If you’re not making your own homemade yellow cake mix, you should be! There are so many scrumptious dessert recipes that calls for “yellow cake mix” in the world. Cake mix makes dessert making so much more simple. But the list of ingredients in cake mix isn’t all that great, so I’ve avoided cake mix and recipes calling for cake mix for years.
BUT not any more.
I was on the phone with my sister Julie, chatting about a certain beloved cake my mom makes (which calls for a box of cake mix) and how I’d love to make it because it has been forever-and-a-day since I have tasted it. Julie knows I don’t like to use pre-made cake mixes because all the artificial ingredients, blah, blah, blah, so she then she tells me “Laur! I have a recipe for homemade yellow cake mix!” and then she instantly emailed me her recipe. She can’t remember the source of where she found it, but she has used it for many recipes and truthfully I don’t even care because THIS is genius.
I love that it can be made a week or so in advance, if kept in the fridge, OR it can be frozen for a few months. Which means you can have cake mix at your fingertips.
Which translates to having cake at your fingertips… who doesn’t like the sound of that?
To make this homemade yellow cake mix you will need:
- unbleached all-purpose flour
- granulated sugar
- baking powder
- kosher salt
- unsalted butter
See there’s no reason not to make your own cake mix, you probably have these things in your fridge and pantry already. Plus you can pronounce all of these ingredients.
Start by measuring and leveling the all purpose flour.
You’ll need 2 and 1/2 cups.
Measure and pour in 1 and 1/2 cups of sugar.
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder.
And 1 teaspoon kosher salt.
Stir to combine…
Drop in 4 tablespoons or 1/2 of a stick of room temp unsalted butter.
Use a pastry blender to work the butter into the flour and sugar.
Until the butter basically disappears into the dry ingredients.
Next, pour the cake mix into a container with a tight-fitting lid. Then store in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 weeks. Or store in the freezer for 2 to 4 months (maybe more!). You’ll just want to pull it out 25 to 30 minutes before you use it in a recipe.
Give Homemade Cake Mix As A Gift:
If you want to give homemade chocolate cake mix as a gift, omit the butter and store all the dry ingredients in a glass jar with a tight fitting lid. Write out the remaining ingredients (include the butter!) and then recipe instructions (start by creaming the butter, vanilla, eggs and adding the dry ingredients, water, oil etc.) out onto a note card and tie it around the jar with string.
Make The Cake:
The recipe for making the cake is below, however if you want to see a step-by-step for the cake and frosting, click here!
Other Homemade Cake Mixes:
Enjoy! And if you give this Homemade Yellow Cake Mix recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!
No more store bought cake mixes for you! Use this in any recipe calling for yellow cake mix! As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate. Perfect yellow cake topped with a delicious whipped chocolate frosting. FOR THE CAKE: FOR THE FROSTING: As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
Homemade Yellow Cake Mix
Ingredients
Instructions
Recommended Products
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8
Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 358Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 327mgCarbohydrates: 74gFiber: 1gSugar: 50gProtein: 3g
Homemade Yellow Cake with Whipped Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients
FOR THE YELLOW CAKE RECIPE:
FOR THE FROSTING:
Instructions
Recommended Products
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8
Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 675Total Fat: 35gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 21gCholesterol: 102mgSodium: 518mgCarbohydrates: 85gFiber: 2gSugar: 56gProtein: 6g
Buy the Cookbook: Simply Scratch : 120 Wholesome Homemade Recipes Made Easy Now available on Amazon »
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This makes me so happy! I am totally a fan of making my own cake mix!!!
I’m so glad Stacey! 🙂
Sounds wonderful! My question though is what do you add to it to make it in to an actual cake? As is works well for dump cakes and the like but would love to use it to make layer cakes. Thanks!
Hi Tami! I have plans to share the recipe for a homemade yellow cake soon! So stay tuned! 🙂
Hooray! I’m always looking for a way around the box as well. Thank you for sharing!!
waiting for the rest of the recipe.
It’s coming tomorrow Vicky! Thanks for being patient 🙂
As always, I love the photos on your post. Thanks for sharing your “outside the box” mix.
Thank you Eron! 🙂
Why couldn’t you make this mix up minus the butter and put in jars or bags and vacuum seal and take out when needed and add the butter if using in a recipe that calls for a yellow cake mix or if wanting to make a cake add the butter and other ingredients for a cake (eggs, milk??)
