A convenient substitute for commercial mixes. Quick, easy, and yummy. Best of all, YOU control the ingredients!

Cake Mixes from Scratch and Variations

all-purpose flour

baking powder

salt

white sugar

shortening

eggs

milk

vanilla extract

For a Yellow Cake: Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Cut in shortening until fine crumbs are formed. Add eggs, milk, and vanilla. Beat at low speed for 1 minute, then high for 2 minutes, scraping the bowl frequently.


Pour batter into greased and floured 9x13 inch pan. Bake in preheated 350 degree F oven (175 degrees C) for 25 to 30 minutes.


Variation for a White Cake: Prepare as for the basic cake except use 3 egg whites for the 2 whole eggs. Whites may be beaten separately and added for a lighter cake.


Variation for a Chocolate Cake: Add 1/4 cup cocoa powder to the basic cake mix prior to adding the milk.


Variation for a Spice Cake: Add 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, and 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice to the basic cake mix.


Variation for a Pineapple Upside Down Cake: Melt 1/2 cup butter in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Add 2/3 cup brown sugar, stirring into the butter. Arrange pineapple slices in the pan. Top with the basic (yellow cake) mix recipe. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, cool 5 minutes, and invert to serve.


I'm giving this 4 stars because of the adjustments I made.  I just tried the white cake variation, except I used oil instead of shortening and I used cake flour instead of all-purpose.  I recommend using cake flour as I makes it more fluffy and tender.  If you're going to use all-purpose, sift it, then measure it out.  This takes care of the density problem some reviewers have had.  Also, I didn't follow the directions.  When making cakes, you don't want to disturb the flour too much, otherwise it forms gluten strands which toughens the cake, and it comes out to be more like a bread.  Here's what I did:  In a large bowl, combine oil milk and vanilla.  In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks are formed (room temperature is best). Gradually add flour mixture to wet ingredients until just blended.  Fold in egg whites and pour the batter into the dish immediately.  Mine baked for about 30-35 minutes.  Combining the ingredients that way made it come out tall, fluffy, tender, moist, and full of flavor!  

I'm a cake decorator, and I've been using this cake mix recipe for years.  It is the absolute best tasting cake in any of it's flavor variations.  Anyone who had trouble with this recipe either 1) didn't have fresh baking powder or 2) didn't realize that from scratch cakes do NOT look and taste like boxed mixes (and that's a GOOD thing).  I recommend using butter flavor shortening and only use real vanilla.

I've been using this recipe for nearly a year; I can't believe it's taken me this long to rate it...I use it as a base for almost every cake I make; I've made variations with chocolate, peppermint, cardamom, rum, fresh raspberries...pretty much everything comes out perfect.  To some of the reviewers who have had trouble with the cake being dense, try beating it slightly longer than specified...also I usually make the white cake and beat the whites separately as suggested, that makes it fluffier.  I also usually cook it in a loaf pan, but if you're using a flatter pan (13x9) I find it's better to lower the temperature somewhat to prevent the edges burning. A great basic recipe, though, and it's even low-fat!

Before I baked this Cake I read the reviews and found them very helpful...First I used 2 Cups of sugar and instead of milk I used 1 1/2 Cups of flavored coffee creamer.. I know this sounds really odd but it makes the cake soooo Moist and flavorful..Use any flavor you would like trust me you will NOT be dissapointed..When I bake cakes I use my judgement on cooking time and just insert a toothpick or knife in the middle to jugde doneness.. This recipe is really good if you make it your own

Delicious and easy.  I made a lemon cake variation.  I used the yellow cake recipe, but instead of 1 cup of milk I used 2/3 cup of milk and 1/3 cup of lemon juice.  Family loved it.

Delicious!  I used the yellow cake recipe.  I tweaked it a little. I add 1 package of vanilla pudding and increased the eggs to 3.  I also added 1/3 cup sour cream.  I also did half butter and half butter flavored shortening.  Thanks for sharing!

I've always had a weakness for sweets, especially cakes (probably because growing up my nanny was a professional cake decorator!) Having mixes on hand isn't always convenient. Besides, wouldn't you rather give people you love something special, made entirely from scratch (short of milling the flour!) that's variable and wholesome? This recipe allows for reasonable variance without sacrificing that "home-made from a box" type of familiarity yet is better because YOU made it. You always knew you could! Simply SIMPLE and delightfully DELICIOUS! Not a complaint to be found. Janet, with something so straightforward and honestly good you ought to have named it An Honest Cake.

