Never buy a packet cookie or cake mix again! Many of them are just flour, sugar and dehydrated egg or fat.

You can easily make good quality cake mixes on your own in a food processor, or by hand, if you relish manually rubbing in butter to flour; (I don’t). But it does save you money and assist in building a zero waste household!

Buying larger bags of flour and sugar, in order to make up a few batches of cake mix will save money in the long run, as you can access cheaper prices for buying in bulk.  Think how much each individual box of cake mix costs. I estimate you could save at least 2/3 of the retail price. So in effect, 3 for the price of 1!

These pre-made mixes can be made up immediately they’re removed from the fridge, but it will take a little longer than if the ingredients are at room temperature when you make them up. Use this time well by preparing pans, trays etc. whilst waiting for the mix to acclimatize.

Hints on Making Your own Baking Mixes:

• Measure ingredients accurately.
• Place mixes into sealable plastic bags: large zip lock bags are great.
• Mark down the date prepared and the contents: eg.Chocolate cake/ orange cake, on the label. You might even want to add some simple directions on preparing or baking and give these mixes as gifts to friends. A marble cake pre made mix is welcomed by my friends.
• Sealed well these mixes will store in the freezer for 3 months.

Foundation Cake Pre-Mix

*NB: Self raising flour is the equivalent of 1 cup of plain or all purpose flour mixed with 2 teaspoons of Baking powder sifted and mixed thoroughly.

Cake Mix Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups Self-raising Flour*
• 3/4 cup (180 g) castor sugar
• 2 tablespoons skim milk powder
• 125 g (4oz) butter, straight from fridge and chopped into small cubes

1. Combine sifted flour, sugar and milk powder in the bowl of food processor fitted with a metal blade for blending the butter.
2. Blitz dry ingredients for 2- 3 seconds to mix.
3. Add the chopped cold butter.
4. Process 10 to 20 seconds until butter is evenly distributed in dry ingredients.
5. Seal and store or continue to make a completed cake.

Making up the Cake from the Pre-Mix

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract or Vanillin Sugar
• 1/2 cup water

Method:

1. Prepare Foundation Cake Mix in a mixer bowl as instructed above.
2. Add the eggs, vanilla and water.
3. Beat on low speed until ingredients are combined.
4. Increase mixer speed to medium and mix for three minutes or until mixture changes in colour and is smooth. (There should not be any lumps in the mixture; if there are, beat til they’ve disappeared).
5. Spread mixture evenly into well-greased 20 cm Round, Bundt, Ring, or a 28 x 18 cm, (11x 7 in) lamington tin.
6. Bake in moderate oven 30 minutes and leave for 10 minutes before turning on to wire rack to cool.

Cake Variations:

Orange Cake

Add 2 teaspoons grated orange rind with the water and eggs and omit vanilla.

Top cake with Orange glace icing when cold.

Coffee Cake

Dissolve 1 tablespoon instant coffee with 1/4 cup boiling water, and make up to 1/2 cup with cold water but leave to cool before using. Use this in place of the 1/2 cup water in original recipe.

Top with glace icing of your choice, or coffee icing.

Chocolate Cake

Sift 1/3 cup Cocoa into a small basin, gradually blend in 2/3 cup water, stir till smooth. Use in place of water in original recipe. (The extra water is needed in this recipe to absorb the cocoa.)

Top with chocolate icing.

Cooking Times

Cooking times vary so here is a guide to tin sizes and cooking times:

Basic Cake Icing

Vanilla Glace Icing

• 1  1/2 cups Icing or Confectioners sugar
• 2 teaspoons Butter, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla extract or Vanillin sugar
• 2 tablespoons Milk, approximately

1. Stir Icing sugar into small heatproof bowl
2. Stir in butter, vanilla and enough milk to make a thick paste.
3. Stand basin over hot water, stir constantly until icing is of spreading consistency.
4. Spread over cold cake with spatula.

Variations:

Orange Glace Icing: Use 2 tablespoons strained orange juice in place of milk and omit vanilla.

Coffee Icing: Sift 2 teaspoons instant coffee powder with icing sugar.

If granular instant coffee is used, heat the milk and dissolve the coffee in the milk.

Chocolate Glace Icing: Sift 2 tablespoons cocoa with the icing sugar.

You will need about 2-3 tablespoons milk to bring mixture to a paste-like consistency.

Cookie Pre-Mix

Makes 20 cookies / aka biscuits

• 1 and 1/4 cups self raising flour [ ie. 1 and 1/4 cup all purpose or plain flour and 1 and 1/4 teaspoons baking powder].
• 1 tablespoon skim milk powder
• 1/3 cup castor sugar
• 1/3 cup coconut
• 125 g (4 oz) butter

• Sift flour milk and sugar, place in bowl of food processor which has been fitted with metal blade.
• Add coconut, and chopped cold butter.
• Process 10 – 20 seconds or until butter is evenly distributed through dry ingredients.
• Seal and store for up to 3 months in fridge or freezer.

To make Cookies:

1. Place prepared biscuit pre-mix in a bowl.
2. Add 3 tablespoons water and beat with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together. (Mixture should be quite stiff).
3. Roll teaspoonsfuls of mixture in to balls and place 5 cm (2 in) apart on lightly greased oven trays.
4. Flatten biscuits with a fork which has been dipped in flour, or top biscuits with almonds, cherries or choc bits.
5. Bake in moderate oven 10 – 15 minutes or til golden brown.
6. Place on wire racks to cool.

If you are planning a fund raiser, making the mix beforehand and bake without lengthy preparation on the day of sale.

No doubt about it, freshly baked home baked treasts will sell like hot cakes!!