What’s not to love about instant cake mixes?

“I’ve read what you’ve written about instant cake mixes, and they sound great…but [insert name of a television chef here] said they were bad. What do you think about what they have to say?”

Most of the folks that seem to be very anti-cake mixes have the following traits in common:

They are friends of mine.

I think we’re all grown up enough to debate this without it getting personal, but I’m not going to name names here, because I just don’t think it’s necessary to make my point.

They make their living off baking cakes.

That is to say, anything that makes baking easier for the average joe makes them somewhat less valuable — their agenda is pretty clear.

They’re on television.

This is totally irrelevant and doesn’t mean anything — I just think it’s interesting. They’re not all on the telly, but it does seem like most of them are, which is just a little weird.)

So it’s been made clear to me that these folks don’t like instant cake mixes and don’t think they should be used (except, in some cases, for a quick cake when the vicar is coming for afternoon tea). What’s not clear to me is why they feel this way. So, I’m asking publicly, and hoping these folks will show up here to give me their answers: What is it about instant cake mixes that bothers you?

A few preemptive notes about what I suspect may be some of the answers:

Some people say instant cake mixes are “less tasty”.

I’ve yet to taste one that is “less tasty”. None of them (that I’ve tasted) encourage using unnecessary toppings (like hundreds and thousands or grated Flake), or using ingredients for purposes they weren't intended for (like sponge fingers for substance). The ones I know of encourage nutritous, delicious flour, so I'm not sure where this argument against them comes from.

Some people say that instant cake mixes make you feel bloated.”

I’m not sure at what point you start to feel “bloated,” but the two most popular instant cake mixes, Betty Crocker Cake Mix and Mary Jo's Instant Cake Mix, both weigh in at under 100 calories per serving. Unless you’re baking for a person on a strict diet or some other person whose weight is an extreme concern, I can’t see how 100 calories could possibly be a problem.

Some people say that instant cake mixes encourage the use of lots of decorative toppings.

To this, I have three responses: First, instant cake mixes in general don’t encourage this. Some instant cake mixes use decorative toppings for some of their ingredients (Betty Crocker Cake Mix and Mary Jo's Instant Cake Mix both use chocolate drops for their finishing touches). Many instant cake mixes don’t use any decorative toppings. Second, making a cake from scratch in a microwave oven isn't practical yet, so if you want to rustle up tasty cakes in a few minutes, how else are going to do them? And third, how do these decorative toppings hurt the cake? Do they negatively impact the eater or recipe cost? I don’t think so. They only thing they hurt is the feelings of television chefs who go poking around the ingredients in other people’s baking.

Also, I’ll say this: instant cake mixes are not for everyone, or every situation. They’re especially great for those working on tight deadlines and those working in teams (teams wherein multiple people work on the same cake — they benefit from having a consistent set of recipe patterns), and also for those working on several cakes of a similar nature (for example, a team working at a small cafe). I’m definitely not trying to say everyone should be using instant cake mixes— but I think it’s inaccurate for these folks to be publicly saying that no one should be using instant cake mixes, too.

So, with all that having been said, I have a few questions for the peanut gallery, especially those of you who have been publicly railing against the use of instant cake mixes:

What is it about instant cake mixes that bothers you so?

1. Do you want mixing sugar, eggs, flour and milk to be easier for everyone, or would you rather it be a highly-skilled craft that requires the assistance of experts?
2. Why is this just coming up now? Why did no one mind when Sara Lee released their instant cake mix?
3. Do you simply oppose the idea of instant cake mixes as a whole? Do you also dislike the instant Pot Noodles that have been so popular recently? Do you also dislike part-baked bread rolls, ready rolled pastry, and CakePHP? Or is there something specific to instant cake mixes that renders them somehow inappropriate?

I hope to get some great answers, as this is a topic that interests me a lot. My gut feeling is that many folks who make their living off baking cakes are getting scared. They’re realizing that mixing sugar, eggs, flour and milk are actually pretty darn easy, especially with the aide of tools like instant cake mixes. They’re realizing that the only hard thing about baking is troubleshooting lousy ovens — and they’re realizing that lousy ovens are fewer and farther between than ever, and getting fewer every year. They’re realizing, quite frankly, that their skill set may be less valuable in the future than it has been for the past couple of years.

I’d love to be proven wrong, but until someone speaks up with some good reason whyinstant cake mixes shouldn’t be used, instead of simply asserting that they shouldn’t, I’m convinced these folks are just trying to drum up some false job security.