Cake Mix or Recipe from scratch

One of Tom's friends left a comment on my blog asking about recipes I use for my cakes. When I took my original cake decorating classes 30 years ago, the decorator who taught us also taught us that the best recipe we could use was a Duncan Hines cake mix. I have tried other cake recipes and mixes, and have always gone back to the same. I use Duncan Hines exclusively for all of my basic cakes. Of course, here in Colorado I have to follow directions for high altitudes. Not only does Duncan Hines have the best tasting cake, but it also has the best texture, and I have found that it also rises higher and it is moister than other recipes. Again, I always bake my cakes at 325 degrees instead of 350 degrees. By using Duncan Hines cake mixes, I can also keep the cost down for my customers. There is one of my cakes that I always do from scratch and that is my carrot cake...for that I use the recipe in Mrs. Field's Cookie Book, adjusting it a little for high altitudes. It is very moist and very dense, but is extremely rich and wonderful with cream cheese frosting. Many of my fillings are made from scratch, as well as my brownies and cookies, but your best bet for your basic cake is Duncan Hines.

3/9/15 Update: Several years have past since I wrote this post. I've changed a few of my recipes. I still use Duncan Hines cake mixes, but just as a base for some of my cakes, with other ingredients added. Also, I use a different carrot cake recipe now that is outstanding. Here is a link to my favorite carrot cake recipe on the blog: 
http://cakeideas.blogspot.com/2012/08/my-favorite-carrot-cake-recipe.html
Here is the link to the best chocolate cake recipe, using a Duncan Hines cake mix as the base ingredient:
http://cakeideas.blogspot.com/2015/03/best-chocolate-cake-recipe-from-mix.html

Overbaking...

Rolls baked on silicone treated parchment liners

Rolls removed when golden brown to butter tops

Many people think that they have to bake items until they are brown, hard, and overdone. It makes me crazy!! First of all, I always bake my cakes at 325 degrees instead of the 350 degrees that it says on the package. This makes for a moister cake. Yes, you have to bake it a few minutes longer, but your cake is done when you insert a toothpick and it just barely comes out clean, and when you can touch it in the center and it will just barely bounce back. Chocolate cakes usually take a few minutes longer than other flavors. DO NOT bake cakes so long that they become dry and hard around the edges. They should be soft and moist. Also, why do some people think they have to bake cookies until they are hard as a rock, and almost burned on the bottom? Cookies should be gently crisp on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. Mrs. Fields recommends baking most of her cookies at 300 degrees, instead of 350 or 375. Also, you should almost always remove the cookies from the oven after the MINIMUM amount of time listed. If necessary, you can leave them on the pan for a couple of minutes to finished baking, but usually you can just remove them from the pan and put on a cooling rack or directly on a clean counter to cool. The cookies may look barely set when you remove them from the oven. Do not let your cookies get too brown. They should just barely be golden on the bottom. Same with rolls or cinnamon rolls. I usually bake my dinner rolls for 25 minutes instead of the recommended 30 minutes--they should be a nice even golden brown on top and barely brown on the bottom, not dark brown. They will be softer and moister. Also, remember that everyone's oven may be a little different. Before you start using your oven, you should test the temperature so you know how hot it is, and then adjust your baking temperature accordingly. Using silicone treated parchment paper also helps to bake your items more evenly.

Does my family get tired of cakes?

Well, I suppose that depends on who you're talking about. My husband will eat anything, as long as it's laying around--that includes cake scraps, or any other cake I may have around at the time. My son in law probably will eat most of my cakes also. However, when my kids were younger, we all got a bit tired of eating cakes, myself included. Birthdays were a treat for both the kids and myself, as I would take them to Marie Calendar's and let them choose any pie they wanted. So the treat to me was that I didn't even have to do any baking--imagine that. It wasn't that they didn't like my cakes; it was just that there were always so many around that we just needed something else. When my two sons were teenagers, their friends would come over expecting to find cake scraps left over after I had finished a wedding cake. One time a friend came over asking for cake scraps, and I had just dumped them into my large garbage sack in my baking kitchen. That didn't seem to make a difference to him. He went to the garbage sack, dug them out, and proceeded to eat. I believe only a teenage boy would do that.

Dowels...wooden or plastic?

Wilton plastic dowel rods

Wooden and plastic dowel rods

When constructing a wedding cake, dowel rods must be inserted into each tier to support the tiers that are stacked above it. Until a few years ago, the decorator always used wooden dowel rods, because they were the only ones available. Several years ago, Wilton came out with hollow plastic dowel rods that I find work much better than wooden dowels...they add more support and are easier to work with. The white plastic dowels are 12 inches long and come in a package of 4. The plastic is quite thin, so they can be cut easily with a small knife or saw, just like you would cut the wooden dowels. After cutting, I like to sand the ends smooth with a piece of sandpaper. Because the diameter of the plastic dowels is much wider than the wooden dowels, they add greater support, even though cake still comes up the center of each since they are hollow. Wooden dowels also have a tendency to tilt, whereas the plastic ones aren't as likely to have that problem. Here are some hints to make sure that your tiers are level when inserting the dowels.

