This yellow cake recipe whips up fast and turns out moist, fluffy, and delicious! Store the dry ingredients in a jar for homemade yellow cake mix that’s just as easy as a box but much better!
Have you ever found a recipe that called for “just 5 ingredients,” but one of those ingredients was a box of cake mix? There are many great recipes out there (like this Blueberry Cobbler) that start with a box of yellow cake mix.
However, if you read the ingredients on the side of the boxed cake, you’ll see that there are 26 ingredients in a box of store-bought yellow cake… and 4 of the top 5 ingredients to avoid in food are included in that list!
There’s got to be a better way…and with this homemade box yellow cake recipe, there is!
THE BEST YELLOW CAKE RECIPE
In my pre-real food days, I’ve had classic yellow cake mixes from Betty Crocker and Duncan Hines. This homemade super moist yellow cake recipe beats out the box mix every time!
- Better ingredients. The best recipe for yellow cake is free from hydrogenated oils and healthier than store-bought!
- Easy to make. I promise, baking a cake from scratch is just as easy as using a box mix!
- Can be made gluten-free! With the price of a gluten-free cake mix, this yellow cake recipe will save you money and still taste amazing!
- Perfect for celebrations! Topped with chocolate buttercream frosting, it’s the perfect birthday cake! (This Peanut Butter Frosting is excellent too!)
YELLOW CAKE MIX RECIPES INGREDIENTS
Homemade yellow cake mix calls for just 4 simple ingredients!
- Flour. Choose unbleached all-purpose flour or use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour for gluten free yellow cake mix recipes. I don’t usually have cake flour on hand, so I don’t normally use that for this recipe.
- Granulated Sugar. I use Turbinado sugar in many of my baking recipes.
- Baking Powder. For a light and fluffy yellow cake.
- Salt. If you’re going to use salt, make sure it’s a good one like Ava Jane’s Kitchen that doesn’t have microplastics! You can get a free 8oz. bag of sea salt right now (just pay shipping and handling!).
HOW TO MAKE YELLOW CAKE MIX
Step 1. Measure out the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Step 2. Layer flour mixture in a mason jar to store for later or add to a large bowl for making cake now.
As long as the jar is properly stored and tightly sealed, it should last up to 12 months at room temperature. That makes homemade yellow cake mix perfect for a bulk prep day!
TURN YELLOW CAKE MIX INTO A GIFT
Layer the yellow mix cake recipe into a mason jar. Wrap the lid with a pretty ribbon or a scrap of fabric. Be sure to include the wet ingredients and directions for making the cake on a card or label.
YELLOW CAKE RECIPE INGREDIENTS
Here’s how to bake a cake from scratch using your cake mix. You’ll need these ingredients:
- 1 Batch of Homemade Yellow Cake Mix
- Unsalted Butter. Use room temperature butter, not melted.
- Coconut Oil. Soft coconut oil will mix best. This helps keep the cake moist longer. You can substitute additional butter instead if you know you’ll be eating the cake within a day or two or try extra light olive oil.
- Milk. Regular dairy milk or non-dairy milk like almond milk works.
- Vanilla Extract. Here’s how to make it homemade.
- Eggs. Use whole large eggs for this yellow cake recipe for the best color and rise.
HOW TO MAKE YELLOW CAKE RECIPE FROM SCRATCH
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 350F. In a stand mixer using the paddle attachment in the large bowl, beat the softened butter and coconut oil on medium for 2 minutes (or mix by hand).
Step 2. Add the dry ingredients (homemade yellow cake mix) and mix on low until it resembles coarse bread crumbs.
Step 3. Add the remaining ingredients – milk, vanilla, and eggs – and mix on low until all the cake batter ingredients are incorporated well, for about 30 seconds.
Step 4. Butter and flour your cake pan(s) and bake at 350F. Use the following bake times:
- 9″x13″ glass pan for sheet cake, bake 25-30 minutes
- 2 Round 9-inch or 8-inch pans, bake 20-25 minutes for cake layers
- For cupcakes, bake 12-15 minutes (try these silicone baking cups for easy removal from the liner!)
