How to bake a white cake Similar to Boxed Mix from Scratch?

Question

I really love those boxed cake mixes made by Duncan Hines, Betty Crocker, or whoever. However, I'd love to try making some of those cakes from scratch. I'm having a hard time finding some good recipes for just a simple, from scratch, white/yellow cake. Please help! Thanks

Answer 1

(obviously you can use whatever kind of frosting you like.)


Yellow Sheet Cake with Chocolate Frosting

For the cake:
18 Tbsp (2¼ sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
3 cups sugar
6 extra-large eggs, room temp
8 oz (about 1 cup) sour cream, room temp
1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 lemon, zested
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp baking soda

For the frosting:
24 oz semisweet chocolate chips
1½ cups heavy cream
2 Tbsp light corn syrup
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
4 Tbsp (½ stick) unsalted butter, room temp
Chocolate candies for decorating (recommended: M&M's)

Preheat the oven to 350º F. Butter and flour a 12”x18”x1½” sheet pan.

To make the cake, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. On medium speed, add the eggs, 2 at a time, then the sour cream, vanilla, and lemon zest, scraping down the bowl as needed. Mix well. Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir just until smooth. Finish mixing by hand to be sure the batter is well mixed. Pour evenly into the pan, smooth the top with a spatula, and bake in the center of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan to room temperature.

For the frosting, place the chocolate chips and heavy cream in a bowl set over a pot of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until the chips are completely melted. Off the heat, add the corn syrup and vanilla and allow the chocolate mixture to cool to room temperature. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the chocolate mixture and softened butter on medium speed for a few minutes, until it's thickened.
Spread the frosting evenly on the cake. Decorate the cake with chocolate candies.

--Ina Garten, FoodTV

Answer 2

Here's the one I've been using for years.

Standard Two Egg Cake
1 2/3 cup flour
3 tsp. bkg. pwdr.
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk

Mix 1st 3 ingr. together. Cream sugar, butter and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well each time. Add dry ingred. to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Do not overbeat.
Bake in 8" square pan at 350 for 45 min.

I sometime make it orange by using 1/2 cup milk, 1/4 cup orange juic and some grated orange rind, it's delicious.

I hope you like this, it's one of the best.

Answer 3

Have you tried Food Network? They have some great cake recipes and most of them are from scratch.