Some people find out they’re going to be parents and — you know, after the whole “yay babies!” cheer has simmered down a bit — freak out because they haven’t yet a) traveled the world, b) made their first million, paid off all of their debt and saved up enough for $200 toys for their little snowflake or c) well, grown up yet. But me, I actually had a moment of panic because I hadn’t yet found the perfect yellow layer cake recipe. And apparently — and yes, probably ridiculously — central to my image of the kind of mom I want to be is not to have to turn to a box of Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Butter Recipe Golden (anyone else ever been perplexed by this wording?) cake mix to get a reliably perfect two-layer celebration cake. It’s the Smitten Kitchen, afterall: People have expectations!
But I’m not knocking on Duncan Hines, or anyone else who — like me — thinks they do a frighteningly good job of making a consistently perfect, moist and plush yellow layer cake. It’s just that it has always been on my agenda to crack the code at home, using the kind of ingredients I’m a little more proud to put my efforts behind. And although I’ve made my share of vanilla layer cakes, such as this delicious one for that wedding cake or this one that everyone needs in their repertoire because it is infinitely memorize-able, I hadn’t yet found The One.
I also hadn’t found The One in the chocolate frosting department. I wanted something not aggressively buttery or saccharine. Plus easy and drama-free — no tempered egg whites and no praying that the KitchenAid Gods will whiz a sloshy, curdled mess into a smooth and shiny frosting after 20-plus minutes. Those other frostings have their place, but my go-to chocolate frosting needn’t be so complicated.
Well, I’m pleased to announce that with a mere 10 weeks left, I’m finally ready to be a mom. Phew, I mean, because we ordered a crib this weekend and everything — I’d hate to cut it much closer! But this is It, this is what I consider the Best Birthday Cake out there: two moist and flavorful vanilla cake layers swathed in a shiny, simple chocolate frosting. The cake has no weird preservatives or unnatural flavorings in it. The frosting has no butter or eggs, and barely any added sweetener. Neither take long to make. The cake doesn’t require a syrup-basting to stay moist and the frosting doesn’t even demand an electric mixer. Just maybe some confetti sprinkles. Er, who am I kidding? Definitely the confetti sprinkles.
Layer Cake Tips: I’ve got lots of them, over here.
Celebration Cakes, previously: More layers, frostings and fillings over here. Tons of ’em.
[Updated suggestion 12/09: Some of you have responded that you find the Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting a bit too sour for your tastes. And it is sour, of course, as sour cream is the base. However, for a more classic (but better than classic, in my opinion) chocolate buttercream, I highly recommend this one. For the size cake here (2 9-inch layers), you’ll want to use 2 to 2 1/2 times the recipe.
[Updated 5/3/11: With weights added!]
One year ago: Chocolate Sorbet
Two years ago: Ratatouille-Style Ratatouille
Best Yellow Layer Cake
Everyone needs a killer yellow cake recipe. This is mine, and dare I say, it should be yours too. It just works. Every time. And if you’ve ever tried a yellow cake mix and wondered why yours didn’t come out that consistently plush (but not freakishly unnatural) at home, dare I say it’s because you hadn’t made this one yet?
Yield: Two 9-inch round, 2-inch tall cake layers, and, in theory, 22 to 24 cupcakes, two 8-inch squares or a 9×13 single-layer cake (I have yet to audition the cupcakes, shame on me)
4 cups plus 2 tablespoons (480 to 530 grams due to variance between brands) cake flour (not self-rising)
2 teaspoons (10 grams) baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon (5 grams) table salt
2 sticks (1 cup, 1/2 pound or 225 grams) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups (400 grams) sugar
2 teaspoons (10 ml) pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups buttermilk (475 ml), well-shaken
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans and line with circles of parchment paper, then butter parchment. (Alternately, you can use a cooking spray, either with just butter or butter and flour to speed this process up.)
Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, then beat in vanilla. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well and scraping down the bowl after each addition. At low speed, beat in buttermilk until just combined (mixture will look curdled). Add flour mixture in three batches, mixing until each addition is just Incorporated.
Spread batter evenly in cake pan, then rap pan on counter several times to eliminate air bubbles. (I like to drop mine a few times from two inches up, making a great big noisy fuss.) Bake until golden and a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes, then run a knife around edge of pan. Invert onto rack and discard parchment, then cool completely, about 1 hour.
Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting
Adapted from The Dessert Bible
Yes, it’s true: A chocolate frosting recipe without any butter, whipped eggs and barely a modicum of added sugar. Oh, and you don’t even need an electric mixer to make it. What are you waiting for?
Only cooking note: Be sure that your sour cream is at room temperature before you make the frosting. I did not (the original recipe does not warn of this) and just as I poured in the melted chocolate, my super buzzed on my apartment door to check on my always-malfunctioning oven and when I’d returned minutes later, the chocolate had seized a little, leaving little bits (like chocolate chips!) throughout my frosting. These could have been strained out but I decided they made the cake more rustic. Nevertheless, room temperature sour cream — a temperature closer to the tepid chocolate — should allow you to avoid this, ringing doorbells or not.
[Concerned about the sourness? Perhaps you might enjoy some Instant Fudge Frosting instead.]
Makes 5 cups of frosting, or enough to frost and fill a two layer 9-inch cake
15 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/4 teaspoons instant espresso (optional, but can be used to pick up the flavor of average chocolate)
2 1/4 cups sour cream, at room temperature
1/4 to 1/2 cup light corn syrup
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Combine the chocolate and espresso powder, if using, in the top of a double-boiler or in a heatproof bowl over simmering water. Stir until the chocolate is melted. (Alternately, you can melt the chocolate in a microwave for 30 seconds, stirring well, and then heating in 15 second increments, stirring between each, until the chocolate is melted.) Remove from heat and let chocolate cool until tepid.
Whisk together the sour cream, 1/4 cup of the corn syrup and vanilla extract until combined. Add the tepid chocolate slowly and stir quickly until the mixture is uniform. Taste for sweetness, and if needed, add additional corn syrup in one tablespoon increments until desired level of sweetness is achieved.
Let cool in the refrigerator until the frosting is a spreadable consistency. This should not take more than 30 minutes. Should the frosting become too thick or stiff, just leave it out until it softens again.
Congrats on ordering the crib! I know you and Alex must be really excited.
This cake looks absolutely beautiful. I’ve looked FOREVER for a great recipe for a yellow cake. I really detest cakes that have to resort to being drenched in syrup, I much rather the moisture come from butter and buttermilk…is that wrong??? Thanks so much, as always, for rescuing the rest of us who’ve hunted high and low for a great recipe!
What a pretty little cake! Hurray for moms that bake. It looks good enough to be my birthday cake (just two weeks away). Thanks!
Just wanted to thank you a million times over again for your peanut butter chocolate cake recipe from before… it’s become my ‘go-to’ cake and everytime I make it, people swoon. So thank you again, for this simple one and for that one.
Perfect! My mom’s birthday is in two days and I’ve been looking for a birthday-ish cake. Thanks Deb!
I can’t wait to try this out….but I have a question (possibly dumb) about the frosting. Once the cake is frosted, should it be stored in the fridge since the frosting contains sour cream? (i.e. dairy product kept out of the fridge will go bad?) Thanks for your help!
I Second this question! the internet seems to not be in agreement on the correct way to store.
Yes, I’d keep it in the fridge. If it was just a butter-sugar buttercream, room temperature is fine.
Oh I would love to have one piece of this cake, it looks delicious.
Good luck for the next ten weeks!
It definitely is a real treat. I made this for my birthday a month ago and after tasting it the whole family agreed that this is now everybody’s birthday cake!
Thank you thank you thank you! I will be making this for my son’s 1st birthday party this weekend! This is exactly what I was looking for!
For whatever reason, I really don’t like yellow cake. I’m sure I would have nothing against it if you blind folded me and force fed me, but for some reason that yellow color just reminds me of the box mix, no matter how lovingly homemade
My son’s second birthday is coming up next month and I’ve been doing in-depth birthday cake research. Last year I did the peanut butter chocolate for his first, which he wanted absolutely nothing to do with. Typical. I think he has it out for me–if I eat the whole cake myself, mama won’t find a boyfriend. Then he gets me alllll to himself.
This looks great. Do you think there would be too much batter for an 8-inch cake? I was thinking about the Vanilla-Buttermilk Cake from sky-high (1/2 the recipe) for my mom’s 60th birthday in a week, but this one may win! I just made some wild black-raspberry curd that I plan to use as filling with a blackberry brandy simple syrup, and possible some lemon swiss buttercream or lemon 7-minute(marshmallow) frosting…mmm!
Too much batter!
WAY too much batter. Ask me how I know……
Without a doubt you have your priorities right where they should be! When your little one grows up to be the amazing neurosurgeon/research biologist/pastry chef/world hunger curer we all know he or she will be – the first page of his or her memoirs will read… “the sweet memories of my mother’s perfectly moist and flavorful vanilla cake frosted with chocolate love for my birthdays will be with me always… and made me who I am today.” No doubt.
Gah! If only you had posted this Saturday morning instead of Monday morning. I just made exacly that with Betty Crocker yellow cake mix and chocolate frosting. I always feel so weird using a box cake mix. I’m afraid my stand mixer will revolt on me. I can’t wait to try this recipe. Now I just have to wait for another birthday. It looks amazing, but all of your stuff does. Thanks!
Deb, I’m so glad you posted this! Yellow butter cakes are definitely tricky with the moistness factor. I think I’m going to give this one a try for cupcakes!
my little sister’s birthday is coming up next week- can’t wait to try this!! Not that I have anything against Duncan Hines, but homemade is just so much better. I made your Cream Cheese Pound cake for Sunday meal and it was soooo good! I got some pretty good compliments on it too. Thanks! :-)
I grew up on that very cake mix (my mom used it to make “Sock it To Me” Cake for every special occasion) and I just gave it up myself a year ago! It is a little better than the average, but there’s nothing like a homemade cake!
Wonderful! I’ll try it this week.
Ten more weeks to go…YAY!
Your cake looks lovely. This past weekend I made a cake-to-order for my 8 year old. She wanted a rainbow on it, so I followed orders and did the best I could. The end result was a non-professional, food-coloring-drenched, delicious cake (I used your peanut butter frosting for in between the layers—that stuff is divine!) that delighted my little girl. Which was, after all, what I was hoping to do.
Mothering is a big job; good cake recipes make it easier. Now, go put your feet up and rest—you accomplished your goal.
This does look like the perfect birthday cake indeed!!! Thanks so much for sharing the wealth with us yet again.
interesting with the buttermilk…
I am partial to the martha stewart yellow butter cake that I used for a wedding cake. It is SO fluffy and perfect right out of the oven. I love the distinct flavor of egg yolks in it.
On another note, they are now making yellow cake flavored soft serve…
I just posted about the discovery of my personal yellow cake and chocolate frosting nirvana! Both ended up being from Shirley Corriher’s Bakewise. I feel finding the perfect version of this combo is Bucket List-level stuff.
The cake recipe I love is different from yours (Shirley’s recipe involved folding in of whipped cream into the batter at the end–what, what?!), but the frosting is really similar–a total dream to work with! I think Shirley (you know, good old Shirl, my BFF) said hers was adapted from Maida Heatter, who is in tight with Rose B. With that trio approving the frosting, how it could be anything less than legendary?
Love the confetti!
Really the frosting won’t break? I’ve been making ganache and man, leave it on the stovetop (I don’t have a microwave) one minute too long… oily mess.
Deb, the cake looks delicious! Yellow cake with chocolate frosting has been and always will be my favorite kind of cake. Where did you get the recipe from?
Ahh, I was confused, saw Dessert Bible, thought Cake Bible, hence the Rose B. comment re: the frosting. But Christopher Kimball, he knows a good frosting too. Who wouldn’t trust a guy in a bow tie?!
I was sold on this as soon as I saw the sprinkles. Now somebody needs to have a birthday so I can have an excuse to make it!
Danielle — Chocolate breaks when it is overheated or burned. If you watch it carefully, stir the whole time and take it off the second that last piece begins to melt, you should have no trouble with the melted chocolate in this or any recipe.
Amanda — I cobbled it from three others!
The cake looks wonderful! Unfortunately, my three children never want cake on their birthdays. They always opt for some other dessert. The thing about being a mom? It’s an entirely unwritten script for each woman. Still, it’s better to be armed with fabulous cake than find yourself in a cakeless quandary.
This looks like perfection! I, too, would feel like an incomplete mother without the perfect birthday cake recipe (and I am 26 with no kids anywhere near the horizon, but that thought of finding the perfect cake has crossed my mind.) Have you tried Amy’s Bread’s yellow cake with pink frosting? To me, that is the ultimate birthday cake, but I’ll have to give this one a try!
Deb. My birthday is on Wednesday. I’ve been looking forward to using it as an excuse for the pb chocolate cake, and then you go and post this…how am I supposed to choose?!
Aww man Deb, I just love you. I CANNOT believe I’ve only been reading your blog for three months when I could have been reading it for years. Having a baby is what prompted my campaign to shake my baking prejudice. Why? Because the kid is gonna need birthday cakes that’s why! What a lovely mom you will be. :)
Oooh! I wish there was an upcoming birthday!
I was delighted to hear that I’m not the only mom who spent a good portion of her first pregnancy worrying about not having the perfect homemade birthday cake recipe!! This post made my day!
I too love love love a Duncan Hines (or Betty Crocker) yellow cake with chocolate frosting, but have always failed when attempting to make one at home. So I’m excited to try this!
Since we’ve already admitted to a love of cake-out-of-the-box, I’m wondering… would you compare this frosting to the (delicious, if aggressively artificial) canned version? Both in taste and texture?
Betsy — Actually, I can’t stand canned frosting. Never use them, can taste them a mile away. The last time I caved and used a boxed cake, erm, 5 years ago, I still made the frosting. Some help I am!
I totally understand the need to have a good cake recipe under your belt pre-baby. I always felt like I needed to be able to make a reliably good pie and excellent chocolate chip cookies (and also sew clothes well, grow vegetables, and get more comfortable singing silly songs) before becoming a mother. The downside to this is that now my 3-year-old thinks I can sew, cook, and fix anything in the world, and I keep trying to live up to her sometimes unreasonable expectations.
Anyway, THANK YOU for that frosting recipe. I’ve been needing a good chocolate frosting that doesn’t use a ton of sugar.
I just came over from Martha and I absolutely love your blog. The food – delicious. The pictures – gorgeous. The writing – informative and entertaining at the same time!
Oh, geez..here I go again with the second guessing. Thanks a lot, Deb.
My quest began when I saw the drawing of a little bobbed hair girl biting into a huge hunk of chocolate frosted yellow cake in her little hands on the cover of a retro Hersheys Chocolate Cookbook, eons ago. My maternal soul was seduced by that picture but I had nothing to indulge it and nothing I tried was IT,,,and I was already a Mom! Oh, my shame! Finally, not quite a year ago (and my kids are now in their 20’s,,how’d THAT happen?) I found IT. And it’s a one bowl, throw it all in at one time, from scratch, miracle! Frosting? I’m finally close. A plain old butter and powdered sugar base..but uses Hot fudge sauce,( Yours) plus melted chocolate and is shiny, pipable AND easy to spread and not grainy. I JUST found that one in June for my daughters birthday. And now this.. I thought I was done. Sheesh. (BTW..I failed on the cake part of the Thankful Butterscotch Cake..then failed genoise for Boston Cream Pie..and just made my miracle cake for my own caramel cake..over a two day period for my own birthday..grrrr!)
Thanks SO MUCH for posting this! It’s perfect timing. My sister’s birthday is next week and her favorite combo is yellow cake with chocolate sour cream frosting!
Could you use agave nectar in place of the corn syrup in the icing? I wonder…
Your cake looks awesome! Where did you get the recipe?
dangit, Deb. Why didn’t you post this, like, July 3rd… Before I made my cupcakes of doom for my family’s 4th of July party? They looked gorgeous but were so disgustingly heavy I wanted to cry… I can’t wait to use this recipe, though… Thank you!
And… 10 weeks left? Woot! Your kid’s gonna be born on my anniversary! ;)
Do you think this would transfer to a good cupcake recipe w/o alteration?
Jen — I mentioned in the recipe notes that this should make up to 2 dozen cupcakes, but I haven’t auditioned it in cupcake form yet. Sure it would be delicious, just watch that baking time, check real early. Nobody likes an overbaked cake!
I am always on the search for the most perfect vanilla cupcake recipe….thank you for giving me another one to test!
Bless you. I may make this for myself for my birthday!
Oh yeah, that frosting. Just looking at the ingredients tells me it’s the one. Sour cream and chocolate shouldn’t just be the purview of cakes, frostings can join in too. And should. Confetti sprinkles though… is it alright if I just use my tie-dyed butterflies or bright flower sprinkles? ;) Kudos on finally being prepared for motherhood :)
I love you, this looks perfect! I am going to try it out, then hopefully use it for my baby’s first Birthday! I also love your swiss buttercream, and use it for cupcakes all the time.
If half my kitchen wasn’t packed in boxes right now, I’d be making this tonight. It looks amazing! I love new and different cakes, but really nothing tops classic yellow cake with chocolate frosting.
As the page was loading I crossed my fingers and closed my eyes and said, “let it be cake, let it be cake”. You are the woman.
Ok…I made the green bean and cherry tomato salad which was delicious, but now a layer cake!?! This is evil! And I have a batch of the NYTimes Chocolate Chip cookies in the fridge. But I must make this cake!!! This week! Maybe for the spinning guild meeting…
Thank You for this recipe! I’ve been married to my husband for a decade now and every year he wants the same cake for his birthday — butter recipe golden with milk chocolate frosting. I think I’ll try this cake out on my husband to if he likes it! His birthday isn’t until November, but I think I’ll try my little test now. If he does, wow, I don’t think I’ll ever buy another cake mix!
Well, I think you can safely say that your “little snowflake” will be more than excited to stick his/her finger into this frosting and take a big bite of that luscious-looking cake. My kids still talk about the birthday cakes I made for them in past years, so be glad that you have found your perfect recipe. I’m going to be taking this for a test-drive before our next family birthday and I have a feeling it’s going to be a huge success.
What a great cake recipe! I have always needed a nice go to homemade yellow and chocolate frosting recipe. I need to try it immediately!!! :)
this was (and still is) my standing order to my mother for my birthday cake every year, yellow cake with chocolate frosting. maybe this will be the year it’s not the duncan hines version….
Well, it’s a good thing you figured out the recipe! I hear babies are a huge hassle to return.
This is exactly what I was looking for! BUT I need to pipe the frosting (it’s for the Wilton cupcake CAKE), can you recommend a CHOCOLATE cream cheese frosting recipe? Or how I can take a traditional cream cheese frosting recipe and make it chocolate? Thanks!!
So pretty, thank you for sharing!
Hi Deb, Im new here :) . Your blog is so wonderful!! i Stumbled across it a few days back and am hooked ! The pictures are so wonderful and you make cooking look so exciting! Im newly married and have just started cookin so your blog is so inspiring!
Cant wait to try your recipes out ! keep up the Gr8 work!
another newbie-baker question… what are the adjusted cooking times/temps for the alternatives you listed (cupcakes, 9×13 pan, etc.) ?
Kim — Haven’t tried them all out. Cupcakes generally bake for 20 minutes and the 9×13 cake will probably take ten minutes longer than the 9-inch rounds, however, your safest bet is to check you cakes 2/3 of the way through your estimated baking time and every 5 minutes after that. (Less if you feel it is very close to done.)
Wow, this looks fantastic. Can’t wait to try the yellow cake recipe — I’ve been looking for the perfect one too. Great work, as always.
That frosting…can’t wait to make it mine.
OMG I have to try this! This looks so delicious. I tried to make the yellow cake from Rose Levy Berenbaum’s Cake Bible a while back, and it was actually somewhat dry. I wonder if that was my fault or the recipe’s – but I’ve moved on to other things and didn’t try it again. Now I am inspired once again to make a yellow cake, but this time I will use your recipe.
Also, yay for you guys for only being 10 weeks away from being parents! :)
You have answered the question to all of my problems! I actually need a yellow cake for my step-dad’s birthday (coming up in 12 days) because that’s the only type of cake that he eats (what a weirdo- LOL). I loathe using boxed mixes because they’re just full of stuff that I’ve never even heard of. I’d rather take those few extra minutes to make a cake from scratch.
So, I am definitely going to try out your recipe for his birthday cake. Thanks for sharing it with us.
-Kamran
Is it embarassing that my eyes started welling up a little bit while reading this? You are going to be such a great mom!! And the cake looks beyond delicious.
My kids are teenagers but it’s never too late to make the perfect cake. Actually since both kids’ birthdays are in the same month and we have friends, family and extended family celebrations we OD on cake that month so we tend to make whatever dessert type of thing requested for birthday celebrations–dirt cake, ice cream sundaes, pie–you name it! :)
You are so funny. We have no kiddos yet- but when we do I will remember this b-day cake and try to to panic. = )
Or as I like to think of it, this birthday cake will make a lovely breakfast when served with yogurt to Kid 1 and Kid 2 when I am constanting barfing into the toilet as a result of Kid 3.
You have definitely crossed the bridge into Motherhood land. This cake looks supremely comforting, delicious, and like something everyone should know how to make. Your kid is going to be asking for a birthday every week!
You are very wise to have created this recipe for your official Mom-dom. Once you start though, be prepared to make a cake not only for the birthday at home on the day of the actually birthday, but also for the birthday party (not always the same thing!), and for cupcakes at school! And, once used to homemade, your little snowflake will be used to the best and will settle for nothing less. Lucky tike.
Thanks for the recipe – I usually use the recipe from Magnolia, and grew up on Duncan Hines Butter Recipe Golden. I’ve been wanting to try a new one for kids – who have, for better or worse, become cake snobs!
Thanks for posting this! I’ve been wanting to make a cake from scratch for my Wilton class this week and this one looks perfect!
Definitely looks delicious, and I love the idea of a chocolate frosting that isn’t either a ganache or a buttercream. It looks so wonderfully decadent.
This looks perfect! I can’t wait to have a reason to make this.
I so, SO relate with you! You are my kind of mom – the kind I always wanted to be, & for the most part, have been. I now have two young adult ‘kids’ who are adventursome eaters, ‘scratch’ bakers/cooks, & have the same attitude towards food & family as you & I. Yeah!
Have you read Molly Wizenberg’s “A Homemade Life”? If not, try to in the next 10 weeks! And by the way – thanks for the recipe! It looks great.
This post made me laugh, as I am a big fan of the “Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Butter Recipe Golden” mix! I use it as a base for a bundt cake that always gets gobbled up.
But, I also love to bake from scratch, so I’ll definitely be trying this. Honestly, a lot of times it’s just as easy to make it from scratch as it is to use the box :)
Now I’m craving cake…..
OOh! I tried one of these from scratch and was so disappointed in how it came out, DH loved every dry cake-too sweet frosting bite of it, bless him, but now I can’t wait to try this one out on him and show him what it should have been like!
Classic! One of my very first baking attempts was for my then-boyfriend/now-husband’s birthday… and go figure – his all-time favorite is yellow cake with chocolate frosting (sadly that first attempt was well – not ‘the one’). Looks like another winning recipe (I’ve already made your Mediterranean Pepper Salad twice and everyone absolutely loves it) – this will undoubtedly be his birthday cake this fall.
By the way, I love how you frost your cakes too – so smooth and perfect! I apologize if you’ve mentioned this before in all your cake posts but do you do a crumb coat? Or any tips for frosting a cake in general?
Kara — I always crumb coat. I link to my layer cakes tips at the end of the post — it includes crumb coating and other things that make these cakes easier — before the recipe begins.
Boy, I wish I had this one when I ended up with a cake-sculpture with bendable
“frosting”. Beautiful cake!
CONGRATS on nailing it! Yellow cake with chocolate frosting is my all-time favorite combination. I am sending this link to my fiancee. Subject headline: HINT HINT!
Ha! My birthday is tomorrow and I was just thinking “boy, I hope Deb posts another awesome cake recipe soon” and then wow! Here it is! Happy Birthday to me!! (and I absolutely LOVE chocolate sour cream frosting)
Congrats on finding The Yellow Cake! I enjoy your cake entries! I have yet to master frosting. I keep trying to make a crumb coat, but I seem utterly inept at it. I’ve taken up to baking cakes, then handing them off to a friend of mine to frost them for me.
I must admit, Duncan Hines’ products are scarily good, for times when you run out of time to make a real cake. Their brownie mixes are just the same. One day, we all wanted brownies, but it being 9pm, nobody wanted to take the time in making them by hand. Later that week, we bought 5 more boxes. D:
Your baby’s going to be extra happy on all of its birthdays if you make cakes like this each time. A good yellow cake recipe is good to have.
This sounds great. But I’ll be interested to see if your attitude toward the boxed cake mix changes once you have that baby! Sometimes we moms must make necessary “adjustments” to our lifestyles. :)
Beautiful cake! Congrats on the crib, I bet the next 10 weeks will be exciting!
Oooh this looks fabulous. Have to try it out soon – but here’s my question. I notice you’ve evened off your layers before frosting – what do you use? Knife? Dental Floss? I bought a cake evener in a craft store but haven’t been very happy with it.
I too have been in search of a yellow cake worthy of my efforts! I always end up wanting for Duncan Hines Yellow cake instead:). So, I’m excited to try your cake and icing recipes. Although, I must say, it was not on my must-do list before giving birth. Only because our traditional family birthday cake is a filled angel cake with pink sweetened whip cream! Congratulations on being in the home stretch! Enjoy your nesting and prep for the baby, I hope you’re able to enjoy the end of your pregnancy.
When I read about your journey I frantically scrolled down to see the recipe. I too have been searching and searching for the perfect yellow cake recipe for years. In all seriousness I may go home and make a yellow layer cake for my family just to try this. Thanks for sharing! Yahoo!
Deb,
I’m a longtime fan, first time commenter! First off, congrats to the upcoming new addition to the family. Selfishly though, I have been panicking at the thought of subdued frequency of posts that our bound to come with the responsibilities of raising little ones. Gasp!!!…who else am I going to turn to that has the same ehhh, obsession with cakes and all things good with food?? Well, this yellow cake recipe has calmed my anxieties for now & will be trying it over the weekend.
Thank you for being great!
Baking and Mistaking — I use a serrated knife, actually my bread knife. And because I am OBSESSED with my bread knife — I had no idea what magic a good bread knife was, I even use it to get neat slices out of this cake and the pizza that came before it — and it isn’t hideously expensive for a fancy knife, I have to plug it here: 8-inch (except I paid about $55 for mine!) and 12-inch versions.
Lynn — You are not the only one panicking about the thought of less-frequent posting. I love keeping up this site, and hope to get back into the kitchen as soon as possible after the baby makes its appearance. Even if it’s just to make a
smoothiemargarita.Deb, I have always been the WORST when it comes to cake decorating. Last week, I used your cake tips and your link to size conversions to make a 2 layer 9×13 huge ola bday cake for the mother in law. I made both the vanilla and choc buttermilk cakes from Sky High (like your wedding cake). I blew myself away! Everyone loved it and it came out fab. Used your tip on using a cold cake to trim and frost, it worked. Though texture was a little firm but it helped alleviate my fears. Onto this recipe! You’re the best. Enjoy your rest these last few weeks. Now – tip for you. Have a “plan B” in the event the crib doesn’t come on time. Our crib came in 2 months after my son was born! Yikes.
Oh i love how understated this cake is. I made a burnt almond cake for 4 friends combined birthday party this weekend and it got tons of ooohhs and ahhhs but somehow the cake just felt pretentious to me. This would have been perfect. Can’t wait to try it!
Oh this is perfect! I have tried making so many yellow/vanilla cakes over the years and they always end up too dry. I’ve taken baking classes, cake making classes etc and I have not had any luck. I figure that if you’ve posted this here then you have a good cake recipe and I can’t wait to try it. I have a WONDERFUL chocolate cake recipe but I’m still really in need of that perfect yellow one…thanks again!
Looks lovely – and DEFINITELY the sprinkles….
Yum, yum, yum! Deb, I have never met you but it is scary how much I think like you. Yellow cake with chocolate frosting was ALWAYS my requested birthday cake. I cannot wait to try this.
This is exactly what I want for a wedding cake, multiplied by 100 layers. And now, thanks to you, I can!
You’re hilarious.
I personally think the “basics” of life (ie the perfect chocolate chip cookie) are often the hardest to realize because we have this archetypal image of them that is impossible to live up to. This is why I specialize in neither-this-nor-that type activities– relieves some of the pressure.
Beautiful and Late! I made a close to this (cake part) for the big first b-day for my girl this weekend. The king arthur golden vanilla recipe, but I bet this one is better.
We let the baby “go at the cake” at their first party, if you do, I don’t recommend using chocolate icing, unless you like laundry messes. Hehe.
oh deb. thank you! now i have a yellow cake recipe for my daughter’s birthday too.
Tragically for my ass, your recipes always encompass ingredients I have in my pantry. I just need an occasion to make the cake, and I’ll be satisfied upon that date. My fiance loves you, by the way, because I tend to make your sweet/dessert recipes all the time.
Sweeet Deb! Now I’m ready to be a mom now too….. wait, is that how it works? I can look at a recipe and be ready? hm….. not quite.
my mouth is seriously watering. it’s beautiful! i have those sprinkles and i love them. very festive.
I love this post. . .only you would take this into consideration for parenting preparation. I really despise boxed cake mixes and even more so canned frosting. I look forward to making these into cupcakes for my nieces the next time I have them over. Thank you for another great recipe Deb : )
This recipe is on my list to try, even tho I will be stepping out on Rose Levy Beranbaum and her absolutely fabulous yellow cake found in the Cake Bible. For anyone looking for scrumptious chocolate cupcakes, also so cute and wonderful in mini form, can I point you to Abigail Johnson Dodge’s emergency blender cupcakes (easier to just stir together in a bowl), widely published when the book was released, so just Google it. The chocolate frosting in her book is great too, and Rose’s classic buttercream is simply worth living for, but I’ll be trying the one here because I must. : )
This feels like a dumb question, but do you bake the two cake layers at the same time?
Sarah — Yes, why not? As always, it is best to rotate your cake pans halfway through, top to bottom, and turn them 180. Hm, I suppose I could add this to the recipe too!
Est — I am not sure. You can use baking soda to make baking powder but I have not heard about it working the other way around. If your baking powder is causing any funny tastes in your baked goods, you should keep your eye out for an aluminum-free brand, such as Rumford.
That is actually my favorite cake too. I am not a big double chocolate fan, but this cake does it all for me. As a child, my mother who did all the baking would ask each of us which cake we wanted the most and I’d always ask for this. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Oh perfect yellow cake, where have you been all my life?
I’m kinda tempted to find someone with a july birthday just so I can make it for them. Who am I kidding, I deserve a 23 and 5 months birthday cake, right?
