This classic yellow cake recipe is full of flavor and moisture, making the perfect layer cake. It uses the reverse creaming method, which combines the dry ingredients with the butter first, making an extra velvety texture. It pairs great with Swiss meringue buttercream, ermine frosting, or easy chocolate buttercream.
Yellow cake is considered the "classic" American vanilla cake. It is the standard to which all other cakes are held. Why do you think that is? Probably because the best cake you ever ate was most likely a "yellow cake". The yellow is not a secret ingredient, it's just extra yolks! The rich color and flavor come from using whole eggs and a few extra yolks so those literally make this cake "gold".
Table of contents
Ingredients
Eggs are an important ingredient in any cake recipe, but in this cake, there are whole eggs and additional yolks. The yolk contributes protein, some fat, flavor, and emulsifying lecithin. Emulsifiers hold water and fat together, so adding extra egg yolks to the batter enables the batter to hold extra liquid, and more liquid will hold more sugar. Thus creating a very moist and delicious cake!
Cake flour allows this rich cake to still keep its light texture and tight crumb, which makes it perfect to hold a heavier frosting, like chocolate fudge frosting. They balance each other so well in flavor and texture, which makes them a perfect pairing. All-purpose flour can be used as well, however, the final texture of the cake will be different. It will have a looser crumb with a more coarse-looking texture. Pro-tip - If you're in the UK, search for Shipton Mills soft cake and pastry flour or flour that has a protein level of 9% or less.
Butter emulsifies so well with the sugar and liquid, and it keeps the cake light and not feeling too heavy like oil would. Butter is solid at room temperature, so this cake has enough structure to hold up with filling and stacking cake layers.
Tips for Baking From Scratch
- Weigh your ingredients to avoid cake failure. Using a kitchen scale for baking is super easy and gives you the best results every single time.
- Make sure all your cold ingredients are room temperature or slightly warm (butter, milk, eggs, to create a cohesive batter. Curdled batter causes cakes to collapse.
- Need more help with making your first cake? Check out my how to decorate your first cake blog post.
- Make your own pan release (cake goop!) The best pan release ever!
- Chill your cakes before frosting and filling. You can cover a frosted and chilled cake in fondant if you wish. This cake is also great for stacking. I always keep my cakes chilled in the refrigerator before delivery for easy transportation
How to Make a Yellow Cake
Make the yellow cake layers first, and be sure to give yourself enough time for them to chill. I like to flash-freeze them for an hour and decorate them on the same day I'm going to serve, but you can also freeze them and decorate them the next day.
Making Yellow Cake Layers
- Preheat the oven to 335º F/168º C - 350º F/177º C and prepare two 8-inch pans or three 6-inch cake pans with cake goop or another preferred pan release.
- It is important to use warm ingredients so that everything incorporates correctly. Add the eggs to a bowl of warm water (in the shells) for 5 minutes, heat the milk in the microwave for 30 seconds, and leave the butter out for a few hours, or cut it into cubes and microwave for about 10 seconds.
- Separate your eggs and egg yolks by cracking each egg on the table and using your thumbs to divide the shell into two pieces. Move the yolk back and forth and allow the whites to fall into a bowl.
- Whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, milk, vanilla, and vegetable oil in a medium bowl and set it aside.
- Place the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. This can also be made with an electric hand mixer in a large mixing bowl.
- Slowly add your softened butter in chunks and mix on medium speed until the batter resembles coarse sand.
- Add ⅓ of your egg/milk mixture to the flour mixture while mixing on low speed until just moistened. This part is crucial, be careful not to add too much liquid.
- Increase the mixer to medium speed (setting 5 on Kitchen Aid mixer) and whip for 2 minutes until it has thickened and lightened in color. It should look like soft-serve ice cream. If you do not let the batter mix fully, you will end up with short, crumbly cakes.
- Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.
- While mixing on low speed, slowly add in the rest of your wet ingredients to the fluffy cake batter, stopping to scrape the bowl one more time halfway through. Mix until the liquids are fully combined in the batter.
- Divide the cake batter evenly between the prepared cake pans.
