I always use the method from "The Cake Mix Doctor" (and use it for ANY flavor cake mix): BASIC YELLOW BUTTER CAKE 1 yellow cake mix (18-1/4 oz.) 1 stick butter (8 Tblsp.) butter, melted (do not use margarine) 1 cup milk (2% or whole  not skim) 3 large eggs 2 tsp. Vanilla extract Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans. In large mixing bowl, combine ingredients listed above. Beat just until blended, and no lumps remain. Pour into pans and bake at 350° F. for 27-29 minutes or until cake tests done. If making cupcakes, bake for 20 minutes.

Well, my "recipe" depends on how you want to use the mix. If you want to actually make a yellow cake, I like this one. I got the recipe in a link from a site called "Community Chickens", LOL. Yup, it's about chickens, go figure. Anyway, it linked to a blog called "chickensintheroad", who had this recipe. How to make Homemade Yellow Cake Mix: (This is the standard size mix for recipes calling for an 18.25 ounce mix.) 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/2 cup non-fat dry milk Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and non-fat dry milk. Store in an airtight container or baggie. Keeps well in the pantry for months! To replace in recipes calling for a standard-size 18.25 ounce store-bought yellow cake mix: Use in any recipe calling for a yellow cake mix as a base (add 1 teaspoon vanilla to the recipe along with the cake mix as the recipe will assume vanilla was included in the store-bought mix). Or to make a basic yellow cake, use the following instructions. Cake mix directions:. 1 recipe Homemade Yellow Cake Mix 3/4 cup water 1 teaspoons vanilla 1/2 cup butter, softened 3 eggs Place Homemade Yellow Cake Mix in a bowl. Add water, vanilla, butter, and eggs. Combine with an electric mixer then beat two more minutes. Pour into a greased and floured cake pan. Bake at 350-degrees, using these baking times (watch carefully as your oven may vary��"test for doneness using a toothpick): 8″ or 9″ cake rounds ��" 20-25 minutes 13 x 9 pan ��" 35-40 minutes cupcakes ��" 12-15 minutes tube/bundt pan ��" 45-50 minutes Don’t overbake! You’ll dry out your cake. NOTE: If you don’t like using dry milk in your cakes, you can always leave the dry milk out of the mix. When making the cake, replace the water in the recipe with milk. If you're using it for topping, etc., one with added fat would probably work better, like this one: Yellow Cake "Master Mix" 2 1/2 cups cake flour 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 1/4 scant teaspoon salt 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 cup butter Thoroughly combine dry ingredients together. Cut the butter into small pieces throughout the flour. Using a pastry cutter or food processor, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the butter is thoroughly incorporated (very small pieces, like sand). To make this into two 8 inch layers, use the entire recipe of Master Mix and add: 2 tsp. vanilla 1/2 cup oil 3 eggs 1 cup milk Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 8" round cake pans OR one 13" x 9" cake pan with nonstick baking spray containing flour and set aside. Pour cake mix into a large bowl. Make a well in center of mix and add vanilla, oil, eggs, and milk. Beat mixture 1 minute with electric mixer at low speed until blended. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl and beat 2 minutes longer at medium speed until batter is smooth. Pour into prepared pans and bake the layer cakes at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes, or until cake springs back when pressed lightly in center and begins to pull away from edges of pan. Bake the 9" x 13" cake for 25-35 minutes until the cake tests done. The "Master Mix" can be made in larger quantities, but must be refrigerated, whereas the first recipe can just be kept in the pantry without spoiling or becoming rancid. Have fun! Annie