Congrats on the cake, and the crib, you certainly are mommy-ready!
Perfect! It is my grandmother’s 90th Birthday in a couple weeks and I have volunteered to make the cake…it’ll be this one for sure! Thanks!
SWEET! I can’t wait to try both of these recipes. :) I’ve been looking for the perfect cake/icing recipes for ages.
Oh gravy! This is my all-time favorite cake/frosting combo. How I would love a slice of that right now, with a big glass of milk!
This looks FABULOUS! I can’t wait to try it.
Congratulations…only 10 weeks to go! Enjoy every moment…
YES! Happy happy happy. I cannot wait to try this out. There’s even a family birthday coming up, so I might be able to swing making this sooner rather than later. Score!
Deb,
Thank you! My husband and his family (who live near by) all request the Dunkin Hines yellow cake with milk chocolate frosting for their birthday cake. Every year for my husbands birthday I bring up the subject of me baking a cake from scratch rather than out of a box. He wants nothing to do with it. I plan on making this for my daughter’s first birthday so he can see what he is missing!
Congratulations on your pregnancy and the upcoming birth. I hope she has an adventurous palate!
Oh wonderful!…I have been a Mom for 18 years and I am still searching for that very same perfect yellow cake…I have everything in the house and tomorrow I will give this one a whirl…for my own birthday…well 10 days early but who is counting!
The icing looks right up my alley!
Thanks so much!
I had to join the party. My husband loves, loves yellow cake while I always thought it was boring. But your cake inspires me to bake him one. And I don’t think I will wait for his April birthday. He will thank you :)
Awwww, Deb, congrats! 10 weeks and you’ve got your LO a crib and the best birthday cake recipe. You’re all set!
I LOVE yellow cake, it is by far my favorite especially with chocolate frosting!! I have made a few but like you said, seem to prefer the boxed version for its moistness. Can’t wait to give this one a try!
Thanks for the recipe. I love yellow cake and and dense chocolate frosting. I am going to half the recipe and bake this in my 6′ pan tonight… a friend of mine is trying to conceive so i think this will be a nice pick-me-up. I don’t have sprinkles so i’ll put some chocolate curls on top.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again–that’s one lucky kid ya’ll are having!
BIRTHDAY CAKES ARE AWESOME! And this cake really looks so so good! Wish I had a slice RIGHT NOW! Been on a diet since 8:00am today- I haven’t lost any weight so far! Oh the INJUSTICE OF IT ALL!
Did you put the leftovers in the fridge? I imagine with sour cream in the frosting, it has to be stored there. Right?
Leftovers in the fridge: Yes, definitely. You can leave it out for a few hours but for longer-term storage, it should be cold. (If you’re using the sour cream icing. Regular buttercreams are fine at room temperature.)
Corn syrup questions: Chris Kimball says in the book that he tried confectioners’ sugar, regular sugar and corn syrup. He felt that the confectioners’ sugar produced a sugary taste that dulled that of the sour cream. The granulated sugar didn’t mix well with the sour cream, he said, and made the frosting too stiff once cooled. So he ended up using corn syrup, which produced the best flavor as well as a shiny, smooth frosting.
I know that corn syrup is going through a bad PR phase right now, but what we’re talking about is not HFCS. Corn syrup is an invert sugar, and in many baking and candy recipes, simply works better than a dry sugar. If you’re looking to replace it, you might try honey or even maple syrup, but this will change the flavor profile, though not necessarily in a bad way. One other option: If you’re using a sweeter chocolate, you might find that you don’t need any additional sweetener. But of course a milk chocolate will have a less intense chocolate flavor than a semi- or bittersweet.
Someone asked about the crib: Without getting too much into it (which I will, anyway) let’s just say that we set out on Saturday morning to buy the baby what I understand to be a perfectly acceptable $79 to $99 crib from Ikea. What can I say? I’m cheap. Neither of the Future-Doting-Grandmas approved of this cage-looking crib, and let’s just say that we’ve ended up with The Polar Opposite of an Ikea Crib which is stunning and has a better mattress than we have on our own bed and can convert to a toddler and even full-size bed, whoa. It arrives in 12 weeks. Did I mention I’m due in 10? This should be fun!
We have lots of birthdays coming up this month and I have been looking for the perfect yellow cake! Here it is on a blog I follow. Thanks!! Can’t wait to try!
Oh i can’t wait to try this!! That would be top on my list too if there was a baby on the way! I am wondering the same thing Suzan is… do you need to put leftovers in the fridge?
AWESOME. My mom is a total cake mix fiend, and that has really been the only “homemade” cake we’ve known in this house. I’d originally wanted to bake a cake with my sister for my brother’s birthday and she was like, “Oh, we still have lots of cake mix left from my birthday.” We unfortunately didn’t make anything because the only kind of cake my brother likes is ice cream cake, but I’m definitely putting this on the list of recipes to try!
hi deb- i’m a long time reader, first time commenter, also from nyc. i had to comment because a moist yellow cake with good chocolate frosting is my favorite thing in the world. when done right, there is nothing better. i’ve been go-to with duncan hines for too long, so i cannot wait to try this out. thanks!
I would dearly love a piece of your cake right now. Must be the buttermilk in the cake that makes it IT. I have looked for a sour cream chocolate frosting and now you’ve done it. Thank you. Watched Ina this weekend and she likes the coffee crystals added to chocolate. Will have to try it.
My go-to recipe is from the epicurious website. golden yellow cake. i’ve been making it for birthdays for 7 years now (yikes, how did my kids grow so fast?) and it has never let me down. simple, fast, and delish… the sour cream makes it very moist.
Well, after your recommendation I must make this cake! Now I just have to find someone with a birthday in the next week…. or a 1/2 birthday…. or a 3/16 birthday… Heck, I’ll just make the cake and pretend it’s the cat’s birthday!! :)
Yes, it definitely needs sprinkles :) I just saved this one, I’ve never made a yellow cake from scratch!
this cake looks amazing! i’m going to try it as soon as possible!
also, buying toys for babies is so pointless! my 3 years favorite toys are my measuring cups and spoons! I give him a couple of spoons, a bowl and a small pile of flour when I bake so he can “bake” as well :)
Love the sour cream chocolate frosting touch. I’m big on chocolate cream cheese frosting…I get a lot of eye-rolling until people actually swipe a taste. Then the eye-rolling subsides, because chocolate frosting with a slight tang is just about the best thing ever.
i think your other yellow cake recipe is top notch (the one from the wedding) so i can’t wait to try this one! i’m a ganache girl, myself, but this seems a little lighter. any ideas on a sub for corn syrup, though? i wonder if honey or something like that would work. and, enjoy your last 10 weeks – try to sleep as much as you can! see movies! talk with a potty mouth! ;-)
Ah! what a great cake! It looks scrumptious and I’m sure we’ll be serving it in just a few weeks at MY birthday! :)
Now can you figure out the rum cake recipe? The usual is a box of yellow cake mix plus a box of instant pudding mix plus rum. It is good but it bothers me to use the mixes. Not suitable for Baby but so almost necessary for adults. Can you do it?
LOVE IT! I need to make this cake immediately. I’m on a quest to conquer the layer cake world, and my recent battle with a ginger-lime-chiffon-buttercream cake made me realize how much more practice I need. Thanks for being a great source of inspiration and insanely tasty cake recipes!
Looks so festive! What a beautiful cake…
Congratz on ordering the crib! Looking at that cake made me hungry. So I grab cookies! lol
dear deb!
love your site. i am a newbie to food blogging & enjoy your blogs & photography as well as your recipes.
in addition, i am new to cake baking! how did you level out the cake tops? thanks so much.
I always avoid the mixes but the extra work is hard to justify to friends who get just as good when not better results with the box. I cannot wait to try this!
Thank you! I will try making it later this month for my own birthday. take good care!
Is there an alternative to the corn syrup that I could try. My kid has some sensitivities to it. But I’ve got to make his birthday cake soon and this looks like the perfect recipe to try. (He wants a Gopher Cake. Heaven help me.)
My birthday is tomorrow. Thank you!! I might have to help my husband with the cake …
When I was a kid, my mom asked me what kind of cake I wanted for my birthday and I said “a yellow cake with chocolate frosting.”
On my birthday, I’m pretty sure what I received was a Swedish princess cake. I’d probably like it now, but as a kid I thought it was totally disgusting and as close as you could get to the complete opposite of what I wanted without handing child-me a wrench sauteed with felt and postage stamps.
…
AAAAANYWAY, I think your cake looks exactly like the cake I wanted as a kid and reading your post satisfies the 6-year-old in me. I’ll probably make this cake for my future kids, assuming they ask for yellow cake with chocolate frosting and not Swedish princess cakes with pale green marzipan.
First of all, congrats on being a crib owner…haha! 10 weeks to go, and you’re stressing over cakes? Your baby is going to be spoiled in the kitchen!
Secondly, gold cake with chocolate frosting…it’s my best friend’s favorite combo. I’m going to make this for her. Her birthday was last month, but I don’t think I need to wait till next year to make her a cake, do you? :)
Congratulations on selecting and ordering the crib! I can’t wait to see the little one make an appearance. We’re celebrating my youngest’s first birthday on Wednesday, and I have yet to plan a proper birthday cake for him because we’ll be leaving the following day for our family vacation. You may have saved me.
This looks fabulous! I have always used the Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Butter Recipe Golden (I have often wondered about that name, too) mix to make a pineapple upside-down cake every year for my Dad’s birthday. Maybe next year he might actually get an honest-to-goodness-homemade-completely-from-scratch cake!
Thanks, this looks so much fun!
ooops! just read your layer cake tips! no need to reply to above. THANKS – GREAT tips!!!!!:)
I’m planning on using this for my wife’s birthday cake Wednesday. The only problem is that I can’t buy buttermilk where I live. Should I use yogurt or milk with lemon juice????
Am I reading this right? No oil or butter? How does the cake stay moist? It looks soooo moist!
There’s two sticks of butter in the cake, plus four eggs. :)
Oops! I missed the butter in the cake recipe! I see it now…
Which crib did you end up buying? My little one is almost grown out of her bassinet and it’s time we got her a real crib to sleep in. This cake looks wonderful! I recently made a little party in honor of our little daughter and made “pink lady” cupcakes which were quite tasty!!!
I want to try this out so badly that I probably won’t even wait until the next birthday!! I had finally found a Cook’s Illustrated recipe that worked beautifully once I subbed out half the butter for butter-flavored shortening, but the past few times I’ve made it, it hasn’t seemed as wonderful as the first time. Can’t wait to try your recipe. And congrats on the countdown to your little one! :)
My oldest is allergic to milk but I think I’ve figured out how to turn soy milk into something “buttermilk”-like; I’d love to try this! So many of the recipes I’ve tried have a weird, cornbready texture.
Also, I know you didn’t ask but I’ll offer up that my favorite chocolate frosting recipe is the Chocolate Buttercream Frosting in Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World. Don’t tell them I said this, but you could probably use butter instead of vegan margarine—but, I LOVE this frosting just the way it’s written. Super simple, basic and no need to do anything funky.
Hi Deb,
Thanks so much for the cake recipe. My husband and two children always ask for the same (*yawn*) birthday cake: Duncan Hines yellow with homemade chocolate frosting. I’ve tried a few scratch cake recipes, but I get the sad look in their eyes imploring me to go back to DH. My killer fudgy/ganache-like frosting does have butter and sugar in it, along with the chocolate and cream, but it’s easy enough and so worth it.
is there something wrong with my tastebuds? the only thing i can taste in box mix cakes is chemicals.
I would love for this recipe to be my IT yellow cake recipe as well. I’m definitely giving this a go!
Sold! Making this tonight. Thanks for the yummy looking recipe and the arm-twisting photographs!
I just made your carrot cupcakes yesterday and they were a big hit! I can’t wait to try this cake and frosting!
This reminds me of what my mother used to make (minus the confetti sprinkles). She just turned 89, and I made her your raspberry buttermilk cake, which she (and the rest of my family) loved. Mom was a wonderful cook and baker (until she lost her sight to macular degeneration) who made everything from scratch and taught us likewise. I am thankful every day that she cared enough to seek out the best for us and handed on her passion for good food. Our families and friends have benefited greatly from her culinary wisdom over the years, so don’t dismiss the instinct to give your little one your best. You already are a great mama, Deb! Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Oohhh I can’t wait to try this as cupcakes! I’ve tried the Magnolia recipe for cupcakes before and I found them too greasy and butter-filmy for my taste – you can eat about one bite and then need to put the rest down. This sounds fantastic.
i am a new sk fan! glad to know that i’m not the only one freaked out about not having a go-to homemade b’day cake recipe. made your double chocolate layer cake w/ raspberry filling a couple months ago and it was a big hit. after that, i am confident that i can depend on this one w/o even testing it out. thank you!!!
Deb,
First, the recipe looks superb.
Second, new babies do NOT need a crib. My parents used a dresser draw padded with towels for the first week or two. Think about what the babies lay in at the hospital–looks like a very simple tub with a layer or two of flannel-covered sheeting, and maybe a light pad (not much.) So the baby arriving before the bed is simply not a problem. Good luck!
Oh i cannot wait to try this!! I was just thinking yesterday I needed a go to cake recipe and here you went and did all the work for me! thanks so much Deb!!!!
this cake looks perfect!
This looks delish! I can’t wait to try it…I have had great luck with many of your other cakes, so I am sure this one will be awesome as well!
Does this cake need to be stored in the fridge? Does the icing harden like cream cheese icing and require a little “thawing” time?
I will definitely be trying this. Cake mix always have this chemical aftertaste to me. I made one to use for a cake decorating class and my then 8-year-old daughter tasted the stuff I’d trimmed off and said “hmmm….not your best work”.
Oh my birthday is just around the corner … I’m gonna ask my bff who bakes to try your yummy looking birthday cake for me… That would be such a treat. And congratulations on your coming baby, it is such fun to be a Mom:)
aw-some. im like really hungry for this
Is it the “Deluxe Butter” part that gets you? Looks delish… and totally normal that the recipe is what you would think about as parent-hood approaches. Not that I would know. I only have dogs.
magpie — It’s the “Butter Recipe Golden”–what the heck does that even mean? Is that English? Or just keywords strung together? I think about these things too much.
Also, I am continually outraged (be glad you don’t live with me and where you’d be inundated with my food labeling rants) by the allowed use of the word “butter” where butter is not.
Thanks Deb for another fun, great recipe. I made these into cupcakes tonight – I halved the recipe and it made 13 cupcakes – they were lovely cupcakes with a pretty decent dome. The frosting was also wonderful with a welcomed twist. I used dark and milk chocolate (that is what I had). Thanks…
Yep. Now that you’ve found the perfect layer cake and chocolate frosting recipes, I can sponge off you. I’ve had good chocolate frosting before, but yellow layer cake is usually so dry. Looking forward to trying this one out!
Ha! Neither one of my kids was in a crib before 3 months….they just seem better off in a basket or bassinet…Heck, if I had any more kids, I’d probably just use a padded laundry basket. That way I kept them very close, right by the side of my bed, and it just seemed more cozy.
Anyway….I have tried recipe after recipe, and horribly…none was even as good as a boxed mix. I cannot WAIT to try this one! Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
That photo is seriously making my mouth water. It’s true that it reminds me of the boxed mixes my mom would make, just much prettier. That’s going to be one lucky baby!
Thanks, Deb! I can’t wait to try this – you described exactly how I feel about cake mixes :)
I’m a long time reader first time commentor.
Your website is my all favorite time food blog.
Congratulations on your little bundle of joy.
You are going to make a spectacular Mom.
Wishing you the all best.
Deb! Looks amazing!
I too have been on The Quest for the Perfect Yellow Cake. Yours looks great, but I’ve got to ask… is it fluffy and light like a cake mix cake? Or heavier? Every cake recipe I try turns out too…. spongy-no-weight-to-it-cake-mix-y for my liking.
Hi, I’m new at this, this is my first ever comment. Just started reading food blogs the last week or so and discovered your site (I’m from Sydney, Aust). Love the cake recipe, can’t wait to try it, already forwarded it to my friends. Looks mouthwatering!
Just finished baking – a few notes:
-I ran out of sugar (oops!) during baking so I subbed 1/4 c. powdered sugar for 1/4 of the 2 required cups. It did not seem to adversely affect the results. I didn’t want to risk influencing the flavor with brown sugar.
-The batter seemed so plentiful I used 3 – 9″ pans. The cakes still finished even with the rim of the pan, so I consider it a win. They were done after approximately 28 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
-Delicious! (Although denser than I expected consider how much the cake rose.)
I grew up on Duncan Hines – so back of a little on the harsh prejudice. My mom also worked at the Culinary Institute and had some of the best chefs make me birthday cakes. Do not worry mommy to be: the cakes that had love baked into them are the ones that made me who I am today.
This looks like perfection! You are ready. :)
Oh my – this is just what i needed today! and the sprinkles? they are a necessity for any decent cake or cupcake creation
I have made a variation on this chocolate sourcream frosting now for about 1.5 years,and it is a huge winner with every bite
funny, adults seem to really like it the most
I’ve been looking for the best yellow cake recipe since forever! But since you endorse this one, I must must must try it ASAP!! The cake looks great :) How did you get such a clean, perfect cut?
Hi Deb, looks wonderful. Can you recommend a decent substitute for buttermilk? Is there a way to make it?
I love it when you find the perfect recipe for something. Something that you don’t have to search again for, ever. I really only have that down pat with a few things. Brownies, chocolate chip cookies, and vanilla cupcakes. Still searching for the rest.
Anybody out there know a good substitute for corn syrup? It’s not readily available here in the UK and I always skip over recipes that include it. Sad.
beckyk — I understand “golden syrup” to be a good replacement.
Danielle and others without buttermilk — It can be made at home, easily. Simply add one tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar. Let it stand for 10 minutes until it “clabbers” (looks a little curdled, yum) and go ahead and use it. Easy-peasy!
cz — There was no “harsh prejudice” against box mixes and/or people who use them. In fact, I clearly stated that I wasn’t knocking anyone who, like me, thinks they do a freakishly good job of churning out consistently moist and plush cakes, but that I wanted to crack the code at home with natural ingredients. This post is for others who have ever wanted to do the same.
Shannon — You can make it with 3 8-inch round pans (or 2 8-inch round that have more than 2-inch sides). The 3 pan version will be thinner, but not horribly so. You’ll probably have to dial back the baking time a bit.
Jenny — I really like that Vanilla Buttermilk Cake, but I would say it is a bit sturdier and benefits a bit more from a syrup (especially for longer-term resting, as we were doing with the wedding cake). This cake is a little more moist and rich, possibly a little heavier (from the moisture, not density). There’s no reason that you cannot brush this or any cake layer with a syrup, however; it’s just nice to know that it is not a prerequisite to having a super-moist cake in this case.
Kim — Usually an hour is enough to get anything back to room temperature. But of course this will depend on how cold your fridge was an how warm your home is.
Congratulations! And thanks for that wonderful cake…
Thank you so much for this! My husband is american and for years has asked me to make him an ‘american style’ birthday cake (which i always fail terribly at). This looks exactly like what he wants and i will make this for him this year. It looks absolutely fantastic by the way :)
wow!!! what a great cake – I MUST try it!!!
best regards from chocolate-land
m.
btw: i love to see your great photots and recipes!!! thank you so much for sharing! you make a swiss girl happy!!! :-)
My second son spent his first month in a sheepskin lined drawer, placed on a table next to my bed, within easy reach. It worked perfectly, much better than a crib across the room, needing me to get up and reach into.
We all are so excited about this baby, Deb. Aunties, all.
Congratulations- the cake is perfect party fare and guaranteed to please any child on their big day.
Bring on the baby (s!)
PS. Hope you are feeling well and not ‘nesting’ in the crazy panicky way I was in those last weeks.
What a lovely thing to find in my inbox on my actual birthday! I love that it doesn’t have a ton of sugar in the icing as I am trying very hard to cut down on my sugar intake. You made my day with this.:)
Can’t go wrong with anything chocolate. The cake is beautiful.– Sherry
Deb,
As a new mom to a 3 month old daughter, I have to confess I have been dealing with TREMENDOUS guilt at having very recently resorted to boxed mixes–something I NEVER thought possible and constantly was making snooty remarks about “those who did not love their families enough to bake from scratch”. I know people say it and I never believed it, but our standards DO change when we have a baby. Having said this, I’ve sought out some make-your-own convenience products and can’t wait to try them. When your LO arrives, I’m sure you will appreciate the new time paradigm of getting stuff done in 10-15 minute increments–from giving the bathroom the once-over with chlorine wipes (never did I consider buying these a year ago), or starting a load of the baby’s laundry on your way to take out the trash, to tossing a batch of brownies in the oven just before dinner is served.
http://busycooks.about.com/od/homemademixes/r/cakemix.htm
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/PrintRecipeOld?RID=1191435853891
I just can’t wait for your posts about making your own baby foods! ;-) Something I have been dreaming about since the moment my child was conceived.
Gosh, I am jealous of your child. :P My mom felt no cake mix shame. The frosting especially looks good, I hate that crunchy, sugary frosting on grocery store cupcakes that makes you want to hurl. I agree, making these into cupcakes is a great idea!
Congratulations on your little one. Aren’t you just thrilled that we’re all sitting here waiting for it to pop out so we can admire? lol
Yay! Thank you! I am a cupcake baker and I have been searching for a full-proof yellow cake. I hate box cake mixes but the recipes I’ve tried are inconsistent. This one is on my to-do list for the weekend. The frosting looks perfect. My buttercream frosting is too sugary and sometimes grainy. I have high hopes for this one! I just know it’ll rock.
Thank you! :)
Vanilla as well as butter cakes are my family’s favorites, Deb! Thanks for your inspiring post. As usual, the photos are luscious.
Now I am confused though-I always understood butter cake to be different from vanilla cake. Are they actually one and the same? I get requests from my kids to bake one or the other, depending on whose birthday is coming up. I would appreciate any clarification, since I feel rather silly now! Thanks!
P.S. We have no summer birthdays in the family, however I am going to bake this cake today just because you posted it and it is too dreamy to pass up!
Congrats on ordering your crib! I remember how excited I was, and how much I yearned to make food (and get it just right) while I was in my last tri-mester!
The cake looks absolutely amazing and I can’t wait to make it, (my birthday is this weekend, so I just have to try it) The only question I have is once the cake is baked and frosted, does it require refrigeration? If so, how long will it take to bring it to room temperature (I just did a party for my 4 year old on Sunday and the cake was preservative free and required refrigeration but we apparently didn’t cool it long enough, it was slightly hard when we served it)
Thanks!
Deb, How does this compare to the Vanilla-Buttermilk Cake that you made for the wedding? Is it too soft/fluffy for a simple syrup “brush”? Thanks again!
Deb,
This is probably a really dumb question, but you mention 8in square pans, not 8in round. Would it be possible to make this recipe with 3 8in round pans, or would the layers be too thin? I have a friend’s birthday coming up, and haven’t felt very inspired about what to make, until now! I can’t wait to try it. I ask because I’m pretty sure my 9in pans aren’t deep enough.
Thanks! I really do love your website. I am never worried when I make a recipe from here for the first time. I know it will always come out delicious and impress my friends. It does every time!
Shannon
My husband requested this cake for his birthday after seeing this post, and his birthday is in DECEMBER. This, from a guy who has a deep love of Funfetti! That is to say, This is a Big Deal.
Hooray! I only have 4 weeks left so you saved my day too! I am one step ahead though and I do have the baby’s room set up. Seriously, this cake looks wonderful and I may have to try it out this weekend. I don’t get to comment to you very often but I’d like you to know how much I look forward to your recipes in my email and how much my family has loved all that we have made. You’re the best!
Do you notice a funny smell when using cake flour? I always do and it just so happens that Joe Pastry recently did a flour tutorial (http://joepastry.web.aplus.net/index.php?cat=143) covering every possible aspect of flour and said this about cake flour: “One side effect of the heavy bleaching that some people notice is a slightly acrid smell or sour taste. The reason for that is a trace amount of hydrochloric acid that the processing leaves behind.” I can always smell it no matter what brand of cake flour I use. Can you substitute regular flour?
Linda — OMG, yes! I notice it every time (smell, not taste, then again, I often bake with buttermilk and would never guess that a sour taste was coming from the flour) and I can never figure it out. My boxes never last long, so it’s not like they could be too old. Love Joe Pastry.
I have made this cake with regular flour. It does work fine, but sift it twice. Cake flour is already sifted once (pre-box) and then again in this recipe so it is lighter than light. You can also make your own cake flour: Add two tablespoons of corn starch to each cup of regular flour and sift it twice. Measure your cups of flour from this mixture.
beckyk and the others concerned about corn syrup, try Lyle’s Golden Syrup. I always use that instead of corn syrup – pecan pie, for example – and it is delicious. That’s what they use in England and that’s where I first tried it. It’s derived from cane sugar instead of corn.
Woweeee for the cake and icing recipes! More woweee that your Super checks on the progress of your appliances. Hope your crib arrives pre-baby. Thanks for sharing the love.
The timing of your post could not be more perfect. I was looking for a drop dead delicious bday cake for someone and here you are. Thanks for being you and doing what you do :)
This is defiinitely, definitely a very pretty cake. I love the coloured sprinkles at the side and a very timely post at that. I need to whip up a birthday cake pretty soon.
Deb – did you ever lose your urge to cook during your pregnancy? I’m only 8 weeks along and feeling like there is no more need for a single cookbook on my shelf because I feel like I never want to cook again. Just the thought of preparing a meal (does slicing cheese and opening crackers count as preparing a meal?) sends me back to bed to snuggle with a cat. I always look forward to your posts, but now I’m worried I’ll never want to make them again. It’s scary.
Lisa — Yes. I think I cooked like 4 times in the first trimester. It comes back, promise. Though now in the third, it’s a lot of “oh I should make that!” and then “maybe I’ll nap first”. But when you really want something, you’ll make it happen. Congrats!
Lovely cake. I will be keeping this recipe in mind for my next yellow cake with chocolate frosting, which is a cake I don’t make very regularly, if I ever made one, but the pictures of this one make me want to go bake it right now! There is always something in life worth celebrating, right? :)
Hi Deb,
Not sure you’ll be able to respond today, but I’m making this for my husband’s birthday today. I’m using mini cake pans – 6″ round, that are less deep than 8 or 9″ rounds, closer to 1 1/2″d to top rim. Do you think I could make a half recipe and I’d have enough batter? I’m thinking because they are a little less deep that half may be ok. But maybe to be safe I should make a 3/4 recipe. Also, do you have any idea what the reduced baking time would be for smaller pans? Thanks! You’re an awesome baker/cook – so impressive. How do you find the time?
Lulu — 6-inch cake pans usually make a perfect half of a 9-inch round cake batter amount, keeping the height the same. (I played with this proportion in my almond cake.) However, if your cake pans are less than 2-inches tall, it is a little risky as this cake took up most of my 2-inch tall cake pans. You might want to a) divide it between three pans, to make a three-layer cake or b) one-third the batter, instead of halving it.
Gorgeous cake! I too have never found the perfect yellow cake, but I always trust your recipes, so I’ll be making this the next time I need to whip up a birthday cake!
That frosting looks divine…on anything…even a spoon.
This cake looks amazing! Quick question about the frosting — how prominent is the sour cream flavor? My husband loathes sour cream and refuses to eat anything that contains the stuff. I’ve been been sneaking it into baked goods for years, but I’m not sure if I can get 2 1/4 cups by him.
Lindsay — I would not use this frosting if your husband hates sour cream! It’s like 50% of the flavor. The chocolate mellows it a lot, but there are probably less tangy frostings out there for him.
I am currently in the final stages of studying for the California Bar Exam, which is…not a lot of fun. I am also a stress baker. After recently making lime cookies, chocolate cookies, and a number of savory pies, I just informed my roommates that I was nearing the dire point of turning to box mix for the ultimate comfort food that I have NOT been able to make from scratch: yellow cake with chocolate frosting.
Moral of the story: Thank you for providing a bright point of joy amidst my studying! I am going to bake this and eat it (possibly all by myself) to get me through practice exams. I have been reading and cooking constantly from your blog for some months now, but this is the most miraculously timed recipe I have found!!
I want some birthday cake now! That looks delicious!! I like the fact the frosting is sour cream and tons of butter!
Your ready to be a parent concern cracks me up – when I was pregnant with my son I was convinced that I would not be a good mother unless I was able to make dogs in blankets with cheese (bread dough wrapped around hot dogs with cheddar cheese). I still suck at anything with yeast, but thanks to you and Molly of Orangette I can make the best chocolate chip cookie ever. And who wants a hot dog when you can have a cookie?
Gorgeous cake; the yellow-cake-chocolate-icing has always been my favorite. I have always refused to bake my own birthday cake, on principle, but I might have to rethink that. I have until May to think about it.
Regarding the crib: you won’t need it for a while, especially if you plan to nurse. Get a folding bassinet that is narrow enough to roll through your doorways. Baby can be right by your bed at night, and in any room you’re in during the day. Teeny one will just look lost and alone in the big crib anyway. My second grandbaby was just born July 1. I feel joy for your mom!
Deb,
I’m planning on making this cake for my cousin’s birthday in a few weeks, but she wants yellow cake with vanilla frosting, not chocolate. Do you have any recommendations for good vanilla frosting?
Thanks!
My favorite vanilla is my Swiss Buttercream.
Also, baby and crib advice: Thank you, really. But, please, we’re up to our eyeballs in advice. We’ve got it covered. I’d much rather talk about cake. And confetti sprinkles.
I grew up with friends with “professional” moms. The kind who dropped the kids off at daycare before school, and sent grocery store cupcakes for birthdays. Somehow, in spite of the fact that they both worked, mommy or daddy always found time to pin a tea towel to my waist, grab the Betty Crocker cookbook and make a batch of birthday cupcakes with me. Of course, at the time, I would have preferred the airbrushed Care Bears cake, but I appreciate the effort in hindsight.
Hi Deb,
The cake looks amazing! I’m actually allergic to Chocolate and I’m wondering if you have a good suggestion for another frosting!
Thanks!
Ooohh, this is JUST the frosting recipe I was looking for!!
Thanks Deb!
Is it sacrilegious to top this cake with something other than chocolate frosting? Believe me, I would love it the way it’s presented, but I am going to bake it for a non-chocolate loving person.( I know, a freak)
Hi Deb, this cake made me very happy. Reasons –
1. I had been looking at very many cake recipes, collecting and discarding, and yes, I too hadn’t yet found The One to make for my 9 month old daughter’s first birthday. I needed something special, easy, and trustworthy. This seems much doable and worthy of a try. Thank you.
