How to Tuesday – Homemade Cake Mix

Crumbly goodness

In my old life we used excessive amounts of boxed cake mix. Cakes, cookies, muffins, and the list goes on. So many recipes based of those cheap little boxes of processed numminess. As we’ve turned to a life of homemade we’ve laid of the boxed cake mix, but I still found I needed an alternative. I could make cakes from scratch, but sometimes you just need the powdered mix as a base. Just click through pinterest for a while and behold the fabulousness that is things you can make with a boxed cake mix. Some of you may remember the cherry pineapple mush cake that had a crunchy bottom. It was a homemade cake mix fail that has now been remedied.

I tried a few and my main complaints were the dryness and that they didn’t taste like a box mix. Homemade is great, but I just wanted that cake mix flavor. I’m sure it comes from all sorts of something fake in the boxed stuff, but I want that in my cake mix. So sue me! Then I found this cake mix recipe and now I’m a happy camper. My only complaint is that my food processor isn’t big enough to make a double or triple batch, so I can make in bulk and store it to have on hand to make things like cake batter milk shakes. Instead I have to make one batch at a time. Woe is me, right?

So here it is:

Like the author I usually don’t have cake flour on hand, so I used her substitution 2 3/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour and 3 tablespoons cornstarch in place of the three cups of flour

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups cake flour
• 1/2 cup nonfat dry milk powder
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 16 tablespoons butter (2 sticks), cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Before adding the butter

DIRECTIONS: Process sugar, flours ( flour and cornstarch substitution),dry milk, baking powder, and salt in a food processor for 15 seconds to combine. Add butter and vanilla and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Freeze the dry mixture in a zipper-lock bag for up to 2 months or use immediately.

If you need to bake a cake this makes a 9×13″ cake or a 9″ 2 layer round. Add 2 eggs and 1 1/4 cup warm water. Bake on 350.  I’m mostly interested in using this to mix with other things and not really bake a cake. However I did make a cute little rainbow number for the Turkey’s birthday last week.

Crummy late night picture, but look pretty colors!