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!
Fun post. I like to have homemade brownie mix on hand, in jars. But cake mix is a great idea, too :)
Posted by: lynn | Feb 17, 2011 at 06:15 PM
This is a great idea and time saver. I am going to try it. I love your site! You are amazing.
Posted by: Lorraine | Feb 17, 2011 at 06:43 PM
You certainly avoid the preservatives when making you're own mix.
Posted by: Rona | Feb 17, 2011 at 07:20 PM
Great idea, Amanda!
Posted by: Jamie | My Baking Addiction | Feb 17, 2011 at 07:37 PM
Such a smart idea! Not only is it a great time saver for your own use but it's perfect in a pinch if you need a homemade gift for someone.
Posted by: Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen | Feb 17, 2011 at 08:53 PM
I love this for SO many reasons - but most of all because you know what is in your mix! Plus, it's in a reusable container and it's convenient. Hurray!!
Posted by: Michelle (What's Cooking with Kids) | Feb 17, 2011 at 10:57 PM
Wow! What can you NOT do???
Posted by: Alicia | Feb 17, 2011 at 11:29 PM
Thank you for sharing!!!! What a great idea!
Posted by: Yuli | Feb 18, 2011 at 12:01 AM
It's the perfect gift!
Posted by: Saee Koranne-Khandekar | Feb 18, 2011 at 01:21 AM
How do you make a yellow cake? What makes a yellow cake yellow? It's my husband's favorite ...
Posted by: Valerie | Feb 18, 2011 at 10:14 AM
What a nice idea. Are you using cake flour in your mix recipe?
Posted by: Dani | Feb 18, 2011 at 05:47 PM
What a great idea! Can't wait to try this out!
Posted by: Miri Leigh | Feb 18, 2011 at 08:33 PM
U never seize to amaze me Amanda!!! U alway's come up with such great idea's!!! I have no imagination. I can look at something and create it, but cannot think of idea's on my own...Thank u!!!I luv it~~~
Posted by: Rebecca | Feb 18, 2011 at 10:09 PM
What an awesome idea! The possibilities are endless with this jar of goodness.
Posted by: Eliana | Feb 19, 2011 at 10:05 AM
My life is really time short but I love to bake and I have often gathered up all the dry ingredients of a recipe and tossed it all into a labelled zip loc bag. That done all I have to do is sift the dry mix and deal with the wet ingredients on baking day.
I like the jar idea better though. It's so much prettier. I usually have about five different mixes ready to go at any one time.
Posted by: Judy | Feb 19, 2011 at 11:58 PM
Well, Amanda, I discovered your baking & mommy blogs last night when I was sleepless, and I think just BLEW your site stats! I'm not a cookie eater at all (gluten intolerant) but I've been SOOOOO enchanted by your posts! and photos! and creativity! I just couldn't stop reading. I think I'm on a creative & sugar high now! Just thought you'd want to know I'm now a totally subscribed reader. =)
Posted by: Pippa | Feb 20, 2011 at 03:35 AM
this is awesome....I LOVE it! :)
Posted by: bridget {bake at 350} | Feb 20, 2011 at 11:21 AM
moist! yum! clever! practical! great post. :)
Posted by: grace | Feb 20, 2011 at 04:29 PM
I too am wondering how much cocoa exactly to make this a decadent chocolate cake. I am such a chocolate fiend!
Posted by: angie | Feb 20, 2011 at 05:33 PM
I gave my friends brownie mix in a jar for christmas and they absolutely loved it. With the brownie mix I was able to get great layers which was awesome. I'd love to try to make cookie mix in a jar. P.S. I'm so excited to try making the verticle cake. I get to make it in foods class, super excited. Triple thank you on that one.
Posted by: Lexi | Feb 20, 2011 at 08:36 PM
This is funny idea to me, as in my country the ready mixes doesn't exist at all, forced to bake from scratch always :)
Posted by: sini | Feb 21, 2011 at 12:54 AM
Have you posted a regular chocolate cake mix I can make like this? I make my pancake mix ahead of time like this. Hadn't thought to do cake mix...gonna do it today!!
Posted by: Melanie | Feb 22, 2011 at 08:24 AM
Wow, I have never heard of making your own cake mix before. What a great idea as a time saver! Thanks for the post:)
Posted by: lemon cake recipe | Feb 22, 2011 at 11:06 AM
Thanks so much! I love this idea!
