Sherrman, thank you for your kind words about my decorating. I really appreciate it! As for the homemade mix, I did not use powdered butter, shortening, or sour cream. Only flour, real butter, baking powder, salt and sugar to which oil, eggs, and water are added. The only ingredient different than a typical cake was the powdered milk. Can I make a cake without a mix? Absolutely. The point of this was having a mix on hand when I need something quick. This makes up three mixes that I can keep in the freezer and make up without a fuss-throw the mix in the kitchenaid bowl along with the oil, eggs and water and mix. No measuring, other than the oil and water. I have two kids and I work so anything I can do to save time is a bonus. Gives me more time to practice my decorating skills :) Rusty, you are welcome! Like you said, I wanted to find a homemade mix because I have several recipes that start with a mix but I hate all the chemicals and the transfats in them.

Is your oven temperature uneven (hot spots?)or not the right temp? Test the cake with a tester or toothpick near the center 5-10 minutes earlier than a recipe calls for. It should come out clean without crumbs sticking to it. You can use a regular chocolate frosting with this if you prefer as I do: DARK CHOCOLATE CAKE W/WHITE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING 2 cups flour 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg 1 1/2 tsp baking soda 4 squares (4 oz) unsweetened chocolate 1/2 lb unsalted butter, softened 1 3/4 cups sugar 4 eggs 1 1/3 cups buttermilk 1 tsp vanilla Preheat oven to 325° with the shelf positioned in the lower 1/3 of the oven. Line two 9" lightly greased & floured cake pans w/circles of parchment. (You can dust the pans w/cocoa instead if you like.) Whisk together the flour, salt, nutmeg & baking soda & set aside. Melt the choclate in the top of a double boiler over hot, not boiling water. Remove the chocolate from the heat & stir until smooth. Let cool. Cream the butter & sugar until light & fluffy, stopping the mixer to scrape the bowl & beaters several times. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Add the flour mixture & buttermilk alternated to the batter, beginning & ending w/the flour mixture & mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla & cooled chocolate, blending just until the color is even. Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Smooth the batter level, then spread it slightly from the center toward the edges of the pan so that the cake will rise evenly. Bake 35-45 minutes or until the top is lightly springy to the touch & a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the layers from the pan & cool completely on wire racks. Prepare the frosting. Center 1 of the cake layers on a serving plate & cover w/frosting. Place the 2nd later on top & frost the top & sides of the cake w/the remaining frosting. (Put the top of the layers upside down on the platter so the bottom is on top in case the cake "domes" a bit. You'll have a nice flat surface that way.)~~ WHITE CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM 6 TBL heavy cream 4 oz white chocolate, chopped fine 1/4 cup creme de cacao 1/2 lb unsalted butter, softened 1 lb confectioners' sugar (4 cups) Cream the cream to a boil in a small saucepan. Pour the hot cream over the chopped white chocolate & stir until completely smooth. Stir creme de cacao into the white chocolate into the white chocolate mixture. Col, stirring occasionally. Cream the butter in a large bowl. Add the confectioners' sugar & beat 5 minutes until light & fluffy. Add the white chocolate mixture to the butter mixture gradually, beating at low speed until the desired ocnsistency is reached. Decorate with dark chocolate shavings.~~Save the Brandywine Valley

Was there anything special about them (caramel topping, nuts, chips, etc)? Here's a list; many of them are made with mixes. Some seem to be more like a gooey butter cake to me but maybe that's what you're looking for. Here is a link that might be useful: Blonde brownies

Here's one: Orange Dreamsicle Layer Cake Vegetable oil cooking spray, for misting the pans All-purpose flour, for dusting the pans 1 pkg. (18.25 oz.) plain orange cake mix 1 pkg. (3 oz.) orange gelatin 1/3 cup vegetable oil 3 large eggs 1 tsp. pure orange extract 1 pkg. (8 oz.) sour cream 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut 1-1/4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted 1/2 cup fresh orange juice 1 container (8 oz.) frozen whipped topping, thawed 1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. 2. Lightly mist three 9-inch round cake pans with vegetable oil cooking spray, then dust them with flour. Shake out the excess flour. Set the pans aside. 3. Place the cake mix, orange gelatin, oil, eggs, and orange extract in a large mixing bowl. Add 1-1/4 cups of water, then beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are moistened, 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat, scraping down the side again if necessary, until the batter is well blended and smooth, 2 minutes longer. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans, smoothing it out with a rubber spatula. Place the pans in the oven side by side or, if your oven is not large enough, place two on the center rack and the third pan in the center of the highest rack. 4. Bake the cakes until they spring back when lightly pressed with a finger, 18 to 22 minutes. Check the pan on the highest rack first; it will bake the quickest and may need to be rotated to a lower rack while it bakes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of each and invert them onto a rack, then again onto another rack so that they are right side up. Allow the cakes to cool completely, 15 to 20 minutes longer. 5. Meanwhile, start making the frosting: Place the sour cream and coconut in a large bowl, stir to combine, and place in the refrigerator, uncovered, for 1 hour. 6. Remove the bowl with the sour cream from the refrigerator, add the confectioners' sugar and orange juice, and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until well combined, 30 seconds. Fold the whipped topping into the frosting until just combined. 7. To assemble the cake, place one cake layer, right side up, on a cake plate and spread some of the frosting over the top. Place a second layer, right side up, on top of the first. Spread some of the frosting over the top. Place the third layer, right side up, on top of the second layer, then frost the top and side of the cake smoothly and generously. Place the cake in a cake saver and refrigerate it until well chilled, 2 hours. Store this cake, in a cake saver or under a glass dome, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Serves 12. Recipe excerpted from The Dinner Doctor, by Anne Byrn, ©2003