I gotta be honest with you.
Most of the time I am running around like a crazy woman. I am usually pretty scatterbrained and frantically trying to get to everything that needs to be done in a day.
So I decided that I needed to simplify my baking a bit. Remove some steps. But NEVER sacrifice quality and taste!!
Which leads me to today's post. I LOVE that I get to share this with you and I hope that you will try it too!
Did you know you can make your own cake mix?
You can have high quality, delicious tasting cake with the ease and convenience of a box mix.
And it just takes moments to do!
Just assemble your dry ingredients as well as the sugar.
Dry Ingredients:
2 3/4 cup flour
1 3/4 cups SUPER fine sugar (you can buy this or make it)
2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
(I will post the rest of the recipe I am using below)
Sift together all ingredients and place in mason jar or your chosen storage container.
And viola! You have your own cake mix! (This recipe totaled about 4 1/2 cups of dry ingredients, so I used an eight cup mason jar)
You will of course need to add the wet ingredients when you are ready to make your cake.
So I just write what I need to add on a little reminder card.
And don't forget the date! I would probably try and use this within three months. But around here, I usually use at least one jar a week!
Don't forget the instructions! (I am not saying that from experience or anything...) And any other little annoying notes you might want to write yourself.
I sorta love words like moist and delicious and yum when describing cake. I cant help myself.
Feel free to do this with chocolate cake or yellow cake or any cake that suits your fancy.
Cant wait to show you the cake I am making with this jar! :)
*****
UPDATED: This is the cake I made with this jar... Chocolate Covered Cherry Oreo Cake!
That's awesome! I can't wait to assemble some cake mixes!!! Can't wait to see your cake!
Posted by: Londa | Feb 17, 2011 at 06:19 AM
only one word: LOVE! (the exclamation point doesn't count in the 'one word' part . . .) ok, so one more word: BRILLIANT! (that exclamation point doesn't count in the 'one word' part either . . .)
Posted by: SMITH BITES | Feb 17, 2011 at 06:33 AM
Love this idea! I like how you packaged it up too. So cute.
Posted by: Jessica @ How Sweet | Feb 17, 2011 at 06:33 AM
FANTASTIC!!! Thanks Amanda!!
Posted by: TidyMom | Feb 17, 2011 at 06:40 AM
And we can't wait to see that cake either !!!
Thank you for the tip, I love it. And I'll try to make some gifts this way. ;-)
XOXO
Posted by: morgana | Feb 17, 2011 at 06:41 AM
Such a darling idea!
Posted by: Wenderly | Feb 17, 2011 at 06:53 AM
Super, duper smart!! Love this time-saver, Amanda. Thanks!
Posted by: Aimee @ Simple Bites | Feb 17, 2011 at 06:56 AM
Nifty! Looking forward to seeing the cake. This would be a great idea for a college student. They wouldn't need to have tons of ingredients in their pantry...just the jar of cake waiting to be made.
Posted by: Nancy | Feb 17, 2011 at 06:57 AM
I almost never make cake from scratch. I do doctor up my mixes just a tiny bit, and I get rave reviews. I should try scratch sometime...usually I just make my carrot cake that way (which is an easy and awesome recipe IMO :) ) Thanks for sharing!
Posted by: Renee | Feb 17, 2011 at 07:09 AM
Great idea, Amanda. Nice hostess gift, too. Be fun to put together a basket with all the other necessities.
Posted by: Barbara | Feb 17, 2011 at 07:10 AM
I love moist, delicious, & yum, too! And I really need a white cake recipe that's all that - so thanks! Can't wait to try it!!
Posted by: Brenda @ a farmgirl's dabbles | Feb 17, 2011 at 07:53 AM
Terrific idea! Also - you have terrific handwriting!
Posted by: Kas | Feb 17, 2011 at 08:09 AM
Love it! How would you modify it for yellow and chocolate cake?
Posted by: Jen S | Feb 17, 2011 at 08:24 AM
What an awesome idea!!!
I've never made my own cake mix, but it seems like such a great way to have homemade cake when you're short on time.
Posted by: Cookbook Queen | Feb 17, 2011 at 08:25 AM
I love love love this. So great for gifts too, Amanda!
Posted by: Amber | Bluebonnets & Brownies | Feb 17, 2011 at 08:35 AM
I love it! I do the same thing when I have a lot to bake for an event, but I just use plastic zip bags instead of pretty mason jars. That lets me do as much as I can ahead of time so the cakes/cupcakes can be baked either the day before or day of.
Posted by: Hazel | Feb 17, 2011 at 08:38 AM
Great idea! I may hop onto the jarred dessert band wagon when Christmas comes again.
Posted by: Jessica | Feb 17, 2011 at 08:39 AM
Awesome! I can't wait to do this! :)
Posted by: Joy | Feb 17, 2011 at 08:47 AM
THIS is a great gift idea! Thank you for posting!
Posted by: Addicted to Veggies | Feb 17, 2011 at 08:48 AM
What a great idea!