2. When I read a cake recipe, I usually skip the butter and oil part totally. Rather compensating for that with 1 cup of sour cream or yoghurt. So far, it worked. The cakes get all the more soft and fluffy (even your mom’s apple cake yield fantastically to this treatment – great recipe I should say). But I had not ventured out for wedding or b’day cakes with these skills although I need a recipe for special October. Thanks to you again. I would try the recipe as it is.
3. Of course the frosting – for this one cake, the frosting cannot be skipped and should be made as the recipe demands.
Now questions, what do you mean by pure vanilla extract. Should I make the extract at home from vanilla beans? Any tips? Also, can there be a substitute for butter milk?
Yum, can’t wait to try this. We have no more birthdays until mine in September. However, my eldest daughter’s long-time imaginary friend is always willing to celebrate her birthday anytime I feel like making a cake! :D
Deb, this is my hubby’s fave cake: yellow with choc. icing, so I will definitely be making it for his birthday in Sept. Looks divine.
I know you are nothing but a common-sense gal, so perhaps you know all this already. As alluring as it may seem to go on a spending spree and buy all new adorable tiny baby things, remember these motherhood mantras:
DON’T BUY ANYTHING NEW. I know garage sales are few and far between in NY but now there is Craigslist, where people are begging you to take all the bulky plastic crap that comes hand-in-hand with parenthood off their hands.
LET PEOPLE GIVE YOU STUFF. Let other people spend their money on adorable togs for your baby.
YOUR BABY DOES NOT CARE IF IT’S USED, and no one else will know unless you tell them.
More money for all the expenses you will now have. Not trying to scare you, m’am. Just facts.
This cake looks so marvelous! Thanks for doing all the leg work for me and coming up with this great recipe. I’m definitely looking forward to trying it.
Hello Deb… Could you please post the “weight” of your flour? I am out of the country and the cup measurements are a bit off. Also the flour is packef tightly in packages so I am afraid it will throw me off. I will have to substitute many things in this recipe. But I am planning to make it for my FIL bday tomorrow. I was planning to make the one you made a couple of month ago. But will try this one. I alsomade your choco chip cookies today. My 2 year old twins ate them on the beach.They kept saying “cha-chi (chocolate) nummy(yummy)”. Thank you for sharin great recipes with us. And dont worry about your crib being late. Both twins slept in a pack-and-play for 3 months. Daddy was making the cribs. One had to sleep in that thing for 10 months. Daddy will have to explain him that when he grows up:-) good luck with your pregnancy..
Hi Deb ,
I have tried a couple of your cakes , chocolate cake with chocolate frosting is smashing hit so much so a couple of friends asked me to bake it for their birthday. I am planning to bake this for my son’s birthday in a couple days . I will have a couple of people who dont eat eggs , how can I make this cake eggless .
I really appreciate you replying to my query
Thanks
Alpa
I just found your website and have had a blast looking through past posts — I’m really looking forward to trying many of your recipes! And, I have always said that my goal when I have children is that they’ll think I’m the best baker in the world, so maybe your birthday cake recipe will help get me there! Thanks :)
oh my heck. i have been scouring for the perfect cake to make myself for my birthday in 2 days and i think this might be it! i don’t like chocolate cake but i love chocolate frosting and yellow cake. i had a few other contenders but i’m thinking i’ll try this one! thanks!
I hear you, Alpa! My son is allergic to eggs, and his birthday is next month! I got away with it last year by giving him ice cream while everyone had some cake. He’s turning 2 and this time I want him to enjoy his cake. I haven’t tried those egg replacers – it just sounds so weird I’m almost afraid to use it. But with other cakes calling for just 1 egg I’ve had some success in substituting 1/4 c oil. Deb (I’m a huge fan!), is there any way this great yellow cake can be eggless?
Sour cream chocolate frosting? My 4 y.o. is going to love this!! She puts sour cream on everything – it’s her favorite topping for spaghetti. Just sour cream, salt, and Parmesan cheese.
Gina — I won’t be able to post the weights until I make this again. I didn’t weigh them this time. However, 4.6 oz or 130 grams is understood to be a fairly reliable weight equivalent for a cup of cake flour, or so Google tells me.
kyza — I linked to my page of Celebrations Cakes in the post, which has many non-chocolate frosting recipes.
Cheryl — I have never worked with egg substitutes before. Perhaps someone else who reads will be able to advise.
It’s pointless to bookmark recipes here. I’m just going to make them all anyway.
This I’ll make for my twins’ third birthday in a few months. Thank you for the perfect mommy-made birthday cake recipe. :)
(Oh – and the boy bait – weird how men especially like it.)
Deb, I have never commented on your blog but Ive been reading it for a little over a year now and it’s one of my favorite food blogs ever. In fact, it was the first food blog I discovered and has helped this novice cook immensely. I always go here when I need some inspiration.
You TOTALLY read my mind with this post. I was just thinking to myself, “what kind of cake should I bake for my mom’s b-day?” I figured I would consult your blog first since you are, after all, the queen of cake baking. Chocolate yellow layer cake is one of my mom’s favorites, so this cake is just the answer. Thank you!
my daughter will be 2 at the end of this month and i DO believe this cake would make that little girl very, very happy. thanks for sharing!
That looks fantastic. I love cake, I’ll definitely have to try this out!
I make this cake for my sister’s birthday every year and I feel terrible that it comes out of a box and a can – but she loves it that way. This year I will be making this one!
I have no baby advice for you since I have 9 weeks to go with my first child. I just thought it was hilarious that I just bought the $80 Ikea crib and my co-worker called it a baby jail! I do wish it was a bit sturdier, but I still love the look. What can I say…I like plain.
would it be possible to use yogurt in place of the sour cream for the frosting? or would that be too loose? thanks!
Yay yay yay. I’ve been looking for a reliable yellow-cake recipe and I am so glad that you found it.
How did Yellow with Chocolate Frosting become the classic? It’s the same cake my mom makes for my Dad every year! Thanks for the from scratch recipe! I’ll pass it along to my mama, who’s not a blog reader. xogabriela
P.S. The way in which you decorated the cake is absolutely charming in it’s simplicity…reminiscent of a cake my grandma would’ve made.
Congratulations, on both your baby and for “being ready”. I just wanted to share that children love anything (well most anything) made by their mothers. My daughters claim I’m the best chef/baker there is (even I know this is far from true). However, I’m brought back to Earth when I remember my daughter’s school party, where she wanted cookies shaped like dogs. After numerous problems and at midnight, I ended up running to the store and “lowering myself to Pillsbury dough”. I frosted them as planned and was informed they were my best yet. The love you put into the things you make are always what makes it so memorable. I think we’ll celebrate an Un-birthday (as Alice and her friends did) and give this one a try. Congratulations, there’s nothing better then children, love and wonderful food!
Do you dip & sweep or spoon & sweep to measure the flour?
(I checked your layer cake tips, but maybe I missed your measuring method.)
Excellent question! I fluff and half-scoop, half-spoon with cake flour because it’s already so ridiculously fluffy. With regular flour, which has usually been compacting in my canister for weeks, I fluff and spoon and sweep. I am not even sure this reads like English to anyone who does not bake a lot.
Hi again Deb…posted earlier today. If you have a sec, would you mind clarifying if this recipe is technically a “butter” (or “yellow”) or “vanilla” cake….I am so confused about the use of both terms in today’s post. I have completely committed “butter” cake lovers in the house as well as “vanilla” cake lovers in the house, so before I bake tonight, I just want to make sure if this cake is in fact more butter-y or vanilla-y!! Thanks so much!
Also, I made your “Pink Lady Cake” and it was also a huge hit. I have to invest in better quality cake pans and tins though. That brings me to another question: do you have a preferred manufacturer of baking sheets and tins? I think mine are not “commercial” enough. THANK YOU!!
Hi Becly — Sorry, I was confused too and am not sure that I know the distinction between the cakes you mention — or that there are ones. The layer cake distinctions I know are “yellow” and “white” layer cakes. Yellow are made with whole eggs (hence the yellow color) and white are made with just egg whites. White ones tend to of course look whiter, and are used a lot for wedding cakes because of this. They are a bit lighter, but also a little more dry, and generally need a syrup to keep them moist. Yellow cakes are more like this — a little richer, more moist and, well, I think more flavor. Hope that helps. (P.S. The pink lady cake is, at its base, a white cake.)
I don’t have a preferred cake pan brand. I generally get cheap ones at the baking supply store.
I have to try this! I’m having my first baby next month and had a mini panic attack the other day when I realized I did not have the cake decorating skills that my mother had when I was a child… Maybe the next few weeks will be full of cakes for my friends in the name of practice! :)
Finally! Finally, finally, finally! A recipe for frosting that doesn’t me want to hide in a cave of lettuce leaves! That cake looks luscious. And fortunately, the next birthday I have coming in my life…is mine! I think I might treat myself. Hope your OTHER sweet little cake is baking up just beautifully, too! Best of luck in the home stretch!!!
Hi Deb again,
I am making the cake now and tasted the frosting and crunched into a coffee crystal. I used instant coffee granules, but after I did that I thought that didn’t make much sense since how would it break down w/o the hot water. Is instant espresso powder different? I’m pretty sure I made a boo-boo here. Thanks.
Lulu — I haven’t made it with the granules, but powder might indeed work differently because it starts with a finer grind.
Hi Deb,
That sounds great. I may have to try it out- but I was certain I’d already found the ULTIMATE yellow cake recipe already! My favorite yellow cake recipe is the “tender yellow cake” from Cooks Illustrated. (They also have a light and fluffy one I haven’t tried out). I love it because its quite buttery, not sweet at all, tender and moist. One of those cakes you can just eat without frosting and its just as good. Our recipes are quite similar except for these differences:
Mine uses only 2 1/4 cups cake flour
Mine uses 1/2 cup whole milk instead of 2 cups buttermilk
Mine has 1/2 cup less sugar and no baking soda
But I need to make a two-layered 9×13 cake this weekend so I may try your recipe for one layer and my go-to recipe for the other layer…and see what the guests think! :) I can update you on the verdict (I’ll likely post it, plus the other recipe, on my blog) if you’re interested.
Jackie
p.s. Your food blog is probably the only one I read on a regular basis- LOVE everything about it (your variety of food posts, your pictures, your commentary).
Deb, I “tested” the cupcake version this evening for an officemate’s birthday tomorrow, and they worked beautifully – about half the baking time of the 9-inch layers, and each portion was just over 1/3 cup (2.75 oz. by weight). Thanks so much – these were yummy.
I kid you not when I tell you that finding “the” perfect yellow cake recipe was one of my many goals this summer. However, the 100 degree heat has put a damper on much of my baking. I think I’ll be baking at night now when the temp drops down to at least 88 degrees :) Congrats on your baby! You’ll come to know that loving a child is like nothing else in the world. It’s so encompassing, so immeasurable, and overwhelming – but in a wonderful way! Enjoy every minute of it because they grow up fast. I keep wishing my 10 year old son, Aidan, was 3 or 4 again as he’s too cool to let me hold his hand in public now :(
To all the people wishing they had an excuse to make this:
my birthday is in 2 and a half weeks. I’m very good and cake-eating and compliment-giving. Thank you :o)
Deb, I’m really grateful for the cake recipe – all three of my boys have birthdays coming up. But what I’d love to know is if you have any feelings/advice/input on “theme” cakes. I want to make cakes that are both yummy and shaped/decorated like trains. Do I have to wait until your little one (to be) hits toddlerhood?
Your cake is a real beauty! It looks like textbook perfection! :)
Love it! I just took cupcakes out of the oven. Your recipe made 24 cupcakes plus a 9″ single layer cake! They are yummy. I couldn’t wait for a cupcake to cook off enough to try it. Very tender and moist and good flavor. My daughter wanted a ‘funfetti’ cake for her birthday. I added 2 T of cookie decorating bits – worked like a charm. I do not miss the artificial flavor of box cakes. Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
I had to laugh when I read your post and it’s boxed cake references. Growing up, I always thought my Grandma was the best cook ever. Her baked goods were especially tasty (her sugar cookies are to *die* for!). As my daughter’s first b-day was fast approaching, I realized that I had no idea how to make cake! My grandma had passed away 6 months earlier, and I was so sad that I had never acquired her recipe. So, I called my aunt to get it. She said, “Oh sure! I’d love to share that with you! Are you ready?? Got a pen? …. It’s Betty Crocker PUDDIN’ IN THE MIX! It’s gotta have the Pudding in the Mix!” I almost DIED.
This seems like a dumb question, but is there a trick to getting the sprinkles in a ring around the edge like that? Or is it just a steady hand, which I unfortunately lack?
Serin — I just pinched little bits and dropped them all around. The sides were pretty straight so what fell off mostly landed on the counter.
That frosting sounds pretty neat. I’ve never heard of making frosting with sour cream. Neat!
Yay! This is my favorite cake! Years ago, for my 30th birthday, my dad threw me a small party. I told him that I wanted a yellow cake with chocolate frosting. He went to one of the best bakeries in town and they told him that the only way that could make a yellow cake was with a box, or food coloring. I am making this for my son’s 4th birthday this weekend. Thanks, you rock.
I am so excited about this cake! Yellow cake with chocolate frosting is such a nostalgia kick — must bake, must eat. My co-workers are going to love me come Friday morning; no better breakfast than cupcakes!
Hurray for home-made cake! this looks delicious. its so refreshing to see that there are still people in the world that will MAKE a birthday cake instead of order one at the closest grocery with the gross-full-of-sugar-and-shortening-and-horribly-unnaturally-colored-rainbow-frosting and the tasteless boring cake underneath all for the glory of those kids’ toys/characters on top. Where’s the love in that?? I will always cherish the cakes my mother made me, and subsequently, the cakes she has lovingly made for her grandkids.
I love the “funfetti” on this cake. I’m not much of a baker, but this is inspiring.
OMG!! I am so excited about this cake- I have been looking ALL OVER (mainly your own website!) for a yellow cake recipe !! Your chocolate-Guinness cupcakes are my go-to for chocolate cake/cupcakes, and now I can’t wait to try this. One question about the frosting- I made a sour cream frosting in the past and it came out, well, sour. What is it supposed to taste like?
Great looking cake! Yummie!
I just baked this cake and it was really good and moist, and super easy…. but my favorite part was the frosting – OMG!! It is sooo amazing! I do not like powdered sugar frosting at all, and have been looking for a good alternative – this one is so good and so quick and easy to prepare, it will definitely be my ‘go to’ frosting from now on!! Thanks so much!!
I will totally try this as my first cake in my new kitchen! Cant wait. and as for my comment about “harsh prejudice” I guess that was preemptive for other comments I felt were to come. Yet your readers are open to it all and obviously you cracked the code – brava! As I said, with love in the recipe you cant go wrong. Watch out birthday candles, here I come
Bless you, you echo my sentiments. I want to be the Mommy who can bake and not have to come up with a perfect cake that comes out of a cake mix bought at the supermarket and that cake looks beauuuutiful. im gonna try it today. Hooray and can’t wait to try some of those other lovely pictures I saw
That looks beautiful! (You posted this the day before my birthday, BTW.) My mom hated—literally, hated–to cook and bake, and quickly realized that i was her culinary opposite. So as soon as i could handle the oven, she told me, brightly, that I would “get to” bake my own birthday cake every year. As a kid, yes, this seemed like a treat, but as I got older I saw it for the lame thing that it was. Nobody–and I mean NOBODY–should have to bake their own birthday cake. My husband was horrified when I told him this tale, and thus, even though I’m the resident baker, he insists on making my birthday cake every year, himself. Yes, it’s from a box (i have celiac disease and we rely on Betty Crocker gluten free mixes); and the boys help, and it tastes delicious.
Thus endeth my rant. Moms, make sure you don’t make kids bake their own damn cake. :)
This looks beautiful and I LOVE the confetti sprinkles around the edge. I was interested to note that what you guys call yellow cakes are simply sponge cakes here in the UK (probably the most ubiquitous cake around) – weirdly, easy to get right but also quite easy to mess up….a heavy, dry, tasteless sponge cake is a sad little thing. Anyhoodle, they’re pretty much the first thing that anyone in the UK learns to bake (generalising massively here, of course!) and the definitive recipes come from Saint Delia, aka Delia Smith, baking guru and all-round kitchen smartypants. She has one for the all-in-one method (no creaming of the butter and sugar), a traditional Victoria sponge one, one for a wholemeal sponge, one for a whisked fatless one…the woman is a MACHINE.
To the lady whose husband is not keen on sour cream; could you perhaps make a similarly delicious chocolate frosting using cream cheese and a little butter instead? I made one this weekend for a chocolate yoghurt cake and was really happy with it.
Thanks again Deb for a lovely recipe and gorgeous pictures.
My dad’s favorite cake is a yellow cake with chocolate frosting but i have yet to find a recipe that i like. (Dad is a bit old fashioned…he likes the taste of the one out of the box…and thus we appease him though it makes me cringe to do so!) I will definitely give this one a whirl.
What a stunner of a cake, great contrasts of colour AND texture, the deliciousness I take as a given. It did remind me quite a bit of this lovely cake I made back in June. The main secret of its oomph lies in that that vanilla frosting, SK, I hope you try it too.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2007/nov/26/features11.g21
Oh, and Lauren (UK), Saint Delia has a recipe in her “Complete Cookery Course” for what is probably (in my humble opinion) the most luscious, decadent, gorgeous chocolate cake frosting EVER. I bow to Delia.
Hi Deb, I am baking my first layer cake tonight. I am actually going to use your carrot cake recipe. Being as this is my first, I have a question…should I bake the layers separately? Or at the same time? And if I do it separately, do I need to refridgerate the batter? Thank you!
Christine — You should check out my layer cakes tip post. There’s no reason to refrigerate the batter or bake the layers separately unless the recipe says to (it does not). Definitely leave carrot cake questions on that post if you can, so they can help others making it too!
Thank you, Deb, for this birthday cake posting that I’m just now looking at on MY birthday….the cake looks delicious. I’m the baker in my family, my husband Alex is the chef. We’re both deployed right now, I’m in Afghanistan and he’s in Iraq, so not the happiest birthday ever. I had to settle for birthday ice cream, no cakes to be made in my remote Afghan location, but your post made up for my lack of cake. I’ll put the recipe in my list of things to bake when I get back home next March or April. Thanks for your blog, I’ve made my Alex happy on many occasions with your great recipe picks! Best wishes for the next 10 wks!
No problem. I have been using your layer cakes tip post as my guide in preparation for this venture. Thanks, Deb!
Hey Deb:
I’ve known about your site for a while but have recently gotten totally hooked, reading your archives and collecting recipes for an extended-family vacation. I work at Trader Joe’s Union Square and wondered, since you’re in the neighborhood, if you shop there? In any case if a girl named Olivia is ever your check-out person, please say hey because I’d love to meet you, and ask you questions about the food you’re buying. :)
I am a mom who bakes and have ALWAYS struggled with scratch cake. I can bake just about anything else in the world and my kids think I rawk for it. My 18 y/o daughter loves to bake as well. . . . . but I must confess we always turn to the yellow cake BOX mix :( and make our own frosting as compensation. Perhaps we will give this little cake a try – it is just adorable!
Enough with the cake porn!
OMG that cake looks like heaven on a frosted plate.
You are so absolutely ready to be a mom that it is incredicble!! Among other supernatural powers moms need is the ability to read minds, and by featuring this yellow birthday cake today you have successfully done that! My son is turning 21 (GULP) next week and I just made a mental note to bake-and-freeze his cake today. He requested just this type of cake. So now, I don’t even have to go rummaging through my voluminous (and totallly disorganized) files to find it. Thank you, you more-than-ready-mom-to-be!
One of The Loveliest Frosted Cake !
Thanks for Sharing your Cake:)
Have Wonderful Day ~~
Congratulations! Now you can become a Mom with nothing to fear, eh?
Lovely cake, thanks for sharing!! And congratulations!!!!!! :D
I’ll use this the next time someone in my family or circle of friends has a birthday :)
Oh my gosh! This cake is stunning. You’ll definitely be the favorite mom on the block :)
For those of you looking for an eggless solution: 1 tbsp of ground flax seed (usually in the organic baking aisle at supermarkets nowadays) + 3 tbsp water can substitute for one egg, especially in recipes with leaveners already present. You can honestly barely taste the flax seed in just about any cake recipe I’ve tried. Flax seed comes in brown and gold/yellow varieties; the properties don’t change with color, but if you use the brown one, you’ll see brown flecks in the cake (not necessarily a bad thing). Store the rest of the flax seed in the fridge to keep it longer, and bake away!
This cake was kid-tested and fantastic!! It is a true birthday cake. I have tried many found them too dense and heavy, this is perfection!! Thank you
I was trying to decide if I should feel ashamed for baking a birthday cake for my sister AFTER she returned to California yesterday, but after popping THIS cake in the oven and smelling its buttery deliciousness engulf my whole house…I am glad that she is gone and that I can enjoy it all my own! Reason: She is a Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Butter Recipe Golden fanatic, and I am not! HA! The ingredients were on hand and ridiculously simple to put together. The only thing keeping me from crawling in the oven and basking in the warm scent is the fact that the oven is 350 degrees, and well..that wouldn’t be good. 10 minutes to go before it is ready, and then the chocolate icing will commence. Thanks for this luxurious recipe, oh yeah, Happy Birthday, sis! I’ll send you a pic of the cake and let you know how delicious it was – you run along and enjoy that box now, ya hear?!?!
I am a novice cakemaker and planning on putting this together for my daughter’s birthday on Saturday. Why is icing with butter a bad thing?? It’s in the only recipe I have. Is it a calorie thing? Please enlighten me lest I embarress myself further down the line.
Sher — There is nothing bad at all about icing with butter. But for people looking for a break to heavier, butter-based icings, this version might be refreshing. And a nice contrast to buttery cakes.
Nadia – I LOVE Konditor & Cook!! That receipe looks gorgeous, thank you…and I will have to investigate Saint Delia’s chocolate frosting recipe. To be perfectly, honest, I often just rely on instinct and experimentation for frosting and icing recipes and hope for the best. This is not always terribly efficient/sucessful, but hey ho!
The colorful sprinkles against the chocolate icing are beautiful. Good luck with the next 10 weeks and beyond :)
thank you sooooo much! what to do?- when i moved to london almost a year ago only to find that they really don’t do cake mixes here!!! my daughter had her 7th birthday shortly after moving into our new place- with no furniture or kitchen supplies! no cake mix! now i’ll have THE PERFECT cake for this year! thank you so much! i needed this!
Yes, yes YESSSS!!!!! Finally I can make a cake that doesn’t suck! Every time I make from scratch, it comes out inedible… I think my problem was that I didn’t use cake flour.. :-/ D’oh!
I made a yellow cake with chocolate butter frosting out of my old Better Homes cookbook two years ago. The cake was dry and blah, the frosting was the only part worth eating! (I have had better luck with chocolate cakes.) I will try this combo, it sounds great.
Thanks for all your cooking savvy sharing.
Hello,
Thank you so much for the wonderful recipe. I went a head and baked it today for a office surprise party. I did make some changes: I divided the frosting and made the filling with white chocolate, no extra sweetening was needed. The outer frosting I made with dark chocolate and only added 2 Table spoons of confectioners sugar. For decoration I put a few hand fulls of berries on top. Everybody enjoyed it!
I did think it was a little tall though. Next time I’ll cut the tops off the cake.
Again, thank you so much for your wonderful blog and great recipes.
I recently made my first “from scratch” yellow cake. I made mine into cupcakes. I used the Better Homes cookbook recipe and thought it worked fine I felt it was lacking something. I think maybe the addition of the buttermilk would do the trick. I’m definitely going to try this one next. Thanks for doing the legwork. :)
The icing sounds divine and my nieces will love the confetti sprinkles. They are my official cupcake decorators.
I’m so excited to try it!!
Some of my family members have dairy issues, so I did a “test run” of the frosting last night with soy sour cream. It turned out great! I wouldn’t normally plug a particular brand of something, but in the case of soy sour creams, I have really only found one with a decent taste: Tofutti’s “Better Than Sour Cream” brand. Also, I used almost the full 1/2 cup of the light corn syrup; not sure if the extra sweetness was needed b/c of the soy, or b/c I used extra-dark 60% chocolate. In any event, thought your other non-dairy readers might be interested in knowing the frosting is delish, even without the real cream. I’ll be making a full batch of the frosting, with the (non-dairy version of the) cake for my son’s bday this weekend! :)
I was looking to make this for my nephews birthday on Sunday.. and was wondering if i could substitute chocolate for white chocolate for the sour cream frosting. My nephew doesn’t like chocolate.
I really want to make this cake for a friend’s birthday because I love the texture of a traditional yellow cake, but she’s requested chocolate cake. Could I just add 1/2 cup good cocoa powder to the recipe? Subtract 1/2 cup flour at the same time? (I’ve made your double chocolate cake before and it’s a bit rich for me. Please don’t hold that against me! This recipe is exactly what I’m looking for, only in chocolate.)
I would use one of the chocolate cake recipes on the site: these two are my favorites. Both are perfect every time and have good chocolate flavor. 1/2 cup cocoa wouldn’t add a whole lot.
There goes the diet again. You wouldn’t happen to have a good strawberry frosting recipe? My brother’s birthday is next month and he prefers strawberry to chocolate. I made your pink lady strawberry cake last month and he ate most of it by himself, raving about how good it was. I’d love to find a nice, fluffy, not overly-sweet strawberry (or raspberry or any other berry) frosting to put on this yellow cake or maybe a white cake. It would make it a bit more summer-like, I think. The chocolate frosting I’ll save for myself :-)
I am so excited about this frosting. When I don’t have the time or patience to make one the more “complicated” frostings, I always end up resorting to a buttercream (well, sometimes ganache). You may have just solved my problem!
I just ate a piece of this lovely cake. I made it this morning. It’s excellent today and will probably be even better with an overnight rest! The crumb is moist, tender and medium fine without being too light or airy, and with good flavor. It’s a high riser, too, and is impressive frosted. Nobody will ever go away from their birthday party where this cake is served feeling unloved, that’s for sure!
I decided to bake it in 3 – 8″ layers because my 9’ers are a dark metal, and I didn’t want the dark crust, not that it would matter against this lucious dark chocolate frosting. I used creme fraiche instead of sour cream, as that’s what I had on hand and because it’s not as tangy as s cream. I thought it might allow the chocolate to come through without the sour backnote. I also didn’t add the coffee since I was using a 62% Sharfenberger dark chocolate. I didn’t think it needed pumping up! It didn’t, if anything, it needed toning down. In fact, for my taste, I could go lighter on the chocolate for this cake. A combo of semi sweet and milk might have suited me better and wouldn’t overpowder the delicate flavor of the cake. I suppose I could just eat it with some vanilla ice cream..that would do the trick even better! This frosting has a sophisticated, complex flavor. I think I’d save this frosting until my kids were out of the “purple icing love” phase!
Great Cake, Deb. Thanks for letting us give it a try.
Sorry, yet another question. I can’t easily buy buttermilk where I live. I usually use milk and lemon juice. I wonder what you would suggest as the best alternative. Also, just now I use skimmed milk, would whole milk be better?
Thank.
+++Betty
Yes, I’ve made white chocolate sour cream frosting severaltimes and it is great! Since white chocolate is so sweet, do not sweeten it further.have fun, juli
A+! Great first-time cake! I loved it. Yes, it took me three days of salavitating over the picture to finally get some buttermilk in the house (I wasn’t going to go for the lemon/milk, thing :-)) and make this cake (nix the frosting recipe! We ban corn syrup, fruictose or not, from our premesis, and wasn’t going for the funky maple/choco thing, either! :-)). Because of it’s size, this cake, in our family, should last…let me bring out the calculator…hmm…yeah, like 24 hours, or something. SO GOOD!! Definitly worth your time! Thanks for the beautiful recipes, great site, and wonderful pics. Good food, good photography…I’m there! :-) And with 318 comments in only 4 days…I’d say you have yourself a readership, or something, Deb…
Sher — Way back in comment 202, I explain how to make buttermilk at home.
Thanks, Deb. This was a perfect cake. It baked up beautifully – and level!! This was the first (homemade) cake I have made in my new oven. It was a great and successful test. It was also a wonderful surprise for my husband because he is a cake-monster!
I love your recipes and your comments. I enjoy learning from you. . . Now, leftover buttermilk. You know what that means? Fried chicken.
Just made this cake. It was quite a success!! Haven’t tasted the cake part yet, but the frosting is YUM!!! Thanks!
I have just started baking, and decided to make these in cupcake form. They cooked for about 15-16 minutes I think. They were just right. Also, if you do the cupcakes, the frosting might be too much. I did half of the cupcake recipe, and then a third of the frosting, and i had to really pile it on the cupcakes (not that I mind). Just thought I’d share that.
Thanks so much for this recipe. it tasted amazing. and a bunch of people i gave it to loved it. THANKS!
so exciting that you’re only ten weeks away!!!
with a five year old and an almost three year old, i’ve baked my share of cakes and cupcakes… but, i haven’t found my perfect yellow cake either. maybe this will be it. i hope this will be it… then i can stop searching around. i’ll give this recipe a try, in cupcake form, for my youngest’s third birthday party in a couple of weeks. thanks for the recipe : )
I tried this today for my daughter’s birthday but with a different icing. It was good but my own icing was just a bit to sweet. I will try yours next time.
can I just say that I LOVE your site, Deb?! Thanks everyone for the answers to the corn syrup question. This is absolutely my favorite and possibly the best resource on the web for great, everyday food that works EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. (If you knew me at all you would know I NEVER gush without merit. But there, I just did.)
My housemate is severely dairy-allergic, so I made the cake with coconut milk, keeping everything else the same, and it baked up BEAUTIFULLY and has a lovely crumb (just a little drier than I would expect from buttermilk) and tastes wonderful, with just the faintest subtle echo of coconut. Dawn, I made a classic buttercream with margarine and French vanilla Coffee Mate in place of butter and cream, and I (who am a buttercream snob) Could.Not.Tell.The.Difference. (I would have totally gone with the chocolate icing, but the birthday honoree wanted classic yellow-cake-and-buttercream). It is just the perfection of simplicity!
Deb, your site is so amazing. The photographs alone! And your writing is so delightful and entertaining. I’m trying to make a little tea-time cake that’s less sweet and has some finely chopped rosemary in it. I think the sugar proportion is important, though, and it’s hard to get the chemistry right with less sugar. I’ll try this exact recipe with the addition of the rosemary and start from there. Thank you! Congrats on the impending visit from the stork!
Wow, this is a really fantastic cake. We had tonight for my son’s 1st birthday and everyone LOVED it. It was really yummy and I’m really happy that everyone just left so that my husband and I can scarf down some more. This is definitely going to be the go-to birthday cake from now on! The frosting is perfect too!
Wonderful cake! I halved it, substituted 1/2 cup of yogurt and 1/2 cup of milk for the butter milk, and made it up as a dozen cupcakes (15 minutes on my oven). It was perfect! Thanks!!