- For a bundt pan, bake 25-30 minutes
The cake is baked when a toothpick or butter knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before adding vanilla or chocolate frosting (or your favorite cake topping). Yellow cake with chocolate frosting is delicious!
Cover the frosted cake with plastic wrap or place it in an airtight container and store it for up to 3 days. The cake will start to dry out the longer it sits.
YELLOW CUPCAKES
Follow the instructions for the cake recipe using yellow cake mix. Pour batter into a lined 12-cup cupcake tin. (I like using these silicone baking cups.) Bake for 12-15 minutes at 350F until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool before frosting.
EASY RECIPES USING YELLOW CAKE MIX
Obviously, you can use this homemade mix to make a cake from scratch for a birthday or another celebration. You can also use it in these recipes using yellow cake mix:
- Slow Cooker Peach Cobbler
- Slow Cooker Blueberry Cobbler
- Strawberry Poke Cake
- You could probably use this yellow cake mix to replace the dry ingredients in Coffee Cake as well. The ingredients are similar.
CAN REAL FOODIES EAT BOXED CAKE MIX?
You can when it’s this delicious yellow cake recipe! When you’re including a treat like yellow cake in your day, keep these tips in mind:
- Accurately track what you’re eating. That means figuring out the nutrition information for the cake AND knowing that the portion size you’re writing down is actually the portion you ate.
- Licks, bites, and tastes count! As you’re assembling this yummy yellow cake recipe, be mindful of licking the frosting off the spoon or tasting a bit of cake after leveling the layers.
- Keep your goals on track for the day as a whole. Include plenty of produce and lean protein and adjust your meals so that your macros for the whole day make sense.
- Don’t fret over one snack! Consistency is key to hitting your nutrition goals, and one snack is not going to change that. What you do consistently day after day is what matters.
BUTTER CAKE FAQS
What flavor is yellow cake mix?
Yellow cake refers to the flavor of vanilla custard (this is the classic French way of making ice cream from cream and egg yolks). This flavor mimics the custard taste by including the yolks. It is sweet and buttery without being heavy.
What is the difference between a white cake mix and a yellow cake mix? What about butter cakes?
The difference between the white mix and the yellow mix is in the wet ingredients: eggs. White cakes use only egg whites. However, yellow cakes use the yolk, which gives them that custard flavor and color. Butter cake uses whole eggs and plenty of butter. This is technically a butter cake, but I call it a yellow cake recipe because it’s similar to that boxed mix at the store.
What can I add to the yellow cake mix?
You can get creative with different mix-ins, including dried fruit, chocolate chips, unsweetened shredded coconut, fresh berries, or chopped nuts! You can also make a peanut butter cake by replacing half of the butter with peanut butter. Or use one of these ideas to amp up cake mix!
How can I make a gluten-free yellow cake?
You can make a gluten-free yellow cake by using a 1:1 gluten-free flour mix in this recipe. I like Bob’s Red Mill.
MORE RECIPES FOR CAKE FROM SCRATCH
- Homemade Chocolate Cake Mix
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
- Homemade Lemon Cake Mix
- Healthy Pumpkin Cake
- Chocolate Brownie Cake
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Yellow Cake Mix
This yellow cake recipe whips up fast and turns out moist, fluffy, and delicious! Store the dry ingredients in a jar for homemade yellow cake mix that’s just as easy as a box but much better!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: Makes the equivalent of one 18.25 oz box of yellow cake mix
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bowl
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
For Cake Mix:
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour or Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-free 1-to-1 Baking Flour (360g)
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar (250g)
- 3 ½ tsp baking powder (17g)
- 1 tsp salt (6g)
For Cake:
- 8 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened (112g)
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil, soft (28g)
- 1 ¼ cups milk (283g)
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract (here’s how to make it homemade) (13g)
- 3 eggs (150g)
Instructions
For Cake Mix:
- Measure out the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Layer in a mason jar to store for later or add to a large bowl for making cake now.