I don’t see a reason why you couldn’t Carolyn! 🙂
So how much of the mix do you use? What other ingredients are needed for the cake, ie eggs, milk, oil?? Kinda need that info.
Yes! I agree! I’m actually posting the cake recipe tomorrow, so stay tuned 🙂
Add 1 1/4 C Water and 2 eggs to make the cake. Found it on her site!
Actually this cake recipe is different from the cupcake post on this site 🙂
Hi Laurie,
WHile i love this idea, the reason I am contacting you is….I see your last name is Mc Namara. That is my Maiden name!! 🙂 I wonder if we are some how related!!
Ha! That’s awesome! It’s always a possibility! 🙂
So happy you used AP flour! I was scrolling down your blog with the side-eye that you’d make me go buy cake flour. Then I got to the measuring pic and see “all purpose”! Woot! Definitely giving this a try v. soon!
I wonder how much cocoa/sugar you would need to make your own ‘chocolate cake mix”???? hmmm I bet that you will come up with that next!!!!
Hi Laurie,
This recipe worked perfectly! My recipe called for a box of yellow cake mix, which I didn’t have on hand – discovered this after my bundt pan was greased and floured. Bundt cake was spot on! I’ll be using this recipe from now on. Thanks.
What do you add into the mix to make it into cake batter?
Here’s the link Kimberly! http://www.simplyscratch.com/2015/05/homemade-yellow-cake-whipped-chocolate-frosting.html
OMG!!! this recipe is the best! I made a cake using your cake recipe with this mix for a party and everyone loved it! Thank you so much!
If my recipe calls for 18.25oz cake mix do I use one recipe of this or should I measure out the 18.25?
Hallelujah! Thank you so much! I too prefer to make things from scratch rather than use “ingredients” from boxes/jars. I have amazing recipes that call for “yellow cake mix”, but I prefer to have everything I make have real ingredients (not a bunch of things I can’t pronounce). So, this is exactly what I was looking for! Thanks again!
Made this cake today and we love it! It tastes like pancakes which is a very good thing. Thanks for the recipe!
Do you have to use grape seed oil or would most other oils do…for instance coconut oil or vegetable oil?
Do I use the whole cake mix for one recipe that calls for yellow cake mix?
Hi Joseph! Yes, you sure can!
I own your cookbook (awesome), but didn’t see this recipe in it. It is exactly what I need! Thanks!
Thank you for purchasing a cookbook, Renee! I hope you enjoy this recipe 🙂
Can I use bleached all-purpose flour? I read online that the main difference is that Unbleached flour provides better support of the cake, and even then the difference isn’t that big.
Absolutely!
Why is it yellow? Is cake floor for wedding cakes?
Yellow cakes are made using egg yolks, while white cakes are typically made with only egg whites. Enjoy!
Hi! Could cake flour be used instead of all purpose for this recipe?
sure!
Yeah thats what inquiring minds want to know. ME TOO.
I’ve been trying to figure that out with cake boxes too when they shrank due to cake company’s cutting corners on our old hand me down treasured recipes.
Thank you!!! You just made my 1st day of Coronavirus of quarantined DAY! You are a gem!
So glad! Stay safe!
I’ve been trying to figure that out with cake boxes too when they shrank due to cake company’s cutting corners on our old hand me down treasured recipes. Do you have a chart for the originals that went from 18.25 to 16.25 to 15.25 for a basic yellow cake recipe?? Also what about adding instant from scratch pudding for the cake recipe.
I would like to use this recipe for an apple cider donut cake which calls for a box yellow cake mix. My question is would I omit the butter from your recipe since mine calls for butter also?
Never having seen yellow cake mix and not knowing how much a box contains would I use the whole of your recipe to make apple dump cake, Or can you tell me what weight is in a box? Thank you in anticipation.
Hi Ann! My recipe uses real butter so the weight will not be equivalent. I haven’t tested this recipe with dump cake, so I can’t say with certainty. However I would think so. If you try it, I’d love to know how it works for you!
Hi,
Please tell me, 1 cup is how much in grams?
depends on what you are measuring. AP flour is 120 grams
What is the yield in comparison to a box of cake mix? I gave recipe calling for a box of mix so I need to know how much of your recipe to use… thank you!