I had the same problem with Rose Levy Birnbaum’s sour cream ganache the first time I made it, and she leaves out the important note about temperature in The Cake Bible too…but even with little flecks of chocolate, it was delicious and this is still my favorite chocolate frosting recipe. Well, except for the one of the back of the Hershey’s Cocoa box, oh and the one…….
In your search for an ideal chocolate frosting, have you tried the Cooks Illustrated chocolate buttercream? It is rich, not cloyingly sweet, really chocolately, and so easy! It tastes somewhat like dark chocolate mouse and if you have leftovers and happen to freeze them… you can eat the frozen blobs. YUM!
Cupcake report: I made 32 cupcakes, filling the cups nearly full, came out nicely domed but not overflowing the pan much(glad I had greased the top surface of the pan though) I followed the recipe as accurately as possible, with the exceptions being: had only three cups cake flour in the house, so faked a cup with the cornstarch trick mentioned above; used extra-large eggs, ’cause that’s what I get from Costco, and I had only about a cup of buttermilk hanging out in the freezer, so used the vinegar/whole milk sub for the rest. I baked them for 17 minutes, rotating pans after 10. I think I’ll try 16 or even 15 minutes next time, thought they were a tad dry, but great flavor, nice rise and good crumb. (nobody else thought they were dry but, hey, I’m really picky about cake) I imagine the flour and extra egg volume didn’t help the moisture either.
I made half recipe of the frosting, since my 5 y.o. son wanted some lemon frosting too–a combination of 70% and 87% cocoa made for some VERY chocolate frosting! Very easy to make and the texture was great. Used the larger amt of corn syrup, since the choc had so little sugar already.
I took some frosted lemon and some chocolate to a Girls Night In down the block, and they were very well received.
I have a yellow cake recipe that I love for layer cakes, very moist and great flavor, but it shrinks too much to be good for cupcakes. Very pleased to have this one!
Awesome cake! That’s all I can say… thanks for giving us this recipe! Thank you, thank you, thank you.
I tried this recipe today! It’s delicious! The frosting is exactly what I’ve been looking for- sweet, chocolate-y, and even a little tart with the sour cream. Yummmm…. I made cupcakes, and the recipe makes about 36 cupcakes!!! My first batch overflowed a little because I was trying to make 24 before I finally decided that I was just chasing disaster =P
I didn’t have buttermilk or lemons so just used milk on hand. The cake was dry. Flavorful but dry. Is that because I didn’t use buttermilk? BTW, I managed three layers and this was the best looking cake I’ve made in a long time.
I made this cake. LOVED the yellow cake and thought the frosting was okay. I think it is just the sour cream thing…
Will make the cake again with a ganache or other chocolate frosting. Thanks!
I tried this today, but I made cupcakes. This recipe makes exactly 96 nicely-domed mini cupcakes (about a teaspoon and a half of batter per cupcake). And the frosting recipe makes just enough to frost all of them (medium amount of frosting on each). I put half a teaspoon of pureed raspberry on top of each cupcake before baking, which was a great addition. And I got to use my home-made sprinkles, so yay! This will definitely be my go-to yellow cake recipe from now on.
Hi Deb,
This post is perfect timing because my daughter’s 13th birthday is Friday and she has requested yellow cake. My only problem is that there will be at least 25 people at the party and I was planning to make a layer cake with 2 12 inch square layers. Any ideas on converting this to the larger size? Thanks!!!
Joylynn — You can check out a pan size conversion resource over here.
Julia — Would love to hear more about homemade sprinkles! They sound awesome.
This looks like an awesome recipe! Just one question: can I use normal corn syrup as opposed to light corn syrup? Is there a difference? Thanks!!!
Baked for my own birthday yesterday, with a oh-no-I-couldn’t-have twist. Purchased a cake flour at Whole Foods that turned out to be whole wheat. Moist and delicious but very dense results. Never be fooled by overly-earnest cake flour!!! Will use the rest for bread making.
Can’t wait to Smitten-ize some other special events. Deb, you rock!!!
I made this for the family yesterday… the batter was so generous, I got 3 plentiful 8-in. layers out of it! And absolutely beautiful cake… light and vanilla-y and gorgeous. I also like to drop my filled cake pans onto the counter to get out the bubbles b4 baking (per your cake tips), yet this time there still seemed to be a few extra holes in the finished product. But no matter. LOVED the frosting, tho the sourness was a little grown-up for the kids in the group. Guess I should have used more corn syrup (I did use a little over 1/4 cup). Next time I might throw in some powdered sugar…
I followed the recipe exactly and made a layer cake. The icing is fabulous, but the cake, though it has nice flavor, was way too dry!! What did I do wrong?
Jennifer — If the cake was dry and no ingredient substitutions or changes were made, it was probably overbaked.
Made a version of this over the weekend for my mom’s 60th birthday. I made it lemon-buttermilk and filled the cake with some of my delicious wild black-raspberry curd and a lemon pastry cream. I frosted it with my lemon swiss buttercream, wrote “Happy 60th Birthday” with tempered dark chocolate and finished decorating with wild black-raspberries. FYI, I made the cake on Thursday, froze it and then filled/decorated it on Sunday. My layers domed more than I would have liked, but now I have “scraps”, layered with extra filling in my freezer to nibble on later! It was definitely not fluffy, rather moist, dense and buttery.
Thank you so much for sharing your cake recipe. I have baked several yellow cakes and they were all dry and dense. This one is perfect. I made it today for my son’s 21st b-day. It was light and fluffy and tasted fabulous. This time I used a CI recipe for the frosting but I am going to try your Choc Sour Cream Frosting next time. There will definitely be a next time.
I hope you let us know how much cake flour by weight you use. I never trust myself with the dip and sweep or the spoon in method. Everyone seems to have a different weight, some as low as 3 1/2oz. per cup and as much as 4.6oz. per cup. I wasn’t sure how much to use so I used the dip and sweep method and it weighed about 4.5oz. I was afraid of having another dry cake so I just took out a little and it was 4.35oz. and that was the weight I used for each cup. I know this not a common recipe weight but it did turn out great.
Thanks again for a great recipe!
You saved the day AGAIN! My mom is coming up to visit, we only see each other once a year :-(, and it’s her BIRTHDAY! I asked what kind of cake she wanted me to make for her and she said a yellow cake with chocolate frosting!! BOOYAAAAAAHHH! I have one that I make from one of the KA flour cookbooks but it’s never been WOW! So I’m happy to give this a whirl tomorrow so that when she arrives on Friday she will feel LOVED!
Congrats on the CRIB!! That’s a milestone for sure!
I made this for my baby girl’s first birthday last weekend. It is flawless, foolproof and rock-your-socks-off delicious. I love the icing, it was the best part! It was so not sweet and that really made it outstanding. Thanks so much for posting this just in time for my needing it. Fabulous!
I halves the recipe make 12 cupcakes last night. It was too much and my cupcakes overflown. :P Too greedy. Or maybe I left the milk+vinegar slightly more than 10mins?
I tried it out last night because I wanted to use it for my boy’s four years old birthday cake tomorrow. The cakes tasted good but I have some questions so that I can improve it:
1. I dropped the muffin pan a few times to get the bubbles out. I regret after I did it because I noticed that my papar cup went sideways when I put the pan inside the oven. I don’t know it was because of overfilled or because I dropped it. However when the cake was done, I still see holes inside my cakes. Any comment on this?
2. The cake was a bit moised on the top this morning. Is it that I haven’t baked enough? I baked 20mins and the pick already came out clean.
Hopes to hear from you soon. Thanks for the recipe.
Pei — If the toothpick was clean, the cake was baked. Moisture tends to accumulate on wrapped cakes overnight; don’t think it means anything is wrong. If your paper cups shifted, it might be because they weren’t a good fit for the pan — frustratingly, even though muffin tins and liners are supposed to be standard, they’re all a little different.
Oh my. just finished icing the last cupcake. I’ve already eaten two with a tall cold glass of milk. Delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe. xo
p.s. I halved it and it made 16 cupcakes.
Re: Homemade sprinkles. I just picked up my supplies because I’m making a new batch tomorrow. I’ll have the post up by Saturday.
i’m excited to make this, but i have an amateur question: is the bittersweet/semisweet chocolate the same thing as bittersweet/semisweet *baking* chocolate? if no, could you use semisweet chocolate chips?
Technically speaking, bittersweet is supposed to be a little more bitter than semi-sweet (I’m thinking 70 versus 60 percent). That said, I don’t think anyone pays attention to this distinction. I see the two used interchangeably even in books from pastry chefs that would know they’re different… I’d say use either, or err on the side of more or less bitter, as you prefer.
I’m soooooooooo making this cake for my son’s 1st birthday though he will not be able to eat it. He can definitely dip a little bit.
Congraz!!!! Hope you will not be that crazy as I’m. To tell you the truth, his bday is in Oct :P Yes I’ve started to look for a perfect cake recipe since he’s 6-mth old. hehe
i’m staring to lose track of your cakes and cookies!! (a tragic thing considering you’re my go-to cake/cookie source) will you be updating your “topics” any time soon?
So my mom asks me what kind of cake I want for my birthday – and I have visions of her standing in the cake mix aisle grabbing the frosting and mix and then a flash of your cake photo in my minds eye and I quickly cut her off and said, “I’m bringing my birthday cake!” I just got done preparing it for the big day tomorrow – the frosting is right up my alley but my my husband is a little freaked out. He kept telling me to add corn syrup until I threw him out of the kitchen when I got to a little over 1/4 cup – it’s my damn cake! I think I’ve made 5 of your recipes this week! Thanks for all you do!
Wow such beautiful colors. I wish i can incorporate these colors into my sushi. Great pictures btw. So fresh! I love it!
This really does look beautiful and moist. I will make it this weekend. I made a chocolate birthday cake for my sister inlaws birthday this past weekend. Everyone loved it. I added the instant expresso for the first time and it make a big difference in bringing out the chocolate flavor. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
oh, I’m so sorry if you thought my comment was rude, I didn’t mean it to be. I just said I didn’t like the frosting but did say different strokes… meaning others might.
I just baked the cake layers today for my brother’s birthday tomorrow. Seriously, they are perfect! Possibly the most perfect cake I’ve ever baked! I flavored it with some spiced rum instead of vanilla and am making a variation of your Bailey’s buttercream with spiced rum for the frosting. I think someone will be pretty happy. :-) Thanks for sharing all your great recipes!
I made your cake today in a bundt pan and while it overflowed a little bit, it still came out amazingly well – the best butter cake recipe I’ve ever made. (I also took one of your cake tips and brushed it with simple syrup before pouring on a chocolate glaze.) I’ve tried several different recipes for butter cake in an attempt to find one that’s delicious and not from a box, but they always came out too dense and heavy. My husband loves cakes from a box and even he thought this one was great, as did everyone at our party. I was very rushed for time yesterday and made a chocolate cake from a box with canned frosting for my daughter, but made your cake today for her second party – and I was so happy to see that my daughter loved the homemade cake much more!
Deb, I came across this site and already wish I lived with you! lol. Your family better worship you!
I’ve always been a fan of baking, but am still quite a newbie at it, and have had very little practice since Home ec in high school. Since searching through your blog, the three main recipes I really want to try out are “Crispy Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies”, this “Best Birthday Cake”, and “Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake.” I think I can already predict your answer but would an amateur like me be able to tackle any of these three recipes w/o butchering them?:S
I’m also open to any other recipe suggestions you might have for a starter like me. Anything involving chocolate would be nice but I have an open mind:D. Thanks so much and keep up the great work!
I asked my finace “Should I make this?” His response was priceless. “Yellow cake with chocolate frosting? If you make it, I will eat it. All of it.” So, here we go again…
I made this cake for my birthday yesterday, and the cake came out beautifully, but for some reason, the frosting did not turn out so well. The chocolate melted fine, it all mixed together well, but when it came to the sweetening point, it just never came together for me. I kept adding more corn syrup, but the taste of the frosting was still just bitter and too sour.
We all have a favorite yellow cake/chocolate frosting recipe in this house–the one my grandmother used to make–but I always like trying other recipes, so I tried this cake this morning. The cake as promised is fluffy, moist, and tasty. Really tender crumb, too. I admit that I didn’t love the frosting, though–too rich, too sour, too something I can’t quite my finger on. That’s just my taste, though!
Lots of luck with the upcoming baby!
I think you might’ve had your perfect yellow cake recipe hiding under your nose for a couple of years – I’d just made the caramel cake from your archives (verdict from the workmates – YUM!), and ingredient-wise, it’s almost exactly a half proportion of this yellow cake (give or take a couple of tablespoons of flour). I only realised because I had half a carton of buttermilk that needed using, and went looking for things containing buttermilk, and was about to make a half-batch of this cake!
Deb ,
I was the one who asked about eggless version for this cake . I finally made this birthday cake for my son’s 5th b’day , both as cupcakes and nine inch cake . I used a commerical egg replacer bought from natural , health food store . They were an absolute smash hit . Thank you so much for the recipe. Loved the frosting recipe , fell short of sour cream so added 1/4 stick of butter . it turned out creamy .. really well
once again Thank you
Alpa
This might be a dumb question, but do you sift the flour before you measure it? or do you measure it and then sift all the ingredients together? I’ve never really understood sifting. Thanks so much! I want to make this recipe as cupcakes for my husband’s birthday this weekend :)
You sift it after you measure it. When you’re reading a recipe, it is all about the placement of the word “sifted”. If it says “2 1/2 cups sifted flour” this means that you sift then measure from the sifted flour. If it says “2 1/2 cups flour, sifted”, you measure and then sift the flour, using it all. [Since I find this latter method much easier (as do most people), I often rewrite recipes too accommodate for the flour that would be lost when sifted, as I did in this case.]
That said, in this recipe, I use neither of the “sifted” instructions in the ingredient list, but in the steps where I say that you “sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.” Thus, no pre-sifting required.
Deb
I’ve been reading your blog for almost 3 years now, and I’ve never left you a comment. Not because I didn’t have what to say, but I felt that it was unnecessary. Not anymore!
I found your blog on StumbleUpon shortly after I got married and can’t tell you how many of your recipes I use weekly. I read your posts to my husband because they are so entertaining!
The time has come for me to comment, because this post really hits home for me. I am 22 and expecting my 3rd child in September. I have been blessed with a husband and children who can eat whatever they please and never gain a pound. This demands a lot of baked goods from me and sometimes I just run out of ideas. Next week I am making a double birthday party for my son and daughter – she is 2 and he is 1! I’ve been going crazy searching for exactly this recipe and of course you delivered. I really just want to thank you for providing this wonderful blog and even though I don’t know you personally I feel grateful to know you through your site.
Congratulations on your upcoming birth! I hope this child brings you only happiness and pride. I also hope your labor and delivery are fast and efficient :)
Deb, I used this recipe last weekend for my son’s 5th birthday cake and it was my first successful layer cake EVER. It turned out so well and I told everyone about your blog. Your cake tips are so helpful and I will never again be afraid of the layer cake! No more 9 x 13 cakes for me!
does anyone know if this frosting can be piped in a swirl for cupcakes, or is it too thin?
It is probably not stiff enough, unless you’re just doing a rustic design with a large tip.
My best friend made this cake for an engagement party we went to, and it truly is the best cake ever. Ever. Thankyouthankyouthankyou!
fyi – i made 1/4 of this recipe and it yielded 24 mini cupcakes. Yum!
My daughters made this cake recipe and got grand champion cake and grad champion baked good at our county fair! The judges loved it! Thanks!
I just made this and it is my first cake ever! I’m saving it for a party tomorrow and I can’t wait to dig in.
i am making cupcakes for my son’s third birthday party tomorrow… i filled 26 and they are overflowing. so, the recipe definitely makes more than 22-24 : ) they look delicious!
i made these last week for my husband’s birthday and we both loved them! I cut the recipe in half and it made about 16 good sized cupcakes. I used a simple buttercream frosting because we were taking them camping and I didn’t want to worry about refrigerations. Thanks for the recipe – these turned out great and i love that i know exactly what’s in them. i posted about them on my blog and linked back to you – hope that’s ok! also, i’m guessing they get stale a little quicker than if i’d used a cake mix because of lack of preservatives?
I wanted to report that I made this as cupcakes yesterday and I got 30 standard sized cupcakes from the full recipe. I also made a full recipe of icing–but I only had 2 cups of sour cream so I replaced the rest with whole milk yogurt and it worked great! I was a bit worried at first that the icing wasn’t really “fudgy” (it seemed sort of runny at first) so I put the cupcakes in the fridge overnight and it firmed up and fudged up nicely. My coworkers are so loving these today!
I made this for my brother’s birthday last night and I’d say it was a hit! The frosting was AMAZING and no one could believe it was basically just sour cream, chocolate, and corn syrup. I also ended up with wheat cake flour and the cake was a little bit denser and cornbread-tasting (according to my dad…) than I was expecting, so I think I’ll try twice-sifted regular flour next time. But here’s the best part: I made the cake a day in advance and it was still super moist 24 hours later!!! Congrats on being so close to your baby day! I hope you’ll find a little time to post some pictures after your new addition arrives!
I’ve made this superb cake twice since it was posted. I’ll never make a different yellow cake. Both times, they were birthday cakes tp give to friends. My husband is so appreciative that it makes two 9″ layers as well as an 8″ layer. The small layer stays with us and never lasts throughout the day!
Apparently, I’m the only one who doesn’t like this cake. It turned out beautifully but I didn’t like the taste or the texture. Give me Duncan Hines any day! I’m going to make the cake again to see if there’s any difference. I’m wondering if I left out or added too much of something, although I don’t think this is true. I also made the sour cream frosting. I neither loved or disliked it. I certainly didn’t think it was great though. I’m really bummed. Still searching for the best yellow cake recipe.
PS the cake batter tasted soooo much better than the finished cake.
I too have been searching for The Perfect Scratch-Built Birthday Cake. With only three days left before my daughter’s first birthday, I’m so glad I found your recipe! I can say that it deserves the name Best Birthday Cake. I made my test batch as two different sizes of cupcake. I think there is plenty of batter for at least 30 regular size cupcakes. Even after sitting out overnight and uncovered, they remained moist. In fact, the flavor improved. I didn’t have as much luck with the frosting. It never thickened up enough to spread. I turned it into mocha cheesecake ice cream which came out great. Thanks so much for this recipe!
I just finished my son’s b-day cake using this recipe. I made 2 12-inch rounds, so I doubled the recipe and made 5 cupcakes. The cake turned out very pretty. The batter tasted great. I’ve only tried the cupcakes so far, but it doesn’t taste… vanilla enough. The frosting was great at first, but I didn’t finish icing the cake before it was hardening. Now I’ve got solidified chocolate on top of cake. I mean, it tastes good, but I’m concerned about the aesthetics of it at the party tomorrow. (I know, I should have tested it first). Do I need to turn the air up and hope that the body heat and the humidity make it soften up by noon tomorrow?
Just pulled my 2 layers out of the oven. I agree with the other posters that the batter smells lovely (didn’t taste it myself), very vanilla-y. They are now inverted & on the cooling rack but they smell very eggy. Did anyone else notice this? I’m not fan of eggy cakes.
I’m not using a chocolate frosting.. I’m going to make a cream cheese vanilla frosting instead. I hope the frosting overpowers the eggy-ness.. it’s for my brother’s bday tonight so I’m crossing my fingers.
This was the first post I saw when I visited SK for the first time. And now, I know that I am home. I baked the layers and made the frosting for it yesterday … my “sneak tastes” of both revealed that this tasty baby likely will not live long in my household! I’m going to put it all together when I get home from work tonight.
I haven’t been much into box cake mixes in recent years (canned frosting is another story) but now I know that I will never use one again (same goes for frosting!). This was really just as easy to make and it’s about 15 times more delicious, IMO. Deb, I love you.
Thanks! your ‘kitchen’ is heaven! :D
Made this cake over the weekend and it was Fantastic!! I have to agree with some comments above about the frosting! It was so bad I ended up making the cake again just to refrost it. Perfect cake recipe…….but please skip the frosting!
This was delicious! I made it for a friend with a corn allergy and substituted simple syrup in place of the corn syrup in the frosting. It turned out fantastic!
Made the cake batter and turned it into cupcakes. They took 23 minutes in my convenction oven set to 325 (lower to account for the convection). I substituted AP flour (20 oz for the total amount) and exchanged 2 tbsp flour per cup for cornstarch, sifting twice. It was great! Much better than a box.
I used the frosting recipe from this cake on a different cake today and all I can say is THANK YOU. It’s perfection. Not too sweet or heavy which was perfect to balance the sweet and heaviness of the cake I used it on. Yum yum. I just hope the people I made it for will like it as much as I did. :)
I made the cake tonight for a co-worker’s son’s birthday cake. Thank you! I was only about to take a pinch from the top (I call it quality control) for tasting, but it was great. The right moistness, the right flavors, a pretty golden delight. It is officially my “go to” yellow cake. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I have a question about the sour-cream frosting. I usually keep my sour cream in the fridge. Does that mean I should keep the sour-cream frosted cake in the fridge as well, or is it safe/ok to leave it out on the counter? Also, the frosting seems to become somewhat runny as it warms to room temperature.
You should keep it in the fridge. The recipe (last step) also notes that if the frosting gets too thin or soft, that you should re-thicken it by cooling it in the fridge.
Deb,
I love your blog! You have taught me how to make pie, and now, how to make fabulous yellow cake!
I made a half recipe of cupcakes last night, and they are fabulous! They were perfect after 20 min. in the oven, and they’re almost better after spending the night in the fridge. :) Yum!
Thank you!
I made this cake on 8/12/2009 for my wife’s birthday. I would like to point out a couple of things.The cake overflowed when using two 9″ cake pans. The amount of cake is too much for only two pans.The icing is also very bitter when using semi sweet chocolate even by adding more corn syrup.I am a fan of dark chocolate but this goes way beyond the limit. In spite of this I would make it again by using three 9″ pans and using a combination of milk and semi sweet chocolate for the frosting.
I made this cake last night. Well it made 2 – 6 inch cake, 12 regular sized cup cakes and 24 mini cup cakes and there was still a lot more batter left. It tasted great coming out of the oven, but I’m waiting on what other had to say. I iced it w/ Green Tea Swiss butter cream because that was what I had on hand. I’m excited about them.. I hope they get great reviews because I’m planning on using this recipe to make birthday cupcakes in a few months.
Thanks again, Deb! I made this last week and it was amazing. I used two 9″ pans, but they must not be quite 2 inches high because I couldn’t fit all the batter in. I ate the leftovers and felt slightly sick but very satisfied.
For those who were wondering, you can pipe the frosting with a really wide tip as long as you aren’t worried about perfection. I piped little dots around the base of the cake for visual interest just by loading some frosting in a ziploc bag, chilling it in the fridge for a few hours and then cutting a small bit of the corner off and squeezing it out in tiny dollops. There will be pictures up on my blog tomorrow if you’re curious.
YUM! I just made cupcakes with the recipe – got 36 of them. Baked about 15 minutes.
I just tried this recipe and it turned out great! I halved both recipes and made 12 cupcakes, with the perfect amount of frosting. Thanks for such a great tasting cake and the super simple frosting. I think it’s my new favorite!
any tips on how to make thisrecipe high altitude? I’ve never really had a problem baking at a mile high but although the cake was really and moist it was a little on the flat side.
Made the Best Birthday Cake yesterday during an annual marathon cooking day for a special dinner party, and had an all time kitchen “disaster” occur that I would want to warn readers of. That is, after baking many cakes over the last forty yrs, I have been used to the recipes stating “2 8″ or 9″ round pans”. Being meticulous in every other way to the recipe, and ingredients, we made the batter and put it into my 40 year old 8″ pans. Twenty min. later smelled something burning, and in my Viking Oven were stalagmite drippings on all three racks and oven bottom!!! Everything was overflowing. My 18 yr old apprentice, suggested we get a third pan, and take some batter out from each of the “runneth overs”. We did, we took everything out, waited for the oven to cool down, cleaned it and recooked them all! Frosted and gorgeous we served our three layer disaster and our guests marvelled at the story and the cake was delicious!! (Though we have photos to prove the drips and burned parts!) So——it must be stressed use only 9 ” pans!!
My sweet daughter turned one on Thursday, so today we celebrated with a Cake and Champagne party – the first birthday is for the adults anyway, right?? So, I spent yesterday baking and remembering. I made 5 different cakes and an odd dozen or so cupcakes… and of course a patty-cake for the birthday girl. Mercy!! This is what happens when an indecisive person is in charge of the menu! I morphed this one from a 2 layer, 9″ cake to a three layer, 6″ cake, and similarly scattered with sprinkles. Cute, cute, cute. I am delighting in all the leftovers…
i made this cake a few weeks back and although it was good (hey, it was cake),
it wasn’t quite the to-die-for yellow cake that i was expecting. i found this recipe
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Yogurt-Cake-with-Currant-Raspberry-Sauce-354477 in a magazine by chance and tried it. Very, very moist
and easy. i think i am going to try it as a layer cake with a chocolate frosting.
i never used yogurt for a cake, but i cannot stress how moist this is!
I am having trouble finding cake flour in the regular grocery store. Is it absolutely necessary to use or are they any substitutions like AP flour?
I used your frosting recipe for my 2 year old’s birthday cake and it was GREAT! I will never use so-sweet-it makes-your-tooth-ache buttercream frosting anymore!
I also made the Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake you have here for hubby’s birthday (that’s 2 birthdays in 1 week!). No more messy water baths, and who cares about the crack right in the middle – it was super duper yummy!
Thank you!
Jess — You can make your own cake flour from regular flour.
I made this cake for the first time last night for a co-worker’s birthday today, and it was an enormous success! Many thanks.
I did successfully make cupcakes from this: I used a 1/4 c. measure for each cupcake (~ 2/3 to 3/4 full), baked them for 20 minutes in a 350 deg F oven, and ended up with exactly 30 perfect cupcakes.
I loved how the recipe comes together – it’s an easy one to mix and bake. The cupcake texture is lovely, too – it’s a very tender and light cake, perfect for summer because it’s not too heavy or cloying. But the taste was a bit too airy; I had to try very hard to taste any flavor or sweetness. I’m wondering if that’s because the cupcakes, being a smaller portion, need a bit more flavor than for a full-sized cake? Next time I make cupcakes from these, I might try brushing a bit of vanilla/water on top of each cake before frosting it. (That’s a tip from one of your previous celebration cakes.) Or maybe adding a bit more vanilla, or a some vanilla powder, to the cake mix before baking.
As for the frosting, I definitely need to try this again; I used Sharffen Berger Semisweet Chocolate. The resulting frosting had a very bitter (tangy? I’m not sure) taste. I’m thinking that the recipe is fine, but the chocolate I used was a poor choice. Adding more corn syrup (I added a 3 or 4 extra tablespoons, one at a time as recommended) didn’t bring out the sweetness as much as it did compete with the tanginess. (But I have to admit it was a gorgeous looking frosting.)
I’m offering this so your readers avoid this particular chocolate for this recipe. Deb: Which chocolate did you use?
p.s. I love your site; I hope you don’t find this comment too negative.
Appreciate the feedback. The frosting — being sour cream-based — is definitely tangy and not very sweet. I believe I used Valrhona feves. I couldn’t find the semisweet that I wanted, only 72%, so I used some of those and a small amount of milk chocolate pieces to get it closer to the 60% level I wanted. Yes, I’m super-particular like that. ;)
I made this cake with buttercream icing & it was a huge success. The birthday girl and family all enjoyed it. It had a great flavor. Thanks!
Hi Deb, I plan to bake this cake over the weekend and so was reading through your tips. I have a few questions. (I must admit, it’s the firts time I ‘m going to make a layered cake. I normally avoid it because of lack of confidence – but your posts give me courage.)
1. You said – bake the cake at a lower temperature if I want to make it even (so that less to trim)- so should I bake this at 300 degrees?
2. Also about leveling the cake sides – what if the baking pan is round? Do you still need the leveling? Tips?
3. What does sifting the flour do to the cake? I am curious because I saw a friend of mine bake cakes without sifting.. and I started doing the same way without realising much difference. But, of course, I have not tried making these cakes.
4. Also how do you make pure vanilla extract? I normally put the vanilla bean while boiling milk or something for some purpose but never made the extract. Or is it just the thing that you buy from a store?
5. Did you do the whole mixing process with the electric mixer? Often while making the fruit cakes, I find it turns out better if I use a spoon for the rest of the process, after using the mixer for the butter and eggs (or the wet items).
6. If I just butter the cake pan and sprinkle some flour on it, would that do (that is, no parchment paper) or would there be some shortcomings?
Finally, as you said, most finished cakes will keep moist and lovely in a fridge for at least a day, I am planning to make the layers tomorrow and do the layering and frosting a day before the D-day? Hope know one will know!
Thanks in advance for all the patience. All the best :)
WOW. I am assuming you’ve read my cake tips post — if not, you should. It’s written for people with a lot of questions. ;)
1. I might try 325 instead. 2. The leveling is for the dome. 3. It lightens the ingredient. It won’t break the cake if you don’t do it, but you’re going for the lightest cake you can, so sifting will help. 4. I don’t make my own extract but the web is full of recipes (really directions) if you’d like to try. If you’re buying from a store, make sure it is labeled “pure”. 5. You can mix the cake any way that works for you. 6. Parchment paper will give you a layer of security, a guarantee that the cake will come out of the pan that you won’t get without it. Should a well-buttered and floured cake pan release a cake layer? Yes. But it’s not a guarantee the way silicon-coated parchment paper is.
Ouch. I just made this cake (still learning my way around my first stand mixer) last night, and when I took it out of the pan it split in half almost diagonally down the middle.
I was using a 13×9, and the cake was pretty high. I was wondering if I might not have had enough flour. My normal flour measuring method (when I don’t have ounces/grams to work with) is to spoon into the measuring cup and level. Is this how you made it?
That said, the cake pieces are delicious and will make a wonderful trifle. Just not what I was aiming for when I decided to make a cake for a friend who just took the bar exam.
I decided to live dangerously and try this instead of my go-to cake layers from the Cake Bible for my mom’s birthday and — disaster!! Followed the recipe exactly, checked my oven temp with my handy oven thermometer, checked the layers at 35 minutes and pulled them out. The tops looked a little lunar, which I ignored. But when I went back 10 minutes later to turn the layers out of the pans, the centers of each layer had collapsed. Now I’m going to use these layers anyway (frosting will be my spackle) but I’m wondering what caused the collapse?
I was wondering about the swiss buttercream icing. I read where you said that you could leave it most of the day. I am making a “princess cake” for my daughter’s 5th birthday and would love to finish it the day before–the party is at 10 a.m. Should I put it in the fridg. overnight?
I am really enjoying your blog! Thanks for all the yummy recipes and helpful advice!