- Bake for 30 minutes and then check your cakes. If they are still jiggly in the center bake for another 5 to 8 minutes. If they are almost set, bake for another 5 minutes or until the center springs back when you touch it, or a toothpick comes out clean. Bake time can vary depending on the size and shape of the cake pans you use.
- Let the cakes cool in the pan for 15 minutes or until the pan is just barely warm. Then, turn them out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Wrap them in plastic wrap and freeze if you're decorating the next day. Or if you're decorating the same day, I like to put mine into the freezer (unwrapped) and on the cooling rack to flash chill for one hour so I can begin frosting.
Making Chocolate Fudge Frosting
- Add the chocolate, coffee, vanilla, and corn syrup to a measuring cup or bowl.
- Melt the chocolate mixture together in the microwave. Heat for 30 seconds and stir and then heat in 10-second increments and stir until it is fully melted and smooth. Let the chocolate mixture cool, but not harden.
- Mix the butter, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle on high speed for about 1 minute until light and fluffy.
- Add the cooled chocolate mixture and mix it until it's combined.
- The frosting can be used immediately on the cake, or covered with plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for 3 days. If you plan to keep it longer, keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer.
Decorating the Yellow Cake
- Trim the domes off of the yellow cake layers.
- Then trim and dark edges and bottoms off the cakes. This is optional but makes for pretty slices.
- Place the first layer of cake down on your cardboard cake round.
- Fill it with about one and a half cups of chocolate frosting and spread it with an offset spatula to the edges of the cake.
- Place the second layer of cake on top of the filled layer.
- Add a large dollop of frosting to the top of the cake and gently spread the frosting out and around the sides of the cake. If the frosting is too soft, place it in the fridge for a few minutes to set up.
- Apply a thick second coat of frosting to the exterior of the cake. Push waves in the frosting with your spatula to create a rustic finish.
- The cake can be stored covered at room temperature for up to 2 days, then store the cake in the fridge or freezer.
FAQ
Yellow cake is a rich vanilla cake. The richness of the cake comes from the extra yolks, which amplifies the vanilla flavor from the extract that is added to the batter.
Yes, this is a very sturdy cake and will stack nicely in a tiered cake. The chocolate frosting can be soft, so make sure you take proper steps to support your cake if stacking it. You can also use this under fondant.
Yes, this easy cake recipe bakes well in any shape pan you choose. It would be a perfect cake as a sheet cake for a barbecue or potluck.
The flavor of yellow cake, white cake, and vanilla cake are all very similar. The main difference is that white cake uses only egg whites and yellow cake has extra egg yolks that give it a beautiful color.
Related Recipes
Moist Vanilla Cake From Scratch
Recipe
Equipment
- 2 8" x 2" cake pans
Ingredients
Yellow Cake Recipe
- 14 ounces cake flour
- 12 ounces granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6 ounces unsalted butter softened
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 3 large egg yolks room temperature
- 8 ounces whole milk warmed
- 2 ounces vegetable oil
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
Chocolate Fudge Frosting Ingredients
- 16 ounces unsalted butter 2 cups, softened
- 8 ounces powdered sugar 2 cups
- 3 ounces cocoa powder 1 cup
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 6 ounces corn syrup ½ cup
- 2 ounces coffee ¼ cup
- 1 teasoon vanilla extract
- 12 ounces semisweet chocolate 2 cups
Instructions
Yellow Cake Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 335º F/168º C - 350º F/177º C and prepare two 8-inch pans or three 6-inch cake pans with cake goop or another preferred pan release.
- It is important to use warm ingredients so that everything incorporates correctly. Add the eggs to a bowl of warm water (in the shells) for 5 minutes, heat the milk in the microwave for 30 seconds, and leave the butter out for a few hours, or cut it into cubes and microwave for about 10 seconds.
- Separate your eggs and egg yolks by cracking each egg on the table and using your thumbs to divide the shell into two pieces. Move the yolk back and forth and allow the whites to fall into a bowl.
- Whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, milk, vanilla, and vegetable oil in a medium bowl and set it aside.
- Place the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. This can also be made with an electric hand mixer in a large mixing bowl.