Excellent...I made the yellow cake, and as per past reviews I used Cake flour, skipped the shortening and used oil, also added an extra half cup of milk...the mix looked watery, however, it baked up perfectly. Baked at 350 for 20 minutes, than reduced to 325 until done with a clean knife result!!! Very moist in our opinion...not like the boxed cake, but for scratch it is wonderful. Iced with chocolate icing!!!!

I made this cake twice in a week. The first time was the basic yellow cake. Followed the recipe exactly....it was good but not great. Thought a little more sugar would have been good. Second time tried the chocolate version with a few changes...added 2 cups of white sugar &amp; replaced the milk with buttermilk &amp; sifted the flour, sugar, baking powder &amp; cocoa together twice. Loved the chocolate cake a whole lot more!! Next time will follow these changes for the yellow cake too. All in all a good recipe....way better than the boxed one! Thanks for sharing.

I had to make a LOT of changes so this recipe is only getting stars because 1) it's pretty simple/easy 2) the baking time and temperature are accurate.   That said, I had to change many of the ingredients (added an extra 1/2 cup of milk, an extra cup of sugar, an extra egg, one extra tsp. extract, used cake flour, and used 1/2 cup oil instead of shortening). With these changes, the cake had a better texture and flavor.   Also, I mixed the wet ingredients THEN mixed in the dry until everything just came together. If you over mix, the texture won't be right.

This cake turned out super moist and fluffy (I made 2 of them).They were not dense at all. I find creaming the butter and sugar first easier them just throwing the first 5 ingredients together but other then that, the cake tastes great. The trick is to not over mix the batter.

This is a great and versatile recipe.  I used oil rather than margarine, since I find using oil makes for a lighter less dense cake.  I have made this recipe using an extra  1/2 cup of milk as some reviewers have suggested and sometimes using the amount specified.  Tastes great either way.  This is the procedure I follow to make this recipe nice and simple: First measure and sift the dry ingredients. In a seperate bowl measure and mix wet ingredients.  Finally add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients until well combined.  Pour and bake according to directions.   I have used this recipe to make white cake, yellow cake and chocolate cake.  Each cake turned out yummy and easy to make.

I made the yellow cake variation of this recipe for the "Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough + Cupcake = The BEST Cupcake. Ever." recipe, and I bumped the milk up to 1 and a 1/2 cups, just cause it seemed too small of an amount compared to how much milk/oil I usually have to add to other cakes that I make. I baked my cupcakes for 16-18 minutes and they were AMAZING!!! Definitely a keeper. Oh, and I also used cake flour instead of all purpose. 

The first time I..mean umm.."somebody" made this cake it did NOT rise at all.  Some idiot wasn't paying attention and used cornstarch instead of baking powder. The second cake was wonderful seeing as how the same idiot paid a bit more attention.  On a different note.. I just submitted a formula to the 3M corporation for a durable rubber floor mat....

This is my go-to recipe for cake. Its perfect for people who bake simple cakes frequently, but prefer to control the ingredients. These cakes are nearly as easy as from the box, but without the chemicals.

I have found this recipe very useful; I can make a full size cake, but easily make an 8" cake or even make a quarter sized cake without any difficulty (for a small, individual birthday cake).  I make this mix up and store it in an air tight container, and then measure out what I need - I mix all the dry ingredients together and then measure 4 1/4 C dry ingredients to the others listed in this recipe for a full size cake.  You can start cutting it back from there, if you want to downsize the recipe.  And, I used this recipe to make a tres leches cake - it was perfect (baked the cake in a 13x9 pan and after removing from the oven, I poked holes all over with a cake tester and then poured over a mixture of 1 can coco lopez/cream of coconut mixed with 1 1/4 C fat free half and half).  Let it sit in the frig over night and then I sprinkled with toasted coconut and served with slightly sweetened fresh whipped cream.  Fabulous!   I will say, I made it with shortening first, and now make it with the same amount of canola oil, it's just easier and tastes the same or better.  This is simply a very versatile recipe.