Posted by: SnoWhite @ Finding Joy in My Kitchen | Feb 17, 2011 at 08:52 AM
Holy crap - why have I never thought to do this before! I think I love you. No, I KNOW it. ;-)
Posted by: Tracy | Feb 17, 2011 at 08:56 AM
OMG- this is beeeeyond cool. You are such a smarty pants Amanda! How is that little baby coming along? I hope you are hanging in there this last little while :)
Posted by: HeatherChristo | Feb 17, 2011 at 08:58 AM
What a great idea!! I love it!
Posted by: Erin | Feb 17, 2011 at 09:08 AM
Yum. This is a great way to have convenience at your fingertips without the box mix additives. Love.
Posted by: Shaina | Feb 17, 2011 at 09:33 AM
What a fantastic idea! It's great when you're busy!
Posted by: Brittany | Feb 17, 2011 at 09:51 AM
How have I not thought of this before?! I'm anticipating a lot of cakes in the near future, and I was sorta banging my head against the proverbial brick wall for volunteering so much work. This will save me a lot of time! Thanks for sharing!
Posted by: Kari | Feb 17, 2011 at 10:08 AM
love this cute idea & cannot wait to see your cake (which will be fab) made with these ingredients!
Posted by: linda | Feb 17, 2011 at 10:46 AM
You're a genius!
Posted by: Sue | Feb 17, 2011 at 10:50 AM
Wonderful idea, I love glass jars and especially love short cuts!!!
Posted by: Diane {createdbydiane.blogspot.com} | Feb 17, 2011 at 10:56 AM
I love your site and the recipes are wonderful. Cannot wait to do my cake mixes! Thank you for the inspiration
Posted by: Molly Garza | Feb 17, 2011 at 11:14 AM
That is awesome ... I have always thought it would be a good idea to do this, just never have. Also super impressed that you went outside to shoot that picture. :)
Posted by: Stephanie | Feb 17, 2011 at 11:23 AM
Great idea, can you change the flavor the cake?
Posted by: Anita | Feb 17, 2011 at 11:24 AM
Such a fab idea! xo
Posted by: Rachie | Feb 17, 2011 at 11:44 AM
Thank you - that is a wonderful idea! I think I will put the mix in freezer bags since I have plenty of those on hand. You have the best ideas!! : )
Posted by: aimee | Feb 17, 2011 at 11:58 AM
I love this idea - great for gifts
Posted by: Lucy Lean | Feb 17, 2011 at 11:59 AM
This looks wonderful! I think it would be so fun for gifts... And, great to have on hand when I need cupcakes at the last minute (which seems to happen all the time)!
Posted by: Jen @ My Kitchen Addiction | Feb 17, 2011 at 12:26 PM
Great idea...thanks for sharing.
I stumble your website while looking for recipe. I'm very new to baking esp. from scratch, pardon my silly question, how do you make very fine sugar? Do you mean icing sugar?
Thanks.
Carmie
Posted by: Carmie | Feb 17, 2011 at 12:35 PM
Great question Carmie! Here is a link that might explain that better!
http://www.slashfood.com/2006/05/23/sugar-vs-powdered-sugar-vs-superfine-sugar/
Posted by: Amanda Rettke | Feb 17, 2011 at 01:18 PM
Love this, Amanda. What a great time saver!!!! Oh, you are too clever!!
Posted by: naomi | Feb 17, 2011 at 02:03 PM
Love. Love. LOVE! Thank you for sharing!
Posted by: Elle | Feb 17, 2011 at 02:35 PM
What a great idea!! This would make such a great gift.
Posted by: Kristen | Feb 17, 2011 at 02:39 PM
Now for a gluten free one!!
-jen
Posted by: Freebies | Feb 17, 2011 at 02:53 PM
This is great! If you want an even fluffier cake you could use cake flour.
Posted by: Frances | Feb 17, 2011 at 03:16 PM
Amanda, thanks for saving us tons of time when we are in a pinch!! I need to do something like this too - it might not look quite as pretty as yours though ;)
Posted by: marla {family fresh cooking} | Feb 17, 2011 at 04:31 PM
Thank you, Thank you! I've always wanted to do this but never had the courage to figure out how. Thanks for the idea, encouragement and recipe!! I'll be making a chocolate one as soon as possible. :)
Posted by: Amanda Wallace | Feb 17, 2011 at 04:35 PM
Great idea Amanda!! You can just add the cocoa right to the dry flour mixture! :)
Posted by: Amanda Rettke | Feb 17, 2011 at 04:41 PM
What a cute idea! Question: Did you mention when to add in the dry mix on your instructions?
Posted by: Memoria | Feb 17, 2011 at 05:17 PM
Great idea, I love to bake and sometimes resort to mixes for the base cake. I would rather make my own and know what is in it. I would add the milk alternately with the flour mix tho.
Posted by: shari | Feb 17, 2011 at 05:21 PM
That is an awesome idea! Could you give us any pointers on how to make it be chocolate? I would think you just add cocoa to the dry ingredients, but I'm not sure how much. And then I have NO idea how you'd go about making a yellow cake! :-> TYIA!
Posted by: Kat | Feb 17, 2011 at 05:35 PM
Looks great! I'm not a cake mix person at all! Thanks
Posted by: Lynne | Feb 17, 2011 at 06:04 PM