I, too, have questions about making a chocolate and yellow cake. I kind of figured you'd need to add cocoa for chocolate, but how much!?
Also, I just want to clarify that you do use the entire jar for one cake.
Posted by: Wendy | Feb 23, 2011 at 07:25 AM
GENIUS idea
i've been looking for this everywhere
i made this on my blog :)
www.whatkatiesbaking.com!
Posted by: Katie | Feb 24, 2011 at 04:02 PM
This was a great idea. Also a good gift to give away :)
Love your blog - it has been added to my favorite list.
Posted by: Stine | Feb 25, 2011 at 02:27 AM
Thank you so much!
Posted by: Nadia | Feb 27, 2011 at 10:41 PM
What a fabulous Post! Thank you! This will be my go to cake recipe form here on out! :)
Posted by: Briana | Mar 03, 2011 at 11:43 AM
When creaming the butter with the dry ingredients, how long should we do it? Can you describe it in more detail what it'll look like before we start adding the egg whites? Thanks!
Posted by: Anna | Mar 04, 2011 at 01:37 AM
I'm joining you for the first time, I'm so very happy to have found your blog and, I thank you from the bottom of my stomach for the wonderful recipes. ;)
Posted by: elise | Mar 06, 2011 at 01:09 PM
I Love it..! :)
i have my own cake mix recipe too.. :)
thanks, i am gonna try this today..! :) <3
Posted by: Kulsum Mirza | Mar 31, 2011 at 07:50 AM
My little girl & I made this today :) Thanks for such a great recipe!!
Posted by: mommypasos | Apr 05, 2011 at 12:25 AM
I can't wait to try this! And I'm going to scour your site to see if I can find a white cake tutorial. I've made two and both turned out heavy and dense...can't figure out my problem! Thank you for posting!
Posted by: Diana | Apr 05, 2011 at 09:25 PM
We loved everything, Suzanne - especially the cake! I actually ate 1/2 of Henry's piece on the way home because it was THAT good! Thanks for posting the recipe link - I may try it for Easter :)
Posted by: desiree | Apr 11, 2011 at 05:08 PM
This is a fantastic idea, but I need more than just "add cocoa to the dry ingredients". How much cocoa?
Posted by: Ann-Marie | Apr 28, 2011 at 04:05 PM
This will be great for teacher appreciation gifts!!
Posted by: Deanna | Apr 28, 2011 at 08:48 PM
Hi Amanda,
Just loved the way you packaged everything. Thought, I have one quick question, is the flour that you have mentioned above in the recipe..all purpose flour or something else..I look forward to your reply. Cheers, Taru
Posted by: Taru | May 04, 2011 at 05:00 PM
hello! i was wondering if you would know if i could use the rainbow cake recipe, but with a chocolate mix instead of white mix as the base? or would that not work??? because chocolate if my fave and i wanted it to be that flavour?
Posted by: Alex | May 14, 2011 at 05:30 AM
hello! i was wondering if you would know if i could use the rainbow cake recipe, but with a chocolate mix instead of white mix as the base? or would that not work??? because chocolate if my fave and i wanted it to be that flavour?
Posted by: Alex | May 14, 2011 at 05:30 AM
Looked in the pantry tonight and saw I was out of cake mix... so I'm using this!! Thanks for sharing.
Carissa
Posted by: Carissa @ Pretty/Hungry | May 15, 2011 at 09:31 PM
A quick question about this recipe, which I can't wait to try. Do you use regular AP flour, or cake/pastry flour?
Posted by: Joe | Jun 18, 2011 at 07:39 PM
I'd like to experiment with turning this into a red velvet mix. But for uses like these cookies (http://www.bakerella.com/easy-and-easier-valentine-treats/), could you simply add powdered milk to the mix?
Posted by: ArndtYouErin | Jul 12, 2011 at 12:02 PM
A very lovely and frugal idea! Thanks!
Posted by: Annette Wolf | Jul 14, 2011 at 03:49 PM
Are the cake pans greased or ungreased? Floured or not?
Posted by: M. Hinds | Jul 30, 2011 at 11:16 AM
Love the cake mix! I will never go without cake ever again. I used cake flour, but will all-purpose or any other kind of flour work?
Posted by: Cydney | Aug 24, 2011 at 07:22 PM