I'm an avid cupcake baker and would love to open my own shop one day, but I've always made my cupcakes from boxed mixes. I decided to do a trial run with these and bake my very first batch of cupcakes from scratch!  I followed the recommendations from other reviewers and used 2 cups of sugar and an extra half a cup of milk.  I also used vegetable oil instead of the shortening and doubled the vanilla.  I separated the egg whites and beat them until they formed stiff peaks, then added back in the whipped yolks along with the rest of the wet ingredients and whipped them all together and then added the dry ingredients gradually bit by bit and just beat each bit until the dry ingredients were mixed together and there were no lumps - only about a minute.  The batter was quite liquidy, but cooked up just fine.  I made cupcakes and baked them for about 23 mins.  These cupcakes were very nice and had a great vanilla flavor - overall I think this recipe was fabulous, but perhaps it left just a little floury texture on my teeth after I'd eaten one, but after I ate a second one covered in a nice vanilla butter cream icing the feeling had gone away.  I would definitely make this recipe again, and would love to try it in different flavor.

Some other posters suggested to add oil instead of shortening, I couldn't agree more.  I've made it both ways, hands down, use the oil!

This recipe was pretty good.  It was easy, but I did make a few changes based off of other reviews (with the changes this cake is great).  I used oil instead of shortening (1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons), I reduced the sugar, and I added a package of instant vanilla pudding in with the flour.  The cake came out super moist and the pudding mix completely took care of the lack of flavor that others pointed out.  I will make this again and I recommend this to anyone looking for a simple yellow cake.

Definitely the best yellow cake recipe I have found on this site.  I made a few variations that helped make it more moist and less dense.  I increased the milk from 1 cup to 1.5 cups and substituted 1/2 butter and 1/2 oil for the shortening.  Also, do not skip sifting the flour!  Overall, a very delicious cake recipe that works on its own or as a base for another type of cake!

We currently live in Switzerland and to buy an American cake mix costs over $6.00 a box.  So, what a wonderful surprise this recipe is.  I have just made the white cake mix (1/2 recipe since there are only 2 of us) and I couldn't wait for my husband to come home so I tried it.  It is wonderfully moist and light (I beat the egg white before adding to the recipe) and it tastes just like the white cake mixes out of the box.  I can't believe it was this easy!  It did take longer to bake than the recipe called for but this could be due to our oven (not the best) and/or I used a Pampered Chef stone...those usually increase baking time a bit.  I also used margarine as shortening is also horribly expensive over here.  I will be making the white cake recipe over and over again...and, if the other recipes work as well as this, may never have to buy another box.  Janet, you may have put Pillsbury and Betty Crocker out of business!  Thank you!

After trying this recipe completely as is im surprised that it got 41/2 stars? I knew what to expect by the way the ingredients are put together but I always try the recipes just like they are written first. It was a bit bland like other reviews said but I knew it would be by the sugar ratio. And it did come out a bit dense but I knew that too because of adding the sugar to the dry then just dumping in eggs with the wet. 
This is a 5 star recipe if I tweak it like others did. But I'm not rating my version of this recipe.
Even as is the cake is not dry or bad tasting.
But if you know how to whip the whites and add more flavor this is a keeper.

This recipe turned out great for me. I did make the suggested alteration adding an additional 1/2 cup milk, 1 cup sugar, and 1 egg. I also used oil instead of shortning. The cake had great flavor and texture. It was also a tight enough crumb to hold up well to stacking and frosting. It didn't fall apart or leave a big crump mess in my frosting. I will use this recipe again!

goodbye boxed cake mix! I made the chocolate version. Only change I made was to use canola oil instead of shortening. It tasted like it came from a bakery...fresh, perfectly dense, yet moist. I made 6 jumbo cupcakes (Wilton's 6- 2 piece cupcake pan) and just put frosting between the layers &amp; on top cause the sides didn't need to be "hidden" by the delicious tasting cake! This recipe is definitely a keeper!

Made the yellow cake tonight. Holy ! Delicious, light and fluffy, great texture and taste. Blows boxed cakes out of the water. This is my new go-to cake recipe. I used butter instead of shortening (not a fan of shortening really).

This is it.  I can stop looking. I gave it a 5star because of the suggestions and I feel guilty about that because I didn't rate the original recipe.  But I'm telling you, REPLACE the shortening with oil!!  I also followed the suggestion of adding instant pudding (French vanilla)and an extra egg as well as 1/2 c milk and 1/2 c sugar.  I'm telling you,  the batter alone made my toes curl.  I also added nearly a cup of sour cream and that was a mistake.  The oil and pudding was enough because the amount of sour cream made it too moist.  At the very least don't add so much sour cream. I told my son to do a toothpick check and he takes what he calls the "wobbly" cake completely out, and turns the oven off to check with a toothpick.  Grrrr.  I did have to increase the cooking time.  The cake was good yesterday, I'm sure it will be even better today.  I made it as a layer cake with chocolate cream cheese frosting.  Thanks for a winner.

