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Betty Crocker mixes, are there any copy cat recipes ;D

 
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chimerasfire
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 21, 2005 8:49 pm    Post subject: Betty Crocker mixes, are there any copy cat recipes ;D Reply with quote

Why do the Betty Crocker boxed products always turn out perfect. Make it from a box and its deliscious, try and make it from scratch..it can be questionable somtimes. Can anyone tell me why this is? and... Is there anyone that might know the recipe for their cake/cookie/brpwnie mixes or at least copy cats of it.

Also is it a question of having the dry ingreds. mixed separatly 1st, then the liquid, sort of like one does in banana bread??

Hehe, I know that sort of thing is probebly suppost to be top secret, but it
never hurts to ask, right?

Thankx a ton Big smile
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DuxIl



Joined: 23 Sep 2005
Posts: 15
Location: Duxbury, Massachusetts

PostPosted: Fri Sep 23, 2005 11:51 am    Post subject: Copycat recipes Reply with quote

Do a Google search on the topic "copycat recipes" and you will be pleasantly surprised with how many "secret" and "proprietary" recipes have already been reverse-engineered for your enjoyment.

The main reason for cake mixes is convenience. Many of the bromides used by large milling companies such as Pillsbury (owners of various cake mix brands) are not publicly available.

If your scratch baking does not turn out superior to a cake mix cake each and every time, it means you are not following the recipe exactly. Baking, unlike other areas in the culinary world, is an exact science. Cake mixes "dumb down" baking for people too lazy to follow recipes or those who cannot read and follow instructions properly.
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Smillie - OzFire



Joined: 26 Sep 2005
Posts: 24
Location: South Australia

PostPosted: Mon Oct 24, 2005 6:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

As stated
"Baking, unlike other areas in the culinary world, is an exact science."
once you understand why the recipe works and why changes wreck them you are bound to win...

Must have's
real butter.... its not just a fat it changes the way cakes rise
experiment use a packet cake one half use oil or marg...
and the other half use high quality unsalted butter
the difference in taste texture and smell will amaze you

Use a soft flour it makes a better cake
soft flour - cakes and cookies - crumbly and soft
hard four - bread and pasta - rubbery and tough.
Multie purpose flour is the saddest of both worlds but some where in the middle.
There is a dicussion on this site somewhere about the different wheats, its well worth reading.

use fresh eggs
They are not being used for part of the liquid... they contribute protein and affect the rising and finished moisture

remember if you want a crisp finish use water and milk if you don't.
A standard cake mixture made with water makes a great base for crunchy cookies.

At home any one should be able to make a far Superior cake from scratch than any thing from a package, the skill level is low... but always remember the recipe has those levels of ingredients for a reason. and you must not change them except to experiment and to learn - why do it like that... experiments
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 04, 2006 8:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The reason the box mixes always turn out so "well" is due to a bunch of crazy chemicals. Ever read the side of the box? They put more chemicals in those mixes than I use in the lab on any typical day. Kind of scary if you really think about it...

Here is Pillsbury Moist Supreme Cake Mix - Funfetti:

SUGAR, BLEACHED FLOUR (BLEACHED FLOUR, NIACIN, IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OIL(SOYBEAN COTTONSEED). CANDY BITS (SUGAR, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OIL [COTTONSEED SOYBEAN], CORNSTARCH, MODIFIED CORN STARCH, CONFECTIONERS SHELLAC, COLORED WITH[YELLOW, 5, YELLOW 6, RED 40, BLUE 1]SALT). CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, BAKING POWDER(BAKING SODA, SODIUM ALUMINUM PHOSPHATE, MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE), WHEAT STARCH, MODIFIED WHEAT STARCH, DEXTROSE PROPYLENE GLYCOLMONO AND DIESTERS OF FATTY(ACIDS, MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES, SALT, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, CELLULOSE GUM, GUAR GUM, ZANTHAN GUM, CITRIC ACID, POLYSORBATE 60, SOY LECITHIN.

Yum!! Someone threw a few engineers at that product :-) I always love eating someones chemistry experiment!
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holleigh
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 28, 2007 8:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

i am joining the conversation almost two years later, but i found it on google searching for the cake mix copy cats. i have to disagree that home baked cakes done exactly according to directions and with the finest ingredients are always superior. maybe they are more sophisticated, but when you grew up on the crap cake mixes, that taste holds a special place in your heart, and no home-baked recipe seems able to duplicate it.

a few things to point out (aside from the use of chemicals):

almost all white cake mixes list sugar as the first ingredient, but i've yet to find a cake recipe using more sugar than flour. also, the texture of the sugar in cake mix is clearly different. it seems like it would have to be more of a powdered sugar. cake mixes all seem to include corn starch, another ingredient not typically included in cakes baked from scratch.

it does not seem impossible to create a cake mix copy cat. i am a fan of "superior" baked goods as well, but nothing can replace my love for funfetti.
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