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A homemade cake mix is an inexpensive, easy, and convenient alternative to store-bought mixes. You can bake so many delicious cakes using this mix as a base.
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Have you ever wished you could whip up a homemade cake at a moment’s notice—without running to the store? That’s exactly why I love keeping this easy homemade cake mix on hand. It’s super convenient, inexpensive, and tastes so much better than a boxed mix from the store. Plus, I know exactly what ingredients are going into it!
This is the perfect solution for busy days, birthday surprises, or anytime you’re craving a slice of cake. I always make a big batch and store it in an airtight container in my pantry. It stays fresh for up to 3 months and makes five cakes!
I first discovered this recipe in my grandma’s old cookbook, Make-A-Mix Cookery. It’s packed with handy homemade mix recipes—cookies, breads, sauces, you name it! I recently shared the Basic Cookie Dough Mix from this same book, and now I’m excited to show you the cake version too.
Why You Will Love It
- It makes a soft, moist, delicious cake every time
- It’s easy and budget-friendly
- You can use it to make all kinds of cakes—vanilla, chocolate, yellow, cupcakes, cobblers, and more
- It stores well in the pantry for up to 3 months
- You can skip the preservatives and mystery ingredients in store-bought mixes
Simple Ingredients You’ll Need
- Cake Flour – Gives your cake that light and fluffy texture (don’t use all-purpose!)
- Sugar – For sweetness
- Baking Powder – Helps the cake rise beautifully
- Salt – Balances the sweetness
- Vegetable Shortening – Keeps the mix shelf-stable and makes the cake moist (don’t substitute oil)
How to Make the Cake Mix
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Cut in the shortening using a pastry cutter, fork, or your fingers until the mixture is crumbly and evenly combined.
- Store the mix in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 10–12 weeks.
What Can You Make with a Homemade Cake Mix?
This mix is incredibly versatile! Here are my favorite ways to use it:
🎂 Vanilla Cake
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- In a bowl, mix 3 ⅓ cups Mix with ¾ cup milk.
- In another bowl, lightly beat 3 egg whites. Add egg whites and 1 teaspoon vanilla to the batter and mix for 2 more minutes.
- Pour into a greased 9×13 pan and bake for 25–30 minutes.
- Cool and frost with your favorite frosting!
🍰 Yellow Cake
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Mix 3 ⅓ cups Mix with ¾ cup milk.
- Beat 2 eggs and add them along with 1 teaspoon vanilla to the batter. Mix for 2 more minutes.
- Bake in a greased 9×13 pan for 25–30 minutes. Cool and frost.
🍫 Chocolate Cake
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- In a bowl, whisk 3 ⅓ cups Mix with 9 tablespoons cocoa.
- Add ½ cup milk and beat for 2 minutes.
- Beat 2 eggs separately, then mix in with another ½ cup milk and 2 ½ tablespoons melted butter. Mix for 2 more minutes.
- Pour into a greased 9×13 pan and bake for 25–30 minutes.
🍒 Cobbler
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Pour 2 cans of pie filling into a 9×13 pan.
- Sprinkle 3 ⅓ cups of the Mix over the fruit.
- Drizzle with 1 cup melted butter.
- Bake for 45 minutes, until golden and bubbly. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream!
🧁 Cupcakes
- Prepare any of the cake batters above.
- Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full.
- Bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes.
- Cool and frost as desired.
More Ways to Use the Mix
You can use 3 ⅓ cups of Homemade Mix in place of a store-bought cake mix in any of your favorite recipes using a cake mix. Here are a few we think you will love:
Funfetti Cake Mix Cookies: Use this mix and rainbow sprinkles in place of the Funfetti Cake Mix ingredient in the recipe, omit the vegetable oil.
Cornbread with Cake Mix: Replace the yellow cake mix listed in the recipe ingredients with 3 ⅓ cups of homemade mix. Omit the butter in the recipe.
Cake Mix Coffee Cake: Omit the yellow cake mix and oil in the recipe and replace it with 3 ⅓ cups of homemade mix.
Chocolate Pudding Cake: Mix 3 ⅓ cups of homemade mix with 9 tablespoons of cocoa powder to replace the box of Devil’s Food Cake mix required in the recipe. This recipe only uses three other ingredients: chocolate chips, chocolate pudding, and milk.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nope! Just keep it in a cool, dry place in a sealed container.
Yes! Choose a gluten-free cake flour that can be substituted 1:1 for regular cake flour, like Authentic Foods Steve’s Gluten Free Cake Flour.
Yes, just pick which cake base you prefer – white, yellow, or chocolate and fill cupcake liners 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
For the Cake Mix:
3,000 feet: Decrease the baking powder by 1 ½ teaspoons, decrease the sugar by ⅓ cup.
5,000 feet: Decrease the baking powder by 2 teaspoons, decrease the sugar by ½ cup.
7,000: Decrease the baking powder by 3 teaspoons, decrease the sugar by ¾ cup.
