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This Homemade Vanilla Cake Mix is super easy to put together and store in your pantry for those days you want to put together a quick, delicious vanilla cake! Make several to keep on hand – or to give as gifts. I’ve even included a cute little tag you can print out with the ingredients and instructions for baking later!
We all have those times in life that are super busy and we need a little shortcut. Baking can even be one of those things we need a shortcut with. Though I love to bake and enjoy the process of putting everything together for a wonderful cake, there are times that I just want to grab a mix out of the pantry and have part of process already done for me.
This cake mix is perfect for those days!
The mix includes flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. All your main dry ingredients really. Just combine them in a bowl and add them to a well sealed mason jar and you’re all set! It’s a fair amount of mix, so I used a 32 oz size mason jar. I had to do a little tapping of the jar on the table to get everything to pack down so could I fit it all. 🙂
Once your mix is ready, feel free to download and print the cake mix tag to add to it so you have the ingredients list and instructions handy when you’re ready to bake it. It’s a straightforward mix, which is perfect for a cake mix. No need to cream anything – just combine and mix together!
It bakes up into a lovely and super moist vanilla cake! I love how simple it is to make and the 9×13 size is great for something quick, easy and transportable if you feel like sharing. 🙂 Is there anything better than a quick, easy cake to get your fix?
You might also like:
Moist Vanilla Layer Cake
Easy Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting
Moist Vanilla Cupcakes
Easy Moist Chocolate Cake
Coconut Poke Cake
Homemade Vanilla Cake Mix
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 32 minutes
- Total Time: 42 minutes
- Yield: 14-16 Servings
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Homemade Vanilla Cake Mix is super easy to put together and store in your pantry for those days you want to put together a quick, delicious vanilla cake!
Ingredients
DRY INGREDIENTS FOR CAKE MIX
- 2 1/2 cups (325g) all purpose flour
- 2 cups (414g) sugar
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
WET INGREDIENTS TO FINISH CAKE
- 1 cup (240ml) milk
- 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup (240ml) hot water
Instructions
1. To make the cake mix, combine the dry ingredients and mix well.
2. Add the dry mix to a large sealable container. I used 32 oz mason jars. Seal and store until ready to make. Print the tag with ingredients and instructions to add to the jar.
3. To finish the cake, preheat oven to 350°F (176°C) and grease a 9×13 inch cake pan.
4. Add the milk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and eggs to a medium sized bowl and combine.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry cake mix and mix until well combined.
6. Slowly add the hot water to the batter and mix on low speed until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to make sure everything is well combined. The batter will be very thin.
7. Pour the batter into the greased cake pan and bake for 28-32 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
8. Allow the cake to cool and frost it with the Vanilla Buttercream Frosting.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice
- Calories: 462
- Sugar: 50.3 g
- Sodium: 209.2 mg
- Fat: 20.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 66.6 g
- Protein: 4.5 g
- Cholesterol: 40.8 mg
Filed Under:
Enjoy!
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Honestly I had low expectations because the measurements reminded me of the chocolate cake I’m familiar with.. as expected this is a very very dense cake.. please try this recipe before packaging it to give to anyone
I made this it has really good taste but it’s very heavy 😄
This was SO good. It was so moist. I made a Bundt cake and a bunch of cupcakes. I will make this again. I will be making this for my 30th Anniversary party. What is the max of this cake will bake in?
I’m glad you enjoyed it! I’m not sure I understand your question though.
With regards to your cake mix recipe, will the 2-1/2 cups of flour make a two layer 9″ cake too thin if I decide not to bake in a 9″x13″ pan for a different recipe ?
It depends on how tall you want it to be. I have made it as a three layer 8 inch cake and it ends up being about 4 inches tall. It would probably be closer to 3 inches as a 9 inch cake.
Hi can we substitute baking powder with baking soda if we don’t have baking powder on hand? If so, would I just use the same amount 3 tsp or a different amount? Thanks!
No, they aren’t interchangeable. Sorry.
Hi,
I’ve made your vanilla cupcakes on several occasions and they’re delicious. Can I double this cake recipe to make a half sheet cake, and if yes would I just double the ingredients?
It depends on how tall of a cake you want. If you don’t double the recipe, the cake will be about an inch or so tall. If you want a taller cake, yes you can double the recipe.
How about adding a third cup of cocoa powder to the dry ingredients for a chocolate version? Or use the dry packets of lemon in the dry for a taste of lemon…Have to try them all! Thank you for such a great way to make a cake without the fuss!!!!!
For a chocolate version, I would use my chocolate cake. It can be made in a 9 x 13 as well. https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/best-chocolate-cake/
I used this plus a package of Jello Butterscotch pudding mix to make a beautiful Bundt cake. I did add 5-7 more minutes of bake time and it came out perfect. Topped with cream cheese glaze, dark chocolate syrup, and pecans. Mmm, so yummy for Father’s Day. Thank you for this awesome and pantry-friendly recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Can I make this in a round cake pan!? If so, how long to cook and degrees?
I used it as 8 inch cake layers in this cake, if you’d like to reference that. It would be too much cake batter for one layer unless it was a pretty large cake. You could try cutting it in half and making one 9 inch cake layer. https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/berry-mascarpone-layer-cake/
Hi, I plan on making this today. Is it okay to replace milk with buttermilk?
I haven’t tried it with buttermilk to be able to say for sure.
Great recipe. I decided to try it because I found a recipe that I wanted to try that called a box of cake mix. Didnt want to buy a box. So I made this to test it. I screwed up and left out the hot water. Texture was very similar to a Sara Lee pound cake with a great flavor. Will make again with the added hot water. I did reduce the sugar 10%. Plenty sweet I thought.
How do you cut it down to smaller cakes? My math isn’t the best so I’m having trouble. Suppose I want one cup of mix?
For one cup of the cake mix/dry ingredients you’d probably want to cut it into fourths and use a fourth. If you don’t want to have to worry too much about the math, maybe make the whole mix and then just measure out a quarter of the mix when you’re ready to make the cake.
Someone had posted about using this for a dump cake!! I am a therapist and educator and always have extra people around so using dump cake recipes is great. I replaced the milk with powdered 3 Tablespoons powdered
And I added powdered vanilla. But my friend added 1 tablespoon powdered instant vanilla pudding to the jar .
And we have labeled these dump cake mix or cake mix cookie mix ..
This cake just taste like pancakes to me. I was slightly disappointed, but for the ingredients listed it was not a bad tasting pancake loaf. 😂
Mine turned out great. Everyone loved it and it was so quick, easy and convenient with the mix. I’m gonna make 2 or 3 mixes at a time to always have on hand. Thanks for sharing!
Made a 3-layer 8” diameter cake using this recipe. SO moist even after refrigerating overnight after doing raspberry filling and almond buttercream frosting! Everyone loved it!
Glad to hear it!
I made a dump cake dessert with a box cake mix and it was good… But too sweet! Thought I could try with a home made recipe and cut back the sugar… How Do you think it would go with just a cup of sugar?
I haven’t made a dump cake, so I’m not real familiar with them. But keep in mind that the batter of this cake is super thin. I personally wouldn’t recommend reducing the sugar. It does more than just make things sweet. It affects the texture and moisture.