bake a "perfect" cake. Everything needed was measured out and included in the box; all one added was milk or water.....

As to eggs; early testing in the USA and later in Europe found that housewives wanted to feel as if they were putting something of their own into the foods they prepared for their family. So cake mixes often left out the eggs, so Madame (or anyone else) could do so themselves and thus feel involved in the process.

Canned foods of course had been around since the Victorian era. But by the 1920's and 1930's there was a movement to produce wholesome either ready made or things made from packets/mixes. This was first and foremost introduced as a time saver for the housewife. But also it was felt nutritional value could be standardized and (hopefully)the ingredients pure and fresh.

It is around this time you start to see Wonder and other packaged breads. Previously you either went to the bakery daily or made your own.

Those of us who make cakes from scratch likely don't think much of it, and can do so with ease. Not everyone however then or now has that sort of time and or skill. Equally they may not wish to bother.

Just listen to "Betty Crocker"



Or would you rather do this?



You see from the last video what one meant. To young housewive/novice baker just what does "cream sugar and butter together" mean? How long does one mix a cake until the batter forms "ribbons" when beater or spoon is lifted? Just what are those "ribbons" anyway? If making an angel food cake or anything requiring egg whites, what are "stiff peaks"?

 

[earthling177]

I will second Launderess above.

A small thing I'd like to add: a lot of places like Cook's Illustrated/America's Test Kitchen and even the Culinary Institute of America strongly suggest that one should measure at the very least the flour by *weight* not volume.

Once you have an accurate scale, and the electronic scales go for 10-20 bucks nowadays, it's actually easier to measure, because you can put a bowl on the scale, zero it, measure an ingredient, zero the scale again, measure the next one etc. There is less stuff to clean up, and it's faster.

It also eliminates one of the biggest problems in baking -- people frequently blame the flour for absorbing moisture but testing reveals that flour doesn't absorb *that* much moisture, and one can eliminate the problem nearly completely by putting the flour in a rubbermaid-like container.

The problem appears in the first place because different methods (and different people trying to follow them) produce a wide variance in the quantity of flour: for example, people who first sift the flour and then carefully spoon it into the measuring cup will likely get about 4 oz/cup of the average all-purpose flour; the "dip and sweep" method tends to get anywhere from 4.5 to 5 (most common) to 6 oz/cup. The problem, as you see, is that 4 to 6 oz/cup is a much larger difference than what the ambient moisture can do to flour.

The other problem is, of course, that if you have a bunch of books, it's impractical to have to look up every time to see how this particular book measures their flour: do they spoon it into the cup without sifting, do they sift, do they just dip and sweep or something else?

All doubt could be removed simply by saying "10 oz of flour".

I used to have a heck of a time baking bread and cakes until I started using weights instead of volumes. If a recipe/cookbook doesn't provide the weight, it's simpler to go to the section where they tell you how to measure the flour by volume, find out how many grams (preferable) or ounces per cup and then annotate the recipe with the weight they intended.

Have fun!
   -- Paulo.

 

[launderess]

Began weighting ingredients for baking

After starting with the "Cake" and Bread Machine" Bible books and haven't looked back. Once you start measuring by weight (which is how all professional bakers do things and have done so for ages), it makes things so much easier, and faster.

Once you've got that bit down it is easy to scale up or down a recipe by merely working out the ratio of various ingredients. Again this is how professional bakers can make two layer cake into four, six or whatever is needed.

 

[mikael3]

I haven’t made a plain yellow cake in a while, but Eddie, you have inspired me to try the reverse-creaming method again.  I have used it before with success, but it’s been a while.  I usually make a génoise cake, which I happen to like; it’s great in trifle.  I also make pound cake using Flo Braker’s method, and that works really well.  And I make the pound cake that Hans posted a few years ago—I make that one a lot, actually.

 

Launderess hit the nail on the head when she pointed out that the mixes were not intended for people who regularly bake.  All they need is a bowl and a spoon, and the only technique required is stirring.  That would have been a miraculous wonder in the mid-20^th century.  These days, though, it seems like people who don’t bake just pick up something at the bakery and never even consider making something themselves. 