All of these are tried and family approved :-) The banana cake doesn't start with a mix, but I'm sending it anyway since you say he loves bananas. Becky * Exported from MasterCook * Death By Chocolate Recipe By :Tamara Chatham Serving Size : 12 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1 box chocolate cake mix 1 small package instant chocolate pudding mix 12 ounces chocolate chips 4 eggs 1 cup sour cream 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup oil Mix all ingredients, except chocolate chips. Dust chocolate chips with flour. Remove excess flour, and fold into cake mixture. Bake in greased and floured bundt cake pan at temperature indicated on cake mix box. Dust with powdered sugar. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - NOTES : Tamara likes to refrigerate the cake before serving, as the texture becomes denser and the cholcolate chips harden. * Exported from MasterCook * Italian Love Cake Recipe By : Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1 box fudge marble cake mix (or chocolate) 2 pounds ricotta cheese 1 cup sugar 4 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 box instant chocolate pudding -- (3 3/4 oz.) 1 cup milk 8 ounces non-dairy whipped topping -- thawed Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cake as directed on box and pour into greased and floured 9 x 13 pan. In separate bowl, combine ricotta, sugar, eggs, and vanilla; mix well. Spoon over unbaked cake. Bake cake for 1 hour. Cool. Mix instant pudding with milk; fold in whipped topping. Spread over cake; refrigerate. Yield: 12 servings. Source: "http://busycooks.about.com" - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - * Exported from MasterCook * Chocolate Thunder Cake Recipe By : Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1 box German chocolate cake mix 1 can sweetened condensed milk -- (14 ounce) 1 jar fudge ice cream topping -- (8 ounce) 1 container frozen whipped topping -- (16 ounce) thawed 2 8 ounce Heath candy bars -- crushed Bake cake in a 9-by-13-ounce pan as directed on package. Let cool 25 to 30 minutes. Poke holes in cake with wooden spoon handle. Pour on sweetened condensed milk; spread evenly. Wait 5 minutes. Spread fudge topping over cake. Wait 5 minutes. Spread whipped topping over cake and sprinkle with crushed candy bars. Chill thoroughly before serving. Makes 16 servings. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - * Exported from MasterCook * Banana Cake Recipe By : Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 3/4 cup butter 2 1/8 cups white sugar 3 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups buttermilk 2 teaspoons lemon juice 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas Frosting: 1/2 cup butter -- softened 1 package cream cheese (8 ounces) -- softened 3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar (1 lb box) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract DIRECTIONS: 1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan. In a small bowl, mix mashed bananas with lemon juice, set aside. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside. 2. In a large bowl, cream 3/4 cup butter and 2 1/8 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Stir in banana mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan. 3. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place directly into freezer for 45 minutes. This will make the cake very moist. 4. For the frosting: In a large bowl, cream 1/2 cup butter and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add confectioners sugar and beat on low speed until combined, then on high until frosting is smooth. Spread on cooled cake. Source: "www.allrecipes.com" - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - NOTES : I had to cook this for more than hour to get it cooked through, but it was very moist. Toasted chopped walnuts on top would be a nice addition. Use a metal pan (not glass) to bake it in if you're going to put it in the freezer! * Exported from MasterCook * Grandma's Rum Cake Recipe By :Teri Morrison Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1 package Duncan Hines yellow cake mix 1 package vanilla instant pudding (4 serving size) 1/3 cup oil 1 cup water 4 eggs 3/4 chopped pecans Glaze: 1/2 cup butter 1/4 cup water 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup Bacardi Rum (80 proof) Mix together cake mix, pudding, oil, water and eggs in large bowl until well blended. Spread evenly chopped nuts on the bottom of greased Bundt pan. Pour prepared cake mix into pan and bake as directed on cake mix box in a 350* oven. Cake is done when toothpick inserted in center of cake comes clean. While cake is cooling. Melt butter in saucepan, stir in water and sugar. Boil for 5 minutes while stirring constantly. Then stir in rum. After cake cools for 10 minutes pour glaze over cake letting it run down all the sides and center. Let it soak into the cake for a while. Let cake cool until you can handle cake pan to invert. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - NOTES : I like to use Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum. This cake really tastes best after it's had a couple of days for the flavors to blend.

Most bakeries use "boxed" cake mixes that come in large tubs or sacks. Basic layer cake mix is formulated to be an "oil cake". That's why the label says vegetable oil, not butter or shortening on it. If you substitute butter you will get a denser, dryer cake. Because today's butter has varying degrees of water in it the cakes will not be consistent in texture. Fats also provide for the aeration of leavening in the batter. That results in the final "crumb" of the cake. So the type of fat used matters. Denser fat like butter doesn't bind as well with flour. That is why pie crust is flaky. You don't want cake to have the same result. That's why oil is recommended in cake mix. I make pound cakes, sponge, fruit, ethnic (like Karadopita) and most bundt cakes from scratch. However nothing beats a regular boxed cake for a standard iced layer cake or for decorating. Not all boxed cakes are created equal either. I used to use Betty Crocker but Duncan Hines has my favorite for years along with being the favorite of those who eat my cakes. Something else to know. Avoid refrigerating an un-iced cake. It will dry them out. However I always try to freeze un-iced layers for a day or so up to a couple of months. It makes them even moister. Bakeries that provide wedding cakes do it that way.