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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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I love this recipe I’m going to try it👌
Do the dry ingredients need to be sifted before packing them in the jar?
You can, but depending on long they sit in the jar, they may just clump up again.
Thanks for sharing this recipe. Can it be stored in zip lock bags or airtight cellophane bags? And for how long can it be stored before use. Do we store in the fridge or on the counter top?
Thank you
I would think ziplock bags or anything air-tight would be fine. They can be stored for as long as the ingredients are good. So check the expiration date of the things you use and keep those in mind. You can store it at room temperature.
What are the measurements if we are going to make cupcakes with this recipe? And how long do we bake for?
You can actually find the vanilla cupcakes recipe here.
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.
I baked this cake for my husband’s b-day. He loved it so much I am baking it again for our family 4th celebration! Thank you for sharing this recipe. It is definitely a keeper! No more box cake mixes for us!
Wonderful!
Hi, this looks so simple and from your description, delicious. If you only mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients for this cake and it turns out well, why go through the trouble of beating the butter and sugar for a certain amount of time, adding the eggs and beating for a certain amount of time, and then alternating dry and milk to make a cake batter? Thanks!
Lots of reasons. Some people prefer the taste of butter, some prefer a different texture cupcake. This batter is very thin so you can’t mix things into it, etc.
Thanks Lindsay, that makes sense.
The cake taste like eggs.
Do you need the hot water?
Yes.
How do you store the milk in the pantry? Or do you add the milk later?
The dry ingredients are the only part that goes in the mix. The rest is added later.
Can I use this cake recipe to make a normal cake, I mean can I remove the vanilla extract?
If you leave out the vanilla, you’d probably want to use a different flavoring or the cake won’t have any flavor.
Great recipe and gift idea! We loved it. My guess if anyone thought it was rubbery they quite possible mixed it way too long. Overmixing will do that to a cake batter. Thanks for the recipe, I have sworn off cake mixes and this was perfect!
I was so excited to make this cake, it was very moist but I felt like it was heavy and doughy. I’m struggling find the perfect recipe with balance of fluffy, moist and not dense. I do love so many of your recipes though!
I have not tried this recipe yet. Do you happen to know what size the jar needs to be?
I used a standard 16 ounce mason jar.
Tried this recipe yesterday and unfortunately it turned out doughy. Not sure why but I will see if there is another recipe that I can try.
Turned out beautiful!! Thank you for this super easy recipe! Will definitely keep it and use again
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I wish I read the reviews first. I was reading them while it was baking. I followed the recipe and didn’t make any changes and it did not come out like the picture. It was rubbery like others have stated
I’m sorry it didn’t turn out for you. For some reason with this recipe, it seems to either work out perfectly for people or not at all. I can’t seem to figure out why it doesn’t work for people sometimes.
Perfect cake mix! The only thing I had a problem with was the amount of time which can vary depending on oven anyway. I ended up keeping it in the oven for 45 minutes. Came out moist and tasty.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I made this for my kids and didn’t have any white flour. I ended up using whole wheat flour and it turned out perfect! I couldn’t imagine what it would taste like with normal flour! Great recipe!
Hi Lindsay!! I would like to have a coconut cake mix. May I add dried coconut to this recipe? Thanks 💗
You could certainly try it. It’s going to add texture to your final cake. An alternative would be to add coconut extract later when you add your wet ingredients.
Just wanted to complement you on this recipe! It was quick and easy and very forgiving. I mixed the dry ingredients after sifting well and used half, storing the remainder. I just wanted an 8 inch round cake to serve with some fresh berry compote a neighbor brought over. Of course, I only used half the wet ingredients and I did use melted, cooled butter instead of oil. Also, I forgot to heat the water! However, it turned out beautifully! It was the perfect volume for a 8 inch cake pan. It was dense and rich but very moist. The best part? I made it after dinner one night and left it on the counter in a Tupperware cake box. My husband was locking up the house before bed, saw it on the counter and thought I forgot to refrigerate it. The next morning I saw it in the refrigerator and immediately thought it would be dried out. However we ate it that night and the consistency was perfect and moist. My husband can’t stop talking about how much better it is than a box mix, which I always use unless it’s a birthday or holiday. But, never again will I use a box mix! This recipe is much better and just as convenient!
I’m so glad to hear it worked out well and that everyone enjoyed it!
I just made this and it is soooo good!! Thank you so much!! So moist and yummy it doesn’t need any frosting! Also mine took 40 minutes to bake – probably the type of pretty dish I was using.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This looks absolutely lovely, I am wondering how I would be able to break it down to just make a small cake for one? I sometimes get a craving and bake like crazy and then once I have had the first slice the rest of the cake remains in the fridge for weeks and I end up throwing it away. Can I break this down to one serving to space it out and eat when the craving comes;)
You could try cutting the recipe down, but one serving would be extremely tiny measurements. I would see what math makes sense to break it down to and make that amount. It’s probably gonna be more like a handful of cupcakes.