As the recipe is written, it's not very good. The cake was dense and tough. However, it was so fast to make!  With some changes, it was phenominal. I didn't think it would turn out, but it did.  You must sift the flour before measuring, or only use 2 cups instead of 2 1/3 cups. So it might be a problem in our American measuring system which go by volume and not by actual mass.

Well, it was a hit on Thanksgiving.  I used the spice variation in 9x13, split and made a 2-layer cake and filled and iced with the Cinnamon Coffee Frosting (this site).  I used the butter flavor Crisco rather than oil, and I noted that the longer I beat it, the lighter and fluffier the batter became.  I can't wait to try the other variations.  So many people have become accustomed to the taste of the cake mixes and often cannot appreciate the taste of scratch cake.  So far, this one is a keeper for me.  Thanks for sharing!

i'm really not sure why this recipe got such good reviews. the cake was completely dense, and my partner said it tasted like a pancake. i made the yellow cake mix. 
it didn't bake well at all (it took forever for the middle to be done) and the flavor really wasn't that good.
i used the suggestions to beat the eggs beforehand but this really didn't help in making the cake any fluffier.
i've made cakes from scratch before so i'm not really sure what happened with this one. i'd love to be able to taste the cakes that turned out for everyone to see if it was just mine that didn't.
but i would never make this cake again, sorry!. we threw almost the entire thing away. white cake from a box tastes better. and i usually hate giving bad reviews.

If I could I would give it more stars!!!!! Used oil instead of shortning and mixed whites seperatly. Came out perfect moist and fluffy! Thank for this great recipie!!!!!! # Made it again adding and extra 1/2 cup of milk and grated orange zest , very good!

I was making a cake using a box mix and after taking the cake out of the pan I destroyed it.  It was too late to run to the store so I used this recipe and I have to say I will never use a box mix again.  I also like how you can "tweak" it to make different kinds.

This recipe was okay the first time I tried it, exactly by the recipe. A bit dry, though. The next time I took one members suggestion about replacing the shortening entirely with oil, that was much, much better. Added a bit more milk as well. The result was YUMMY!

DRY! I made the white cake version and it was dry as can be.  Pretty tasteless, my 6 year old grand daughter said it tasted like "cookie powder" which is flour.  Sorry, won't try these again.

Not bad, but not what I was hoping for. I used applesauce in place of the shortening (I do the same w/ boxed cake mix) and I used almond extract in place of the vanilla. The flavor was good but I like my cake to be light and fluffy, this turned out more dense and bread like. I was careful not to over mix the flour in, I folded it in w/ the wet ingredients until just mixed. The amount of liquid is about the same as boxed mix but there is only a cup and a half of dry ingredients in the boxed stuff, so next time I make this I will only use 1 1/2 cups of flour and cut back on the sugar a bit... I think the whole 2 1/3 cups of flour resulted in a denser cake and I didn't like it, it didn't taste like cake should taste to me because of the density, even w/ frosting! As is, I wouldn't make again. Ill try it w/ the changes I mentioned though and hopefully it will turn out better.

This is a great recipe! I did replace 1 cup butter for the shortening. (I just prefer butter) and it was fabulous!! My chocolate cake didn't come out as dark as the picture and it may be a little weak, so next time I might try adding more cocoa powder. But a great recipe. Thanks for sharing!

this is my first really bad review...i love to bake and i have baked plenty of cakes found on this site, but this recipe was a complete disaster.  I followed suggestions that other people made---used oil instead of shortening, increased milk, and used new baking powder.  i even used cake flour and was very careful not to over mix.  i will have to agree with one that said it tasted like sugar dough and one who commented on the texture being like cornbread.  i'm glad it worked for some people, wish it worked for me....but i definitely won't use this recipe again.

Amazing!!! I tried it with no shortening (olive oil), using cake flour, and only using 1/2 cup of sugar instead.  The result is amazing!!!

