Homemade Chocolate Cake Mix From Scratch (w/o butter)

Name: Homemade Chocolate Cake Mix
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 cups flour; 1/2 cup cocoa powder; 3/4 cup sugar; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 3 and ¼ cup cake mix; 2 eggs; 1 cup buttermilk; 1/3 cup oil; 1 cup chocolate chips

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Did you know you can make your own Homemade Chocolate Cake Mix just in 5 minutes and keep it in jars for months? You only need 5 simple ingredients that you already have in your pantry.

If you love shortcuts, make your cake mix and always have it in your pantry. Also, check out our homemade white cake mix recipe, cake mix pumpkin muffins and cake mix peach cobbler using cake mix too.

Chocolate cake mix in a jar and chocolate muffins in a muffin pan photographed from top view.

If you use boxed cake mixes because they make your life easier, this recipe is right for you. It is ridiculously easy to combine the ingredients and put them in a jar. Way easier than going to a store! What’s more, there won’t be any chemicals in your homemade chocolate cake mix.

As A Gift

This mix makes a wonderful homemade gift that you can give your friends. Make sure you print out the recipe card below including the muffin recipe ingredients and instructions. Or you can write it on a note card yourself and stick it on the jar. They can use the recipe either to make muffins or chocolate cake mix cookies.

Ingredients

This cake mix recipe is without milk or butter. We only need 5 dry ingredients and I’m pretty sure you already have them in your pantry. They are:

All purpose flour
Cocoa powder
Sugar
Baking powder
Salt

How To Make

It is so easy to make this mix that I am a bit embarrassed by calling it a recipe. If you are not after a chocolate flavor, go check out our easy lemon cake mix cookies.

Anyway, let me share how I prepare my chocolate cake mix in a matter of minutes. Here are the two easy peasy steps you need:

First, combine everything in a large bowl using a hand whisk.

Second, transfer the mixture into a jar and keep it in your pantry to use later. You can make as many batches as you like and store each in a jar.

Looking for a method even easier than this? The only thing you need to do is to put everything in a jar, not in a particular order at all. You can whisk them when you are ready to use the mix to bake. Just transfer the mix into a bowl, whisk well and then add in the wet ingredients.

No matter which of the methods above you prefer, you will be amazed by the result. There is really no need for all those chemicals in the boxes. Once you make your homemade chocolate cake mix, I promise you won’t want to buy it from store.

That’s it! Super simple, isn’t it?

If you want your chocolate cake mix with butter, put 4-5 tablespoons of butter at room temperature and combine it with the dry mixture.

Pro Tip: If you use butter in the mixture, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator or in the freezer for longer time.

Moist chocolate cake mix muffins in a muffin pan

How To Make Muffins

It’s great to know that we have a few jars of homemade mix because we can’t guess when our son will crave his favorite buttermilk chocolate muffins. Making chocolate muffins couldn’t get easier when you have the dry ingredients already mixed in your pantry.

Ingredients For Chocolate Muffins With Cake Mix:

3 and ¼ cup cake mix
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
⅓ cup oil
1 cup chocolate chips

Instructions For Muffins:

To make chocolate muffins with your homemade chocolate cake mix, follow these easy steps:

Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare a muffin pan with liners.
Whisk together the eggs, buttermilk and oil.
Pour it over the cake mix and combine well using a spatula.
Fold in chocolate chips.
Share it in muffin liners filling about ⅔ full and bake for 18-20 minutes.

FAQs

Can I turn a yellow cake mix into chocolate cake mix?

Yes you can. Add 4 tablespoons cocoa powder to your white cake mixture. However, you will need to increase the amount of buttermilk, milk or water; whatever you are using in the batter.

Can you add coffee to chocolate cake mix?

Yes you can. Use brewed and cooled coffee in your batter as the wet ingredient. Leave buttermilk in my recipe out and substitute coffee for it. Or you can use half buttermilk, half coffee. You will see how coffee helps the chocolate flavor and you will end up with a richer cake or muffin recipe.

Should you beat the eggs before adding to cake mix?

Yes, it’s better to beat the eggs and then add them in the dry ingredients. This way, you can easily combine the wet and dry ingredients. Otherwise, you might over-mix the batter which will cause your cake or muffins not to rise enough.

Does adding mayonnaise to cake mix make it moist?

Yes, mayonnaise helps your cake become richer and wonderfully moist. If you use just water as the wet ingredient, then add two tablespoons of mayo in the batter to have a luscious result. However, you don’t need it if you are using buttermilk or yogurt because they already make the same effect.

Diy chocolate cake mix in a jar and chocolate muffins made with the mix.

Other Chocolate Muffin Recipes

As always: If you make this recipe, let us know what you think by rating it and leaving a comment below. And post a pic on Instagram too—tag @give_recipe so we can see!

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