Question. If you put all this and store it in your pantry could you make just a few cuocakes at a time instead of the entire jar? What would you think the breakdown would be of the additional ingredients? Say 4-6 at a time? If it won’t work then that’s ok but sometimes you just want a few not the entire 12 or 24 that would be in the mix.
Thank you
I imagine it would be OK, you would just need to do a little math lol. If you use about a fourth of the dry ingredients, that should give you roughly 6 cupcakes. So you want to make sure to measure that correctly and then use a fourth of the wet ingredients. I hope that helps!
After combining everything do you need to bake immediately or can it wait? I am making 2 6” cakes but only have 1 6” pan
It should be fine to bake them one at a time.
Wish I could post a picture…I knew I was in trouble when the mix came out looking similar to pancake batter but I’m about half way thru baking now and I have a raised dark brown rectangular bubble in the middle while the rest of cake isn’t cooked 😂 I followed recipe at all parts so fingers crossed just glad I’m using this for cake pops anyways
It’s definitely a very thin batter, so that sounds correct. I hope it turned out well!
Mine did a dark brown rectangle in the middle too!
Do you know if substituting applesauce for the oil will work. We don’t use Vegetable Oil and this cake looks amazing. I really want to make for my daughter birthday. Any suggestions or help?
I don’t know. I haven’t tried it. I’m sorry!
Use avocado oil.
Good recipe, very useful for many occasions. Ive cut the sugar down about 20% to suit my tastes. Im using it as a plain base for matcha cupcakes with good success.
Just curious on what I can use instead of Vegetable Oil. We no longer use it and I usually use applesauce with the box mix. I really want to make this fir my daughter’s birthday. Any suggestions?
Use one large can of pumpkin. It’s really only super great with chocolate but it makes dreamy 😍 chocolate cake!
Hello!!! Can I use a Bundy cake pan for this receipe?
I haven’t tried a bundt pan for this cake, but you could try!
Hi I was wondering if I had to use milk? Or could I use something else or maybe more water?
I’ve heard people having success with buttermilk, but I haven’t tried, so I’m not sure. Sorry!
Hello I was jist wondering if I can use less oil than that or do I need to use the exact instructions? Plz reply soon since im making it right now.
Would you be replacing it with something else? It’s usually safest to follow the recipe as written, but you could always try changing it up.
Just have to say your vanilla sponge is a life saver, used your recipe for my rainbow cake. It was perfect.
Awesome! I’m so glad you found the recipe helpful!
Hello, hello!
I was just wondering how long this would the mix last shelved in the Mason jar?
It should last for at least a month.
Hey, I want to make a neopolitan cake using the cake mix, can u help out here . I want to divide the cake into 3 different pans/layers but im not sure how i would flavor one layer chocolate the other strawberry and the last one vanilla can u please let me know how to do it and how much to put of the certain ingredient? I would very much appreciate it
Thank you
Is this an old family recipe, one you’ve doctored, or one you found?
It’s a recipe I altered from this chocolate cake for a vanilla version, which had been requested quite a bit.
These cupcakes are amazing!!!ive made them three times and everyone loves them
Can you easily make this cake a chocolate one? Or just the frosting? Just curious to how much cocoa I would need to put in
Here’s the chocolate version of this cake.
i make a cake mix cookie that i want to try with a homemade mix. Have you tried this as a cookie? and if so, just less liquids?
I haven’t tried this one as a cookie. I’m not sure without playing with it. You’d definitely need to reduce the liquids though.
Hi, I followed this recipe exactly and my cake came out rubbery with some of it looking waxy and undercooked even though it was fully cooked. It also turned out alittle too thin for a sheet cake only measuring an inch. I used a square 10 by 10 inch tin. Do you know what I did wrong?
By the way I made the giant triple chocolate M&M cookie and that turned out perfect. I love your site and amazing baking recipes! I have a 6 month old son so I’ve been practicing recipes when get a rare moment to make for him when he’s older!
Thank you in advance.
I’ve made this recipe in many forms and not ever had that issue. I know some people have described a similar result but without being able to recreate it, I really don’t know what the problem is. I’m sorry! You could try out this cake, just leave out the almond extract and sprinkles.
I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the cookie cake!
WAYYYY too much salt!! I followed the recipe exactly and it tastes way too salty!
Or enough to use in a 10×2 inch round? The round cake pan reads 10×2 IN/ 25×5 CM What would you recommend for bake time? Thanks so much!
I’m not sure about the 10 inch pan. It might be too much batter for one layer.