I made the chocolate version of this cake because, at 7 months pregnant, I have been craving chocolate cake and was NOT disappointed! I took the advice of others and used veg. oil instead of shortening and sifted the flour and other dry ingredients twice. I also tossed in some instant vanilla pudding to the mix just to see what it would do. (I know store bought cakes advertise putting pudding mix in their batter so I figured, "why not?")  This cake is my pride and joy! I have never baked a cake from scratch but, once paired with the Creamy Chocolate Frosting from this site and a glass of ice cold milk, I feel confident serving it to others. It will take a dire situation to push me to buy boxed cake mix again! I can't wait to try other variations of this recipe!

I followed this recipe exactly for yellow and chocolate cakes, with the exception of using oil instead of shortening based on previous reviews.  It still ended up terribly dry.  The cocoa did not do much but change batter color, and the yellow cake not bad, but not very flavorful.  If I try this recipe again, I'll have to make quite a few adjustments to get it right.

This cake gets a one star rating for the taste.  I followed some recommendations and substituted oil and added 1 1/2 cups of milk, however, this still tasted horrible.  It was very similar to a pancake and was not sweet enough.  I even went back to the recipe thinking I must have done something wrong, but no, this cake was just plain inedible.

This has been my go to recipe for three years now.  My first cake came out a little rough, but a lot of practice, patience, and butter, I've been creating wonder and delicious cakes.  
Recently, I've being adding Greek yogurt in to my milk, and olive oil with to my butter (I do not believe in shorting and I absolutely refuse to ever use margarine.) Neither takes away or changes the flavor of the cake, and the yogurt helps with make the cake moist.

This recipe is quick, easy, and delicious! I liked it a lot, and my dad really liked it. Review by my 11 year old daughter who has made this several times

I made the spice cake and everyone in my family kept commenting on how delicious and moist it was. It was probably one of the best cakes I have made.

Made the white cake for a block party and got rave reviews.Very simple and almost fool proof. Be sure to whip the egg whites until soft peaks form and GENTLY fold in to avoid overmixing,other wise it won't turn out light and fluffy.Paired well with chocolate buttercream frosting

So glad I found this recipe for my first from-scratch cake!  The only thing I did was add a 1/2 cup milk as per many other reviews.  It is so delicious and I have already used it twice in a week!  I will never make a box cake again.

The first time I used this recipe I made the yellow cake just as the recipe was written. I wasn't impressed.  The cake was very rubbery and dense.  I decided to try this recipe again with a few modifications.  I made the chocolate version using cake flour, 1 1/4 c milk, oil instead of shortening and beat the eggs whites separately folding them in at the end.  The cake texture came out a little, but not much better.  And the chocolate flavor was barely detectable.  As this is probably the only from scratch cake mix on this site I will keep on making modifications until the cake texture and taste is to my liking because I cannot stand the boxed stuff.  Good start to work with though.

This is a great basic recipe. I did follow the tips by the user "family jeans" and used oil instead of shortning and also added the xtra 1/2 cup of liquid. It was the best pineapple upside down cake I have ever made. My family of four ate the entire thing in one evening. Great tips, Family Jeans.

AWESOME!!!! I made the yellow cake version and used it in a pineapple upsided down cake recipe. I tweaked it a bit as per the other reviewers' suggestions.  I used oil instead of shortening, I sifted my flour and I made sure not to "play around" with the flour too much while mixing it in with the eggs , milk etc. Also, because I was using the cake in a pineapple upsided down cake recipe, I used 1 cup of milk and a 1/2 cup of pineapple juice. The result was a  delicious moist cake!!!

Baked about 45 min in 9"x9" cake pan. I didn't taste the cake on its own 'cos I wanted to do more to it. Cut the cake in half and spread strawberry filling(heat 2C crushed strawberries, 1/4C sugar, 4tblsp jelly crystals and 2tblsp lemon juice). For the topping, I whipped 300 ml whipping cream, add it a package of already whipped cream cheese and 1/2C icing sugar.

Yes He is, the cake mix is the first I've tried from scratch. With a few variations of my own it turned out absolutely wonderful! :) The tips I would add is , lower the heat on the oven to 325 and add ten minutes to cooking time. Use cake flour plus add 4 Tblsp. ,cut in the shortening with your hands, it seems to blend    better..Definitely whip the egg whites for about two minutes on med-high before adding to mixture. Plus I added a 1/2 a tsp. Almond extract for more flavor. Delicious, I won't ever need to use box mixes again! Thank you Janet for submitting this cake recipe! Our family of six Loves it!

