The most obvious difference was the amount of real carrots in the two cakes. The homemade one contained three cups of grated carrots, which required about seven fresh organic carrots. The boxed mix contained "carrot flavored pieces" and "carrot powder." The box also noted that it contained artificial colors "yellow 6 and red 40." I won't even try to list the numerous preservatives and corn products. On the homemade recipe, I substituted one cup of whole wheat flour for white flour.
The girls thought it was fun that we blindfolded their dad to let him taste both cakes. He said he liked the homemade cake best, but he misidentified it as the boxed cake. He noticed that the two tasted like "completely different flavors" to him. The girls were evenly split on which pastry they preferred. After tasting the "real" carrot cake, all my tastebuds could detect was a funny aftertaste in each bite of the imposter.