This is my fave cake combination, yellow or vanilla cake with chocolate frosting. When my son asked for his birthday cake (he’s 5 already!) to be chocolate, I just made the executive decision that it would be yellow cake. He picked the frosting (half lemon buttercream with yellow sprinkles, half chocolate buttercream with color-y sprinkles). It was yum, but I’d love a basic recipe for cake and frosting and can’t wait to try this!
*11 Jamie R – if you HAVE to resort to box mix, I love Cherrybrook Kitchens Yellow or Chocolate cake mixes! Taste most like homemade to me, nice crumb, not to fluffy, no chemical taste. The chocolate cake mix even has mini mini choc chips!
*417 Julie – I’d put it in the fridge overnight, then take it out to warm up in the morning, depending on temp. of your venue, keep cake out of direct sun until cake time… good luck
I halved the recipe and baked 2 thinner 8″ cakes. They baked in 27 minutes. Am frosting with whipped cream, and serving for my baby’s 1st Birthday. No chocolate for him yet!
Hi Deb, well, after bothering you with handfulls of questions and (thanks to your patience) your point-wise replies, I owe you a feedback. I can’t differ from what all the above comments had implied. The cake was too good to resist. Everyone who ate a piece asked for another, despite witholdings about butter, diet, sweetness, etc… the recipe was just perfect.
What I goofed up (I think so, although no one cared), I made the frosting too liquidy (by error). I had to cut the chocolate quantity in half because it was becoming too strong for my taste, but the sour cream quantity was not reduced much. So although I tried to copy what I saw on the videos where experts taught how to frost a cake, and pretend that I was doing very well, I actually was not. The filling and the frosting never got a thick layer like in the videos (despite the freezer trick). My frosting was perhaps half of that of yours. I need to improve heavily.
Finally, it seemed that the chocolate icing was a little overpowering than the cake layers. Is that how it should be? Do you think a white frosting would be less stark and as interesting? Just wondering.. plan to try with different frostings.
Also, what do you do when you want to bake two cake layers at the same time in the same oven? I tried to interchange their places (one in the middle and one at the bottom) every 10 minutes. It was okay, but of course one of the layers had a dome double the other.
Whatever it is, I can’t thank you more. You did wonders with your blog and I feel so happy to have tried out a layer cake complete with fillings and frostings. Thank you. Thank you. & thank you :)
What did I do wrong? I halved the recipe to make cupcakes. Based on previous comments about it overflowing, I erred on the side of putting less batter in each cup. However, I wish I filled them up more as these did not rise or fill the paper. Also, the cakes were very squishy and too moist. Did I underbake them? They were browning on the top, not too much, but enough for me to pull them out. They were springy when I removed them from the oven and passed the toothpick test. I had to let the batter sit out like 10 min while my other batch of cupcakes were baking. Could this have been my downfall? Thanks!
Made this cake over the past two days for a friend’s birthday party last nigh, and as with everything you share, it was a hit! When people found out I made the cake, they were high-fiving me and showering me with praise ALL night. The birthday boy loved it! Thank you once again for making me feel like a domestic goddess :)
I need to make two 9×13 cakes…would I follow the same instructions? Also, I have to make one of them into a pirate ship and stack it on top of the other one…do you think I would be able to do this without worry of the bottom one caving in? This looks like a great cake, but am not versed well in making special cakes…
Thanks!
Mama Bird
The cake was great, the frosting was terrible. It was way too bitter and I kept adding more and more corn syrup to make it taste less bitter. It ended up still tasting terrible and no one liked the frosting. I will have to keep looking for the best chocolate frosting.
I made the cake this past weekend and I have to say it was the nicest looking cake I’ve ever made. The sour cream frosting made it so easy to achieve a smooth finish. However, I would say if there are going to be children consuming it, I would suggest using a butter cream frosting. My kids were not very keen on this one. I’m not sure whether it was the espresso powder or the sour cream. However, the adults all seemed to like it. I wouldn’t change a thing about the cake!
Duh, just re-read your post and recipes makes one 9×13 pan. Sorry. Also figured out how to support the ship part of the cake…cake board and dowels. This is going to be interesting…hope it’s not a ship-wreck!
Deb – do you think this cake would support the addition of mini chocolate chips? I have a ton of leftover chocolate buttercream in the freezer, and my son requested chocolate chip cake.
The 2 8″ cakes I made for the baby were a hit! Perfect for a smaller gathering, but still celebratory. This is a winner!
Way simpler than the Cook’s Illustrated recipe for their yellow cake (they too were trying to replicate the Duncan Hines recipe without the guar gum or whatever else they stick in those boxes); thanks for that!!
Also CONGRATULATIONS on the impending birth of your child- I hope you’ll still find time to cook and bake and share info. with us. My little ones are 15 months and 4 yrs and I’m just getting back to regular cooking and baking. I usually bake in the evenings once they are asleep or very early in the morning when they are asleep.
Thank you! I have been looking for a cake like this that doesn’t come out of a box and have tried other recipes claiming to be the best and they’re either too dense or too dry; I wanted to try yours for a coworkers birthday cake but was worried it would have the same problems as the other from scratch recipes I’ve tried. So tonight I quartered the recipe and made a single layer 6-inch cake for my husband and myself to try first and it was perfect! It was light and moist and will definitely be my go to yellow cake recipe.
Delicious! I made this for the first time last night and had a piece just now. (I used a different frosting but didn’t change the cake at all.) It’s so tasty, I had to have a second helping. It’s got this lovely buttery flavor and aroma, a lot like the box mix yellow cakes except with NO artificial stuff! Better yet, it only took me 31 minutes to mix up and get into the oven! Normally I’m so slow with new recipes, but this was a breeze. Thank you Deb!!
One tip for people, you want to eat it warm or at room temp. If you eat it cold, you’re missing out.
Made this as cupcakes this weekend. LOVED the cake part! The frosting was a bit too tangy for me but still tasty. Liked it better after I had sprinkled some sea salt on top. I made way more frosting than I needed so if you make them as cupcakes, I’d recommend making less than the recipe!
YUMMY! I just made this cake and frosting for my son’s 15th birthday today. Delish! Thanks so much for posting your recipes. I love your blog.. and congrats on your new little one. He is precious!
Hello, I would love to try this cake and frosting recipe but I’m very confused with your measurements. I’m from Europe and I use grams. I checked your conversions page but I’m still somehow confused. For example, is it 560 gr of flour or 454? What about sugar? 450 grams seem a lot of sugar. Could anyone post the ingredients with the right metric measurements please? I’m fine with the teaspoons and tablespoons. It’s just the cups.
thanks.
What can I say. This has to be the best recipe for yellow cake I have made. The flavor is buttery – not bland as most are. Thank you.
Hello,
This will be my first layer cake. It’s for my dad’s 70th birthday. I just took the second layer out of the oven (I only have a mini-oven, no space for 2 pans) and it looks good.
I’ve used smaller pans, so I put some of the extra batter in 2 tiny cake tins and added some chopped up mango. Very yummy.
Now I have been reading through the comments and I’m a little concerned about the frosting. Where I live it’s really hot, maybe 29 degrees (like 80F?? no idea..) so will the frosting survive a 1 hour trip to the next refrigerator? Or should I use a different frosting?
Anyway thank you dearly for your great blog&recipes and congratulations on you little baby!
Made the cake this past weekend, was incredible. I used a 9-inch springform pan instead of two standard 9-inch pans. Top started browning too quickly, so I loosely covered it with a sheet of foil and continued baking at 350-degrees F; took about 45 minutes longer than suggested (not surprising considering differences in pans).
Used half bittersweet/half semisweet chocolate in frosting. In the future I’ll stick with milk chocolate or semisweet chocolate as many guests felt frosting was too tangy the way i prepared it (although I liked it).
I baked this cake for my son’s bday and I am sorry to say but it’s got to be the worst tasting thing I’ve ever baked (and I’ve baked a lot). It looked as glorious as the photos but the taste…. oh not good. I will confess to two things however; I froze the cakes as I read at this site that you could (to make frosting it easier) so maybe that effected the cakes texture/taste. I also substituted quark for the sour cream in the icing which my German friends always use in icings but that turned out to be a bad move – horrible taste. I attempted to save it by adding honey and then icing sugar but it just kept getting worse and worse. In the end, it’s a big cake to have to throw away….. Next time I’ll stick to a known recipe for celebrations (lesson – not the time to experiment).
Thanks anyway.
deb, a million congratulations on your latest concoction. he is indeed delicious. mine is turning one (!) and i definitely want this golden cake. I sort of have my heart set on maple frosting, though–october, fall leaves, outdoor party… Can you advise? I’m scared of attempting maple buttercream, and wondering about maple-cream-cheese holding up out of doors…
Hi Amy — I have a slightly maple-y maple cream cheese frosting over here, which might work. Can also add a drop or two of maple extract to up the flavor.
It wasn’t so strange! The whole time I was pregnant and since, I’ve been testing chocolate cookie recipes for the perfect one to be mine. I liked my friends mom’s cookies better than my own mom’s, and I’ll be damned if that’s going to happen to me!
I’ve made this recipe into cupcakes and they were great! (baked about 15 minutes, but as in any baking, just watch carefully and you’ll know when they’re done!) I am new to this site but love it for all the beautiful photography and great recipes. Thank you!
I made this cake into apple cupcakes!! I used applesauce for 1/2 the butter, added nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, lemon zest, and a finely chopped apple. So soft and so yummy!!
Yes! My son’s birthday party is tomorrow and I had already failed a test run of another cake that was wayyyy too sweet, heavy and just wow! It tasted more like a giant sugar cookie than a cake. I don’t understand why everything has to be so sugar-laden. ECH! Headache. So I am making a cake to look like a wheel of swiss cheese, but the cake itself will be a checkerboard. I made the regular batch of yellow, then I made an additional batch of the recipe but halved and added 1/2 c. of cocoa powder to the flour mixture. Then I melted 2 oz. of Ghirardelli 100% cacao unsweetened chocolate and added at the end. YUMM-OH! It was enough to fill the 3 9″ pans in the Wilton Checkerboard pan set AND 6 cupcakes for us to have tonight!
Thank you THANK YOU Thank you so much for this recipe which is perfect and moist and not so super-give-me-a-migraine-and-heartburn sweet. love it!
P.S. I am going to use your Swiss Buttercream to frost with a little yellow food coloring to make it really look like cheese! And a melon-baller for the holes! Whoo!
I tried this frosting out on cupcakes today and it was so tasty! I forgot to add the vanilla, but the frosting was beautiful, smooth, and even using average hershey’s chips melted in the microwave, the flavor was so decadent. I added a little bit of powdered sugar in order to make the icing stiffer. Thanks so much!
Yes, I, too, freak out at the prospect of the first honest-to-god birthday par-tay for my little boy and I’m still hunting for a ‘real’ birthday cake recipe. The stand-by that he will, in college, call and remind me to send him for his birthday and will insist that his kids grow up on, too. No pressure here, nosiree.
Before going to the hospital for his birth, I baked a flourless chocolate torte to celebrate his arrival. His first birthday was celebrated with a spice cake and pumpkin cream cheese frosting, four delicate layers high, I might add. Last year I carved a chocolate cake train engine, frosted with ganache and decorated with merengue disk wheels. This year I want to go whole-hog little boy birthday cake…and I think I just found my recipe. Thank you!
i hope my mommy loves it
her birthday is tommorow
she wil turn 33
bye
I just made these as cupcakes (I halfed the recipe and baked them for 22 minutes) and they came out great! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Just made cupcakes with this recipe (haven’t read all 447 comments – you’re popular!) but in case you don’t already know, the full recipe makes 36 standard size cupcakes baked at 375° for 15 minutes.
Yum! They’re still warm and we’re down to 30 and counting.
Finally tried this! The cake turned out beautifully, the icing tasted good on its own, but I didn’t love the combo. Still, the fact that the cake was so easy and so yummy means it’s becoming a regular in my house too!
I loved the cake recipe, seemed a little dense so I subtracted 2 T of flour and added 2 T of butter and that improved the texture. Had tried it as written twice.
My daughter and I both tried the sour cream frosting and it doesn’t quite make the cut. My favorite chocolate frosting is from the Silver Palate p 89, 6 T of cream, powdered sugar and 21 Dove dark chocolate promises. That is not exactly her recipe but it works great.
Thanks for the cake recipe. I am going to try the Swiss buttercream which my daughter says is great!
I made this cake back in August, and forgot to post about it. The cake was delicious, and it’s now my go-to recipe for a yellow cake. I didn’t make the frosting though, instead choosing a different chocolate frosting recipe that I’ve made before. The flavor of the cake was excellent and the texture was great. I wish I still had some now.
Just made this tonight. I haven’t tried it yet except for the batter and the scraps I trimmed off evening the edges, but those are delicious. I did an 8-inch square layer cake, which I really enjoy the look of. It required just a slightly longer baking time. The frosting tastes wonderful, but it looks nothing like yours in the picture. Mine is slightly paler and not shiny at all, and it was quite stiff to spread (very manageable, but no way was it going to spread evenly and prettily on the cake) immediately after I stirred in the chocolate, no refrigeration time. It looks more like a lighter-colored version of the ganache on your double chocolate layer cake from July 2007. I can’t figure out why it turned out this way.
Thank you for another great recipe. I made this for a friend’s b-day tomorrow, and it is delicious! I know this because I realized too late that I only had one round cake pan (where is that other one?) and had to use a square pan and cut off the corners. I think I might do that more often. The corners were a great dessert. I did put too much espresso powder into the frosting, but that was just an error in my measuring. Oh–I used good Greek yogurt as I had no buttermilk. Just as moist and really buttery cake came out of the substitution.
I made this cake for my boyfriend’s birthday. I found the frosting bitter, even with a mix of 2/3 bittersweet, 1/3 milk and even with close to 1/2 c. of corn syrup (used the Guittard disks, which have never steered me wrong). It’s too bad, because it’s a very easy, beautifully spreadable frosting. I also found the cake dry, but I think I overbaked it. I will try the cake again, because it couldn’t have been easier to mix, the batter tasted divine, and it rose beautifully. This is my third cake in a row from the site (did the carrot and the double chocolate previously) and the first disappointment. Guess you can’t win ’em all!
I just made this recipe (1/3 of it), and made it in 2 4 inch round cake pans and a couple of cupcake wrappers. The cakes sunk big time when I took them out of the oven. Any ideas why? I think I’ll have to rebake them for the cake I’m making.
I made this last Wednesday for my Dad’s birthday…and I have to say, THANK YOU FOR CREATING SUCH A FANTASTIC CAKE RECIPE. I loved it, he loved it, my Mom loved it, all the friends I brought pieces to loved it…GAHH. So delicious and perfect. (We hit a big of a snag when I used 8 inch pans instead of 9 and it flowed over a bit, but nothing a cookie sheet couldn’t save.)
The ONLY thing I found was that the day after, it was a bit dry. DELICIOUS and awesome, but a tad dry. Nothing we couldn’t handle, but I was wondering, could that possibly have had something to do with the fact there’s no oil in the recipe?
Again, THANK YOU. I’ll be trying out more of your recipes from now on!!
Hi, Deb! I’m going to try this. It looks delicious! Can you recommend one of your other frosting recipes that would be good for piping and match this particular icing?
I’ve tried various yellow cake recipes… main components using butter, AP, milk or butter, AP, cornstarch, milk and even oil, AP, milk. All produced cakes that were not quite what I was looking for in a yellow cake. The cakes were either eggy, too dense/heavy, too springy/spongy, crumbs were tight, and the recipe using oil of course lacked flavor.
This is The Best yellow cake recipe! Exactly what I was looking for. Results – Moist, perfectly balanced vanilla flavor with NO Eggy taste!. The texture of the crumb is tender and light, but not so tender that it falls apart and just light enough that it has a bit of weight (density) to it. I made half the recipe into cupcakes. Yielded 18 cupcakes (filled 2/3 full). Baked at 325 (I have dark pans) for 18 minutes…Viola…Heaven!
For me, the cupcakes stayed moist (wrapped well and stored in air tight container) for two days. By the third day, it still tasted good, but as expected, a tad bit drier. I did also freeze some on the first day and it stayed moist and held together.
Hello, Love your site, I’ m a real big fan….. I have the same problem as 433, I am from london and would love to make this cake for my sons birthday, so when converting are you using us cups or metric, secondly when converting flour seem a lot at (560 grams)……. is that correct…..????????, please advise as I would love to make it…… thanks so much!
Hi,
I just made this cake today, and I’m afraid something is horribly wrong with my frosting – I followed the directions to a T and it is incredibly runny! I’ve refrigerated it for hours and there’s been no change in consistency. However, I did learn that no one in my family has a taste for chocolate sour cream frosting. I do love the cake, though, so there’s a plus. Does anyone know what I did wrong?
I made this cake last night and thought the batter looked way too thick for cake batter, but I was definitely mistaken, thick or not, it’s delicious. I also had no buttermilk so I mixed plain yogurt, skim milk, and half and half and it did the trick in a pinch.
This looks wonderful. I am planning to make a chocolate cake for my son’s birthday in January. He loves loves chocolate. Will the recipe for the chocolate frosting be enough to frost and fill 2x 10 inch layer cake or should I double the recipe for the frosting?
I am planning to use your chocolate cake recipe but with this frosting. :)
Just wanted to let you know that this cake has changed my life. I have made it over 5 times now and every time (three birthdays, one half birthday, and once for cakes-sake) it gets rave reviews. I work for a major candy company and people there really flipped! Love love love the blog!
I made this cake just because of the sprinkles :D, I cant wait to frost it
What can you use instead of buttermilk? I live in Sweden, and here they don’t sell buttermilk.. I really want to try this recipe, so I hope someone can help me! :D
You can make your own buttermilk.
Oh my yes. I have been wanting to try this since you originally posted the recipe, so I finally just made an excuse (it’s New Year’s Eve!) today and hello! Deb, you are oh-so-right in naming it the best birthday cake (or New Year’s cupcakes, in my case)! I also whipped up the instant fudge frosting. Again, bingo on the unsweetened chocolate! I had my doubts, but I’m so glad (once again) that I trusted your judgment! I am headed to my car right now to go share the abundance with friends, because you know it’s not a good idea for me to keep all of this in the house!
Hello –
Just a brief note to let you know that I baked this cake today for my daughter’s 11th birthday party. My expectations were high given the positive reviews and raves on this site. I must admit that I am a food snob and a gourmet cook and I compared this recipe to others I have. The ingredients were nearly identical except for additional flour and buttermilk. The verdict – the cake is actually quite good. BUT, and its a big BUTTT – this cake tastes like a delicious “cornbread” more than yellow birthday cake. I asked 5 of the girls for their opinions and 3 said it tasted like cornbread. I will add corn next time and serve at Thanksgiving, but will never make again for a birthday. Happy New Year and Cheers to all
Hi Deb,
I just made this for as a last minute birthday cake for a labmate (LOVED that I already had all the ingredients on hand!) and it was fabulous! I made two 8-inch round pans and a few cupcakes, you know, for quality control :) Thanks for the recipe!!
So I made this cake for a friend’s birthday tonight, and it ended up tasting good, but it will go down as one of my most foolish cooking experiences to date. I tried to squeeze all the batter into two 8 inch cake rounds and it does not work – the poor cakes looked like active volcanos overflowing down into the bottom of my oven – my house still smells like burnt sugar. And to top it off, as I was busy cooking dinner and taking care of my son, I forgot I was melting the chocolate for the icing and I ended up with crystalized nibbles throughout – yet somehow it all still came out edible. I dusted it with cocoa, chocolate shavings, and chocolate pearls and it made my friend very happy.
I followed the recipe to the letter except used everything I had on hand instead of the exact ingredients called for, like… didn’t have enough white sugar, used, white sugar, 12 stevia packets and lt brown sugar, then didn’t have enough white flour, so used white, whole wheat and a bit of cornstarch to lighten, no buttermilk, but did have powdered buttermilk…. I didn’t have a lot of faith that it would even be edible. It was really good, this recipe is another keeper!!
I am in love with this recipe (mostly because I, too, believe my parenting skill is directly proportional to my baking skill). I tried it today with the Instant Fudge Frosting and it was a huge success! (despite being my first ever attempt at a layer cake). I love the idea of buttercream in the food processor- you can add a handful of un-melted chocolate pieces to the mix for a “chocolate chip” icing of sorts. Anyway, love this, love your site (which I recently discovered), can’t wait to try more recipes!
laura i did the same thing!! right now i’m looking out into my smoke-filled kitchen, depressed about the mess that awaits when the oven cools…the cake doesn’t look too horrible but i’m afraid it’ll taste like smoke! i might have to run and get some more buttermilk and try this birthday cake again. i have made this recipe before in cupcake form and was so sure of myself trying it again…foolhardy! lesson learned.
This is a GREAT recipe. I’m making a cinnamon cream cheese wedding cake in about three weeks, and I offered this cake at the tasting with 1 1/2 tbsp. cinnamon added. It was the hands-down winner. Great texture, very moist, PERFECT. And I love that it bakes up so high and fluffy. Thanks for sharing it.
Used this recipe for cupcakes today — it made 24 normal and five jumbo! Absolutely delicious, plan to use it tomorrow for two more batches. Thank you!
My little one’s 1st is comin up and this has been a big help. I wanted to do something myself without using a box or trying to make the perfect torte, so thank you!
Hi deb,
I noted that in one of your recent posts you like to use weights in your recipes. I do too, and here’s the following recipe converted to grams:
563g cake flour
6g baking powder
6g baking soda
12g salt
224g butter
445g sugar
5g extract (I usually bump this up considerably. I used a total of 12)
4 eggs (didn’t weigh, but eggs are ~70g each)
467g buttermilk (I used soymilk, for the lack of lactose)
oh, and here’s the kcal breakdown for fun:
5827 total calories
215g fat
893g carbs
(13g from fiber — cake flour!)
90g protein
It’s about 100 calories per oz, give or take.
I made this for my daughter’s 6th birthday and it will be my go-to cake from now on for anything and everything. It’s so much better than the 1-2-3-4 cake, which I used to think was great. I’ll try it with cupcakes next and cake flour, I used all-purpose, since I couldnt find cake flour. As always, thanks! And really cute kid!
I made it for the twins’ 8th birthday and my daughter, who has a legendary sweet tooth, has declared the cake to be delicious. It is not dense at all, like some other scratch cakes I’ve made. (Hello, Martha Stewart.) I subbed the icing though for butter, cocoa, powdered sugar and milk concoction.
I am making a princess cake at the weekend for my 4 yr old, will your cake withstand being baked in a pyrex basin? Do I need to adjust the baking times (it’s 9″ in diameter). I am then going to cover it in buttercream and cover with rollout fondant, thanks in advance! D
You are my long lost baking sole-mate!!! (Really, how many people tell you that!? I’m sure many) But really, so many of your goals are my goals, I am tired of having to go to a box to get a good delicious cake – and have been searching and trying (only for about 1 1/2 years) to find MY recipes for the “best of” the simple baking pleasures . . . I think after trying a few of your recipes that I may learn to be content with just making homemade recipes you have found. . . thank you for doing so much of the work for so many of us foodies!
really great yellow cake recipe- moist. flavorful. holds up great!
the icing is also very enjoyable! not too sweet. easy to spread!
i made the birthday cake for my brother-in-law (right down to the confetti sprinkles) and everyone loved it! the comment i heard most was “this isn’t going to put me in a sugar coma” :)
i was also happy at how it actually turned out to look like the picture- i was so proud to hand it over to my mother-in-law!!
thanks for sharing all the wonderful recipes with us- it’s like a foodie treasure hunt!
Looks great! :) Haven’t made it yet, but it looks GREAT!! :)
As my family’s designated cake baker, I have now made this delicious cake and frosting 4 times for birthdays in September, October, November and December. (See here for pics of the 4 cakes).
There were no family birthdays in January, but my youngest sister’s birthday is on Thursday of this week and I offered to make her something different for a change of pace. However, best yellow cake is now a firm family favourite, and she is requesting yellow cake and chocolate frosting for her birthday treat too.
Frankly, my whole family *loves* that the frosting is a little sour and not too sweet (I add 1/4 cup of corn syrup).
This is my first time on your blog, and this is the first recipe I chose to try. Seemed a perfect way to spend my time during this snowstorm in Philadelphia. It came out well, but a little drier than I would have liked. I used a 9×13 glass pan and had leftover batter. I am wondering if maybe the cake was still too think and I should have put more of it into another pan? Also, I had to cook it longer than the 35-40 minutes. The center was too wet. Any suggestions for keeping it moist?
This is THE BEST cake I have ever had in my life…something must have gone wrong w/ my frosting because it was really bitter..so I switched it up and added some milk chocolate and maybe a little more vanilla & sugar to sweeten it up..but the cake!! OH THE CAKE IS DELICIOUS!!!
I just finished baking this cake as cupcakes for my son’s birthday tomorrow. My husband and I took a few nibbles from an extra cupcake, and he said it tastes eggy, but he liked that- it gave it more flavor than most cakes, I think were his words. I can’t wait to try them with (buttercream) frosting and sprinkles in the morning!
I just made this for Valentine’s Day with my girls (ages 3 and 6). We had a ball making it and baked it in 1 8 inch square pan and 1 8 inch round pan … I then cut the round pan into 2 halves and stuck on the square cake (angled diamond-shaped) for a great (if gigantic!) heart shaped cake that the kids loved.
The cake baked up beautifully and delicious. The frosting was tasty, but really it’s almost like chocolate pudding, not really frosting. I wouldn’t use it for my go-to chocolate frosting … still searching for that, unfortunately!
We used the chocolate frosting as filling, and frosted the cake with whipped cream (tinted pink for Valentine’s Day!).
Just made this cake for my sons 7th birthday, huge hit!!! i made it with the fudge frosting!!!! YUM YUM YUM. thank you!!
I’m very confused with the weight equivalents for flour. According to The Joy of Cooking, 1 lb of all purpose flour is equivalent to 4 cups, or 1 cup is equivalent to 4 oz or 114g. As for cake flour 1 lb is equivalent to 4 3/4 cups or 1 cup is equivalent to 3.4 oz or 96g. When I weighed my measured cup of cake flour, using the spoon and sweep method, it was around 110g. I wasn’t completely happy with the results so I thought that it could be due to the discrepancies in my flour measurements. Any suggestions? Should I try again using 130g of flour per cup?
Also, making buttermilk, I used 1 teaspoon instead of 1 tablespoon of lemon by mistake. It still curdled fine but did I lose something by not having the full 1 tablespoon of lemon?
As for the frosting, I used bittersweet chocolate and felt it was a bit too intense so I added cream to mellow it out. In the end it tasted great with the cake. It spread and tasted like chocolate frosting (once chilled), not at all like pudding as in above comment and not sour at all. And I used agave syrup in place of corn syrup as corn syrup is not readily available in Australia. It is a bit sweeter so you need to decrease the amount just a bit.
This was my first attempt at a layered cake. It got rave reviews from my family when I make it for my daughter’s 2nd birthday (I’ve already given out the link to your recipe twice). Thanks for the recipe and for the encouragement!
Hi Jung — Glad you enjoyed the cake in the end. The difficulty converting cups of ingredients to weights is that not everyone agrees on what a cup of flour weighs. Some say 4 ounces, some say 5 ounces and many people go with 4.5 ounces (I generally do as well, unless a recipe says otherwise). An incredibly frustrating process, I am sure. (I will update this soon with “my” weights so that you can be sure they are correct. Hope that helps.
Deb- this recipe was fantastic! I made the full recipe and I had more than enough batter for 24 cupcakes- I probably could have baked 3 dozen. Instead, I made 2 dozen cupcakes and baked the leftover batter in my bundt pan. It didn’t make a very tall bundt- but still a nice looking and delicious one at that! I poured some dark rum over the bundt after it cooled and it was divine.
Hi Deb,
Thank you for the beautiful pictures and wonderful tips. I baked the vanilla cake with fudge frosting. The frosting came out great. The cake was good, but like Bob (January 2,2010) mentioned, my cake turned out tasting like a fantastic cornbread. Do you know what I might have done incorrectly as I would love to make it again and have it taste like a yellow cake. Thank you. Sunny
Thank you so much for this fantastic recipe! I used it last night to make cupcakes for my 6 year olds Birthday school treat!
And what a treat, your recipe made a generous 24- 30 cakes!! Just what I needed.
Thank you again for a place to go when I need a sweet recipe!
Carey
I also felt that this cake, while very good, reminded me of cornbread. I had some extra batter, so made a cupcake out of that (always like to taste things before serving them!) and decided to go with a sweeter frosting to counter that flavor. That helped, and the people I served this to enjoyed it, but it wasn’t quite the birthday cakes I remember from my childhood. I wonder if maybe I was just off somehow? Maybe my flour measurements weren’t precise enough?
Made this tonight, and so far, super impressed with the results. We haven’t iced them yet, but definitely a wonderful cake recipe to fall back on. Made half the batter, for 12 cupcakes, and added an extra egg yolk (so, 2 eggs, plus one yolk), and made it a bit richer, and not as cornbread tastey.
I love everything about this cake – it was easy to make, smelled good baking, rose nice and high – good crumb, moist, flavorful. I made it for my own birthday yesterday (I remembered this cake from its gorgeous photo) and had at it. The only thing I wish I would have thought of was making it into cupcakes. Next time for sure.
Frosting was magic. Mine was nearly thick enough to use right off the bat. If anything, I had a little too much frosting, but I liked the little zing of the sourcream and the deep chocolate flavor. And I will say, it’s pretty good for breakfast, too! Thanks Deb!
I’ve used this wonderful recipe many times in the past for cakes. Made 1/4 of the recipe today and got 8 perfect cupcakes. Baked at 350 for 20 minutes. I’m frosting them with whipped cream.
Just thought I’d note that I needed 12 cupcakes this weekend so I made 1/2 this recipe and the amount was perfect. As if anyone ever needs ONLY 12 cupcakes, jeesh! I would have made 24 but I already had two 9×13 layers for my son’s Buzz Lightyear Rocketship cake and that was PLENTY! But I needed some cupcakes for the rocket burners, baked in silver foil and turned on their side with red and orange spiky frosting… perfect! :-)
I made this last night in a bundt pan. 300 degrees for about an hour and ten minutes. It seems to have turned out well. I also used the alt frosting recipe and probably could have halved it for the bundt since I still have about half left.
This was absolutely delicious. Two beautiful, tall cake layers that had a wonderful buttery, vanilla & moist flavor. I topped with a dark chocolate frosting from Cooks Illustrated and filled the center with a peanut butter cream filling…out of this world! Got rave reviews on this cake…thanks for a great recipe, it’s my new go to yellow cake!
I made this for my husband’s birthday and he was very impressed, which is saying something because he is the baker in the family, not me. We had never settled on a really good yellow cake and at last we have found it. Your site is now my favorite!
