Am I wrong? This is a not a recipe!

[sandbagsatdawn]

Just been looking up cake recipes and came across one where the first two 'ingredients' are
1 pkg. (2-layer size) yellow cake mix
1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding

Have frequently seen (mostly American) recipes or descriptions of how to make elaborate looking cakes, which start with a packet mix.

I have never used a packet cake mix and can't see the point.

I can't either. However, I think they are quite common in America. Also in some countries where baking isn't common, it's not easy to get the ingredients. I've lived in China and Japan and it was normal to buy Betty Crocker cake mix because butter and sugar weren't so common (and expensive).

I once bought a book called 'just four ingredients' or something like that and it had 'ingredients' like a can of soup.

I saw a recipe for a Chinese curry on Facebook that was meat,veg and that Chinese curry powder everyone on slimming world goes mad about

Yup, seems fairly normal for American stuff.

Seems odd to me as well, some mums on my fb put proud pictures of 'baking with the kids' and it is always a packet mix. I mean fine on occasion and it is an easier way of getting to the decorating stage but it's not really teaching your child to bake is it?

The exception being Betty Crocker cookie mix, I've tried countless cookie recipes. None of them have ever matched up to the amazingness of Betty Crocker cookies!

I use betty crocker mix for brownies, and for red velvet cake. Everything else I do myself.

Very common in American recipes ime.

I stopped looking at cake and biscuit recipes on Pinterest because it was all pre packaged cake mixes.

We went to stay with some American friends years ago and the dd had made the pudding. They kept bigging it up and we were expecting something incredible. When it was placed on the table it was the equivalent of Angel Delight with whipped cream on top

Another conversation with an American friend about muffins she'd said were homemade were actually mix in a carton then you add milk and shake !

I wasn't being sniffy as cake is cake I don't mind how it arrives on the table but it did make me chuckle

Yeah i don't get it either. Some recipes add so much to the cake mix, you wonder why they didn't just start the recipe with sugar/flour/butter etc.

Most Americans I met thought that opening a packet of ready-made cake mix, adding water and giving it a stir then putting it in an oven is "baking"!

Its also in cook books. Ive bought bundt cake books and 90% of recipes are take a pkt of yellow cake mix.
Its the same on blogs.

My new next door but 2 neighbour is American and she begs for invitations if I am baking. She had never seen crumble topping being made, didn't know you could make it. It comes in packets and is inscrutable, apparently.

She has brought US products to me and we have had US : UK Bake Offs, force other neighbours to taste test. Sadly I am not winning by as large a margin as I expected - some of those packet mixes are good

I am about to show her how to make suet pastry... the local butcher is going to show here where the suet comes from - and the kidneys

Yep, that seems to be what American recipes mostly consist of. I will say though that the baking mixes you buy here are very good, I never bother making cakes from scratch any more.

oh yes, I tried to find a cornbread recipe. but only could find 'mix this packet with this packet and a gallon if half and half' type things.

I used to get a gluten free chocolate muffin mix which was really lovely, but I've since found a recipe which is just as good, so now I use that.

In America, aren't most of the measurements by volume, which is less accurate than by weight (i.e. It varies depending on how tightly packed the ingredient is) so recipes are, in the main, less reliable than in the UK, where measurements are by weight.