Thank you from Norway!!!We used this for our five-layer wedding cake (Norway is very expensive and we made our own).We started with the basic mix (white), second layer became yellow, third layer became chocolate, fourth layer became spice, and the fifth we added fruit.We covered it with glaze and jam made from our garden.It was simply spectacular!

This was absolutely great. The only reason it didn't get the 5 stars was because I followed other suggestions and used 2 cups sugar and 1.5 cups of milk, as well as substituting oil for the shortening.

I just made the pineapple upside down version of this receive except I substituted the cinnamon for cake spice.I also used oil instead of shortening but let me say the cake tasted wonderful it tasted like a spice cake married a pineapple upside cake and the marrying of the two is delicious!!!!! Went over very well at my Xmas part must of gave out at least 50 links to this site along with can pies of my substitutions .I give it a 10

Wonderful homemade cake recipe. As other reviewers suggested I sifted the flour for the white cake recipe, subbed oil for the shortening, and I folded in beaten egg whites last. Thank you.

I guess I will give this 4 stars because I used another user's recommendations. I made the white cake, but used oil instead of shortening (I NEVER use shortening as it's just an abomination). I mixed the wet ingredients in one bowl, sifted the dry ingredients into another bowl, and whisked the egg whites in a 3rd smaller bowl. I then folded the dry mix into the wet mix, and then folded the eggs into that mixture once all flour was wet. The batter made 15 cupcakes. They were fluffy, moist, and very vanilla-y, unlike a box mix that tastes extra sugary sweet.

The first time I made it, it came out very dense, but flavorful. I tried again immediately after and realized I had accidentally added too much flour the first time (I was using a cup that was 2/3 cup, with 1/3 cup marker but filled it to 2/3) . The second time it came out perfect! I had also used up the last of my 2% milk on the first try, so I used almond milk on the second and it turned out great!

This was my first real success at making a cake from scratch. I can't wait to experiment with the flavor!

I've been using this recipe for about 4 years now and I love it. I wanted to have control over the ingredients. I follow Janet's directions but add in some of the comments from reviews (such as adding more milk, using oil or butter in place of shortening, combining ingredients in separate bowls and then gradually together, beating the egg whites) I usually make the white cake for birthdays and Easter cupcakes. Thank you Janet for providing this good recipe! And thank you reviewers for the tips you've left. I'm rather inexperienced so it helps to know what changes I can make.

I made the chocolate version of this cake.. it turned out dry and tasteless. I bake all the time and this is the first time I have ever had to throw away a cake. I should have known by the look of the batter that it needed more cocoa, but I followed the recipe as written. Will not make this cake again.

i made the yellow cake. I substituted the shortening with 1/2 cup vegetable oil. my family loved it

Wow! Very good and very versatile!! I took the advice of a reviewer and did it with oil instead of butter/shortening, and it was truly delicious. I topped with powdered sugar, and for some, I dropped in a Hershey's Kiss. Simply lovely.... but seriously, use oil.

This is the best homemade yellow cake I've made!  I have tried other recipes and they just come out to dense...BUT  I tried what one other review said about subing in oil instead of shortening and using 1 1/2 cups of milk instead of just 1 cup and WOW this cake is just so soft and lovely!  It's not too soft that it's hard to decorate- but it's JUST right.  Thanks so much fo a keeper in my reciped box!  :)

My family and I try not to eat too many processed foods. This cake recipe is the best. It is so delicious my family eats it before it makes it can make it to the second day. So easy my 12 year old makes it!!

I finally found my white and yellow cake recipes! I used oil instead of shortening, but thats just a personal preference.The cakes are light and fluffy with just enough density for decorating and shaping. Thanks!

Has a little too much sugar for my taste and the height of the cake using the 9x12 pan was only about 1 1/4" high which might be a little shallow for some.

Tasty! I was a little skeptical when tasting the batter, but the end product is very good. I made the yellow cake into cupcakes. Yes, I would make these again.

I just made this cake and it is so good. Perfect density. It will be my yellow cake recipe from now on. Used unsalted butter in place of shortening. It is important to sift the dry ingredients at least once. Twice is better. Once all ingredients are in bowl mix for 3-4 minutes as suggested with mixer for a smooth batter.

