Tips For The Best Homemade Cake Mix
Following these simple tips will give your cake mix the best flavor and longest shelf life:
- Use the freshest ingredients: Did you know that baking powder and baking soda can lose its effectiveness? It can! Be sure to make your cake mixes with newer ingredients for the best results!
- Sifting dry ingredients together is always a great idea with homemade cake. Nobody likes a lumpy cake.
- Store your cake mix in an airtight container, jar, or Ziploc bag.
- When making your cake, be sure to use room temperature wet ingredients.
What Our Readers Are Saying
If you dont believe that our recipe helps you bake the best homemade carrot cake, take a look at what our readers are saying about the recipe! More reviews are in the comments section below.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, very easy to follow, came out perfect first attempt great hit with the family, now a regular demand from my kids. A
This carrot cake was amazing!!! I made it for my husbands birthday and he said it would win a Paul Hollywood handshake Yuna
This is an absolutely divine carrot cake recipe!!!! It is so hard to find one that is not dry this one is moist and works perfectly every single time and we make it often as it is definitely our favorite!!! Jodi
Since posting this recipe, weve had some frequently asked questions. Here are the most common:
The Best Vanilla Cake Recipe
Dessert 45 mins
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This is the Best Vanilla Cake Recipe Ive ever tasted! So delicious, its quick and easy to make! Made from scratch, this cake is perfect for every occasion!
If you have been looking for a fluffy, moist and delicious not to mention quick and easy vanilla cake, here it isThe Best Vanilla Cake Recipe! Its the recipe that many of you requested by emailing, commenting, and messaging me for some time. As promised, here is the recipe that I think is the very best vanilla cake Ive ever tasted!
And topped with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting? Oh my word! It is perfection!
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How To Decorate German Chocolate Cake
The best topping for a German Chocolate Cake is the sugary coconut pecan icing. Read more about making the frosting here. After making the frosting, give it time to cool at least to room temperature then spread half of the cooled frosting on top of one 8-inch cake layer. Stack the other layer of cake and spread the remaining frosting on top. If you want to frost the sides with the coconut pecan icing, you can double the recipe, or frost the sides with regular chocolate frosting. We have a delicious Easy Chocolate Buttercream Frosting here.
What Ingredients Are Used In Baking A Cake
The ingredients for making a standard sponge cake can be found in your kitchen year-round. These basic ingredients for baking a cake are flour, eggs, fat , sugar, salt, a form of liquid , and leavening agents .
These are the basic cake ingredients that cant be easily changed or substituted if youre going to achieve the perfect cake mix . There are, however, a variety of optional cake ingredients to enhance the flavours, colourings and appearance of the cake, such as cocoa, lemon, jam, curds, nuts, and dried fruit just to name a few.
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The Easiest Cake Mix To Make At Home
This Homemade Vanilla Cake Mix is so easy to make and will store in your pantry for those days you want to put together a quick, delicious vanilla cake!
Move over Betty Crocker Cake Mix All Things Mamma is comin for ya! Im about to show you how to make this easy homemade cake mix recipe that results in the best made-from-scratch cake!
While this Homemade Cake Mix is perfect for a 13×9 cake, it can also be used anytime you have a recipe that calls for a recipe with cake mix cake mix cookies, cake mix peach cobbler dump cake, or even cake mix brownies.
Seriously, its one of my favorite homemade mixes.
Alternate Adding Dry And Wet Ingredients
Alternate between adding some of the dry mixture and some of the milk to the butter-egg-sugar mixture, beating on low speed after each addition until everything is combined. Begin and end with the flour mixture, as when liquid is mixed into flour, gluten begins to form. Too much gluten makes for a tough cake, so be sure to start and finish with the flour, and be careful not to overmix once you’ve added liquid.
Test Kitchen Tip: Be careful not to overmix at this stage or you might get elongated, irregular holes in the finished cake.
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The 50 Best Cake Recipes In The World
Cakes are simply the best. A perfectly baked moist cake is one of lifes simple pleasures. Baking cakes at home can be just as fun as eating them as long as you have the right recipes! I am going to share The 50 Best Cake Recipes in the World, as rated by you! All of the frosting recipes can be found here.
