Make Your Own Cake Mix {With Coconut Oil}

Using a cake mix is so convenient - who needs the stress of extra measuring and dirtying up more dishes? :) But of course a cake made completely from scratch is more tasty and has ingredients that you can actually pronounce.

Quite some time ago I saw that you could make your own cake mix to keep on hand - woo hoo, I thought! But the recipes I saw used vegetable shortening, which I have never been a fan of. I do know that there are many chefs who use it for cakes and pastries because it gives such a good result, but I could never get excited about it. So I went on buying cake mixes for those times when I couldn't do the whole thing from scratch. Until...

I thought about trying coconut oil as a substitution for the shortening. Would it work or just hopelessly clump up? Would it ever mix up right to make a nice cake? I tried it. I succeeded. I have an extra bag of it in my cupboard if you need a cake right now. :)

First, you whisk together those dry ingredients - like the pic above. Then you add in the coconut oil and blend in using a mixer or a pastry blender until it looks like the pic below.

This is not as dry as the cake mixes that you buy. It will feel somewhat moist and clumpy. Don't overmix or you'll have dough! Store it in a sealed container or a ziploc bag.

Cake Mix {with coconut oil}

5 cups all-purpose flour
3 1/8 cups sugar
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 1/4 cups coconut oil

Combine flour, sugar, cornstarch, baking powder and salt. Whisk together until well-mixed. Add in coconut oil. Blend using a pastry blender or mixer until mixture resembles a cornmeal texture {will be a little clumpier than that}. Store in sealed container or bag in a cool, dry place. Should use within 10-12 weeks.

This will give you roughly 8 1/2 cups of cake mix. That's enough for a 2-layer cake {or 9x13 pan}, plus a one-layer cake {or 8x8 pan}, plus enough extra for about 6 cupcakes. This cake mix can be used to make a yellow or white cake, or even lemon depending on what flavors you add.

Here's the basic yellow cake recipe I used from my Make-A-Mix cookbook to make a layered yellow cake.

The batter won't turn out perfectly smooth because when the coconut oil is cold, it solidifies. This didn't affect the flavor/texture in my opinion, but if you wanted it smoother you could let your eggs and milk come to room temp first before adding.

Yellow Cake {with coconut oil cake mix}

5 cups Cake Mix {with coconut oil}
1 1/4 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 2 8-9 inch round cake pans or 9x13 rectangle pan. Combine cake mix, milk, and vanilla in large bowl and beat on high speed 1 minute or so. Scrape down sides and beat 2 minutes longer until batter is as smooth as you can get it. Add eggs one at a time. Beat well after each is added. Pour batter into prepared pans.

For round cake pans - bake 30-35 minutes. For 9x13 pan - bake 35-40 minutes. When pick inserted in center comes out clean, cake is done. I recommend always starting the checking process about 5 minutes early as every oven is different! Cool on rack 10 minutes. Remove from pan to cool completely, if desired. Frost when cool.

To make a 1-layer or square cake, use 2 eggs instead of 3 and half of all the other ingredients. To make this into a white cake, just leave out the yolks.
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I used this recipe to make a refreshing 3-layer cake that I'll share with you next week {Mandarin Orange Cake}! I hope this helps make life a little easier {and yummier} at your house! :)

Do you use cake mixes? Have you ever made your own cake mix or do you just prefer to whip up the cake from scratch?


Other Make-Your-Own Mixes you might like:

• Instant Oatmeal Mix
• Chocolate Pudding Mix
• Homemade Ranch Dressing Mix
• Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix

This post linked to:
 ~ Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
 ~ WFMW at We Are THAT Family
 ~ Thrifty Thursday at The Purposeful Mom
 ~ Chic & Crafty Party at The Frugal Girls
 ~ I'm Lovin' It at TidyMom

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Have a blessed day friends!