For Cake:
- In a stand mixer using the paddle attachment in the large bowl, beat the butter and coconut oil on medium for 2 minutes.
- Add the dry ingredients (homemade yellow cake mix) and mix on low until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
- Add the remaining ingredients and mix on low until all the ingredients are incorporated well, about 30 seconds.
- Butter and flour your cake pan(s) and bake at 350F. Use the following bake time:
- 9″x13″ glass pan for sheet cake, bake 25-30 minutes
- 9″ round cake pans, bake 20-25 minutes
- For cupcakes, bake 12-15 minutes (try these silicone baking cups for easy removal from the liner!)
- For a bundt pan bake 20-25 minutes
Notes
Note: The cake is done when a toothpick or butter knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before adding vanilla or chocolate frosting (or your favorite cake topping).
The nutrition facts are based on the cake mix recipe.
I wonder if you might make a recipe for Devil’s food cake. Is it similar to your chocolate cake mix?
Isn’t Devil’s food pretty much chocolate cake? LOL – I’d just make chocolate. 🙂
Hi, Tiffany!
I’m going to make what I like to call “Fun Cake Shapes”, which is a companion to my “Fun Cookie Shapes”, where I use cookie cutters to make lots of fun shapes that everybody will love. The shapes I’m going to start with are kangaroos, koalas, and Aborigines. It’s a cool theme since Australia Day is coming soon, January 26th. The hardest part is deciding whether I want to make the cake from a box of cake mix, or whether I want to use a recipe like yours. My mom says that a recipe like yours might take a little more time, since I’m still learning how to use my Kitchenaid mixer, though I’d certainly like to try it one day! Also, the flavor is another thing that’s hard for me to choose. I can’t decide whether I want to make them from yellow cake, chocolate cake, white cake, fudge cake, spicecake, vanilla cake, Angel Food Cake, Devel’s Food Cake, or even pound cake. Which one would be easy to cut into with my cookie cutters?
I think any of the options you pick will be easy to cut with – you’re doing it in a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan, right? If you choose yellow cake mix, I promise my recipe is super easy! 😉
Tiffany, this cake was fantastic! I just added a quick homemade chocolate icing and the whole family (6 in all)loved it!!! This will definitely become a regular for our house. Thank you so much for sharing. Have a fantastic New Year!!
Thank you so much for sharing Royal! I’m so glad you all liked it. Happy New Year!!
Tiffany, what amount of Cocoa do I use to make this a chocolate cake?
I’m honestly not sure Linda, but my best guess would be 1/4 to 1/2 cup cocoa. Don’t forget to adjust the wet if needed, and possibly the sweetener!
I’ve baked 03 cakes in the last month using this recipe in preparation for my son’s 2nd Birthday. I’m always looking for healthier, tasty alternatives and this was jackpot! I love that it’s a total of 08 ingredients for the cake and, to us, tasted the best the day after baking ☺ I tried the Gluten Free flour by Bob’s Red Mill and a Betty Crocker Gluten Free flour and the Bob’s Red Mill was MUCH better as the Betty Crocker gluten free flour made for a gooey batter and denser cake. My lo is now asking for cake breakfast, lunch and dinner! Thank You for sharing this recipe, it’s allowed me to make a cake I can feel good about giving to my family 💖
This makes my heart so happy Denise! Thank you for taking the time to share this with me, and I’m so glad you’re enjoying the cake!!
Out of curiosity, doesn’t a boxed mix have “butter” in it already? It’s been ages since I’ve bought or used one, but doesn’t boxed mix come out slightly clumpy (and yellow) due to having some non-dry ingredients in there? I’m absolutely going to try your recipe, just trying to understand how it can substitute into another recipe if your version only has dry ingredients?