The Role Of Eggs In A Cake
After the butter and sugar are creamed together, it is time to add the eggs. Add the eggs in one at a time to give them a chance to emulsify into the batter.
You may add the eggs while the mixer is running on low to further incorporate them. The eggs should be room temperature to create smoother, more homogenous batter if the eggs are cold, the batter may appear curdled.
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How Is This Cake Dairy Free If It Has Eggs
There seems to be some confusion about eggs being dairy perhaps because grocery stores stock the eggs with the dairy. But eggs are actually not a dairy product. They are indeed produced by animals and therefore an animal by-product, but a dairy product refers to a product made from the mammary gland of mammals and the foods made from their milk such as cream, butter, and cheese.
Check Cake For Doneness
Overbaked cake equals dry cake, and no one wants that. Start checking the cake for doneness after the recipe’s stated minimum baking time, but avoid opening the oven door before then, so that the heat doesn’t escape. For creamed cakes, insert a wooden toothpick near the center of the cake. If the pick comes out clean , the cake is done. If there is any wet batter on it, bake the cake for a few minutes more and test in a new spot with a new toothpick.
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How To Make Honey Cake
This is one of the easiest Rosh Hashanah recipes out there, with just 5 to 10 minutes of hands-on time. All you need is one bowl and a whisk!
Different Cake Pan Sizes And Bake Times
for a handy table of different cake pan sizes, bake times and cake height. This Vanilla cake will work with the following cake pan sizes:
- 2 x 20cm / 8 cake pan my base recipe , 30 minutes
- 3 x 20cm / 8 cake pan 21 minutes . Otherwise, put 2 on middle shelf and 1 pan on shelf underneath. Bake top 2 pans for 21 minutes, remove from oven. Move bottom pan up and bake for another 2 minutes then remove.
- 2 x 23 cm / 9 cake pans 27 minutes
- 2 x 15.25cm / 6 cake pans 25 27 minutes, only make half a batch
- Halve the recipe for a single round cake, 20 23cm / 8 9
- 12 cup tube pan or bundt pan bake 1 hour, but note cake is not quite as fluffy as pictured and described. Still soft, but its slightly more dense
- 23 x 33 cm / 13 x 9 rectangle pan 30 minutes
- CUPCAKES! 24 perfectly domed, golden cupcakes or halve the recipe to make 12. Heres the Vanilla Cupcakes recipe.
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Honey Cake For Rosh Hashanah
Honey is a staple ingredient for most Jews celebrating Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, symbolizing a sweet and fruitful year to come. Apples dipped in honey and honey cake are often part of the holiday festivities.
No worries if youre not Jewish or dont observe Rosh Hashanah honey cake is enjoyed by many cultures. In my humble opinion, it is unjustly underrated. But I think thats because so many recipes are incredibly dry or lack flavor. Not this one!
This recipe has a springy and moist crumb with a slightly crisp exterior that sort of tastes like caramel, while bitter coffee and tart orange juice balance sweetness from the honey and brown sugar. Its so simple to make and rich in warm flavor. I usually make two loaves, one to be enjoyed in the morning with coffee or tea, and the other for dessert after our holiday meal. Whenever I serve it, it disappears fast!
Why Isn’t The Cake Fluffy And Moist
There are a few reasons why this cake may come out drier and more cornbread-like than expected. First, it’s important that you bring the butter, eggs, and milk to room temperature before beginning the recipe. If they are too cold, the batter won’t form an emulsion and your cake won’t be light and fluffy. Then, make sure you don’t overmix the batter follow the recipe’s instructions for mixing times. Finally, an overbaked cake will be dry, so check it early. If your oven tends to run hot, consider using an oven thermometer to better monitor all of your baked goods.
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How Make Buttermilk Chocolate Cake
Mixing the cake
Acorn TV
Don’t forget the frosting:
Heat all the ingredients except the rum in a saucepan over medium heat, whisking out any lumps. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat and whisk in the rum. Let it cool completely before icing the cake. Garnish with fresh flowers.
What Causes Dry Cake
Dryness is typically the biggest complaint bakers have when making a cake from scratch, so I thought this FAQ deserved its own space. There are three main causes for a dry cake: over-measuring the flour , over-mixing, and over-baking.
