Strawberries like a well drained soil. I created a version of the 5-1-1 last year that was a bit more gritty than the usual 5-1-1 and had pretty good success. I think they would do ok in the 5-1-1 as well. Damon

If I'm making the basic cake (white, yellow, chocolate, etc.) I always sift the powder mix first. I use applesauce instead of oil and I always add vanilla no matter what flavor cake I'm making. If I use the whole egg (I usually use the whites only), I beat the whites separately from the yolk before adding anything else. I've been told that my cakes have the texture of wedding cakes. Now as for variations I have added peanut butter and chocolate (a personal favorite) to a white cake, sour cream to a chocolate cake, strawberries to a white cake (omit water) and I am currently making pumpkin bars from a spice cake mix (which led me to your site because I was looking for a way to turn a white cake into a spice cake so I can double it). Use four eggs instead of three, add a can of pumpkin and a quarter of a cup of applesauce (or oil if you prefer), omit water. Bake as directed on the box.

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

aprile421, Yes, dump cake is made with cake mix, pie filling, canned crushed pineapple, and nuts like almonds or pecans, which are optional. sooz, I have a cobbler recipe that might be of some use to you. Express Fruit Cobbler 2 20 oz. cans fruit pie filling 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened 1 18 oz. box white cake mix (I have used the 16 oz. with no trouble) 1 egg Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread pie filling in a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. In a large bowl, cream butter to smooth texture. Add dry cake mix and egg and blend well. (Mixture will be very stiff). Spoon mixture over pie filling. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown. Cut into squares. Serves 16. It is very good with some Cool Whip or ice cream over top :-). Here is a link to a dump cake that sounds very interesting and easy. Brad AKA Moonwolf Here is a link that might be useful: 1-1-1 Dump Cake