Delicious Homemade Cake Mixes: Unleash Your Culinary Creativity

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9×13-inch baking dish.

2. For a Yellow Cake: Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add milk, eggs, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute, then on high for 2 minutes, scraping the bowl frequently. Pour batter into the prepared baking dish.

3. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.

Variations

White Cake: Prepare as for the yellow cake, except use 3 egg whites for the 2 whole eggs. Whites may be beaten separately and added for a lighter cake.

Chocolate Cake: Add 1/4 cup cocoa powder to the sifted flour mixture in the yellow cake recipe.

Spice Cake: Add 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, and 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice to the sifted flour mixture in the yellow cake recipe.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake: Melt 1/2 cup butter in the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish. Stir 2/3 cup brown sugar into melted butter. Arrange pineapple slices in the dish. Top with yellow cake batter. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, cool for 5 minutes, and invert onto a platter to serve.