Nope one batch is perfect for A 10″ round. Just level a little off the top for a layered cake
Hi! Would this be enough to bake 2, 8 inch round cake pans?? Thanks so much!!
Yes, you could two or three 8 inch layers.
Hi Lindsay,
I’m having so much fun recreating your recipes! Do you think this would be enough for 2 6″ round pans? I’d like to use this for my daughter’s smash cake 🙂
Yes, it’d actually be quite a tall 6 inch cake. I’ve used to make an 8 inch.
Hi Lindsay, its me again. Just wanted to say I did it with buttermilk, 1/2 tsp baking soda and 1tsp baking powder. It came out great! I made it for my daughter’s birthday and she liked it very much. Thank you so much for sharing this cake mix idea. God bless.
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Ann!
Hi Lindsay, thankyou so much for this idea.
I was wondering, do you think the cake would come out fine if I used 1 cup buttermilk, 1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1 and 1/2 tsp baking soda instead.?
For another cake recipe, i had accidentally combined sugar with the flour, baking soda and baking powder, instead of creaming the sugar with the butter first. Then I came across your cake mix where the dry ingredients are mixed first. Please help!
I’m not sure, having not tried it that way. If you already have some things mixed together and don’t want to waste it, it’s worth a try.
Hi Lindsay,
Once this cake is baked do you know if it can be frozen?
I haven’t frozen it, but I’d imagine if it’s well wrapped it’d be ok. I always recommend defrosting in the fridge, too.
I haven’t tried it, but I would think if well wrapped it’d be fine.
Wow! What a neat, fun, and cute idea! Thx much for sharing! Never heard of homemade cake mix before!
Thanks Cecelia! 🙂
who needs this for busy days? I am keeping it for everyday. It so simple to put together. thanks for sharing.
This is so cool Lindsay! It would make a great gift! I’ve been wondering if you have a recipe for a three layer vanilla cake where I can use 9 inch cake pans, as these are the only ones I have. Thanks!
You can try any of the vanilla cakes on the site in 9 inch pans, you’ll just need to adjust the baking time. I like to use three 8 inch pans. You’d probably only need two 9 inch ones. The cakes would just bake a little longer.
I found your posts on Pinterest, then started following you on your Life, Love & Sugar. Your
recipes are fantastic !!! I then purchased your new cookbook on Amazon, and recently bought
another copy for my daughter. Tried several of your recipes & they are wonderful. Thanks so
much for sharing them with us. You are truly a gifted young woman.
Awesome! Thanks Leatha! So glad to hear you’ve enjoyed everything!
Hi there.
I’m excited to try this recipe but I have a quick question of you may. Can I omit the hot water altogether from this recipe?
Thanks.
It wouldn’t turn out the same. Is there something in particular you are trying to achieve? I have some other vanilla cake recipes as well.
Would it work with a 13x9x2 inch?
Yes, that should be fine.
I absolutely love this recipe – what a great idea! I am mixing it right now 🙂 Do you know how long it keeps? I am guessing the baking powder loses it’s potency after a few months? Also i made your champagne cupcakes for Valentine’s Day and they were a HUGE hit!
Yea, it would depend on the baking powder. Usually it can last for quite a while. I’d think at least a few months, if not more. So glad to hear you enjoyed the champagne cupcakes!
do you need to add vanilla pudding mix to this to make it moist or is it already moist I have trouble with my cakes always tasting dry
No, it’s already moist without it. You would add to amp up the flavor and moisture, but it will be moist without it.
Hi Lindsay, the cake looks absolutely yummy! Have you tried making it with melted butter instead of oil? I love the flavor that real butter gives to a cake. Thanks so much, Olga PS I love your blog! So many pretty pictures and easy to follow recipes. The videos are amazing too.
I haven’t tried the butter, but I do think it would affect the outcome of the cake.
From my experience, butter makes a cake less moist than using oil.
I made this cake and it turned out very doughy tasting and not vanilla at all. I followed the recipe exactly.. has anyone else had this issue?
There have been some people who have had this issue when making it as cupcakes. I wish I could figure out why it happens to some people and not others but so far I haven’t been able to figure it out. I’m sorry it didn’t quite turn out right.
It definately comes out like dough and rubbery…It looks nothing like the picture. I would not recommend using this recipe… beware.I made it twice and still the same thing.
Thank you for this recipe. I was hesitant at first as I read some negative comments but I believed the more good comments and tried it today. I made it as rainbow cupcake because that’s what my 6yr old son requested. It turned out moist and fluffy exactly what he wants. I’ll upload now the photos on Pinterest where I found this. Again, Thank you for sharing the recipe.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This is perfect, thank you! May I ask where you found the I ♥ cake spoon?
Yes – on Etsy. 🙂 Last I checked the shop I got that one from has taken a break. There are quite a few other options though.