When Preparing a Cake from the Cake Mix:
3,000 feet: Increase the milk by 2 ¼ teaspoons.
5,000 feet: Increase the milk by 1 ½ tablespoons.
7,000 feet: Increase the milk by 3 tablespoons.
I always feel more prepared when I have this homemade cake mix ready to go. Whether it’s a last-minute birthday party or just a sweet craving, this mix saves the day. Try it out, and let me know in the comments what you make—I’d love to hear your favorite flavor combos or creative cake ideas!
Homemade Cake Mix
Ingredients
- 8 cups cake flour
- 6 cups sugar
- ¼ cup baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 1/2 cups vegetable shortening
Instructions
For Homemade Cake Mix (makes 5 cakes)
- Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Stir until well mixed. See recipe notes for high altitude baking adjustments.
- Cut in shortening using a fork, a pastry cutter, or your fingers. Store in an airtight container for 10-12 weeks.
Video
Notes
How to Store
- Store your homemade mix in an airtight container in a cool, dry pantry. It will keep for 10–12 weeks.
- You can also freeze baked cakes for up to 3 months. Wrap layers in plastic wrap and foil, label them, then freeze. When ready to use, frost while frozen and let thaw for about 30 minutes.
Nutrition Information
Where is the orange frosting recipe?
Im not sure why it’s not linkable in the post but here is the direct link– it is in our orange roll recipe: https://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/homemade-orange-rolls/
I’m really hoping to receive a reply.
I’ve made the mix and I’m just not sure, since it has the shortening , it’s a little heavier and I don’t know if 3 1/2 cups is packed cups for making the cakes?
We didn’t pack it down like you would brown sugar, we just scooped and measured it like you would flour.
I’ve been reading the comments and for those who are having issues with the cakes “falling” the problem could be your altitude. I live at 4300 ft. above sea level and any recipe formulated for a lower altitude will sink in the center. Cake mixes used to have high altitude adjustments printed on the box.
King Arthur Flour has these suggestions for altitude adjustments on their website:
https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/learn/resources/high-altitude-baking
I don’t know how to apply these to the mix, but it shouldn’t be too difficult to figure out.
I also have the Make-a-Mix cookbook and have been experimenting with this cake mix. Twice I tried to use it to make a bundt cake (3-1/2 cups mix, 1 package instant pudding, 1/2 cup oil, 4 eggs, and 1 cup of liquid). At least one of the cake recipes in the book uses this combination. Both times, the cake rose and then sank after I removed it from the oven. This is surely unrelated to high altitude, as I live less than 300 feet above sea level. I have compared the ratios of flour, sugar, baking powder, and fat in several from-scratch recipes and this is what I concluded: the mix doesn’t have enough baking powder, and, since it already has fat, in the form of shortening, it doesn’t need more. (It appears from the labels of store-bought cake mixes that they contain little, if any, fat.) I just tried out my theory, adding an additional teaspoon of baking powder and a teaspoon of vanilla, since the mix doesn’t have any flavoring. I did not add any additional oil or fat of any kind. My bundt rose and stayed up as it cooled. I’ll be trying other combinations with different liquids, especially using part liqueur and part water.
Hello, I made your homemade cake master mix, and then made a cobbler using the cake mix. I followed the directions exactly for both. The cobbler crust did not rise, and I don’t understand what happened. Is there something else I should do? I used Swans Down cake flour
and checked the box to see how many servings was in there. It turned out to be exactly 8 cups required in the master mix recipe, so I didn’t measure the cake flour. Maybe I should have. I am working with a convection oven/microwave. I set the convection oven to 350 as the recipe called for. Also, when I made the master cake mix, it wasn’t that lumpy. It was more powdery when I went to sprinkle it on top of the fruit in the pan. I used a glass baking 9×13 dish. Any suggestions would be great. I love making my own master mixes, not only for the health benefits, but because the store-bought commercial varieties have propylene glycol in them, which is not a good ingredient. Thank you, in advance, for your response and feedback.
It could be that there was more flour than needed in the box. I also haven’t baked with a microwave convection oven so I am not sure if that is a contributing factor.
Hello Kelsey, thank you so much for responding to my question. I guess the lesson is to measure out the cake flour the next time. Just wondering, can I do anything with the rest of the master cake mix that I have to help it rise because I want to make another cobbler on Wednesday, Dec 20?
I haven’t encountered this problem before so I can’t say for sure, but baking soda and/or baking powder can help a cake to rise more. I would suggest starting there!
Thank you, Kelsey, I will try your suggestion.
This is amazing!!
If you scroll down to the bottom of the page you will see the recipe card with the full recipe!
My husband is diabetic and I usually substitute sugar when I’m baking and cooking . At least part of it. Could I use monk or stevia without sacrificing the rising of the cake ? Thanks
We haven’t tested this recipe with a sugar substitute so I can’t say.
I would like to try this recipe, but what vegetable shortening (healthiest option) does everyone use, I’m in Australia.
If using right away, can you substitute butter for the shortening?
Sure!