Hi Stephanie! Here’s the ingredient list for Pillsbury Moist Supreme Yellow Cake:
Enriched Bleached Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Sugar, Leavening (Baking Soda, Calcium Phosphate, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate), Wheat Starch, Contains 2% Or Less Of: Canola Oil, Dextrose, Salt, Corn Starch, Propylene Glycol Esters Of Fatty Acids, Natural And Artificial Flavor, Distilled Monoglycerides, Cellulose Gum, Cellulose, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Yellow 5, Red 40, Citric Acid And BHT (Antioxidants).
The label also says “contains milk” (although personally I’m not sure which of those ingredients is milk, LOL!).
If you’re going to make cake with my recipe, you’ll have to follow the directions in the post. However, when I mention subbing it for recipes that call for cake mix, those recipes usually call for the cake mix ONLY – not the other ingredients that you add to the mix to make actual cake. And since not all cake mixes are the same (meaning some may and some may not contain milk or butter), it’s safe to assume that the using my version to sub will work without problems as well. Does that make sense?
Can’t wait to try this soon!
Do you have a chocolate frosting recipe to go along with the cake mix recipe? That’s my family’s fave combo. 🙂
I will soon Stephanie! We tested a couple during birthdays this summer. 😉
Delicious recipe! Yesterday I made 3 jars of mix for the pantry, and about 20 cupcakes. I used 1 cup whole spelt flour + 1-1/4 cups white spelt flour, but it’s nice to know this can be gluten-free. I used organic sugar, which is a little coarser and not as white as regular granulated, and subbed almond milk.
I’ll admit the batter made me nervous. It seemed a bit thin, and I might have needed more beating time, since my sugar still seemed grainy. But the finished product was moist and delicious, and held up to a chocolate-hazelnut buttercream frosting.
With 2 of the other jars I experimented with coconut sugar and demerara sugar. I’ll let you know how those turn out! Thanks for sharing.
You’re very welcome Tess! Just a note, you can process the course sugar so it’s finer in a blender or food processor. I don’t know if that will effect the end result or not, but it’s fun to experiement!
Oh, I didn’t think of that, great idea. Since the other 3 are in jars, I’ll make do. But perhaps in future I’ll process it finer, especially if I use coconut sugar again. Thanks again, Tiffany!
I desperately want to find a homemade cake recipe to replace the ((instant)pudding in the mix box cake. I like the old recipes that use wine, but how to do this here.?
Thanks for this. Just made two batches, one for the cupboard and one to taste. It was great and now means I no longer pass on cake recipes that use a box cake mix. I don’t suppose you have a homemade pudding mix version do you? I see a lot of recipes calling for pudding mix but here in Australia it is not something we use a lot of and the ones on the shelves in the shops are not good..
Hi Joy! I don’t have a pudding mix recipe, but you can’t go wrong with the Pioneer Woman: http://thepioneerwoman.com/food-and-friends/how-to-make-chocolate-pudding/
I’m looking at the pictures and I read your comment describing the texture of the cake, but do you think this recipe is dense enough on it’s own to stack and/carve for a character cake? I was going to use the box cake recipe in the other recipe I use, but I’ll use your full recipe if you thinking it would hold up well lol. It looks delicious!
For two layers Kaleigh, I think so. You’ll likely do this anyway, but let it cool completely. In fact, if you make it the day before it would be even better. Like all cakes, it settles after a few days. Good luck!!
My favorite “Yellow Cake” use is “Blueberries in Lemon-Yellow Cake Muffins”! Delicious for breakfast, delighful for a snack and refreshing for a dessert!!!
Ooh, that sounds really good!
Could this be used as a cake mix substitution in a dump cake recipe? I have one I love to do, but I don’t always like to buy the cake mix (and usually by a brand from my health food store so I can avoid trans fats that Betty Crocker, etc, use.
Yes! This is the cake mix I use when I make my dump cake peach cobbler: https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/2016/06/slow-cooker-peach-cobbler/
We are allergic to milk, too. Can we sub non dairy buttery spread (like Earth Balance) without affecting quality?
