Frugal Cake Baking

We found this recipe at allrecipes.com. We used it because I got a cake decorating kit for my birthday and I wanted to decorate some cakes. It's only supposed to make 6 bags, but even though I ate some of the mix some of the mix disappeared, ours made 7 bags plus a little left over. Anyway, here's the recipe.

Homemade cake mix

3 1/3 cups shortening

5 tablespoons (1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoons) baking powder

7 2/3 cups sugar

3 tablespoons salt

11 cups sifted flour

Place shortening at room temperature in a large mixing bowl. Cream 1/2 minute at medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl. Cream another 1/2 minute at same speed. Add 4 cups sugar, 1 cup at a time. After each addition, cream one minute at medium speed. Sift together three times flour, baking powder, salt, and 3 2/3 cups of sugar. Sift last time into clean mixing bowl. (We just used a whisk.) Add 2 cups of sifted ingredients to shortening-sugar. Blend 1/2 minute at medium speed. Turn mixture into dry ingredients. Blend until it looks like cornmeal. Be sure all ingredients are well blended.

To store mix:

Measure into six equal parts. Spoon lightly into measuring cup. Each part should be 3 1/2 cups. Place each part in large zip-lock bag. Cover and store in cool, dark place. When stored properly, mix stays fresh for up to a month. For longer shelf life, store in the freezer.

Yellow cake:

3 1/2 cups cake mix

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 medium eggs

3/4 cup of milk

Place mix in a large bowl. Make a well in center of mix. Add eggs, vanilla and all of the milk. Stir well. Add eggs and beat until there are no lumps. Spray two 8 or 9 inch round cake pans all over with cooking spray. Cut a circle of parchment paper to fit each pan and push the paper into bottom of pans. Cook at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-40 minutes.

Variations:

White cake:

Use 3 medium egg whites instead of whole eggs.

Chocolate cake:

Add 2 extra tablespoons of milk. Stir until just blended. Add 2 squares of melted chocolate and blend into mixture.

If you have a normal sized mixer then you might want to halve this.

We just tried the parchment paper thing. It wasn't in the recipe, but it works GREAT!

Go to Biblical Womanhood for more frugal tips.