 

[mikael3]

And I weigh everything when I bake.  I started doing it 20 years ago, and I never looked back.  Scales are so cheap and small now that anyone can use one, and the results speak for themselves.  One of the big surprises for me was how easy it became to make biscuits.  Those are notorious for going wrong, and I had my share of misfortunes in the past.  But with a scale, they come out right every time.

 

[ea56]

I’ve never gotten into the habit of weighing flour for baking, too much trouble for me, I keep it simple. But I do aerate the flour before I measure. I keep my flour in a large Rubbermaid container with a stainless steel 1/2 cup measuring cup. Before I measure I take out the measuring cup, put the cap back on the container and shake it upside down a few times, the volume will increase by a few inches in the container. I then dip the meauring cup in the flour and sweep of the top. This works well for me, not scientific or acutely accurate, but my results are always good, so I’m good with it too. Everyone that bakes has their own methods and tricks. I guess if I’d started out weighing flour when I first began baking over 50 years ago, thats what I’d be comfortable with. But I have the greatest appreciation for bakers that do weigh, shows that they want to do their very best! And I always am learning, especially from members who post here.
Eddie

 

[foraloysius]

Overhere in Europe we always weigh our ingredients. Cups and spoons are something extraordinary here. I saw them for the first time on my first trip to the USA.

 

[launderess]

Perhaps the biggest development for home baking

Came with ranges/ovens that offered thermostatic temperature control. This gave housewives/anyone else baking a way to accurately control oven temperature which we know is important to baking cakes, breads and so forth.

In ovens of old such as AGA types you had a "baking oven" and perhaps a "roasting oven", with temps controlled more by distance from fire and or using dampers. Not exactly a foolproof way of baking.

All this meant you needed considerable skill and experience in baking to produce good results. Cakes back then were a rare treat. The most common would likely have been sponge, Genoise, and pound cakes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sponge_cake

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genoise

What you did get most often were pies, biscuits and other pastries. These are more forgiving once you learn how to work with dough. Then you had fried things like donuts, fritters and so forth. And of course cookies....

All this was assuming one even had an oven. In many communities it was common for housewives to take their baking over to the local baker and use those ovens.

 

[johnrk]

Cake Mixes

After baking hundreds, if not thousands, of cakes over the past 40 years I've only used a mix once, and that's because it was given to me. I must say, it mystifies me why anyone would use them! The exception would be young people who didn't keep the basic ingredients in their homes.

I don't know whether anyone else has done them, but the most challenging cakes are those made with whole wheat flour--real whole wheat flour, not the junk found in the grocery stores, warm and fresh from the mill. Because they tend to be heavier, they can be more difficult to make. I've always enjoyed making angel food cakes, my favorite recipe is probably the Marion Cunningham/Fannie Farmer recipe. However, it's entirely possible to make a delicious whole wheat angel food cake, particularly if one is using soft white or golden wheat.

One of my favorites to bake for others has been the Bevelyn Blair peanut butter pound cake with peanut butter frosting, done in either a tube or a Bundt pan. Always a hit. Also, her red velvet pound cake (which is really just a conventional pound cake colored with red food coloring) with cream cheese frosting. I've enjoyed making, for Christmas or Hallowe'en parties, a pound cake in a Bundt pan where I'll bake one in one color, red for instance, then another in green, then after they're done, slice them and alternate the colors before icing or glazing. The amazing Maida Heatter has a scrumptious lemon loaf cake with a lemon glaze drizzle that's been a hit for me.

 

[lordkenmore]

When I'd forgotten the "joys" of measuring for cakes when I commented that it seemed like cake mixes really don't make things more convenient. It's been so long since I baked a cake (probably close to 21 years now)...I got by fine years back with measuring cups. The biggest problem I had with one cake recipe that I worked with (from Fannie Farmer) was adjusting for the all purpose flour we used instead of real cake flour. Fannie Farmer, helpful as ever, had some suggestion that worked.

[this post was last edited: 11/7/2017-16:53]