Absoutely a lovely cake, moist and delicious! I think I’ve found my “go to” yellow cake now. I used the Creamy Milk Chocolate Frosting on the Cook’s Illustrated site and wowza, is this good! I even had a thin slice this morning at 6 AM because I was thinking about it and could not resist:-) Thank you for this recipe.
My husband just asked me to make him a birthday cake and I froze up with the panic that I was about to be outed as an unqualified imposter of a wife, but then I ran to this site and found this recipe. You are a life (and marriage!) saver!
I just put this in the oven for my hubbys birthday cake. His favorite is the above mentioned Duncan Hines cake, mine too for that matter. Judging from the batter I think there will be a new favorite in our house! I have tried other yellow cakes from scratch, but have not gotten that “yellow” flavor and this one seems to have it. I can’t wait to eat it!
I needed a yellow cake and used a recipe for genoise from a fancy cookbook. It didn’t taste good! I decided a do-over was in order and made this cake. As usual, your recipe pulled through. Easy to make and delicious. Thanks for being so consistently good.
In a word, Excellent. My mother was on a rant about how she loathes using a box mix (duncan hines in particular.) Also, how she has tried to make yellow cake from scratch many times and it has not turned out as moist and delicious as she has desired. When I first read your recipe for this cake I laughed because you also brought up duncan hines! Thank you for this marvelous cake. It truly is fabulous!
What a coincidence! I clicked on ¨surprise me¨ and I got Best Birthday Cake. Today IS my birthday. Great site, by the way.
had been waiting to make this one for a special occasion and finally did today for my boyfriend’s birthday. am SO loving the sour cream chocolate frosting. had never tried it before, but it’s going to be a keeper. can’t wait for him to get home to slice into it. thanks again as always :)
Not bad for my first attempt at a layered frosted birthday cake! Very presentable. But I have to agree with the cornbread crowd — not only the flavor, but the crumb, too, seemed very cornbready to me, maybe I did something wrong with the mixing but it was rather dense. LOVED the frosting, though — not too sour at all with the Ghirardelli chocolate I used.
I made this cake last night for my daughters basketball team party. I was desperate for a moist yummy yellow cake and this is it!! I made extra and put some Nutella on it, OMG :p Then on the bball cake, I cooked down some blackberries and strawberries and filled it. Wow, so good!! Thank you for posting this recipe :)
Hey Deb,
How the hell did I miss this lovely place in my 2+years of blog hopping!!!! i came in googling for scones, thought i’d better also check out a birthday cake recipe for my son and now thoroughly lost, but happily so:) i’ll start adoring your recipes once i try them but until then falling in love with your writing…
Hi Deb,
I am happy to report that I test drove the cupcake version and there is a class of second graders that is very thankful to you. :-) They even liked the frosting, even though I thought its tangy richness was on the sophisticated side.
Thanks!
Thanks for posting this yellow cake recipe. Came across it through a google search. I filled mine with Trader Joe’s Reduced Sugar Blackberry Preserves and made a lemon buttercream frosting for the rest.
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for this yellow cake recipe!! I had been searching for a good homemade yellow cake and struck gold with yours. It rises great into a level layer (perfect for decorating) and had great texture and flavor! And, unlike a lot of “yellow” cake recipes I have tried, this cake is actually yellow in color when baked!! I love it!
We tried this over the weekend — very chewy, not as sweet as cake should be (really!), and pretty much dry. The taste is interesting, but much more like a thick pancake or cornbread. Not the killer yellow cake recipe we were looking for, alas …
Hi there, i’ve just made your yellow cake, it’s in the oven now, but I have a question which i’m probably asking too late but never mind! If i wnat to make in a single tin and slice in half afterwards what size tin should I use/ I’ve got 3 springfrom tins, 9.5″, 10.3″ & 11″, all 2.6″ deep. I’ve put my mix in the 10.3″ one and I’m thinking about an hrs cooking time, do you think it wil be o.K?
Hi Deb,
My oldest son turns 4 on tuesday and has requested a snake cake for his party. I found one that calls for two bundt cakes, cut in half to form the snake, but no cake recipe as of yet. I was thinking of using this recipe, what changes would you make for the oven time in a bundt pan? Would one recipe make 1 bundt? Also, he wants vanilla cake, and I was going to do chocolate frosting, but the snake needs the frosting to be colored green (you may be doing something similar in just a few years! :) so I need to do a white frosting…any ideas? vanilla on vanilla seems so boring to me.
Thanks so much,
Rachael
Hi Deb!
I have been visiting this recipe again and again and am so looking forward to bake it for my friend’s birthday. I want this cake to be more… alcoholic, so I want to substitute some of the buttermilk with Baileys. Is this advisable? How much can I substitute or should I not substitute at all?
Thank you so much!
Cheers,
Jasline
Jasline — They may look the same — creamy — but they don’t have the same effect on cakes. You might try brushing the cake after you bake it, before you fill and frost it, with a liqueur or Baileys. Take it from someone who adores Baileys and has often tried to add it to baked goods: the flavor never ends up as pronounced as you wish it would, especially once baked. Using it as a finish will make it stand out more.
Hi Deb,
Thank you so much for your advice! I’m gonna bake one this weekend and see how it turns out! (:
Cheers,
Jasline
My son demanded a homemade cake for his half birthday today, giving me only a few hours notice. I didn’t have a scratch cake in me, so that part was from a mix. But I always draw the line at the frostings–must be homemade. I LOVE this frosting recipe! It was so incredibly easy–I was amazed. I am so tired of complicated buttercreams with the whole egg situation, and ganache is sometimes just too dense and rich. This was perfectly delicious!! Loved the tartness from the sour cream and the smooth, creamy texture, which made spreading so easy that my ten (and a half) year-old did a great job of frosting his own cake.
This has become my favorite yellow cake recipe, mostly for cupcakes but I occaisonally go all out and make a full cake too. At the request of my son I turned the batch for his birthday into marbled cupcakes. I combined 1/2 cup boiling water with 1/2 Heshey’s Dark cocoa powder then mixed that into a third of the cake batter. Alternating spoonfuls of the two into my cupcakes and then swirled them with a toothpick a little. It was fabulous and I was delighted to get double duty (as it were) out of the recipe.
Allo! I just want to say I made this cake for my daughter’s birthday last weekend and it is definitely…. the best yellow cake I’ve ever tasted. In fact, my family and I were mesmerized by how perfectly poofy and tall, and moist and wonderful the cakes turned out! My yellow cake has always risen, then deflated a bit once removed from the oven. Not this one. Is it the cake flour? We decided to use your Instant Fudge frosting instead of the Sour Cream recipe listed above, just to ensure my little one completely dug it. And she did. Check out our website for a photo:) http://www.2010-love.com. Also will be posting on my food site next week. Thanks SK!
Wow. This cake recipe is a keeper. I made this cake for my daughter’s birthday and it is very yummy, moist and delicious, tall and beautiful. (Well actually I made 2 cakes with instant fudge frosting–that was 10 sticks of butter right there!). I have been waiting 16 years for this recipe. Thank you.
My family loved this cake! I used 4 cups plain flour instead of cake flour. The texture, taste, appearance was delicious and beautiful. I used a chocolate ganache recipe for filling and icing. So rich, so fabulous! I also divided it among 3 eight inch round pans. It was the tallest cake I’ve ever made and looked just like the one on the site. Very impressive. It’s a keeper. Thank you!
Made these into cupcakes- came out great! Use vanilla frosting and my husband has been having and average of 3 cupcakes since I made them. I made them for a bridal shower and all my friends loved them! I doubled the recipe and its made close 2 6 dozen medium sized cupcakes. I had enough to bring to work – where it also got devoured! Can’t wait to be able to make it for my kids’ birthdays one day :)
Can the “best birthday cake’ recipe be doubled? What woukld change?
Sounds delicious! Can you modify this recipe for a white cake?
Thank You
I was searching for the perfect birthday cake for my daughter’s 2nd birthday until I came across this recipe–the search is over! This was a perfectly moist, absolutely delicious cake that came out beautifully. I followed the tip about brushing simple syrup on the cake before decorating, and it worked wonders. This is going to be my go-to yellow cake from now on. Thank you!
I tried this cake this evening, and it is AMAZING.
Definitely my favorite to make. I knew it was done when I could clearly smell it from across the apartment and can hear the crackling (crackling!) when I opened the oven door.
It also tastes delicious.
I made this cake for the first time for my wife’s birthday last week and am making it today for my son’s 1st birthday. Awesome. Just awesome. A friend of ours had a piece; O…M…G was the response. I used buttercream frosting with a homemade strawberry filling between the layers. A few rosettes from the pastry bag to decorate and people ask where we got it.
Without a doubt, the best cake recipe I’ve found and it will be my go-to cake recipe from here on in. Search is done…wrap it up, send ’em home, no need to look any further.
It’s my birthday! And I’m getting ready to make this golden layer cake. I am going to make it with the recipe you have for chocolate ganache, from the Chocolate Layer cake you made awhile back, then a raspberry jam filling. :9)
Thanks Deb, LOVE your blog!
I like it! The frosting was shiny and very spreadable. The cake was tasty and moist. I had a little trouble because I used a 9 x 1 1/2 inch cake pan- luckily I realized there was too much batter in the pans and I took a bunch out and made a third, thinner layer. For the first time, I also used the metal strips and baked at 350 and made a crumb coat. All of these tips worked well. I also took the cakes out too early (they were golden on top and I swear the tooth pick came out clean) and a few minutes later, realizing my mistake, had to put them back in for another 18 minutes or so. They still turned out moist, luckily. Next time, I’ll use the 2 inch high cake pan and make sure they are done when I take them out. Thanks for the great recipes.
Thank you sooooo much for the recipe. The cake was soooooooo good and sooo fluffy and moist. ITs sweet and buttery sooooooooo delicious. I will definitely make it again. I like the cake plain, but, for my birthday I will make my own frosting.
Thank you.
Hi Deb, thanks for posting such an awesome recipe. Tastes delicious; super moist; great recipe. My only question is – how do I make my cake more yellow? I followed your recipe to the pin, but mine don’t look nearly as yellow. Any tips?
Deb,
I want to add green tea powder to the cake batter. Do you have any recommendations on how much to add?
Have you ever made a green tea cake? WILL YOU EVER????
As I stated before the cake is soooo good. I am making it again today. I am adding chocolate chips to the batter. YUM.
I made this cake tonight–very light texture and quite delicious–word to the wise if using a 9×13 pan–the batter fills the pan ~3/4 full and took me 45 minutes to bake the center fully. the edges still are spongy and soft, so i do’nt think it is overly cooked on the sides (i hope!). It may fair better being a 2 pan cake versus the one pan approach.
So glad I came across Smitten Kitchen and this cake recipe. I just finished making it, with the help of my four year old daughter, for my two sister’s birthday bash tomorrow. It looks fabulous! Since we have two men that don’t do chocolate (I know, it’s hard to believe anybody doesn’t do chocolate!) we went with the cream cheese frosting from your red velvet cake recipe. Can’t wait to slice into this baby tomorrow night! Thank you for the recipes!
If I were to bake reese’s pieces into the cake, do you think it would change how the cake bakes? Am I better off putting them around the sides of the cake after it is already frosted? Any advice would be appreciated, thanks.
This is the BEST yellow cake recipe ever…and I’ve tried them all (believe me!) I have made layer cakes and cupcakes with this and they come out perfect every time. Thank you so much for sharing!! This one is a keeper!
I just tried this recipe in cupcake format and unfortunately it did not work out. The batter was gorgeous, and I was hesitant to “bang” the air out of it. I wonder if I had not banged it, if they would have worked. They just spread all over the top of the cupcake pans and were flat- HATE when this happens to cupcakes! I also had enough batter for about 30+ cupcakes. Maybe I overfilled them b/c I had so much batter. Any ideas what went wrong? Thanks!
MZ — It sounds like they may have been overfilled, especially if they spilled over. It’s a little OCD on my part, but sometimes when I’m not sure exactly how full I need a cupcake liner, I will bake just one to get an idea of the correct level. I do this mostly because I’ve ruined so many batches of cupcakes when they all spilled over. That said, in 90% of cupcake cases, 2/3 to 3/4 full is the right way to go.
Once trimmed, your flat-top cupcakes will probably be easier to put frosting on than domed ones!
Thanks for the reply- yes I think I did overfill, and I think I did bang them too hard too. They were pretty crumbly; it seemed like the texture was compromised in some way. Anyway….no worries. I just did a bunch of mini chocolate cupcakes (making for a party tomorrow), and weighed each one out so they would all be the same (talk about OCD). Chocolate is my go-to flavor anyway. I will try this yellow cake again though- maybe the cake layers next time :) BTW, love your blog. The sweet potato-chard casserole is TDF!
Deb thanks for this recipe, it’s a total keeper! I made it for my father in law’s birthday and my whole family liked it so much i made it again for my niece’s first birthday. Both times it was a huge hit and watching my neice smear bits of cake and frosting all over her face with great gusto put a huge smile on my face.
My son requested a plain yellow cake with chocolate frosting for his 12th b-day. I came across your receipe which seemed like a keeper – delicious!! Makes lots of batter so had enough to left over to make a dozen cup-cakes as well and my kids were over-joyed (cupcakes & cake on the same day)! I didn’t make the frosting because I knew my son would prefer butter chocolate icing but will try the sour-cream icing as soon as I can. I’m so glad I stumbled across your receipe and can’t wait to try out others. Thanks so much for sharing!!
FYI, this produced way more batter than I was expecting. I got almost 4 dozen cupcakes out of this recipe, 45 cupcakes to be exact.
And they were yummy!
would subbing mexican crema for the sour cream work? it’s not quite as thick which might be a problem?
Hi Deb, I love your cakes!! I am trying to make this cake for 150 people!! It’s my first time baking a cake this large and to top it off I just realized that a full sheet cake (18×24) will not fit in my oven. So I’m hoping to use this recipe to fill 12×18″ pans. Do you have any idea of how many cakes I would need to make and how how I can multiply this recipe which is originally for a 9×13? Thanks!!
annie — I think it should work just fine.
Cathy — This is the best resource for pan size conversions.
Hi! Just made the devil dog cake…it’s awesome but I’m not sure how I’m going to finish it…Also just finished this recipe…went with cupcakes…I have 24 baking and a TON of batter left! May make a square layer cake or something…not sure. I wish I had more cupcake pans!! I am officially hooked on your site! Thanks so much…
Fabulous, easy, perfect. I frosted it with whipped cream and strawberries for a spontaneous summer solstice garden party. THANKS Deb!!
omg i just made this cake and it is beeeeaaauuuttttiiiffffffuuulllll : )
I made it for my father-in laws birthday tomorrow,and i cant wait to show it off (especially in-front of my mother-in law…heehee)……thank you so much for the great recipe!!!!
Hi! I’ve been a long-time fan and lurker, but I’m not sure if I ever commented. I tried this recipe over the weekend as a test-run for some birthday party cupcakes (for a 1-year-old son of a friend at work), and I have to say that it is SO good. (I added Magnolia’s chocolate buttercream.)
Thanks very much for all that you share with us. I really appreciate it. Everything is a feast for the senses here…the taste buds and the eyes.
I have never liked any yellow cakes except the ones that come out of the box. But this cake was delicious! I did misplace my vanilla though so I added a bit of cinnamon for flavor. The cinnamon played fabulously off of the chocolate icing. Thanks for the recipe!
Deb – I bookmarked this recipe 6 months ago, but there were 3 other yellow cake recipes on my list already. I made them one by one as occasions arose – too dense, off taste, too spongy. This morning I finally got around to this one. I don’t know why it took me so long, I should never have doubted you.
I used 2 T lemon juice filled to 2 C soy milk instead of buttermilk. It came out amazing!
I made this recipe last night and it turned out great. I will say that I had a huge amount of batter and made more like 3 dozen cupcakes. Luckily I had enough of everything to fill them with lemon curd and frost them with a strawberry buttercream. And really, too many cupcakes is a good problem to have.
Deb I made this over the weekend for my friends 30th birthday and what a hit it was! It was delicious and beautiful and I loved it and I’ve never been anyone to love a tasteless yellow cake. Thank you!
My 5-year old niece proclaimed this the “best birthday cake EVER!” – a huge compliment coming from her (by the way – I concur!)
I just wanted you to know that this recipe has become my traditional birthday cake. My mom added this recipe to our family recipe book and is actually making this cake this weekend for my birthday. Thank you.
Hi, just wanted to share that I made this cake substituting yogurt for the buttermilk (1 to 1 substitution) and it turned out great. Thanks for the recipe!
My daughter has a milk allergy. After about a year of trying different “dairy free” cake recipes, I’ve starting just trying regular recipes substituting milk with almond milk and butter with Earth’s Balance buttery sticks. THIS recipe was simply THE BEST! Even with my substitutions! Most of the family was amazed that I’d finally baked a cake that tasted “normal” as well as moist and delicious! I added 2 Tbsp vinegar to the almond milk to make the substitution for the buttermilk (i assume otherwise the baking soda wouldn’t have done its magic).
I made this for my daughter’s first birthday – it was teddy bear shaped cake and frosted with a chocolate buttercream (i wanted to try the sour cream frosting subbing “better than sour cream” but was afraid it wouldn’t be the right texture to pipe the fur with). Wish I could share the pic ….
Thanks again for a great recipe! Even when made dairy free! Hooray!!
Made last night for a bday party for all adults. Cake was easy to make and came out of the pans BEAUTIFULLY. Not sweet enough for my taste though. The frosting was much to sour for me and my friends, however. Will definitely remember this cake recipe for its ease, and maybe next time pair it with a very sweet frosting for balance. thanks!
this cake is absolutely delicious and turned out perfect. thank you SO much. I have had the exact same search as you – and this cake is it!
the person I baked the cake for wanted raspberries and chocolate, so I mixed in a jar of raspberry jam with the frosting included here. it made it just sweet enough. I think if I had added the jam to a sweeter frosting, it would have been overly saccharine.
thanks again, Miss Deb. :)
I made this cake a few weeks ago for my husband’s birthday. In that specific cake, I used two round pans for the layered version. The cake itself (I used a different frosting in which I messed-up the proportion of ingredients, so the frosting was a complete and bitter dud) was the most delicious yellow cake we’ve ever had. My husband has mentioned the cake several times since, he was so impressed.
I had a hankering today for something sweet so I thought I’d make this cake again paying close attention to the details of ingredients necessary for the frosting we selected. My husband isn’t a sour cream fan, so the frosting you propose here is out of the question. In this version, however, I attempted to bake the cake in a 9 x 13 pan.
I will say that I feel pretty confident I followed the steps accurately, but the two cakes were very different to me. My husband didn’t notice as much, or either did not feel comfortable telling me so, since I can be a big baby when it comes to criticism in cooking, but I found that the texture was altogether better in the 9 inch round layer cakes as opposed to the single 9 x 13 pan version.
The 9 x 13 version took quite a while to cook, as expected, but the sides finished so much more quickly than the middle that the sides were extremely dry in the finished cake. And yes, the cake is more reminiscent of cornbread – something that definitely did not cross my mind, ever, with the first go ’round in the 9 inch pans.
All of this to say that I wholeheartedly believe that this cake should not be made in a 9 x 13 pan without some adjustments. I am not a very skilled baker, so I can’t say what those adjustments would be, but I do know that the results were different enough that I will never make this cake in anything but 9 inch round pans because the 9 x 13 pan does not do this cake justice.
Cupcakes may work fine, considering they cook more quickly, however I will have to work up the nerve to give that a go. Using the 9 inch round pans produce such a beautiful, tender and most delicious cake that I probably won’t even risk it unless I’m fooling around and make one regular layer (just in case!) and the rest in cupcake form.
Made this cake today for my husband’s birthday. It turned out AWESOME! I’ve never made a cake that wasn’t from a box, and now won’t ever use a box again. Thank you for having a website with good food recipes. I’ll be frosting it with Buttercream frosting with a raspberry puree between the layers. Thanks again!
I just made this cake for a friends birthday with my own little tweak to it, I made it into a lemon blackberry cake. It was amazing! This will definitely be my go to yellow cake.
How many people do you suppose a two layer 9 inch round cake serves?
Finally, a yellow cake recipe that doesn’t let me down! My birthday is tomorrow, and yes, I make my own birthday cakes so I can control what goes into them. For the past couple weeks, I’ve been all over the internet trying various yellow cake recipes in order to find the perfect one for my birthday. All of them claimed to be light, fluffy, and moist in the end… and not surprisingly, they all turned out flat and dry. I came across Smitten Kitchen and found this recipe, which looked very promising to me. With my birthday only a day away, I gave it a shot.
I used all of the exact ingredients that the recipe called for with a few minor adjustments. Warning to anyone to hasn’t made this cake yet: Use a VERY large bowl to mix your ingredients together! I used the largest mixing bowl I had and it was literally about to overflow. This recipe yields a lot of mix!
I used about 1/4 less cup of sugar than the recipe calls for, and added in a squeeze (probably about a tablespoon) of agave nectar to add in the extra sweetness. I filled two 9-inch cake pans, plus spared a little extra to make one cupcake as a tester.
I set my timer for 35 minutes (though, the cupcake was done in about 15-20) and checked on the cake. The cakes had risen significantly (more than any other cake-from-scratch I’ve made before) and the toothpick came out clean, though I put it back in the oven for another five minutes just to let it reach it’s golden brown color. I then removed them and placed them on cooling racks.
Once my cupcake cooled, I took a bite and was very, very satisfied with the outcome. The cake had cooled without becoming dull and try. It was still fluffy, moist, and delicious! I couldn’t believe that I had finally found a yellow cake recipe that didn’t let me down. I’m very satisfied. My cakes are currently in the fridge, and I’m going to icing them with my own chocolate buttercream icing, which I think will be a perfect pair. I’m looking forward to sharing it tomorrow!
the recipe makes about 40 cupcakes that cook for 10-15 minutes at 350.
and oh yeah, they are DELICIOUS!
Dear Deb
this cake was my 2nd attempt at your celebration cake recipes after the stupendous success of double chocolate layer cake that i baked for my hubby’s birthday. and this cake lived upto its name! i baked it for one of my friends birthday and it turned out so well..softest, fluffiest and yummiest yellow cake ever! Birthday girl swooned over it and couldnt stop thanking me for baking her this beauty. people around me say that i am turning into quite a baker but i have to say that i have only you to thank!
i just realized your celebration list doesnt yet have a german black forst cake. not ur type? would love to give it a try if u post it sometime coz if it comes from ur blog, then its gonna work for sure!
hope ur lad is doing great!
love
pooja
Made this cake this past weekend and will not be using this recipe again. Cake was so very dry and very little flavor to the cake.
Hi deb! I just tried this recipe and I must say that despite previous comments, if you do follow it well, you get a cake with fantastic flavour. However, I’ve got some problems with the baking time.
I made it as a birthday cake the first time and when I sliced off the domes the cake was this unbaked-looking pale yellow underneath, nothing like the lovely picture you have. The domes tasted FANTASTIC though.
The second time I made cupcakes and they all turned out different! Most of them turned out dry and BROWN on the inside, alot of gluten looking things and the only soft, tasty yellow cake I managed to get was from some almost-burnt ones that had the perfect yellow on the inside. So I stuck the rest back and got them to the same colour but they all came out brown and icky again.
As you can see, I’m pretty much going mad about the baking time. Help please! :(
I’ve tried out many recipes from your blog – my stomach and my husband thank you very much for all the great recipes! But… this one absolutely takes the cake! (no pun intended! Well… maybe a little!)
I made the cake last night as a test for my mom’s birthday (I also used a little of the batter to make a couple cupcakes as “testers”)… after one bite I immediately ran outside to find my husband so we could drool together over the fluffy, “tastes like out of the box, but better” cupcake! This is exactly the recipe I have been searching for! Thank you!
My sister is Jenette (shown above), and we LOVE your blog! Every night I work until 11:30 at night, then have to go get my 2 kids, and drive home to our house, without talking to anyone on my way home. When Jenette called me at midnight to tell me I HAD to come over to her house to try a cupcake – I was surprised that she was awake (first of all), and second of all – I knew it HAD to be delicious!!! And it was! Driving over to her house to have that 1 moist, delicious, amazing cupcake was definitely worth the extra 15 minutes of being awake after a long night of work! Thank you for the amazing recipie!!!
Oh yes, this is quite the cake!
It is buttery, super moist and absolutely delicious!
(Tracy, I hope you give this recipe another chance…perhaps the baking gods were napping while you were whipping…)
I baked one for my dad’s birthday and enveloped it in a swiss meringue buttercream….If I could walk on clouds, I’m sure that sensation would rival eating this dream cake.
Intend on making another one for my son’s birthday…
…I know, great excuse.
It was quite dry. I followed step to step and it was really dry. I do not know what is wrong but I would suggest adding something else, nobody in my family liked it.
Just as “tartar” reported, my cake was also dry. Four cups of flour plus a little extra seems like a lot of flour to me. I did use cake flour and sifted the dry ingredients as stated in the recipe. I will try the recipe again, buttermilk cakes usually are much better than those without buttermilk, but I will use a little less flour. Has anyone made this in 3 – 9″ pans? My layers were very tall.
Baked this cake today for dear daughter’s 9th birthday. Moist delicious cake perfection.
I checked my pans before baking and they were only 9×1 &1/2 so I held back some of the batter and baked off six cupcakes separate from the two 9 inch layers. I’d make this again any day – I think it would be wonderful with whipped cream icing and blueberries… lots of possibilities. This is a keeper. Thanks Deb :)
I exploited this for cupcakes. Normally, I’m very critical of everything I bake, but I thought that these came out perfect. Super moist and fluffy and perfectly sweet. My mother claims that she’s never made a moist yellow cake and that it is therefore impossible. As this is was my first yellow cake attempt, I am quite pleased with myself. Wahaha.
For the cake, I used AP flour twice sifted. To curb any rogue sourness of the frosting, I used semi-sweet chocolate and leaned a little heavy on the corn syrup.
I’m making this for my husbands 40th birthday today! I was so happy to find a beautiful cake to make him :) Thank you so much for the recipe!!
Just wanted to thank you for an amazing cake recipe, I have made it twice now, once for a Birthday cake for my mom and then just this past week as cupcakes (recipe made about 26 cupcakes for me) for a bridal shower, and have gotten raves both times,
It is a delicious cake and come together really well, just one tiny word of caution others making this cake- boy does it rise, a lot! for the cake I made 2- 9inch rounds and could have easily split the batter into 3 and would have still had very tall cake layers, and the cupcakes did the same and rose to very high hights even though I only filled the liners to 3/4 full, but its all good and tastey!!! thanks again deb for a great recipe!!
If it helps anyone I just made four 6-inch layers from the recipe and they turned out great. I baked them for 34 minutes at 350 degrees. And I may have had a few spoonfuls of batter, yummy! I can’t wait to taste it all frosted up. Thanks Deb.
I was hoping this would end my search for the best cake recipe but alas, it hasn’t. This made a very dense cake (it was moist) but felt more similar to a pound cake than a regular cake. I didn’t make any substitutions and followed the recipe to the “T” The taste was okay but nothing special.
Literally just took this cake out of the oven about 20 mins ago….cooled the full 10 mins, scraped sides of my 2 8-inch pans and inverted as per instructions. a good, uneven 1/4 of the cakes stayed in the pans. i did not use parchment, but i did butter pans and dusted with (cake) flour before adding batter. where did i go wrong?
Yikes. I have never had a cake stick to the pan once lined with parchment, which is why I always recommend it.
ok so always use parchment – check! made the choc sour cream frosting today, and it’s beyond fabulous. words can’t express how amazing this stuff is! i too was a tad concerned about the sour cream base being too, well, sour, and at a particular moment in the making – even with all ingredients – it is too sour. nevertheless, there’s some sort of magic that happens once you’ve added just the right amount of corn syrup and voila – it’s frosting perfection! i’m making this cake for my son’s 2nd bday tomorrow, and it looks great (even though it’s a tad lopsided what with my parchment debacle from last night). used all your layer cake suggestions….freezing, etc. definitely makes everything easier. i’m making the swiss buttercream as i write this – just tasted, and it’s the best frosting i’ve ever had in my life! thanks so much, deb, for posting these recipes and for your excellent instructions.
Was wanting to make a birthday cake for celebrating September birthdays at our church. Didn’t want the typical way-too-sweet concoction that usually passes for birthday cake, so I googled “best birthday cake ever” and your recipe came up. Pure heaven. Went together like a dream. Didn’t have enough cake flour on hand, so added two tablespoons of cornstarch to each cup of flour called for; didn’t have buttermilk, so added one tablespoon vinegar to each cup of buttermilk called for; and even with these substitutions, it turned out light, fluffy and perfect tasting. I made two eight-inch layers and baked for 42 minutes. Came out like golden perfection.
And that icing!! Oh my gosh, that’s the best stuff ever. And goes on perfectly. The addition of the colorful sprinkles around the edges puts a little added sparkle on that which I did not think could be improved/ It says “birthday celebration” in such a simple and dignified way without screaming it out the way candles would.
Now, I can hardly wait to try more of your recipes. This one goes into my book with fives stars and a great big “WINNER” stamped across it, for sure and will be baked for many more birthday celebrations to come, I am certain. So thank you, thank you, thank you!!! for sharing it with your readers.
Blessings galore,
Kate
This is a wonderful recipe and I am convinced that my yellow cake search ends here! I didn’t expect them to be so fluffy and soft, nor rise like they did. They really produced results that I’ve been looking for – you don’t know how relieved I am! I made half the recipe and that yielded enough for 24 mini cupcakes and 5 standard size cupcakes. Baking time for me was 13 minutes for minis and 18 minutes for standard. All I can say is, THANK YOU!! And to the readers: MAKE THIS ONE!! :D
It might have to do with your oven’s temperature. It might be worth it to buy a cheapo oven thermometer to check how accurrate your oven reads compared to its setting.
I liked this, but thought it would’ve been better as a three-layer cake. It was just so huge for a two-layer cake, but I guess I should’ve realized this, what with the whopping 4 cups of flour, when most other cakes have about 2! I used a different chocolate frosting recipe, but for decorating/writing on the cake I used the peanut butter frosting from your chocolate-peanut butter cake. I am in LOVE with that peanut butter frosting and have made it several times.
hi
thank you for your recepie.
can i use heavy cream inset of sourcream and buttermilk?
what should i use if i want to make it parve?
thank you so much
I just made this with the Instant Fudge Frosting and it is without a doubt the best cake I’ve ever made. I too am a new mom and could see myself using this recipe for birthday cake for the rest of my life. Thank you!! For me this made 27 standard size cupcakes and some of them were burnt on the edges after only 13 minutes, so if you make cupcakes check them early and often!