- Slowly add your softened butter in chunks and mix on medium speed until the batter resembles coarse sand.
- Add ⅓ of your egg/milk mixture to the flour mixture while mixing on low speed until just moistened. This part is crucial, be careful not to add too much liquid.
- Increase the mixer to medium speed (setting 5 on Kitchen Aid mixer) and whip for 2 minutes until it has thickened and lightened in color. It should look like soft-serve ice cream. If you do not let the batter mix fully, you will end up with short, crumbly cakes.
- Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.
- While mixing on low speed, slowly add in the rest of your wet ingredients to the fluffy cake batter, stopping to scrape the bowl one more time halfway through. Mix until the liquids are fully combined in the batter.
- Divide the cake batter evenly between the prepared cake pans.
- Bake for 30 minutes and then check your cakes. If they are still jiggly in the center bake for another 5 to 8 minutes. If they are almost set, bake for another 5 minutes or until the center springs back when you touch it, or a toothpick comes out clean. Bake time can vary depending on the size and shape of the cake pans you use.
- Let the cakes cool in the pan for 15 minutes or until the pan is just barely warm. Then, turn them out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Wrap them in plastic wrap and freeze if you're decorating the next day. Or if you're decorating the same day, I like to put mine into the freezer (unwrapped) and on the cooling rack to flash chill for one hour so I can begin frosting.
Making Chocolate Fudge Frosting
- Add the chocolate, coffee, vanilla, and corn syrup to a measuring cup or bowl.
- Melt the chocolate mixture together in the microwave. Heat for 30 seconds and stir and then heat in 10-second increments and stir until it is fully melted and smooth. Let the chocolate mixture cool, but not harden.
- Mix the butter, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle on high speed for about 1 minute until light and fluffy.
- Add the cooled chocolate mixture and mix it until it's combined.
- The frosting can be used immediately on the cake, or covered with plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for 3 days. If you plan to keep it longer, keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer.
Decorating the Yellow Cake
- Trim the domes off of the yellow cake layers.
- Then trim and dark edges and bottoms off the cakes. This is optional but makes for pretty slices.
- Place the first layer of cake down on your cardboard cake round.
- Fill it with about one and a half cups of chocolate frosting and spread it with an offset spatula to the edges of the cake.
- Place the second layer of cake on top of the filled layer.
- Add a large dollop of frosting to the top of the cake and gently spread the frosting out and around the sides of the cake. If the frosting is too soft, place it in the fridge for a few minutes to set up.
- Apply a thick second coat of frosting to the exterior of the cake. Push waves in the frosting with your spatula to create a rustic finish.
- The cake can be stored covered at room temperature for up to 2 days, then store the cake in the fridge or freezer.
Notes
-
- Weigh your ingredients to avoid cake failure. Using a kitchen scale for baking is super easy and gives you the best results every single time.
- Make sure all your cold ingredients are room temperature or slightly warm (butter, milk, eggs) to create a cohesive batter. Curdled batter causes cakes to collapse.
- Need more help with making your first cake? Check out my how to decorate your first cake blog post.
- Make your own pan release (cake goop!) The best pan release ever!
- Chill your cakes before frosting and filling. You can cover a frosted and chilled cake in fondant if you wish. This cake is also great for stacking. I always keep my cakes chilled in the refrigerator before delivery for easy transportation.
- Use the leftover egg whites for Swiss meringue buttercream, white cake, or macarons.
Tiffany says
Absolutely my favorite cake on the site. Just perfect.
Lisa says
This is a delicious cake! I've make it three times now (I made a single 8" layer yesterday to use up frosting I had in the freezer) and while I really like it, it has a very tender, fine crumb which makes the cake feel dry even though it isn't. I assume it's due to using cake flour??
The frosting is fabulous! The best chocolate frosting ever - not too sweet, creamy, and spreadable, but it does make a LOT. I had enough left over to frost the top and sides of a single 8" layer with a thinner layer of frosting but it was perfect!
Sarah says
Can this recipe be baked into cupcakes?
