Grocery store vs bakery cake

So why go to a bakery or home baker instead of using a boxed mix or getting one from your local grocery store? With the many choices available in your local grocery store, a boxed mix surely makes it easy (and cheap) to whip up any flavored cake. From vanilla and chocolate to carrot and german chocolate, most mixes are under $2 per box. Then for another $2, you can get a can of pre made frosting including shelf stable and non-refrigerated cream cheese frosting? Add some oil, eggs and water and presto, you have a cake. But, have you looked at the ingredients in a box mix?

In a world where so many of us are concerned with processed foods and high fructose corn syrup, I am amazed at the amount of people that still opt for boxed mixes. Here is the list of ingredients off a box of Betty Crocker chocolate cake mix: enriched bleached flour, sugar, corn syrup, cocoa processed with alkali, baking side, sodium aluminum phosphate, mono calcium phosphate, corn starch, modified corn starch, nonfat milk, partially hydrogenated soybean oil and/or cottonseed oil, propylene glycol mono and diesters of fatty acids, salt, distilled monoglycerides, dicalcium phosphate, sodium stearoyl lactylate, xanthan gum, cellulose gum and artificial flavor. Phew! I think I counted 21 ingredients... For a cake... Not including the oil, water and eggs. Not including the frosting or any fillings. I'm curious what ingredients are in the cream cheese frosting.

Can I tell you what goes into a Frost This chocolate cake? Unbleached flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla, brown sugar, butter, eggs, milk and cocoa powder. 10 ingredients. And we try to use local, fresh ingredients when available. That's just one of the reasons...

If you get your cake at your local supermarket, yes, you will save a few bucks. You can pick up a dozen cupcakes for $6 where you are looking to spend atleast $20 from your local bakery. So why spend the extra funds at a bakery when the supermarket is just so cheap? Because you will get the personal touch. If your son is really into science, do you think the local grocer will take the time to research science cakes, find out their favorite flavors and colors and make it come to life like this cake?

Or if your unique 10 year old has an odd obsession with rubber ducks, mustaches and the color purple, will the local baker take the time to make this cake?

The local supermarket has one or 2 decorators that need to whip out 50 cakes, that all look the same and the most personalization you will get is happy birthday (insert name here)

On those occasions that are special enough to you that you want to celebrate with cake, why not choose someone that can help you make your child's face light up with excitement, or your dad be even more excited to retire.