Bakery ingredient suppliers are constantly working to improve mixes in order to ensure the highest quality products for their customers. Artisanal baking is the goal, and these companies understand that retail bakers have to consider many things when deciding to switch to mixes.

Product quality is of utmost importance, but bakers are also watching costs, trying to maximize profits, looking to stay true to their iconic tastes, and keeping an eye out for changing tastes season-to-season and year-to-year.

“I get that people like the idea of a 100 percent scratch bakery, but the reality is that cake mixes save you steps and eliminate scaling errors,” says Beth Fahey, co-owner of Creative Cakes in Tinley Park, Illinois.

Fahey makes her chocolate, chiffon, apple, and pumpkin cakes from scratch, but she finds mixes produce the best yellow, red velvet, and carrot cake results. She says consistency is her top priority and notes that certain scratch recipes are notoriously tricky, so mixes can save the day.

Fahey advises that bakeries should crunch the numbers if they’re unsure about the benefits of mixes. “Labor is 48 percent of our expenses,” Fahey says of Creative Cakes. “Anywhere you can save labor without compromising the quality is a huge win. Mixes are really a no-brainer.”