Making Your Own Cake Mix
I never buy commercial cake mixes, but I do make my own cake mixes because they’re great for those times when I’m really in a hurry, need something for snacks or dessert, and have little time for baking. The from scratch cake mix I like best of all is for an easy but delicious chocolate cake. I double the recipe and make up several bags of this mix at a time. It’s as simple as measuring the dry ingredients — 3 cups of flour, 2 cups of sugar, 8 tablespoons of cocoa, 2 teaspoons of baking soda, and 2 teaspoons of salt — into plastic bags. To make the cake mix into cake, add 2 cups of cold water, 2 teaspoons of vanilla, 2 tablespoons of vinegar, 3/4 cup of oil, and stir just enough so the wet and dry ingredients are completely mixed… and that’s it!
Each bag of this cake mix makes two dozen cupcakes or two eight inch square cakes. I hope you will try this, because although this recipe is simple, the cake is wonderful. It is everyone’s favorite chocolate cake here!
I like to heat-seal or vacuum-seal the bags because then they can be stored flat and don’t take up much space in the cupboard, but of course you could also use ziploc bags or bags with twist ties. I put a label on each bag listing the wet ingredients to be added and the amounts.
Written by Shirley | Filed Under Cooking & Baking from Scratch, Frugality & Nutrition series, Simple Living
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Comments
Comment by Laura:
Hi, I was wondering the recipe you gave for the chocolate cake is that for one cake or more?
Comment by Shirley:
Hi Laura,
The quantities I gave for the mix are actually double the ingredients for the original cake recipe that I posted a few months ago. I bake this cake in an 8-inch square pan. You can find this recipe and baking instructions here. I double the recipe when I make the mixes because it’s just as easy to make a double recipe, and then I have enough cupcakes so I can freeze some. I know you’ll like this cake!
Comment by Laura:
I love this cake! I made it this summer for my hubby and I. Thank you for letting me know that it was for a double batch. I can’t wait to mix it up and have it ready for when the urge for chocolate strikes.
Comment by Joanne:
Oh, I can’t wait to try this! Sounds wonderful.
Comment by mahmooda awan:
i,I like to bake a cake from any cake mixes without eggs.Can you give me a recipies please.
Comment by Shirley:
This chocolate cake has no eggs, and the applesauce spice cake also has no eggs. Both of these cakes are really easy to make, too.
Comment by Grazyna Paul:
Is it O.K to use an electric mixer when mixing dry and wet ingredients. In fact I ask myself this question making other cakes and never found an answer anywer. Is it good to use electric mixer when mixing chocolate cakes or shoul I avoid them and use wooden spoon?
Comment by Shirley:
Hi Grazyna! When I make the mix-in-the-pan cakes, I use a whisk to mix the ingredients together. The chocolate cake especially needs to be mixed just enough so that the batter is smooth. You could use a spoon, but the whisk does a really good job. For other cakes that I mix in a bowl, I do use a mixer. Usually most cakes (except sponge and angel food cakes) should be mixed about two minutes with a mixer, or about 300 strokes by hand once the dry and wet ingredients have been combined.
Comment by Khalstead:
This recipe doesn’t require ANY eggs??????? What a money saver!!
Comment by Shirley:
No eggs, and also no milk. It’s a really nice cake… I think you will like it!
Comment by Lori Pendergraft:
oh boy!!!!! A chocolate cake. I have been looking for a good cake mix that’s not a big fuss. Too many birthdays coming up and can’t do boxed any longer. Thanks for the info.
Comment by Marsha:
Hi I have a question what kind of flour do you use? All purpose or self rising.I am dying to try this.Thanks
Comment by Shirley:
Hi Marsha, I use all-purpose unbleached flour for this, but you could use any all-purpose flour. This is a wonderful cake… I know you’ll like it!
Comment by Jenny:
This is exactly what I was looking for! I have a family party to attend tomorrow and I COMPLETELY forgot! Between mommying and working and graduate school something finally slipped my mind. Thought I’d make my delish Black Russian cake, but alas, not a cake mix to be found! Coincidentally the brakes are out on my car so no option there either. This recipe saved my bacon! thanks so much!
~Jenny
Comment by keri:
hi – does it matter which kind of vinegar is used? i have both white & cider…thx much!!
Comment by Shirley:
Keri, I almost always use cider vinegar, but there have been a few times when I discovered I was out of cider vinegar and I used white vinegar instead… and there didn’t seem to be any difference in the cake. If I have both white vinegar and cider vinegar on hand, I would use the cider vinegar, but I’m not really sure if there is a valid reason for that.
Comment by Rhonda:
Hi there! Thanks so much for your blog and sharing this recipe. Do you have a cake mix recipe for white/yellow cake that I can use for my sister’s wedding? I’d love to make up my cake mixes ahead of time. Thanks!
Comment by Annie:
Just a suggestion: I frequently substitute the same amout of applesauce for the oil in any baking I do.
Comment by Emily:
Shirley, this cake is amazing!! And I’m vegan, which I find it is hard to come by a good cake recipe. Thanks for posting this recipe!
Comment by Shirley:
Hi Emily, glad you tried the cake and like it. It is amazing, isn’t it, that it is so easy and so good? Have you tried the mix in the pan applesauce cake? That’s vegan too and just as easy.
Comment by vhann:
hi thanks for the recipe…i just wanna ask if its ok not to put vinegar in this mix????will it affect the taste of the cake……just wondering……
Comment by Shirley:
Vhann, why do you want to leave out the vinegar? It is absolutely necessary for this cake… without it, this cake is nothing because the vinegar reacts with the baking soda to make the cake rise. If you’re thinking the cake will have a vinegar taste, it does not… but if you don’t want to put in the vinegar, there would be no point in using this recipe. It just would not work.
Comment by Lisa:
I just made a large sheet cake using this recipe, and I must tell you it is absolutely marvelous!! It has an incredible silky texture. I have already planned on using this for my birthday cake in February. I just want you to know how much I love your website, and I dearly enjoy each of your articles. I find what you have to say interesting, informative and entertaining. Thank you for the terrific work that you do on this blog! Your words are a joy!
Comment by Shirley:
Lisa, that’s great! I’m glad you like the cake. Also, thank you so much for the encouraging comments about my blog and articles… your very kind words made my day!
Comment by Kathy:
I saw this recipe and can’t wait to try it. Do you have one for a yellow or white cake. I make coconut cakes for the ladies aux for their monthly luncheon and would love a good scratch yellow or white cake recipe to use.
Comment by Jacqueline:
Great recipe. I used lemon pudding the kind that you have to cook instead of the cocoa powder to make a lemon cake. It came out great. I did increase the sugar to 1 1/2 cups and decrease the salt to 1/2 tsp. Thanks
Comment by Charity:
Thank you for this recipe. A friend made this cake for my family because my son is very allergic to dairy and eggs. It was delicious and Ryan, my 4 year old son, was so excited because he could eat something that someone made for our family.
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