- Do not over-mix your batter! Mixing the batter properly can be tricky and this is often where most mistakes are made with homemade cakes. To avoid over-mixing, thoroughly cream together the wet ingredients, particularly the butter, sugar, oil, and eggs. I highly recommend using an electric mixer for this step! However, once you get to the point of combining your wet and dry ingredients, you need to be gentle and fold by hand using a spatula. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the buttermilk, folding thoroughly, but not aggressively. The batter will be smooth and mostly cohesive there may be some small lumps remaining, but thats fine! Also, remember that while over-mixing can make your vanilla cake both dry and dense, under-mixing has its own risks and should be avoided as well!
SAMS NOTE: Under-mixing your cake batter, not baking the cake for long enough, or opening the oven door too frequently while the cake bakes can cause the cake to sink as it cools.
Enjoy!
Lets bake together! Ill be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on , and you can also find me on and
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Can I Make It Ahead Of Time
Cream Your Butter And Sugar
Bring the butter to room temperature before you begin baking. When it has reached the proper temperature, beat it until it’s creamy. Slowly add the sugar as you cream your butter if using a stand mixer. If you’re using an electric beater or mixing by hand, add a little of the sugar at a time and then mix until you have incorporated the full amount.
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What Is Among Us
Among Us is a multiplayer game that came out in 2018. It is a space-themed social deduction game where all the players look like colorful armless cartoons. Each player can either be a Crewmate or an Imposter. If youre a Crewmate, then your goal is to complete all your tasks and figure out who the Imposters are. If youre an Imposter, then your goal is to sabotage the Crewmates mission.
Among Us gained in popularity in 2020 and is one of the online games my tween played with friends for a bit. I thought it would be fun to make an Among Us themed cake for a recent get-together with their buddies and it was a huge hit!
I only made Crewmate characters for this cake. If you want to make an Imposter, simply make a Crewmate and then add little white fondant fangs and make the white dot for the eye a red star shape instead.
Ingredients In This Cake
This recipe calls for only a couple of ingredients that youll probably have to shop for. Otherwise the cake batter comes together with pantry staples to make a gorgeous dessert! Heres what you need for the cake:
- Cake flour this flour is found next to the all purpose flour at the grocery store. The finer texture results in a supremely soft and moist cake layer.
- Sugar regular white sugar
- Salt a half teaspoon salt is all you need.
- Buttermilk room temperature. If you dont have buttermilk you can make your own by adding either vinegar or lemon juice to regular milk
- Vanilla a teaspoon vanilla extract adds a rich layer of flavor to the chocolate
- Eggs fold the beaten eggs into the cooled chocolate mixture then add to the rest of the ingredients
- German chocolate squares melted and cooled
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Alternating The Flour And Milk
Alternate adding the remaining dry ingredients with the wet. This way, the batter better absorbs all of the liquids without having to overmix the dry ingredients .
To start, make sure your flour, baking powder, and salt are sifted together. With the mixer on low , add in half the flour mixture. Continue to mix until the last streaks of flour begin to disappear. With the mixer still running, stream in the milk. Now is a good time to add the vanilla extract, too. Once the milk is mostly absorbed, stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
Turn the mixer back on to low speed, and add in the remaining dry ingredients. Once they begin to incorporate, bump up the mixer to medium. Only mix the batter together until it is smooth and the last visible bits of flour disappear. It is important not to overmix your batter or the cake may turn out dense, dry, and with tunnels running through the crumb. If you want some extra insurance, stop the mixer while there are still a few streaks of flour remaining and mix the rest of the way by hand with a rubber spatula. This way also makes sure that no dry pockets are left at the bottom of the bowl.
Can I Freeze Extra Cake
Yes, you can freeze individual slices of this cake for up to 3 months. Place each slice in an airtight, freezer-safe container and then store in the freezer. When you are ready to eat a slice, thaw it overnight in the fridge or on the counter for a few hours.
- Total Time:2 hours 30 minutes
- Yield:10 servings
- 2 1/2cups all-purpose flour
- 1cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2cups sugar
- 1 1/2cups unsalted butter
- 4 1/2cups confectioners sugar
- 3 tablespoon milk
- Food colorings for buttercream and fondant icing
- White fondant icing
- Sprinkle stars or other sprinkles for decoration
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