Elizabeth Marek says
Yes it can
Lisa206 says
This is the perfect cake for grown up birthday parties! I don't trim the dome, sides and bottoms, since it's not a cake for sale in a bakery, so the layers are tall. The batter probably makes enough for a 3-layer cake, which I might do next time. The frosting recipe makes A LOT. I think if I make a triple layer cake, it might be the right amount of frosting with no leftover/waste. The cake has a fine, delicate crumb, which makes me think it's a little dry (I might have left it in the oven a minute too long - not sure). The frosting is fabulous! I can taste a hint of coffee and now and then I get a hit of salt, which is a nice contrast. I was told by someone who usually doesn't like frosting because it's often too sweet, that it was the best he's ever had. I've made this twice now, but I'll definitely use this recipe over and over. Thanks, Liz!
Christina Moreau says
Wow! This was simple to make following your instructions and it was absolutely amazing! The chocolate frosting was the best I’ve ever made.
carrie b says
The cake layers were sooooo moist and so flavorable.....this is the best cake ive made.
Cameron says
So mi freezers won't have the space to cool my cakes how long should I let it sit b4 frosting
Elizabeth Marek says
Until they are cool
Krystal says
I've made this many times and it if wonderful! I'm wondering if I could sub the milk for eggnog and make eggnog cupcakes? Or would the thickness of the eggnog effect the texture?
Sugar Geek Show says
Ooh sounds yummy! I'm actually not sure if it would work, but I don't see why not. Let me know if you try it!
Chel says
Hi Liz. I tried finding a butter cake recipe on your website but couldn't. Is yellow cake considered butter cake? Or is it totally different?
I did read the yellow cake is similar to vanilla cake but with more egg yolks which gives it a richer color....
Elizabeth Marek says
A butter cake is any cake made with butter.
Jen says
Can I use buttermilk instead of milk?
Elizabeth Marek says
Yes you can
Cha-Reece B. says
Hi Liz!! Thanks so much for this recipe. I have a question about the baking soda because my cakes domed and had holes throughout. I noticed that in the video you didn’t add baking soda at all. I followed the steps exactly and always have success with your recipes. Could the baking soda be an error (especially since there’s no buttermilk or sour cream)?
Elizabeth Marek says
Did you use cake flour? The baking soda is for flavor.
A says
If the recipe makes 8 cups of batter and I want to make it in a 9x13 pan which needs 10 cups of batter, what is the best way to get the additional 2 cups of batter?
Elizabeth Marek says
Adjust the servings slider on the recipe until it reads 10 cups.
Andrea says
I FINALLY found the perfect yellow cake recipe!!! This particular cake has been giving me fits for years, until now. Thank you, Liz. I didn’t see in the recipe when to add the vanilla, so I added it to the egg mixture.
Samara says
Hi Liz,
Thank you so much for all your awesome recipes 🙂
I made this cake with room temperature, weighted ingredients, and correct oven temp and it domed up a lot, and the edges got hard and browned, the toothpic came out clean at 45min. I baked in two 8x2" fat daddio round pans.
I measured exactly 1/3rd of the wet ingredients for step 6 and mixed on medium for 2 minutes then added the rest in 3 additions, on low speed for 15 sec each time, and scraped the bottom of the bowl often.
Bute...the cake texture was a lot coarser than your buttermilk velvet cake and vanilla cake, it also has giant holes across the cake surface.
I don't know what happened...I was really confused with the amount of baking soda and seeing no buttermilk or sour cream. Could the coarseness be due to the 1 tsp baking soda, not having any acidic liquid to react with?
Elizabeth Marek says
Hmm that is strange. The only thing I can think of is maybe you did not use cake flour, which would explain the giant holes, usually referred to as "tunneling" caused by too much gluten development.
Nelsy Perez says
Is the temperature and time based on a conventional oven? Thank you
Elizabeth Marek says
Yes it is
Kelly says
I made this cake for my Grandpa’s 92 birthday at his request. But because I’m allergic to chocolate I frosted it in the Mock SMBC and filled it with whipped homemade caramel. It was amazing! The cake was the super moist and flavorful - my family went back for seconds. It was easy to make as well. Thank you for sharing with us.