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.
Homemade Cake Mix
Making your own homemade cake mix can save you time and money. You whip up one big batch and it lasts for weeks in the pantry. Pull it out anytime, add a couple of ingredients and bake it right away! This basic mix can be made into any cake – vanilla based or chocolate based! I got these recipes from a cookbook called “Make-A-Mix Cookery”. It originally belonged to my grandma. It is full of recipes for every type of mix – desserts, sauces, breads, you name it! We recently posted a recipe from this same book for Basic Cookie Dough Mix, so check that out as well.
How Long Does Homemade Cake Mix Last?
If you store this cake mix in an air-tight container it should last 10-12 weeks. Make sure to store it in a cool, dry place. If you bake the cake, you can freeze it for up to three months. The best way to freeze a cake is to freeze the layers separately. Wrap each cake layer in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil. Then, using a permanent marker, label the cake type and the date you put the cake in the freezer. When you are ready to serve, remove the cake from the wrap and frost while frozen. Then let thaw for about 30 minutes to an hour.
I Made the Mix…Now What?
I wanted to share four things you can make with this cake mix – a vanilla cake, a chocolate cake, a Sunny Yellow cake, and a cobbler. The Sunny Yellow cake recipe is in the recipe card at the bottom of the post, and I’ll list the other three below. Feel free to take these recipes and make them your own. If you make something amazing, let us know in the comments!
Vanilla Cake
- 3 ⅓ cups Homemade Cake Mix
- ¾ cup milk
- 3 egg whites
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Frosting, as desired
- Combine Homemade Cake Mix and milk.
- Whisk until well mixed.
- Add egg whites and vanilla. Whisk until well combined.
- Pour into two greased, 8-inch cake pans or one greased 9×13 pan. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Let cakes cool and then frost as desired.
Chocolate Cake
- 3 ⅓ cups Homemade Cake Mix
- 9 tablespoons cocoa
- 1 cup milk
- 2 eggs, well-beaten
- 2 ½ tablespoons butter, melted
- Frosting, as desired
- Combine Homemade Cake Mix and cocoa powder. Stir until well mixed.
- Add milk ½ cup at a time. Stir until well combined between each ½ cup.
- Add eggs and melted butter. Stir until well combined.
- Pour into two greased, 8-inch cake pans or one greased 9×13 pan. Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Let cakes cool and then frost as desired.
Cobbler
- 2 (21 oz) cans of pie filling
- 3 ⅓ cups cake mix
- 1 cup butter, melted
- Pour pie filling into a 9×13 pan. Sprinkle Homemade Cake Mix over the pie filling.
- Drizzle melted butter over the top of the cake mix.
- Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, or until topping is golden brown.
- Serve immediately with ice cream, if desired.
Sunny Yellow Cake with Orange Blossom Frosting
For this post I decided to make the Sunny Yellow Cake. I love the bright, citrus flavors of this cake. The cake itself is flavored with lemon extract and the frosting has orange zest and orange juice. Each bite is just bursting with flavor! I decorated with orange slices, clementine slices, and chamomile flowers.
What About Frosting? AKA the Most Important Part of the Cake!
You can frost these cakes with anything you’d like – buttercream, cream cheese, whipped cream, store-bought, homemade – anything! We will share one recipe below for Orange Blossom Frosting, but you do you.
If you need more frosting inspiration, check out these recipes:
- Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
- Cream Cheese Frosting
- Lemon Cream Frosting
- Chocolate Malt Icing
- Cherry Frosting
How to Make a Homemade Cake Mix
Homemade Cake Mix
Ingredients
For Homemade Cake Mix
- 8 cups cake flour
- 6 cups sugar
- ¼ cup baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 1/2 cups vegetable shortening
For Sunny Yellow Cake
For Orange Blossom Buttercream
- 1/3 cup butter softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons orange zest
- 3 tablespoons orange juice pulp free
Instructions
For Homemade Cake Mix
- Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir until well mixed.
- Cut in shortening using a fork, a pastry cutter, or your fingers. Store in an airtight container for 10-12 weeks.
For Sunny Yellow Cake
- Combine Homemade Cake Mix and milk. Whisk until well combined.
- Add eggs and lemon extract. Stir until well combined.
- Pour into two greased, 8-inch cake pans or one greased 9×13 pan. Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Let cool completely and then frost with Orange Blossom Frosting.
For Orange Blossom Frosting
- Cream together butter and powdered sugar. Add zest and orange juice. Mix until smooth.
Video
Nutrition Information
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Can you break down the measurements for one cake please? I want to place the ingredients into 32 ounce mason jars. Please give me the ingredients and measurement as in one box of cake mix please. Thank you.
I don’t know the breakdown of the ratios, but 3 1/3 cups of this mix is equal to one cake box mix! I hope this helps!
Which fat added to the dry cake mix makes a cake with the best flavour & soft velvetey texture & that will not dry out when extra cake is stored in the refrigerator softened butter or shortening? thank you
If you use butter, you won’t be able to store the cake mix at room temperature. Shortening keeps the shelf life long and we think the cakes come out perfectly moist!
Do you know how many cupcakes one batch would make?
3 1/3 cups of this homemade cake mix is equal to one box of cake mix, which normally makes 24 cupcakes. I hope this helps!
how would i make a red velvet cake mix out of this dry mix, so i could use some of it it for your red velvet brownies?
I haven’t tested this specifically, but if I were trying it I would add a 1/4 cup of baking cocoa and red food coloring!
what would be the basic dry mix breakdown for four square 8 inch cakes? how many inches deep should the 8 inch cake pan I use for this recipe be? Can the mix be stored in the freezer? how would I turn enough mix for an 8 inch cake into a spice cake, ? thank you for sharing this recipe.
Lots of questions! I love it!
1 – For (4) 8-inch square cakes, I think you would need a double batch of the vanilla cake recipe listed above.
2 – Most cake pans are about 2 inches deep.
3 – Yes! It can store in the fridge for about 3 months.
4 – For a spice cake, I think you could just add 2-3 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice to the cake mix and then bake as normal for the Vanilla Cake.
Nice
Is there a gluten free flour suitable for using in this cake mix?
We haven’t tested a gluten free version of this recipe yet.
I don’t use shortening but would using coconut oil OR adding a liquid oil only when putting together a cake work? And we put together a double recipe of the cake mix so we always h ve some on hand to use?
Coconut oil should work fine as a substitution for shortening. You can also use butter. Thanks for asking!
Just added cake flour to my shopping list. Such a great way to ditch the box. Thank you!
I love this recipe! It’s so much better than buying it from the store! I can’t wait to make this again!
We do this in my home and it’s fantastic – ultimately cheaper than buying cake mixes, plus it doesn’t have all those funky preservatives in it. Thanks so much!
Do you use all of the mix in one cake
No, you only use about 3 cups of cake mix in each cake.
Hi, instead of vegetable shortening can’t we use butter? Thank you.
You can, but then you would need to store it in the fridge.
Never buying a store cake mix again!!
The perfect mix to have on hand! I love that you’ve included so many variations. We used it for blueberry cobbler and LOVED the crunchy crumbly topping. Can’t wait to try more of your suggestions with this cake mix!
Could I use self rising flour in this recipe?
Thank you!
We haven’t tried it that way, so I’m not sure how it would turn out.