• Cut the dowels for each tier separately. The tiers, even though on the same wedding cake, may be slightly different in thickness, which can make a difference.
• Be certain that all dowels for each tier are exactly the same height, after sanding the ends.
• Always insert the dowels around the edges of your cake plate or board, never in the center. If the cake settles too much, the cake will be balancing on the center dowel, and may tilt to one side.
• Cut your dowels only slightly below the top of cake, since there is always a chance that the cake will settle a bit.

General guidelines when designing a wedding cake

All tiers 10 inches
6" - 8" - 12"
6" - 8" - 10" - 12"
6" - 10" - 14"

There are a few basic guidelines a bride should follow when designing her wedding cake. Often, the decorator designing your cake will fail to let you know these things.

1. If your cake has all tiers directly above each other, either with or without separations, your tiers should have at least 4 inches difference in the diameters. This will not only make the cake look nicer, because of the proportions, but will make the cake more stable. The possible exception to this rule is when you have a smaller cake, the top 2 tiers may have only a 2 inch difference in diameter. (For example, 6"- 8"-12".) The cake would still look nicer if the proportions were 6"- 10" - 14".
2. If the tiers are staggered and on separate pedestals, the above rule does not apply. You may have any amount diameter difference between the tiers, or all of the tiers may even be the same.
3. When delivering your cake, the tiers must all be transported separately. Depending on whether or not you have separations between the tiers, the decorator may need extra time at the reception site to assemble the cake, including adding borders and details.
4. The top tier of your wedding cake is traditionally saved for the first anniversary. This is normally included in the cost of your cake. Most decorators should give you the option of paying for and serving the top tier at the reception and offering a free tier that is ordered prior to the first anniversary, so it will be fresh.
5. Be sure to ask your decorator which items are included in the cost--delivery, floral arrangement, fountain, mirror, extra decorations, etc.
6. Stay away from dark icing colors on your wedding cake. They will bleed onto the background icing and also give your guests funny colored teeth. Also, the more color used in the icing, the more bitter the taste. The most beautiful, elegant cakes are iced and decorated all in white or ivory, with color detail brought in with ribbon or flowers.
7. Be sure your table is large enough and/or the correct shape for your cake design. Also, be sure an electrical outlet and extension cord, if necessary, are available if your cake design includes such things as a fountain or lights.

The hardest thing about moving...

When we were anticipating and preparing for our move to Colorado, we were excited. Even though the circumstances around our move were not the best, we were excited about starting out again "fresh." And that we did...new business with no other job, no home, not knowing where in Colorado Springs we would end up, and having to start my cake business all over again. When we were packing up the house to move, I was fine, until...I had to start packing up my baking kitchen. Not only did I not realize how much I had to pack, but I was leaving MY KITCHEN. I had designed this baking kitchen myself. We had filled in the covered patio to make the kitchen, and we built another one. The kitchen was separate from the rest of the home and I could lock the rest of the family out if I needed to. Inside, I had a double oven, double large industrial size sinks with racks above for drying pans,etc., an extra refrigerator, and lots and lots of cabinet and counter space. Beside my oven, were 10 shelves of cooling racks that I could slide in and out. Then, to the left of them, I had vertical slots that fit all of my various sizes and shapes of cake pans. I had enough cabinet space to store all of my supplies, equipment, and books. When I started packing up the kitchen, the tears began to fall. I knew I would probably never have another kitchen like this one, and it had been my dream. So, now three years later, my business is just beginning to grow again, I make do with baking in my regular kitchen, and most of my decorating equipment is stored in cupboards in the garage. My kitchen is quite workable, even though I still have only one oven. When the time comes that I need more than that and when I have the money to do so, I will again have a double oven, even though I may never again have my dream kitchen.

To fill or not to fill...

Raspberry Fudge cake

Chocolate mint mousse cake Chocolate Lover's cake

Slicing the layers and adding a filling can turn any cake into an elegant dessert instead of "just a cake." Even the so called self-proclaimed non-cake lover may change his mind with the first bite. Several different flavors and ingredients can be used to fill cakes. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Fudge or fudge nut
• Cream cheese
• Mousse--strawberry, raspberry, chocolate, chocolate mint, peanut butter to name a few
• Fruit fillings--strawberry (best when using fresh strawberries in season), raspberry, lemon, cherry
• Bavarian creme
• Whipped cream--vanilla or chocolate

My specialty cakes always have some kind of yummy filling between the layers. For example my raspberry fudge cake has a layer of fudge filling between layers of raspberry filling in a moist chocolate cake, iced in a delicious buttercream and covered with hand-shaved chocolate curls...yumm! Another is the banana split cake...rich layers of yellow cake with layers of whipped cream with pineapple, fresh strawberries, and bananas, iced with whipped cream and sprinkled with nuts and drizzled with chocolate syrup. Makes you hungry, doesn't it? Next time, try adding a filling to your cake and wait for the compliments!!!