Through years i have been wishing to get the best yellow cake recipe ever… i searched and found one and other that was very very good but didn’t take my breath away until this one… OMG I can’t believe it, I don’t want to know about any other recipe EVER, actually, I just made it 30 minutes ago and my husband is almost going for the third cupcake! beautiful cake, delicious flavor, thick crumb, this was what I was looking for… It made 12 huge cupcakes and then i put some frosting on a piping bag with a big tip and insert it in the cupcake almost to the base and fill it with the delicious chocolate mousse, then frost the top and sprinkle about 1/2 tbs chopped pecans… I will be making this forever!!!
This is cooling, fresh out of the oven now, for my daughter’s 3rd birthday. It looks delicious and huge – it didn’t overflow the pans, but I had a jelly roll pan on the bottom rack in the oven just in case. But I like a tall cake. (Also, I catch your Ramona reference!)
This cake is lovely, it is so much better than any yellow birthday cake I have ever had. I like how it expanded so much, and it is neither too dense nor airy. I made the cake plain with out the frosting for a lighter dessert. I hope it will convince my Russian husband to like American birthday cake!
I made this cake for a celebration lunch today and it was heavenly. Light, fluffy, and the recommended instant fudge frosting is so easy it’s almost magical. A great recipe for many years to come.
Thank you for this recipe! I have always been scared of trying cakes that aren’t from a box. This one was great! I made it into cupcakes and it made 24 + a one layer 6″ cake!! The cupcakes did kind of go in haphazard directions, is that because I didn’t get the air bubbles out?
I made this cake this weekend for my son’s 2nd bday (seriously, it goes by too quickly!). I was determined to find a great cake recipe as last year, after making a chocolate cake recipe from your site (don’t remember which) with this icing (the chocolate sour cream) convinced he would love it as much as me (a devout chocolate consumer), he took a bite, did the ‘yucky’ face, and wouldn’t touch it again. Who’s son is he?? :) This cake lived up to it’s name as the BEST birthday cake.He devoured it. It also did well as it was shaped into a “Cars” character topped with marshmallow fondant. The funny thing is as I was making them (2 cakes) Friday night I could tell by the richness of the batter it was a good cake, and a little familiar. The next day after tasting it I got out my husband’s Nana’s famous pound cake recipe and sure enough, your recipe is exactly half of the ingredients in her recipe. I knew it would be fav. Thanks again for the great recipe and one that will be used for years to come!
This cake was absolutely delicious and everyone agreed. It was nearly gone in 10 minutes! I made a chocolate buttercream from another food blog I love (baked bree). It was a wonderful pairing. This was my all time fav combo growing up and I’m thankful to add this to my recipes!
Thank you so much for the recipe. Have tried lots of other yellow cake recipes and this one is the best. Just made it for my partner birthday and frosted with a ganache, was perfect! No need to buy a birthday cake again.
Thanks for a great birthday cake recipe! The quest ended here.
I made this cake for my son’s 5th birthday this past weekend and it came out great. Used two 9″ springforms (well greased and floured, didn’t need parchment) and they came out with great height.
Didn’t have cake flour so I used regular flour + cornstarch based on the formula of 1 cup minus 2 tblsp flour + 2 tblsp cornstarch – and made sure to sift the combo per one of your earlier reader’s comments.
As I never acquired the taste for frosting of any kind I used dulce de leche with chocolate sprinkles between the layers and covered the cake with dulce de leche as well to make it smooth, before I poured chocolate ganache over it. Used a Wilton icing writer to write “happy birthday”.
It didn’t last past the party – which was great though I wouldn’t have minded trying it a day later!
I loved it the way it was though next time I make it, I’m considering adding a little orange zest to the batter.
I’m going to make this for my 30th birthday party… after two failed (fallen) cakes I need a solid recipe for Saturday. I’m going to try the addition of orange zest as Vivicity recommended… I love the comments section and this addition sounds like a good idea!
I just made the sour cream frosting tonight and it was awesome! I was looking for a good chocolate frosting recipe that I could made with ingredients on hand–basically, one that didn’t require confectioner’s sugar. This is way better than my standard chocolate frosting recipe! Will use this from now on. Thanks!!
This is the best yellow cake I have ever tasted. My dad, who has only ever had boxed yellow cake, is going to flip when I make it for him. Thanks Deb!
Dear Deb, I am making this right now for my husband’s birthday tomorrow, Christmas Eve. The batter alone is heavenly..cannot wait to finish the whole thing tomorrow. Thank you
Deb, I just made this for my husband’s birthday on 12/29, and it is nearly gone. There are only two of us in this household to eat it, and there is one piece left.
*gulp*
I think that means he liked it at least as much as I did. :-D Thank you so much for a stellar recipe! I’ll be using this one for our kids’ birthdays whenever we have them (such a good idea to file it away for that!). Thank you heaps!
Just made this and am having trouble not eating it all right now. Luckily we made it so it needed trimming and can have the ends while the cake cools. Perfect yellow cake – Thank you!!
My daughter and my mother-in-law made this cake for my birthday (which is today) and it is the very, very best cake ever. So moist and oh-so-yellow-cake delicious!!! We did not try the sour cream frosting, for fear our daughter would not like it, but will definitely try it next time. I’ve never had such a good birthday cake; yellow cake with choc. frosting is my all-time favorite!
Thank you for the great recipe.
BTW, our 20-year-old niece just told us about your site, and when I googled “best birthday cake”, yours was the first to pop up. It was meant to be!
I blogged about this cake! I made it for my fiance’s surprise party and it was so awesome! I chose to make the chocolate fudge icing you recommended instead of the sour cream one, and it was perfect. Thank you for this recipe! Here’s my blog post if you want to see my final product: http://cookingwithcarly.wordpress.com/2011/01/04/i-made-the-best-birthday-cake-ever-and-it-was/
I decided to try this recipe for a birthday cake I’m making, especially for the simplicity of the ingredients and process. I used some extra batter to make some cupcakes so that I could try it before the party. OMG! It is the BEST from-scratch yellow cake recipe. It will definetely be my go-to from now on. Thanks for sharing it!
I’ve ever, ever successfully made a layer cake, but using your tips and some from Martha, and these recipes, I finally did it! It’s beautiful, and tastes delicious. My family thanks you.
Alright, so I know comment #613 is hardly compelling, but I am just here to tell you: this cake saved my WEEK.
My boy turned six a few days back, and I spent three hours making a “best ever” genoise from Rose Levy Birnbaum’s book. It was a DISASTER, capital everything. The cardboard it sat on was better. Even the polite adults wouldn’t eat it. I served it to twenty. Thank god for ice cream.
Come time to bring cupcakes to the school party the next day, I turned here (which, silly me, is of course where I should have begun). Fast. Easy. Foolproof. SO GOOD.
I’ve been looking five years for a solid, super vanilla cake. I’ve found it. Thanks, Deb.
Hi Deb , u have a wonderfully laid out blog. im definitely gona try this cake. iv made the silky chocolate pudding and all at home loved it. I want to buy a new stand mixer , for all my baking needs.which one do u use? could u please tell me what brand should i buy.
Thanx again
I made this today for my husband’s birthday. I made it with the frosting she suggested here http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/08/espresso-chiffon-cake-with-fudge-frosting/.
This is hands down the best cake I’ve made. Thank you Deb!
Holy crappola- this makes WAY more than two 9-inch rounds worth. Yikes! I guess I should have been smart and realized that the pans shouldn’t be nearly full when you put them in the oven- I now have burnt cake batter all over the bottom of my oven. I scooped out enough batter from each to completely fill up a third 9″ round. It’s not going to be pretty, but maybe I can trim them all enough to make them look halfway decent for my friend’s bday tonight. I’m sure it will be delicious, but I coulda done without the overflowing. Guess I’ll use my brain next time! (Or read the reviews first.)
Am making this for my dad’s 68th birthday, he wants a cake just like his mom used to make, this will hopefully fit the bill! It looks perfect (and I’m heading towards the instant fudge frosting cause he wants a buttercream). Question: have you ever used organic sugar instead of pure granulated white in the cake? We use Trader Joe’s. Do you think this will affect the cake? If so, I’ll go get good ol’ C&H. Thanks for all you do!
Hi again. So I made it with 1/2 C&H granulated and 1/2 organic raw sugar and the overflowing edges I nibbled on were divine. But the middle fell in a bit on each. I live at 4500 ft, could this be a factor? Hope to cover with your frosting and impress my dad to no end! thanks
I, too, have been searching for the perfect from-scratch yellow cake. Thanks for posting it! I have made this recipe several times now and it is always delicious. Halving the recipe makes a very cute 2-layer 6″ round cake and one-quarter of the recipe makes about 10 of the most perfectly-domed, golden cupcakes.
Thanks again, Deb!
Hi, I just have to comment on this recipe. The yellow cake recipe is simply the best! Search no further – you won’t find anything better. This was my first attempt at making a homemade cake and it came out perfect. I made a castle shaped cake for my son’s birthday and everybody loved it! I used the sour cream recipe only I used heavy whipping cream instead of sour cream as I got a little worried about some comments regarding the sourness of the final outcome. I will try it with sour cream as well though! Simply marvelous recipe!!!!!!!
Hi Deb,
I made a variation of this yesterday for my boyfriend’s birthday. He wanted a yellow cake with lots of strawberries and not too much cream, so I used the yellow cake and tried a mascarpone filling and frosting, which didn’t work out – it turned the whipped cream into liquid. In the end I used plain whipped cream. The filling was strawberries macerated in the fridge with sugar and lemon juice, mixed with some fresh chopped ones, and just a little cream. I also painted the cake layers with the strawberry juice. Delicious! Your basic childhood strawberry birthday cake. If anyone is interested, I would suggest slicing more layers out of this, I felt there was a lot of cake and not enough filling.
Second comments allowed on the same post? Hope so. Because after effusing a few weeks back, I’ve made this three more times, with pure awesome results each and every.
Funny thing is, I was just talking to a pastry chef friend yesterday, who told me a good yellow cake is the hardest one to get right. And that *whisper* *whisper* *hush* *hush*, all real pastry chefs use a doctored Pillsbury mix. I can’t confirm that, but I can confirm that this one has performed hands-down for me, four times running, now.
Thanks again, Deb.
I love all of your recipes and have tried a ton of them. However, I must have did something wrong because it can our tasting dry even though it felt really most in my hands. I used lowfat buttermilk because thats all i could find. i wonder if that is the problem. i did not overbake it. after a couple of hours it became really hard. i beat it for a few minutes and maybe that was an issue. not sure. but anyway i also made your carrot cupcakes and it was to die for and i make it at least once a month.
This was not the best yellow cake. I bake quite a bit and the one thing I noticed about this recipe is the baking soda, which does not belong in a yellow cake. The flavor of yellow cake is too light and delicate to withstand baking soda. It should only call for baking powder.
This is why the cake tasted like cornbread.
Second, I think the frosting could have used butter and maybe a bit of sour cream. I liked the silky consistency that the sour cream gave the frosting, but it was a little too sour.
Thanks for your comment. I was wondering why this tasted like cornbread.
~Deb~
I was wondering if there is ANY way to substitute the butter in this recipe?!?!? (I know how to substitute recipes with melted butter as that converts easily to oil) As I don’t cook with butter or shortening. I would love to be able to make this for my own birthday cake on friday (birthday is sat.)….
Thanks soooo much!!!!!!
~Leah~
I made this cake as cupcakes today (with Deb’s instant fudge frosting)–positively delightful. It made 24 cupcakes (filled using 1/4 cup measure), and they baked to perfection in 20 minutes. (There was a smidge of batter left over, which I baked in a little pan on its own.)
I wish I hadn’t used the food processor for the frosting (as per the recipe) because that turned into a bigger mess than seemed necessary–but such a great flavor and texture.
Deb I <3 u!!! I discovered this site a few months ago when I wanted to make my husband some oatmeal raisin cookies…I did and wow they where the best! Actually every recipe that I have made(and I have made several from baked potato soup, to homeade oreos) have just been delish! I am going to make this cake this Sunday for my father-in-law's birthday and can't wait! Thank you for all of your helpful tips and shareful :) writing!!!
Hi …. I baked your vanilla cake today and it was AMAZING !!!!!
thank you soo much for sharing it ..
from now on this is my killer vanilla recipe as you said ;)
I make cakes to order from home, and I have a super moist choclate cake recipe but I was always in search for the one vanilla cake and today I found it !!!!
I am sure you will make an amazing mom … congratulations !!
if you would like to take a look at my cakes I have a facebook group called (Rania’s Cakes) …
have a nice day
Really need to leave a comment here, I’m making the cake now, in a 9×13 pan, and it’s been an hour, and the middle is still not cooked through. SO discouraged. I think your directions said a 9×13 pan would be okay, but perhaps it might be amended to say that TWO 9×13 pans divided would be better? I LOVE your website, so please don’t take this wrong. I’m just really freaked out about how it’s going to work. Making it for my son’s 6th birthday (lego cake) tomorrow, and I’m just sad that I didn’t know better to start with. Could you possible email me and let me know your thoughts on this? Thanks for the recipe. The batter tastes amazing, haven’t tried the cake yet of course.
Tracy — 1 9×13 should be correct, even on the thin side. I use this as my guide; 1 9-inch round holds 6 cups of batter, 1 9×13-inch holds 15.
I have been looking for a long time for a good yellow cake recipe and I think I found it! This cake had a nice moist texture and taste, sweet but not too sweet. I too found that the frosting was too sour so I replaced the sour cream with creme fraiche and it was perfect! So good! The frosting also makes a great dip for strawberries, bananas, etc. The cake and the “strawberry dip” was a big hit at my son’s 17th birthday party!
Finally, chocolate frosting that actually tastes like chocolate!! Made your sour cream frosting for a chocolate cake and was amazed by how good it tasted. I only wish I didn’t have to keep it in the fridge afterward…I’m not crazy about how the fridge changes the texture and moistness of cakes, but it was still great. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Just tried this recipe! Wow the best yellow cake ever, thanks Deb!!
Ha,ha,ha…oh, this is really funny because you were doing the exact thing I am doing right now. Panicing because I don’t have a staple yellow cake. I just stumbled onto your site last week and am very excited to try some of your hard work. Thanks…I let you know how my little boy’s birtday goes!
Thanks for this recipe! My love for cake is deep and true, but I’ve never been able to make my own and have it turn out this great! The instant fudge frosting was amazing, as well. Sadly, I had no confetti sprinkles.
Delicious! Thanks Deb!
No clue why I ever go anywhere else first for a recipe…. this is the 4th white recipe I’ve tried for my son’s first birthday and it is definitely the winner! Thanks as usual Deb!
I halved the recipe to use in two 6″ pans to make a small cake for my son’s birthday. I started checking it at 20 minutes and it took somewhere between 25 and 30 to be completely baked through. I made the same cake last year and loved it, just wanted to share my luck changing the size to smaller pans in case anyone else is looking to downsize. (Crazy, I know, but we are celebrating twice in one week and I just didn’t need the leftovers sitting around or my pregnant self will put on about 20 pounds. Mmm cake)
Love, love, love. Thank you.
This time I made the cake ahead, and the layers are in the freezer. I’ll finish it tomorrow, with your delicious fudge frosting inside, and the monkey-face frosting / decoration on the top.
Q: Should I let the cakes thaw the cakes before filling and frosting?
This cake is so good. It’s just a cake you might say…….then you take a slice……WOW
This looks amazing! I want to send my boyfriend a birthday cake by post (he lives across the country). What is the best cake to send? Is there such a thing? Of course, I’d like it to be as festive as possible, but making it to the door is the first priority. Thanks for the delicious eats!
This looks so good! Deb, I am searching for a “strawberry cake” recipe for my daughter’s 4th birthday (her special request), and I’m wondering if this recipe could be tweaked by reducing the amount of liquid, buttermilk in this case, and add in pureed strawberries? Maybe sub. a 1/2 cup? If you get a chance, I’d love to know what your thoughts are on that. I’d hate to “wreck” a recipe that looks so perfect! Thank you!
Erin — You should check out this cake.
Thank you! That looks awesome. It’s exactly what I hope my daughter’s cake will look like. Though, that’s a whole lotta egg whites. Doesn’t make the cake too dry? I love buttermilk cake, so I may try some experimenting. It can ONLY be delicious right?
I have 2 basic baking questions that I have never found an answer to. Although I have been baking for EVER and do a lot of catering, I’ve never understood why recipes call for “unsalted butter” but turn around and add salt to the recipe. Also, when alternating dry ingredients with wet ones why do we always start and end with the dry ones?
Thank you so much! Love your recipes and the time you take to share with us!
Adding salt allows you to control the amount of salt that goes in. Depending on the brand of butter, a stick may have anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt (sometimes less or more) in it. You have no way of adjusting for that in a recipe so most recipe writers suggest unsalted. The dry-wet-dry (“DWDWD” in professional recipes) simply mixes better. Try wet-dry-wet one day and you’ll see that it’s more difficult to get to a smooth batter. Basically, it’s easier to thicken then thin a batter smoothly than to thin then thicken it without lumps.
For some weird reason, I just *had* to make a cake this weekend and it became this one. I halved the recipe and followed the directions to a tee, and it came out great. The frosting recipe was also halved and it was a nice amount for one 9-inch round cake, cut in half to make a mini layer cake. While the icing is more sour/less sweet than most frostings, I enjoyed the change, especially its lovely smooth texture. I did need to set the frosting out for 15ish minutes to soften up for the icing process. Thanks as always for the recipe and the inspiration.
Do you think I could use a bundt pan with this recipe. My daughter and I agree this is the one for my husband’s birthday.
this looks amazing. my sister’s 19th birthday is in a week and this is what I will be baking for her. I am incredibly excited.
Hi Deb,
I’m gearing up to make a wedding cake for my little sister’s wedding, and was wondering what your current preferences would be for a yellow wedding cake–do you think the Sky High cake that you used is a better bet for a multi-layered, made-ahead-and-frozen wedding cake, or would you use this best birthday cake recipe for a wedding cake if you had it all to do over again?
Thanks so much for all the inspiration!
Hi,
I made this cake tonight and it certainly was light and fluffy but for some reason mine did not really have a ton of flavor. I made cupcakes and topped it with a chocolate buttercream frosting and it completley overpowered the cake. I followed your recipe to the T, is it really just a very light, mild tasting cake? Thanks :) (Overall, it is the best consistency I have ever tasted in a cake-although it did kind of stick to my cupcake tins..)
This was such a disappointment. Not only did the cake taste like cornbread, but the whole thing completely fell apart as I was taking it out of the pan. I’ve never had a cake do that before, and it was so discouraging, especially since this was the much-researched recipe for a cake for my baby’s first birthday party. I love this website, the photos, and the writing, but this recipe did not work for me.
However, the pieces of shattered cake were quite tasty.
This is indeed the Best Birthday Cake EVER!!! I baked it the other night for Mr. Tall Drink of Water, and he was smitten. :-) Thank you for sharing your gifts and talents with us!
The cake part turned out good. Unfortunately nobody liked the frosting. People said it was too bitter tasting. The combination of the sourcream/chocolate wasn’t a hit. Kind of disappointing.
DId you audition the cupcakes yet? I’m looking for great cupcake recipes for a birthday party next weekend. I’m tempted to try this as you’ve never steered me wrong! Just curious how you found this recipe for cupcakes, if you’ve ever tried :)
I should have learned my lesson the last time I made a cake with buttermilk, but alas…I’m a sucker for Smitten Kitchen recipes. This one tasted just like the last one, a dense buttermilk pancake. The batter was really fluffy going into the pans, so I thought for sure it was going to be that way after baking. It tastes good if you like buttermilk pancakes, but not if you’re looking for a real true fluffy yellow cake.
The frosting is the bomb though! I used Ghiradelli 60% coca chips and only 1/4 cup of the syrup. It’s tart and very chocolatey! Not for those that like sickeningly sweet frosting.
I used this recipe for cupcakes this past week. The cake is delicious. I needed about 50 cupcakes for my son’s baptism, so I doubled the recipe thinking I would get just that amount. To my surprise, doubling the recipe gave me over 70 cupcakes. I made them a few days in advance, and they froze very well. I just had one today, a week after I initially made them, and 3 days since they were unfrozen and they were still moist and delicious. I used a white chocolate orange cream cheese frosting and everyone loved them. Thanks for sharing!
I made this into cupcakes last week, with rave reviews. The full recipe made 30 cupcakes (probably could have even gotten 36 if I had evenly filled all of my cups and scraped the bowl). I halved the frosting recipe and had just enough for moderately frosted cakes. I wound up using closer to the higher amount of corn syrup in the frosting, and while I found it sour on its own, it really balanced nicely with the cupcakes. I particularly liked that it didn’t have the gritty sweetness that some frosting has, or even the heavy, buttery taste of a buttercream. I probably wouldn’t recommend it for kids, but I think it’s a lovely frosting for adults.
Can anyone recommend a different frosting with this cake? Vanilla? I’m not particularly fond of chocolate icing.
I just made this for my husband’s birthday and it was fantastic. So simple. So tasty. I made (4) 8″ layers for a more dramatic effect and frosted with a chocolate ganache. This will not result in that bland, boring yellow cake from the box (or bakery). It has flavor. It looks beautiful; so yellow and cuts well. I think it would make a lovely cupcake that will not result in a pile of crumbs. I felt like I was eating a substantial piece of cake (I wasn’t trying to have a 2nd piece until breakfast the next day). Moist and tasty. I’m keeping this recipe and making it often. Thank you.
I have been silently using your website for about two years now, and it is FANTASTIC. Obviously. I wanted to make a great basic yellow cake for an Oscar party we had this year. I used one of the recipes in Gourmet’s “best of” yellow cookbook, which has never failed me before. Well. What a terrible, terrible fail that was. Following the recipe to a T, it was dry, dense, and awful, like they had listed the wrong amount of butter and eggs or something. I need to redeem myself from my first public baking disaster ever so I came directly to your site (I should have done that in the first place!) and will be making this recipe this weekend and delivering the results to my various Oscar party guests. I know it will be fantastic. Thank you for existing!
I just made it as cupcakes, and I was disappointed too. I liked it, but it won’t be my go-to birthday cake recipe. I did find the frosting too sour to be appealing, and I didn’t find the cake as moist as I would like. Agreed – a rare miss for SK.
this looks amazing.I can’t wait to try this out
Let’s just start by saying I am making my boss’s 50th birthday cake. I am an accomplished baker but like most of us still haven’t found my perfect b’day yellow cake recipe. Well unfortunately this isn’t it either. Thank goodness I did a practice run last night since this recipe is new to me. The cake wasn’t bad it just really lacked the moist, buttery flavor I was hoping for. It didn’t even taste like “birthday” cake to me. The pictures looked so wonderful! Mine wasn’t as yellow though. I guess it’s back to the drawing board. I will try some of these other beautiful looking cake recipes soon.
So I just watched the video under the Espresso Chiffon cake recipe where you make this cake and it says 1 c. buttermilk. Yet the recipe above calls for 2 c. buttermilk which is how I made this. That’s probably why I had way too much batter & the flavor was diluted. I filled (3) 8in cake pans & still had left over batter. I will give this another shot with only 1 cup of buttermilk.
I’ve been baking for 40+ years, and have done everything, except make a consistently incredible yellow cake. The recipe my mother effortlessly used to create perfect cakes has never worked for me. And then I found your recipe. I am thrilled. The batter is luscious looking and the cake does indeed come out plush and delicious. This one is going into my hand-written go-to collection of recipes that I keep close by at all times. Thank you!
Monica — The recipe here is correct. That video was not made by me, but by someone making the cake for a project I was doing; I hadn’t realized it was incorrect but am overdue to take the videos down anyway, to prevent further confusion. So thanks for the heads up.
Julie — Thank you!
Julie–My partner requested a home made yellow cake with chocolate frosting for his birthday, last week. I had been searching for an amazing yet approachable recipe when viola! I stumbled upon your web site. Your recipe turned out beautifully! And, I was so happy with my efforts, you may have made a convert out of me… :-)
I had been searching and searching for the perfect yellow cake recipe and I can honestly say the search is over, this cake is YUMMY!!! I used this recipe for cupcakes and my only problem was that the cupcakes were a little crumbly, does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks~
I just made this today. It came out great! It was my first time making a yellow cake and everyone seems to love it so far. I didn’t have sour cream so I just used the Hershey’s chocolate frosting recipe. Thank you so much for this recipe. I’m using it for my friend’s baby shower cake next weekend!
I made this recipe into mini-cupcakes with the Fudge Frosting for my friend’s baby shower and they turned out PERFECTLY. They are SO delicious. This is my new go-to recipe for cakes. Thanks for your great post! And I’ve started combing your blog for other great recipes :)
Hi! I just made this cake. It’s literally sitting in the kitchen as I speak. I have yet to taste it. I did taste the batter which was really good. I’m making a simple chocolate frosting with this. It’s for my dad’s birthday! :) I have no kids. Lol. Im not even married. I’m still in high school actually, but I just love baking. It’s nice to know I’ll already have great cake recipes when I have kids. Lol. Thank you. :)
I’ve made this cake many, many times–with buttermilk and with normal milk (and with “homemade buttermilk”–milk+a tablespoon lemon juice), with added orange or lemon zest, with reduced sugar, and always with twice the listed amount of vanilla. I’ve made it as a layer cake and as cupcakes (using 1/4 cup batter for each yielded 26, baked for 15-20 mins). I can see myself looking experimenting with other yellow cakes in the future, but so far this one has served me very well.
i just wanted to let you know i made two batches of this cake for a layer cake i was making. i inadvertently left out the baking powder out of one batch – (it happens more often than you would think) – and that batch made the most incredible soft light fine textured cake. the one with the baking soda came out with a bit more “coarse” of a crumb. i think whenever i make this cake again i will purposely omit the baking soda. it was seriously divine!!
Love your site! Been reading for a while now, but this is my first time finally making once of your recipes and likewise, my first time leaving a post. I made this yellow cake and thought it was rather good taste-wise, although, personally, I would have preferred something a bit more moist (maybe swap some butter for oil) and with a bit more of that yellow cake flavor (more egg yolks?). As for the real disappointment. I baked half in a nine inch and half in an eight and a half inch (then trimmed the former to 8 1/2 inches. Both (made in calphalon non-stick, spring form pans) browned far too much on the sides and bottom, and I baked for 40 minutes–at 30 and 35 toothpick did not come out clean. The brownness was way too dry and almost burnt tasting. The result I had to shave off layers of cake. Any ideas as to why this happened?
Did you take it out as soon as it was done or follow the timer? If your oven runs hot, it might have been done much sooner. That’s about all I can guess at, not being in the kitchen with you.
Hi Deb, I love love love your website, it’s my main source of foodie procrastination! I’m planning to bake this for my boyfriend’s birthday next week, but wondered if there’s any way you could give me accurate cup to gram/ounce conversions for the ingredients? On the recipes where you’ve only got US measurements I always do rough conversions, and it normally works out ok, but don’t really want to take a risk guessing this time, as my baking rep’s riding on turning out a perfect birthday cake! Thanks!
I just added the weights in.
Great, thanks Deb.
Wow, been back to the site regularly, as usual, but it barely occured to me to check back on my post. Thanks, deb, for responding! What a great surprise. I actually took the cake out right away, and I have not had this issue before. And as noted, I checked the cake at both 30 and 35 minute- center was still wet. Oh well..something must have gone awry somewhere. But after the shaving of teh outermost layer and frosting the cake, it looked beautifully picturesque and everyone absolutely loved it. I’m thinking of doing a litttle experimentation next time to get a moister crumb–just personal preference… Thanks again!
Do you think the cake and frosting could be made two days ahead? I want to make this for my husband’s birthday party Saturday night but we have plans Friday night and I have all kinds of other appetizers to make Saturday during the day. I would wrap the cake and frost it the day of. I could make the frosting the day of, too, if you think it’d be better that way. Thank you for your thoughts!
Sounds delicious! I want to make this for my husband’s birthday, which is on Saturday. I would just like to know if there any way I can replace the corn syrup for the frosting by making sugar syrup? And if yes, how much sugar and water should I combine and does it have to boil? Am an unexperienced baker, so could use your advice. Also, if I can make this look good (which is definitely not guaranteed:), I would like to share a picture of my cake including your recipe on my blog if that’s ok. Would appreciate your thoughts on this!
I am new here and I found yours from BABBLE blog site and I am very glad that I did because I enjoy your food/ personal blog. I added yours to my speed dial. Your cake is absolutely beautiful and I know that I will try your recipe one day. And also, your photos are incredibly gorgeous!
Aloha Nui Loa!
I really like your blog, especially for desert recipes. I have sort of used this recipe last year, with a bit of modifications: I have my own recipe for the yellow cake and I don’t dare to try another one as mine works very well. Also, I used honey instead of corn syrup for the frosting, and I added some dulce de leche underneath the chocolate frosting. I think the extra caramel makes it more appealing for adults. And I will make this cake again this weekend for my son’s 6th birthday. I am making it rectangular with four layers, no caramel, and corn syrup instead of honey, and no coffee. It should feed 20 kids. I already made a trial version, and it was a success. Definitely best birthday cake for a kid’s party. One suggestion: I prefer making it one day in advance so that it becomes really moist. Also, I am making the brownie-mosaic cheesecake for the party with the family, and that cake is also very good, but it really needs one day in the fridge to be at its best. So thank you for your work, I’m really taking good advantage of it.
I just made this cake today. In fact, it just came out of the oven, OMG it smells so good!! I am currently 4 months pregnant and I have been craving cake (not even eating them as much as making them)! I have made one a week and I am glad to have found this one, I dreamt about yellow cake and had to have it! Last week was a Mexican Chocolate layer cake with a dk. chocolate ganache. What should I make next week?…Cooks Country had an interesting one in their latest issue “Strawberry Dream Cake”.
This is by far the best yellow cake recipe. It’s easy to to put together and produces a cake with perfect texture and flavor. I’ve made this cake two times and had fantastic results. I also mix in a small bag of mini chocolate chips at the end.
Thanks so much for all of your fabulous recipes and photos. I am going to attempt to make this cake for my son’s first birthday party and I’ll be using a 10x15x3″ cake pan. Apparently I’ll need 16 cups of batter. Any idea how many cups your recipe makes?
So grateful for your site and the courage it gives me in my own kitchen. Do you have a good cake recipe for a baby’s first birthday. My first will be having his one year birthday next month and I’m having a hard time finding a cake and frosting recipe that is low in sugar. It would also be nice if it appealed to adults so I could make one mini cake for him and one big one for our guest. Any tips would be greatly appreciated! Thanks again!!
Rochelle — I did a Monkey Cake for my son’s first birthday. It’s neither low nor obscenely high in sugar.
I am planning to make this into cupcakes for my daughter’s first birthday, and I wondered if I could make them in advance. The internets say I can, but seem to differ on refrigeration or not. I would like to make them as much as 48 hours ahead of time if possible.
I am a very firm believer in baking then freezer for maximum freshness/moisture. If you freeze them, you can even bake them a week or more in advance, as long as they’re wrapped well. They’ll be like new.