Thank you for posting this recipe!  We have allergies to dyes and preservatives which pretty much cuts out all box mixed cakes.  I just tried the yellow cake recipe (I did use oil instead of shortening and added 1 tsp. of hazlenut flavoring).  It is so good.  My sons helped me put the recipe together and have been virtually orbiting our kitchen waiting for the go ahead to dig in!  It is a recipe I will probably print and place on my fridge for frequent use!  Thanks again from a mom who wants to "let them eat cake!"

I love this recipie. This is great for carving once it has been in the freezer for a hour or two.

I add 1 package of vanilla pudding and increased egges to 3. Very good cake.

I was looking for a cake recipe that i could make from scratch and get a box mix type of flavour and texture, but as other reviewers i have to agree its not like the box mixes at all. I used oil and increased the milk to 1 1/2 cups.. 
the result...
the cake rose beautifully, was golden brown on the outside and white on the inside

flavour= fresh out of the oven it tasted like flour, oil and eggs, kind of sticky although when i checked to see if it was done the toothpick came out clean... 2 days later, the flavour was MUCH better, not at all like it was the first day.

texture= very soft and moist

in the end i think if i ever make this again i will make it a day or two before i need it coz it really changes the flavour to resemble a box cake to some extent.

I've made the spice cake and the chocolate version of this so far, using the recommended oil and extra milk. The spice cake is wonderful. The chocolate could use a bit more cocoa powder (maybe even twice as much) but it was still good.

Wow! What a great recipe! My kids and I made the spice version on a rainy Sunday afternoon. I read some of the other posts that said it might be dry, so I used 1/4 more milk, all butter (no shortening), and 1/4 tsp of nutmeg. We frosted it while it was still warm from the oven. "Mmmmm" is all anyone said. This is definitely a keeper. Thanks, Janet!

Really light scratch cake.  Most of the scratch cakes I've made have come out heavier.  It's not especially sweet, but with frosting it's perfect.  I can't wait to try the variations.  This is the recipe I'm using from now on.

Excellent.  Great homemade taste.  For those that are having problems with the texture, you can use cake flour instead of regular.  It will make it more fluffy, like a boxed cake mix.

I used the yellow version for cupcakes. Baked at exactly 25 minutes, they turned out delicious and fluffy. The outside had just the right crunch to it. I double-sifted the dry ingredients since I didn't have cake flour and the flour I did have was stiff.  I have attempted the spice cake recipe, but my cake collapsed in the middle after baking it.

I made the yellow cake into cupcakes - very good

Since I was making this as a birthday cake, I doubled the recipe so that it would make 2 layers.  For the filling, I used pineapple (2 cans of pineapple tossed in the food processor, simmered with a bit of sugar, then strained).  And topped it off with a vanilla-cream cheese frosting (store bought, because I ran out of confectioners sugar).  Everyone loved it!!!  Would definately use again and try different variations!!!  Thanks Janet!!!

Thank you!  I recently moved out of the country and needed a recipe that had ingredients I could find and made a cake that tasted like home. This recipe offered both.  I had to cook it for over an hour before it was done but I think it is a problem with my oven not the ricipe.

Loved it, was truly easy and yummy. I love the fact that I'm in charge of the ingredients. I made them into cupcakes and baked them for around 18 minutes in a 350F oven. They turned out lovely and moist. However next time, I might add more than the amount of cocoa to make the chocolate cake mix. 

Made this as a pineapple upside down cake and it turned out extremely well...the only change I made was to use butter instead of shorting. Will definitely be making this again.

Be careful not to use baking soda rather than baking powder!  It will cause big problems for your cake!  lol

I made this in a bundt pan twice in one day (chocolate variation) for my two girls' birthday parties this weekend. I may never make a box mix cake again, although I have to make note of my changes to both directions and ratios. 

In a large bowl, I sifted flour, 1/3 c cocoa and baking powder together with salt. In mixing bowl I blended oil (instead of shortening), sugar, 1-1/4 c milk, and 1/4 c creme de cacao. In a small bowl I whipped the eggs to a froth. 

After slowly adding flour mixture to oil mixture just until blended, I folded the frothy eggs into the batter and turned the whole thing into the greased and floured bundt pan. Baked at 325 for 40 minutes, it came out moist and bursting with personality. 

I'm hoping the birthday party guests don't eat all of it, because kids can't possibly appreciate this as much as I will, after the end of the second party with a glass of champagne.