Donna, I haven’t tried a non-dairy spread in this recipe, but if you’ve used it in similar recipes with success, then it should work here too. Another option is palm shortening, but I haven’t tested that either.
Please share recipe for that chocolate frosting.
It does help. Thanks Tiffany! If the cake is the one in the pic, it looks delicious! Guess I’ll have to fall on my sword and give it a try 🙂 lol!
I have a couple of cakes to make this weekend, and I’ve made homemade before. Big problem is that they always seem too dense and don’t rise properly. So,I get discouraged and switch back to box. Have you had these issues with this recipe?
My mother-in-law thought this cake wasn’t “airy” like some cakes turn out to be, but she didn’t think it was dense either. She and I both thought it was a good balance between the two. It filled a fork and held up frosting, but didn’t make you feel like you were eating bricks, LOL. Does that help?
Any recipe that calls for yogurt or sour cream is meant to be a dense cake. For any cake recipe, try separating the eggs and only add the yokes. Add one more egg white to your saved whites and whip them and fold in at the end. This makes such a difference. The reason box cakes are lighter is that they are a very simple version of a chiffon cake
Hershey baking cocoa powder has a great recipe for chocolate cake that is light and fluffy. I even sub in honey for the sugar and omit the water. It is still really good.
I love this, because I never buy cake mixes for obvious reasons, but then I can’t use recipes that use cake mixes! Can I use regular unbleached flour or whole wheat flour instead of gluten free flour? Also, what are your thoughts on the Kodiak mixes? Any plans on coming up with a DIY for those? Thanks for all your hard work.
Hi Rebecca! Yes, you can sub any all-purpose flour for the GF flour. I haven’t tried a whole wheat flour sub, but if you do, stick with a white whole wheat since it’s lighter. I’d also maybe start with just 50% sub to ensure the cake still rises enough with the extra weigh.
Kodiak mixes – I haven’t even heard of those before! Google says they’re “whole grain breakfast and dessert” mixes. Is that what you were thinking?
Maybe whole wheat pastry flour.
This is great! Looking forward to making it this weekend!
Thanks again Tiffany 🙂
Is the amount of sugar flexible? Typically when I bake I will cut back the sugar by up to half (I find most recipes to be too sweet and you’re adding more sugar when you frost cakes on top of it all!). Could I cut the sugar back to 1 cup and still achieve similar results? And I LOVE the flour from Bob’s Red Mill – I’ve used it successfully in all of my regular recipes so far!
Hi Kelly! This recipe is already lower in sugar than the typical box by 1/4 cup, so if you’re going to lower it more, I’d tread lightly. Sugar does help baked goods rise and helps with that fluffiness we know in cakes. I haven’t tested it myself, but cutting back to 1 cup might be okay. I didn’t think this cake was overly sweet at 1 1/4 cups sugar, but everyone has different tastes!
Could I just use 10 Tablespoons of butter instead of the coconut oil? I’m allergic to anything coconut.
You could Diana, but the coconut oil helps keep the cake moister, longer. If you know you’ll eat it quick (like for a birthday party), then go for the sub. If yo know it’ll be around a few days, try extra light olive oil.
Thank you so much! I’m so sick of dealing with food allergies, I just want to EAT! LOL
Thanks for asking this Diana E – coconut oil is everywhere these days, due to it’s health benefits (or maybe it’s just cheap too) – but my daughter has a coconut allergy so we’re ever watchful.
It’s great to see a recipe with an alternative to that, extra light olive oil! Will definitely have to try that!
Thanks all!
So do u just use eggs water oil same as box mix
The recipe calls for flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
If I dont have a box of cake mix handy where are the directions for baking the cake eggs? Water? Butter?
Hi Jennifer!
You can find the ingredients and instructions for baking a cake in the text of the post. 🙂 https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/homemade-yellow-cake-mix/