Homemade Chocolate Cake Mix Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat two 9-inch-round cake pans with cooking spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
• Whisk the cocoa powder and 1 1/2 cups boiling water in a medium bowl until smooth; set aside. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl until combined. Add the eggs, vegetable oil, sour cream and vanilla and beat with a mixer on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Reduce the mixer speed to low; beat in the cocoa mixture in a steady stream until just combined, then finish mixing with a rubber spatula. (The batter will be thin.)
• Divide the batter between the prepared pans and tap the pans against the counter to help the batter settle. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. Transfer to racks and let cool 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the pans and turn the cakes out onto the racks to cool completely. Remove the parchment. Trim the tops of the cakes with a long serrated knife to make them level, if desired.

Steps:

• Mix together flour, cocoa, soda, and salt; stir to blend.
• Mix in sugar.
• Cut the shortening into the dry ingredients until the mixture looks crumbly.
• Label and store in a sealed plastic bag at room temperature. Makes 1 package of mix.
• Each package makes two 8 or 9 inch layers or one 9 x 13 x 2 inch rectangle.
• TO USE:
• Pour 1 package of mix into a mixing bowl.
• Add 1 1/4 cups milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla or orange extract.
• Using an electric mixer, beat at a slow to medium speed for 2 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl frequently.
• Add 2 eggs; beat 1 minute more.
• Grease and dust with flour your choice of pan(s).
• Spread batter evenly in pans.
• Bake round cake pans at 350 degrees F. for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Bake the 9 x 13 inch pan for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Cool cakes in their pans for 10 minutes before turning out onto racks.
• CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES: Pour cake batter into greased cupcake tins or tins lined with paper baking cups; fill 1/2 to 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Makes about 2 dozen.

Steps:

• For the cake mix: Whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, dry milk, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Store in a resealable bag in a cool dry place for up to 3 months until ready to use.
• To bake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 9-inch cake pans with parchment. Coat with cooking spray.
• Whisk 1 1/4 cups water, oil, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl until well mixed and slightly frothy. Add the dry mix and whisk vigorously until well combined and smooth, about 50 strokes. Divide between the prepared cake pans. Bake until set and slightly puffed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool in the pans 5 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack right-side up to cool completely. Frost and decorate as desired.
• For cupcakes: Place paper liners in pans for 24 cupcakes. Fill each cup 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degrees F until puffed and a toothpick comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. Cool completely before frosting.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the first 5 ingredients. Add the water, oil, vanilla and vinegar; mix well (batter will be thin). , Pour into a greased 13x9-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely. , For frosting, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add the confectioners' sugar, cocoa, salt, milk and vanilla; mix well. Spread over cake. Store in the refrigerator.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Butter the base and sides of two 20cm round sandwich tins and line the bases with baking parchment.
• In a large bowl, beat together 200g golden caster sugar, 200g softened unsalted butter, 4 large eggs, 200g self-raising flour, 2 tbsp cocoa powder, 1 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp vanilla extract, 2 tbsp milk and a pinch of salt until pale.
• Divide the mixture between the prepared tins. Bake for 20 mins or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
• Leave to cool in the tin for 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• For the buttercream, put 100g chopped milk chocolate in a heatproof bowl and melt in the microwave, stirring every 30 secs. Leave the melted chocolate to cool for 5 mins.
• Mash 200g softened butter and 400g icing sugar together with a fork, then switch to a wooden spoon or electric beaters, if you have them.
• Sift in 5 tbsp cocoa powder with a pinch of salt and pour in the melted chocolate and 2 tbsp milk. Mix again until smooth.
• On a cake stand or large plate, sandwich the cakes together with half of the buttercream, then spread the rest on top. Decorate with chocolate shards, if you like.
• To make chocolate shards: melt 50g dark chocolate and pour it onto a tray lined with baking parchment or foil.
• Now melt 25g milk chocolate and 25g white chocolate and drizzle them over the dark chocolate before it sets.
• Shake the tray gently to level the mixture then leave to set somewhere cool. Chop into shards.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Grease 2 9-inch round cake pans.
• Dust with flour and tap out the excess; set pans aside.
• Place the cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, water, oil, and eggs in a large mixing bowl.
• Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute.
• Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• On medium low speed, continue to blend for 2-3 minutes more.
• The batter will be very thick and should look well combined.
• Pour batter into prepared pans and smooth it out.
• Bake for 27-32 minutes (since I switched pans, I started checking the cakes at 25 minutes-- it was like gooey chocolate pudding-- then 3 minutes later it was perfect.
• Another couple of minutes and I think it would have been dry, so keep an eye on your cakes.
• Allow to cool in the pans on a wire rack for 20 minutes.
• Now is the time to start preparing your frosting.
• Run a knife along the edges on the cakes pans and carefully remove cake by inverting it; allow to cool for 20 minutes more on the wire rack right side up.
• When the cake layers are completely cool, cut layers in half (save a domed layer for the top-- it makes your cakes look homemade) and frost.