I don't buy.... Cake Mixes

I was struggling to think of some things for this series that I used to buy but don't any more (though after some memory jogs I have thought of some more but I will use them later) so I decided to move onto some things that I don't buy but I never have bought.

  I don't buy cake mixes. I don't think I ever have bought one. My mom never bought them either. We only made cake mixes growing up when my Grandma sent them in our birthday box. At that point in my life I thought it was pretty fun and exciting to be able to make and eat a cake made from a mix but I now understand why my Mom didn't quite share our excitement. I think homemade cakes taste ever so much better!

 Cakes from a recipe do not need to take along time to make either. Once you get used to stirring them up they can go together nearly as fast as if you would use a mix. You can also adjust the ingredients to suite your tastes or desire to make it more healthy.

 Decorating the cake is optional. These cakes pictures are a couple I pulled out of the archives from past birthdays. I am certainly no professional but we had fun making these and then eating them.

 A stand by around here is chocolate cake. I will give you the recipe as I first found it and used it but I will also let you know that when I make it these days I use all whole wheat flour, I either cut the sugar down dramatically or use honey instead, I reduce the amount of oil and I am known to put in things like squash puree instead. I also generally don't have buttermilk so I just use plain milk, some soured milk, milk plus a bit of vinegar or even just water.

Here is the original recipe for: One-Bowl Chocolate Cake

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup oil

1 cup buttermilk

2 eggs

1 cup hot water

Mix first seven ingredients together in the bowl. Then add the oil, buttermilk and eggs and mix together. Then stir in the hot water. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan and place in a oven preheated to 350 degrees. Bake for 35-38 minutes.

Enjoy!

Other cakes that we enjoy are:
Zucchini Chocolate Cake
Banana upside down Cake

Do you make cakes from scratch?