Cake mixes aren’t exactly expensive, but sometimes homemade mixes aren’t just about saving money, they’re about controlling the ingredients we consume, avoiding unnecessary chemicals/food colorings and preservatives. Here is a delicious make-ahead mix that can be stored in the pantry.
You’ll Need:
8 c. plain flour, sifted if possible, but not required
6 c. sugar
1/4 c. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 c. Crisco (Solid Vegetable Shortening)
Blend all ingredients until the consistency of cornmeal.
Put in a cool place in airtight container. Label. Use in 10-12 weeks. Makes 16 cups
To make a cake:
3 1/3 cups Mix
3/4 c. milk
2 eggs, well beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
Beat until smooth. Bake at 350 degrees until done. (9×13 pan approx 30-35 minutes)
Can Stock Photo Inc. / billberryphotog
Basic Cake Mix
Ingredients
Equipment
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and shortening.
- Blend until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
- Transfer the mix to an airtight container and store in a cool place.
- To make one cake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Measure 3 1/3 cups of mix into a bowl.
- Add the milk, beaten eggs, and vanilla.
- Beat until smooth.
- Pour into a prepared 9x13 pan.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the center tests done.
Recipe Size Alteration
💡 If you altered the ingredients above by doubling or tripling the recipe, you may also need to change the pan/dish size and adjust the cook time.
Notes
Store the dry mix in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for 10 to 12 weeks.
Prepared cake should be refrigerated within 2 hours and keeps about 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator.
Freeze baked cake for up to 2 months for best quality.
Prep time is estimated for measuring and blending the dry mix. Cook time reflects one baked cake.
has anyone vacuumed sealed this recipe and had it store for longer? i’m looking at making emergency mixes and such for later on and need them to last at least a year vacuumed sealed.
According to the Crisco website, it has a shelf life of a year after it has been opened. The rest are staples, so I can’t see why it wouldn’t last longer, especially if vacuumed sealed.
if i didn’t want to add the crisco to the recipe (i prefer to use butter or lard) how much would i add with the milk and eggs. if the original recipe makes 16 cups I assume you can make about 5 cakes with the original recipe. Without the Crisco, the mix makes about 14 1/2 cups divided by 5 would be about 2 and 7/8 cups of mix.
Is this right???
The basic mix recipe calls for 2 & 1/2 cups of Crisco…divided by 5 (the approx # of cakes the mix will make) it would be 1/2 cup of your chosen fat.
if making an 8×8 would you just use 1/2 of everything?