5 stars for ease.  5 stars on time.   4 stars of flexibility and customization.   3 stars on texture. 2 stars on taste.   Used oil and 25% more milk for a moist cake.   Rose very well.  Iced very well.  Held up to handling (9" round pan).   But the tatse was similar to a store cake.

I was looking for a pineapple upside down cake recipe to use a fresh pineapple we recieved as a gift. So many of the recipes on this site call for cake mix. I don't like to use packaged foods because of the chemicals in them (I'm allergic to food coloring) so I searched for a homemade yellow cake recipe and came across this one. And fortunately, it had the directions for pineapple upside down cake here. The only thing I changed was the method of mixing things. I mixed all the dry ingredients together. I used a combination of half melted butter and half vegetable oil for the shortening, mixed that with the other wet ingredients then mixed all of that with the dry. This was super delicious. I will definitely be using this scratch cake in other recipes that call for cake mix.

I had never made a cake from scratch other than chocolate but this was great! I added lemon 1tsp . It was easy!

I used the recipe for the white cake and I didn't like it at all.  I used oil instead of shortening like somebody else suggested.  But the cake didn't taste sweet at all (and I made sure to use the right amount of sugar).  The batter tasted a lot like flour.  And cake tasted a lot like a pancake.

I did not have a box cake mix on hand and really wanted to make a cake for our St Patty's Day dinner.  This recipe worked great!  I used egg whites, half Spenda for sugar, half applesause &amp; half oil for the shortening called for.  I also added 1/2 cup of amaretto and subbed almond extract for vanilla to make an amaretto cake.  I baked in a bundt pan for 50 minutes (bit too long), and used a drizzle for frosting.  This worked just as great as a box cake - thanks for saving me in a pinch!

This is a great recipe.  I have used it twice now to make the yellow cake mix. I made cupcakes and the Irish cream cake.  Came out well both times and I subbed butter for the shortening.

I don't find yellow cake mix where I live, so now I can still make all other recipies that mention it on this site :) The yellow mix I tried turned out quite heavy but I don't know if that is the way it should turn out. But anyhow, thanks again for sharing!

Made 2 cakes: one yellow, one chocolate variation.    I wish I had known this would be so horrible and not wasted my hard earned money on ingredients just so the entire thing could be thrown in the trash.    I did eat one forkful just to see if it really tastes like cornbread, and yes, it tastes like a mediocre version of cornbread. Very dense, not much of a "cake". I do not recommend this recipe.

I used the white cake recipe without changing anything.  The cupcakes turn out moist and light.  In order to get the light/fluffy consistency, the egg whites need to be folded in.  I will try the yellow cake next time.

This was great!!  I live in South Korea and can not get shortening so I used the substitute of oil.  It worked great!  I also have a slightly bigger pan than a 9 x 13 so  I upped the servings to 36.  The cake rose wonderfully and tasted delicious.  I added cinnamon plus from pampered chef.  It gave it a nice light spiced taste.  Next time I will only bake it 30 minutes.  It got slightly over done on the bottom and edges.  Thanks so much!! Feb 08:  I just made this cake again tonight.  I have just found out my daughter is allergic to milk and always looking at ways to make things with out milk.  Well, I used the basic cake recipe, left out the eggs and milk and added Sprite for the liquid.  It turned out wonderful! Again I used oil and not shortening.  Wonderful!

This is a wonderful recipe. I used the Yellow Cake directions but I added a package of instant banana pudding. I made to cakes out of it in order to make the Banana Flips I also found on this site.

Very light and tasty...will cut back on the sugar the next time I make this recipe as it was a bit sweet for my taste. I used oil instead of shortening as suggested and I added about 1/4 cup more milk too. I made cupcakes (24) which baked with a dome top that was perfect for a poured fondant recipe I found here on allrecipes.

This wasn't good. I made the yellow cake. It was dense and tasted bad.

these come in handy all the time.  i never buy store bought anymore.

Oh my gosh-I completely agree with everyone else. The white cake recipe is to die for. MAKE SURE YOU FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS FROM THE REVIEWER FROM APRIL 5 2008. Follow them exactly and your cake will turn out awesome

I really appreciate this recipe for scratch cake.  My husband is on a low sodium diet.  When I make something from scratch, I use low sodium baking powder.  It really lowers the sodium count for recipes.  Thanks Linda/Mi

cake mixes from scratch and variations

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total: 55 minutes

Servings: 5

Cost: $6.32 /serving

Author : Janet

Ingredients

Instructions

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