I just pulled these cupcakes out of the oven. They are AMAZING looking. Watching them bake was a little nerve wracking because they looked like they were going to flatten but the plumped up perfectly. I brushed them with some maple syrup and then tomorrow morning I’m going to brush them with a swipe of Bailey’s mixed with more syrup and garnish them with a piece of caramelized bacon. YUM!
How long should I mix everything? I tried the recipe but it keeps coming out with holes so I dont know if I am undermixing or overmixing the batter with a strong stand mixer. Do you have exact times for mixing in each step? I really love the way this cake taste I just struggle a little b/c sometimes its seems rough with lots of holes when I make it.Thanks!
By the way I love your site!! Beautiful job very inspirational.
This cake is perfection. Thanks for it and all your other fabulous recipes.
I know this post is old, but I made this cake over the weekend for my daughter’s first birthday, but with buttercream frosting, and it received rave reviews!
Hello Deb,
A question – I was challenged by my 5 yrs. old to make her a teapot-shaped cake for her b’day tea party this weekend. I found some recipes/ideas, practically all of them calling for boxed mix, which I prefer not to use. I went to your website and here it is, a perfect recipe! Do you think I can bake it in a bowl? The recipes I found are talking about 50 or so min. per cake.
Your advice is highly appreciated!
Thank you!
Hmm. I made cupcakes with this recipe, and while the taste is perfect, the cupcakes came out a little tough. Not dry, but lacking that delicious, tender crumb that I like best in a cake. It might be the eggs I used – they’re from a friend’s chickens, so there’s much greater variation in volume than you get with supermarket eggs, but I’ve had this same problem with a lot of vanilla cake recipes (using grocery store eggs). So still on the hunt, although these were awfully delicious cupcakes. The recipe made 36 cupcakes.
I plan on using this recipe for a cake for my sister’s graduation party. The party is on Sunday but I’m going to be baking the cakes on Tuesday to save time. Does anyone have experience with freezing and defrosting either this recipe or any type of cake for that matter? I would greatly appreciate any advice about how to avoid soggy cakes! THANKS!
Hi Deb,
Could you please tell me how many cups of batter does this recipe make? I am taking on a wedding cake and just wanted to get an idea about how many cups od batter does this make.
I’m making this for my littler one’s first birthday tomorrow and wondered about adapting it into two cakes – a smash cake and a larger one for us. I know you did this with your monkey cake for Jacob. Any tips or conversions? P.S. I adore your blog.
I just made this cake today to test it out for my daughter’s first birthday. It was delicious, but much more buttery and dense than I expected. I didn’t use cake flour, just regular flour, and I didn’t sift anything at all (shame on me). Tell me, had I done this, would the cake be less heavy?
I just made this..and used the baking strips so it would be level (worked great) but this recipe makes ALOT of batter….and now I will have to be cleaning my oven…big spills…next time I will put a baking tray under to catch the drips…good news is that I got to taste it (the bit clinging to outside of pan) and it IS delicious!
Hey, I want to thank you for sharing, you’ve really helped us! My partner and I are doing a wedding cake for a friend and they want it to be yellow cake… talk about an “Ahh!” moment. We’ve not done a homemade yellow cake before. We tried this one and have really enjoyed it–we even did cupcakes, awesome! We did find that if you want it slightly more “yellow” add an extra egg yolk or two and it comes out great. Plus, you’ll have some whites to make up Swiss buttercream =D
In the oven now (as a 6″, 4″, and 35 cupcakes, by Daughter’s request) – I’m excited! We’re lactose intolerant, so we made our buttermilk with… Soy. I’ll let you know how it is! Thanks!
Deb, thanks for this recipe. I am amazed at how many comments have been left here, but for good reason! I made this with my 10 year old son tonight for my 5 year olds birthday cake tomorrow. Throwing the pan down on the counter at the end was the best part. ;0) We’re going to cut a hole in the center, round off the edges, and throw some ganache and sprinkles on top and call it a giant doughnut. I am a long time reader of your blog and every recipe I have tried of yours is stellar. Again, thanks.
Deb – This recipe rocks! I made it for a friend’s birthday yesterday, but used raspberry preserves in the middle, amaretto buttercream, and put blueberries and raspberries on the top. Delicious! Everyone loved it – and they loved it most of all because it was just the right sweetness. Thanks!
I’m planning for a kids party and have no idea how I’m going to make a cake to server 20+ kids and adults. How many does one like this serve? Would appreciate some suggestions/thoughts!
You could double it and make a 2-layer 9×13 cake. It would be very large.
Really a terrific cake, made cake and frosting exactly as written and I will be making it many times again. Also, thanks for all of the great tips: strips of wax paper, freezing layers…You made me look like a pro :)
thank you deb for replying, that is most helpful. i’m impressed that you find the time to reply to any comments at all, so thanks!
Wow! This is, by far, the best yellow cake recipe ever.I’ve tried quite a few and had pretty icky experiences. Thank you so, so much for sharing this with all of us!
I’m so excited for my fiance to try it for his birthday tomorrow!
Have to tell you this, this is an awesome cake!! Really loved it!
That sour cream frosting looks great. Butter cream (Swiss type) is a bit tricky. I also like the tang you get from the sour cream. Great directions and photos.
Just made this cake on Sunday for my grandmother’s 91st birthday. She was an award winning cook in her day so I had to make something great. Loads of compliments on it, especially the icing which I think is super wonderful to work with. Goes on lovely and smooths out in an instant. Thank you for this cake! It’s my favorite!
I am NOT a baker, and really hesitated to try this recipe because I seem to ruin all baked goods other than mixes. Even while looking for unsweetened chocolate at the store tonight, I nearly caved to purchase a Duncan Hines mix as a back-up. Inspired by your enthusiastic comments, however, I had faith and gave it a try. Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus! It came out GREAT! If you are even considering making this, please consider this a testimony to how amazing this recipe is. Many thanks for helping me break my bad luck streak and for helping to make a friend’s birthday extra special.
Is this enough cake batter to do a 12x18x2 sheet cake?
My grandfather’s favorite kind of cake is a yellow cake. I tried a gazillion–okay more like 3 or 4–different recipes before just trying to doctor one up. Yours did not completely get my mom’s approval, she thought it was too “eggy.” So, with that as the only true problem, the texture being wonderful, I subsituted half the eggs for the equivalent egg whites. (I also beat the whites until they stiffened and folded them in, it made the cake slightly fluffier). Thanks for the recipe :) My gramps loved it both ways.
Believe me this recipe is PERFECT!, I’ve been baking cakes for people & this is the only recipe i use & I get a lot of compliment. Email me some more birthday cake recipes please…
Hi!
I am just wondering the same questions as Emily how many cups of batter does this make? meaning will it do a 12x18x2 sheet cake? The wilton pan calls for 14 and 1/2 cups of batter! Anyone’s info would be great!!! kind of last minute but need to make the cake tomorrow!! :)
Dear all, quite frankly I do not see what all the fuss is about. I tried this recipe last night and was quite disappointed with the results. Albeit light and fluffy, the cake lacked taste. To call it mild would be an understatement; perhaps it should be promoted as a cake for diabetics. Furthermore, I do no understand where you got that picture from because the cake comes out white inside, not yellow so please stop falsifying images. I had to throw away all the cakes-2 and some cupcakes because in my opinion it was just not good enough. Deb, I hope you take this in the way that it is intended-constructive criticism and nothing else. Keep trying new recipes because you clearly need the practice.
Thank you for such a delicious recipe! I knew I could turn to the smitten kitchen for a cake worthy of my little girls first birthday cake and it did not disappoint! The wax paper trick for frosting worked like a charm too- thanks Deb!!
Are you supposed to mix in the dry ingredients on low, as the recipe states? It was a very lumpy batter as a result, which baked into a muffin-like cake with a coarse irregular crumb. Not exactly what I was expecting.
Omg it was amazing
The first couple times I made this cake it was – hands down – the best yellow cake I’d ever consumed. Amazing flavor and perfectly moist. I had so many requests for the recipe and I gladly shared your name and website. Since that point I’ve attempted to make the same amazing cake, however it doesn’t have the same qualities as the first cake I made. Unfortunately my friends have had the same trouble. While the flavor is still right on, the cake itself has come out really dry.
After looking into it a bit, I noticed every time the cake was dry I had been using 8″ pans – could this be the cause of my disaster?
My birthday is next week, and I’m going to try this recipe. It is a tradition in my family to make yellow cake with a grape jelly filling (yes, just the good ol’ jelly out of the jar!) with the chocolate frosting. It might sound strange, but there is something about the combination….or maybe it’s my family that is strange:) Looking forward to trying your recipe with the grape jelly:) I’m new to smittenkitchen, and really love your site!
Hey …I have just baked this — it’s truly amazing, my husband had it for supper (3 slices..). I was doing a trail run as I am meant to bake a cake for my friend’s son birthday, he is going to be 1 next sunday. Only thing is there are going to be about 25 adults and I realize that this quantity is not going to be enough. Do you think I can double it up and bake it in a square tin instead ? Is it risky ? Shall I bake 2 instead? Thanks in advance …
I JUST MADE THE CAKE AND CUPCAKES AS WELL, AND IT TURNED OUT FABULOUSLY!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING THE RECIPE, IT WILL
BE IN MY CAKE STAPLE.
Please HELP me! This was the most delicious yellow cake I have ever had the first day. I made them for a birthday party the day before. They were moist, fluffy, and delicious. But the next day, even though i stored them properly, they were dry and dense. Should I not have refrigerated them? Should I just make them the day of the event? I would appreciate any advice on how to keep these delicious for as long as possible :) Thanks for the recipe! I want to make them again for another birthday.
I am completely in love with this sour cream frosting. I’ve made the yellow cake/chocolate frosting combo for maybe 4 friends’ birthdays at this point. The first time I made this cake, I was afraid of the sour frosting, and used the fudge frosting instead. But to anyone else who’s debating the same choice: If you’re baking this for a grownup, or a kid with sophisticated tastes, go with the sour cream frosting. The tang really adds a dimension of flavor that may be too much for little kids, but most adults will love.
I’ve previously made the sour cream frosting out of the Gourmet cookbook (which calls for almost twice as much (mostly milk) chocolate, and no corn syrup. But the frosting here is SO much easier to work with. Spreads like a dream, pipes easily (especially on an August day in L.A.) and the sweetness is completely controllable (I ended up using slightly less than the 1/4 cup of corn syrup, and it still came out great). I like the cake recipe in the Gourmet cookbook ever-so-slightly more – it uses sour cream instead of buttermilk, and a smidge more baking powder, but this frosting is my new favorite!
I adore this cake! It was moist, not to light but not to dense and the best part – it tasted like something. Usually, I just taste frosting and the cake is so mild that I may as well not take in the extra calories. If a cake isn’t good, I don’t bother eating it. This cake I crave; a true yellow cake. Now if we can just get the rest of the world to give it a try, we could stop using the box (I do recognize that the box is a suitable option for certain situations – that eggless, milkless, nut-free version comes in handy). Thank you!
Great recipe! I can’t wait to try it out, I’m looking for an awesome cake recipe so I’m going to try this one out. Just a question: Do you have to use cake flour? I have self-rising/ all purpose flour…can I use any one of those for the recipe?
Sni — Feel free to use all purpose. You could make your own cake flour.
I love love love this recipe! I used to use the White Lily cake recipe, but it’s better for wedding cakes and much heavy stacking. This bakes up so light and moist and more like a box cake – it’s my go-to recipe. It gets raves from all my friends! I don’t buy cake flour, I sub out all purpose using the guidelines of removing 2 Tb per cup of flour. It seems to work just fine!
http://bakingbites.com/2007/05/subbing-all-purpose-flour-for-cake-flour/
I’m making a big birthday cake today, going to try the chocolate frosting this time….can’t wait! Thanks again.
I made the cake, again, for my mom’s birthday. It was as good as when I made it for my fiance. I’m not sure what happened with Belle’s cake. The cake was moist and flavorful. The buttermilk gives it such a nice flavor.
The color is more white than yellow. But, who cares? It is delicious cake!
I made this cake for my Mom’s 71st Birthday. I blogged it too: http://goodcookbecky.wordpress.com/2011/08/22/birthday-cake/
It is a keeper! I love that it isn’t super sugary! Keep up the good work. I visit your site on a weekly basis!
Saw this recipe and it is in the oven as we speak while praying it is as good as yours looks It is my moms 63rd birthday and I am surprising her with a cake will let you know if it turns out.
It was great! I subbed one cup of mayo and 1 cup milk for the buttermilk.
After reading all the comments and finding so many negative ones on both the cake on frosting, I had to drop by and say this:
This is really the best yellow cake ever. The frosting was perfect, on its own and with the cake. I made this without any adjustments at all and it was bliss. There was really not enough to go around my friends, all of them left wanting more.
Thank you Deb!
So. Much. Glorious. Cake.
And I am not usually a cake person. The only reason I went looking for a cake is because it was my BFF’s birthday and she is a cake person.
This was my first attempt at a “real deal” cake from scratch and I was a tad intimidated, but I followed your layer cake tips looked as good as it tasted. Seriously, this cake was so good looking and tasting that it must be labeled “SEXY”.
I am so full that I could die, but I am seriously considering getting the rest out of the fridge and chowing down on the remaining 5Ibs of goodness. I probably won’t share with my husband.
Deb, you never ever fail us. Bless You.
This is my new favorite cake. I have been searching for a cake that’s moist but not too dense, with a nice crumb and this is just perfect. Thanks, Deb.
Hi!
Just made this cake today/yesterday (I started at around 10 pm, finished it at about 12:30 am), and discovered the best cake leveler method I’ve ever known. Leveling the cake…while still in the pan. Ooooohhhh. I know you are shocked! It’s nice though, because I can balance my serrated knife on the lip of the pan while cutting straight across, and can reasonably expect a perfectly even top. And I’m just so happy that I’ve gotten so clever after all these years of cake leveling failure, I just had to spread my joy! *Does dance of happiness* :D Thanks for all your magic food wonderment!
I’m not sure what I did, but I followed this recipe to the “t” for my husband’s birthday, and it came out rather heavy dense and a little dry.
There are so many great reviews here of it being moist and light….any guesses on what might have happened to mine?
@TidyMom: I wouldn’t say the cake is light (not like a sponge or chiffon light), but moist, with tender crumb and a substantial feel to it. Not heavy and dense though. A little dry could be due to just slightly over-baked, I like to check mine 5 minutes before the recommended time just to be safe. Since you’re not a new baker I suppose you also didn’t overwork the batter because that’s the only reason I could think of for the denseness. I say give it another try!
I made this in cupcake form tonight and they came out great! They are very moist and have really good texture and flavor. The recipe yielded exactly three dozen for me. I started checking them around 12 minutes, but they took about 15-17 to bake at 350 degrees. I opted for the Instant Fudge Frosting Deb suggested, and which I have used previously, and found that 5 cups was the perfect amount.
I love your recipes but was saddended to see that you use CORN SYRUP I will be looking else where when I need a recipe
Hi Anne — What’s wrong with corn syrup?
The Center for Science in the Public Interest puts corn syrup and corn syrup solids on its “Cut Back” list. The CSPI says these corn syrup products are not toxic, but large amounts may be unsafe or promote bad nutrition. Corn syrup is a sweet, thick liquid that’s made by treating cornstarch with acids or enzymes. Its sugar content is mostly dextrose. When the syrup is dried, the resulting powder is known as corn syrup solids. The solids are used in coffee whiteners and other dry products.
Too processed and too many GMOs used in Corn.
Thank you, Deb, for having awesome recipes like this one. I just made this cake today for my mom’s birthday; it was superb. My only problem with it, was your frosting. I agree with Anne on the fact that you used waaaaaaaay too much corn syrup. 1/4 to 1/2 cups? Of corn syrup? That stuff is so processed that our digestive system can barely handle it – it’s not even FOOD anymore. Yes, corn syrup is often the key to a good frosting, but it’s good to cut back on it. I used a much simpler frosting from “Joy of Cooking”. It’s called “Milk Chocolate Mocha Glaze or Frosting”, on page 1005. You just combine 2/3 cup heavy cream, 1 tablespoon of corn syrup, 1 tablespoon of espresso powder, and a smidgen of cinnamon in a sauce pan until it starts to simmer. Then you pour it over 9 ounces of finely chopped milk chocolate and stir until smooth. You then either let it sit and pour it over the cake as a glaze, or stir when room temp. to make it a frosting. It only makes 1 1/3 cup of frosting/glaze, but it’s really good. For the filling, I used cherry preserves. The result: heaven. I can still taste the glaze on my tongue (mmmm… espresso). I suggest you try it – I doubt you’ll be disappointed ;-)
i am currently in the process of the making of this cake for a friend. I just trimmed the top of the bottom cake layer. So, obviously i tried the excess cake… And it is so moist and delicious!! Also, for the frosting i added some powdered sugar to sweeten a little. Great recipes!!!!
Thanks pickyin @ Life is Great I bet I did over bake it slightly. I’ll give it another shot.
Deb-
I am a professional pastry chef and have been looking and experimenting for awhile for the perfect yellow cake. Well, I finally found it. Everyone likes boxed cake mixes because of the moistness, and I’ve finally achieved it from scratch with this recipe. And thank you for having the weight measurements, because it is perfect to scale up with. I probably wouldn’t have even tried this recipe without, since I hate measuring cups. Thank you so much again for an excellent recipe!!
I really loved the taste of this cake and the frosting. Both were major hits. I have to comment on the proportion, though. I followed the recipe to a T and there was way too much batter for a 2 layer cake. Mine was a solid 3 layer cake. I’m glad I had a 3rd pan on hand to bake the extra layer.
I had been eyeing this recipe since a few months ago, trying to decide what to bake for my 2nd son’s 1st b-day. I made this one, and everyone loved it! I didn’t know what to expect in a sour cream frosting, but it really was delicious, without being TOO sweet. I put a couple tablespoons corn syrup over the 1/4 cup suggestion. I noticed that the frosting ended up tasting sweeter after a few hours in the fridge than it did just after making. I’m so glad I chose this recipe over the others I was considering! This was my first try at a real layer cake. Thank you for making it seem so doable! Now I have the courage to make MORE CAKES!!!!!!!!!
Deb, I’m excited to try this recipe as it’s a favorite of so many friends and family, and I hate homemade yellow cakes that turn out like cornbread! Also, I just wanted to say I’m glad you are not obsessed about corn syrup! I checked the resource that Ann mentioned and its criticism of corn syrup is the following: “Corn syrup contains no nutritional value other than calories, promotes tooth decay, and is used mainly in foods with little intrinsic nutritional value.” The same could be said of sugar. No digestive or other health issues are mentioned. And, for those concerned about genetically modified corn products, there is non-GMO corn syrup available.
I look forward to enjoying this cake with its little intrinsic nutritional value :)
David Lebovitz has an excellent post on his blog about corn syrup. Here is a link: http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2009/01/why-and-when-to-use-or-not-use-c/
I love Deb and David. :)
I just made this today for my son’s 1st birthday! Delicious!!! I made a small cake for him and I then made the rest into cupcakes and have already eaten too many! This is going in my “best recipes” book. Thank you for a wonderful recipe! I’m new to this site but I’ll continue looking for goodies here!
I made this cake for my mother’s birthday. It was absolutely wonderful!
Purely delicious! I put a layer of marzipan in between the layers, then frosted it in chocolate and covered that with almond slivers. Very sweet and lovely!
This recipe is incredible!! I just made a test batch of cupcakes in preparation for my sons first birthday that is coming up on the 28th! I am so excited because everyone thought these were the best cupcakes they have ever tasted!! I am looking forward to making the layer cake along with some cupcakes for the party. This will be my go to recipe from here on out. I am so happy I found this website. Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge!
Oh also I got 48 cupcakes lol! And they were perfect. :)
Just made this today, and it is delicious! It had a large and lovely tender,and moist crumb. My 9″ pans were too shallow so the batter spread up and almost over the pan. The edges ended up getting slightly chewy, buttery crisp. It made for uneven sides, and although I was tempted to nibble all those yummy edges off (only to even it out, of course!) my daughter just wanted fudgy filling in the middle, powdered sugar on top and masses of raspberries all around so, we all enjoyed the edges!! I am going to make this in a bundt cake next. I look forward to trying with the choc. sour cream frosting or it’s even good enough to enjoy plain with powdered sugar. Easy to make. Excellent! Make this cake!
I made your Best Yellow Layer Cake today and it is the best I have ever made. Your directions were precise, which I greatly appreciate. I made a generous one layer 9″ square cake to give away and the rest of the batter made a dozen generously sized cupcakes. They really don’t even need icing – I ate one of the cupcakes just to taste and am so pleased with this recipe. It is a keeper. Thank you.
Thank you so much! This receipe is fabulous!!! I was able to make nearly 36 regular size cupcakes. 15 minutes in my electric oven was just perfect. I am so happy I could cry. Thank you again for such a great recipe!
Okay, so I am going out now to buy the buttermilk, cake flour and sour cream. Can’t wait to try this for a birthday dinner tonight. Love your blog and recipes and will let you know the results.
A winner!!!! I need deeper pans cause it did flow over and I put the layers on wrong so it kinda started to fall apart but I fixed it up. Decorated with pink sprinkles and raspberries. I tasted the batter that cooked from the spill over and the frosting is outstanding!!! Thanks
Hi deb,
I’m a bit confused on the differences in flours for cakes. My mom taught me that you can sub SR flour for AP plus all the other stuff, so I generally take that shortcut. I have never even used cake flour! Do you have a write-up on the different flours? I would love to know more about when you can sub and when you shouldn’t and what they all achieve differently in a cake.
I am planning on making this cake into one of those dreaded princess doll cakes for my soon to be six year old daughter. You know the cake that has a barbie growing out of it! I plan on making this recipe twice. Once for the two 9 inch rounds but I may need to make it into three 8 inch rounds to accommodate the height of doll. Would I be able to split the recipe into 3 eight inch rounds without modifying? Also I plan on making the recipe as is but making it all in a 2 quart pyrex mixing bowl to make the skirt part of the cake. I am anti cake mix that is why i am going through the extra steps of trying to figure out amounts from this recipe. I plan on making the cakes ahead of time either tonight or tomorrow night,cooling completely, wrapping tight and freezing until the night before decorating. Have you ever frozen this cake and if so how does it freeze? DO you thaw overnight on counter or in fridge? I want to prep ahead as much as possible because I could go into labor any minute and would hate to cancel her party due to the arrival of her brother. That would be a sad start for him!
Hi Luci — What is SR flour? You can make cake flour with cornstarch and AP flour. Cake flour has less gluten than AP flour; the starch prevents gluten from forming as strong bonds. It makes for a more tender cake.
H — I haven’t made this in an 8-inch pan but in theory, you can split it. I find it helps to have cakes fully or mostly frozen before attempting to split them. I freeze this cake nearly every time I make it, just the layers, triple wrapped in plastic. Depending on the frosting/filling, I usually work directly with the frozen cake. It only takes an hour or two once finished at room temperature to defrost, or at least that is the case in my warm kitchen. I’ve got more layer cake tips here.
Thx for responding! SR = self-rising. A lot of my mom’s cake recipes use self-rising and if they call for AP she usually makes adjustments to use self-rising instead. Her cakes always turn out great too, but I know there has to be times where you really should use one flour over another and I just don’t know when it’s okay to sub and when not. So does cake flour make the most airy cake? Or the most moist? When should you use which flour and what differences do they make I guess is my question :)
Thanks for the help!
Ah, SR! I knew it was something obvious. I just don’t get much sleep these days and my brain is slow. :) Cake flour makes for more tender cakes. You can use AP, no major harm will come, but if you swap out 1 to 2 T of each cup of AP with cornstarch, it will have a more delicate crumb. I haven’t worked much (or at all) with self-rising flour so could not tell you how to use it instead, though I had been under the impression that one would use it instead of the same amount of flour and not use any leaveners suggested.
Thanks so much for the prompt reply you rock. Wish me luck!
Thanks! I cannot wait to try this cake. It will also be my first time trying cake flour then. Thanks for the help!
i recently made this cake for a friend’s birthday, except i made it rainbow, not thinking that it was yellow cake and the color would be different. BUT they turned out awesome and it tastes awesome! I’m not generally a yellow cake fan, but this rocked.
Just made this for my brother’s b-day. The cakes came out lovely with a great crumb but after a night in the fridge, they were pretty dense the next day, which was a little disappointing.
I squeezed the batter into 8″ pans, which was a total mistake as they both got pretty full and one overflowed. Three 8″ pans would have been perfect.
I liked the frosting. It tasted like pure chocolate. I had less than the right amount of chocolate, so I left out the extra 1/4 cup of sour cream. The cream was cool when I stirred in the chocolate, not room temperature, but that worked out just fine. used about 1/2 cup of syrup.
Thanks for this recipe. I’ve always wanted to be able to make a yellow cake that wasn’t from a box, but was still wonderfully moist and delicious. I made this into cupcakes and despite halving the recipe, still managed to get over a dozen cupcakes. Perhaps it’s a difference in sizes because I’m currently in Japan. (The muffin tin seems a bit smaller than what I remember back in the States.) I also made it for my Japanese boyfriend and it was a great success! :)
I am getting ready to bake this cake for my daughter’s first birthday. I practiced it last week and it turned out pretty dry. Any suggestions for making it nice and moist?
I’m not sure what happened, but I just halved this recipe to try it out. In 8 inch pans the batter didn’t rise at all and baked up very buttery. The cupcakes which I baked off after rose, but two had peaks on them.
This Yellow Layer Cake recipe was just as amazing as you described. It’s just become my fav.
I’m excited to make this cake tomorrow!! I’ll be making it for my grandmother’s 90th birthday party :). I do have a question though, would you recommend doubling the recipe in order to make a double layer 12″ round cake?
This is by far THE BEST YELLOW LAYER CAKE I have ever tried! It always turns out so perfect and its always a winner when I make it! This recipe has earned a spot in my ”recipes to pass down to my children” journal. Thank you so much! You are awesome! =)
Oh my stars… I am the baker in my family, and it’s been nothing less than ridiculous that I couldn’t make a basic yet deliciously buttery vanilla cupcake that met my own standards… delicious, moist, buttery, but at the same time, could stand up to some serious decorating without the top flopping off. Thanks to you, I’ve found it. I will say I “made my own” cake flour (2T cornstarch/7/8 all purpose flour) and buttermilk (1 cup of milk to 1 T of lemon juice warmed in the microwave for 1 minute.) This is an awesome recipe, and it’s so versatile, that I made them while also making some chili for this October post-snow storm Sunday dinner. Ummm, should I be embarrassed that we ate three warm, unfrosted cupcakes with our chili? They were the perfect complement to the chili in the absence of homemade cornbread. Now, that they’re cool, I’ll be topping them with your swiss style meringue buttercream (from the wedding cake recipe…) I’ll be back to let you know how it goes! Thanks again!! :)
I just made this cake….. I was delicious! The only thing that went wrong was that i could never get the frosting to the right concistency. It was too liquid even after 30 mins on the fridge. I tried cooling it even more in the freezer but 5-10 mins after I frosted the cake it started to become liquid again (and it is not too hot outside…. it was delicious anyway). Maybe I used the wrong cream? (I live in Mexico so I have to translate all the ingredients, but I’m pretty sure it was the right one) Or was I supposed to use an electric mixer and beat it to the right concistency?
Anyway, I bet nex time i’ll do better with the frosting.
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe! Everyone loved it!
Hi, i made this cake yesterday and it tasted delicious the day i made it, the next day i put it in the refridgerator and it tasted dry and hard. Cant this cake be refridgerated. How come its so dry the next day. Is it something i did wrong??
How else do i store the cake if it lasts for more than a day or two.
Cara — It should soften when you bring it back to room temperature, or it does for me. Butter solidifies in the fridge, which I think leads to more firmness when cold than cakes with oil in them.
Hi Deb
Your right, i took it out of the fridge and it did soften back at room temp. thanks for the lovely recipe. I love visting your site and trying out the various cake recipes. They are so wonderful.
Any suggestions for making this cake more moist? Mine turned out pretty dry when I made it.
This will be my first from-scratch cake-making adventure, and judging by all the comments I think I picked the right recipe. It’s my boyfriend’s birthday so I want to surprise him with something special since his family somehow forgot to get him a cake– :( I hope this will make up for it!
I just made this cake yesterday and it was wonderful! Everyone agreed that the cake is so moist and buttery, yet so light with a fine crumb. I followed the recipe exactly, except for the cooking time. The centers of my cakes were still wet in 40 minutes at 350 degrees. So I baked the cakes for a total of 45 minutes and they were perfect! They rose so beautifully, thanks to the cake flour! I let them cool for about 30 minutes and then wrapped them in plastic wrap and froze them for about 45 minutes (this did not freeze the cakes completely, rather made them slightly harder and easier to layer). I did not get to try your frosting, as I am not a huge sour cream frosting fan. So I made another chocolate frosting and when the cakes were out of the freezer, I whipped up a beautiful layer cake. Once the cake was finished, dessert time was not for another 3-4 hours, but I just left it out at room temperature. When dessert time arrived, the cake was the perfect consistency! It was absolutely delicious and everybody raved over it! I refrigerated the leftovers and just had a slice this morning. Just take a piece from the fridge, let it soften for about 10 minutes, and you’re good to go! Still tasted incredible! Thanks so much for this recipe and I will definitely be returning to your blog!
This looks like the chocolate cake I wished I could always make. I know when I was a small child pushing my miniature cake in my better crocker easy bake oven, this is exactly what I thought would materialize on the other side.
This cake was delicious, i filled my 8in pans with a little too much batter and they overflowed, but i had lined the rack with aluminum foil so they didn’t make that much of a mess.
I am searching for a cake for my son’s first birthday and am considering giving this a try. It looks perfect with confetti, but I was considering making a 9 x 13 and cutting it to make it look like lego blocks. Do you think this recipe would work for that? Also, did you make it for your baby’s first birthday?
It fills a 9×13 pan nicely — i.e. tall and sturdy. I made this for my son’s first.
I just wanted you to know I made this recipe into cupcakes and it made 34 cupcakes :) I baked them for about 20 minutes and they are lovely. They’re puffed up and golden and I cant wait to let everyone try one!
Oh, side note, I did make the substitution of using ap flour instead of cake flour, because thats what we had. But they’re still fabulous.
I got about one third of the way through comments hoping to find an answer to my question, but with no luck! That said, I’m wondering what you think of substituting creme fraiche for sour cream? Not that I don’t love sour cream, but I happen to have a container of creme fraiche languishing in the refrigerator. . .
Hi Inga — I’ve never tried it but can’t say for sure, but it sounds like something that would work. It might be safest to try it with a quarter batch to see if it works before potentially chucking a lot of expensive creme fraiche if it doesn’t.
Bless you for creating this – I’ve been on a quest myself to recreate a box yellow cake and you have done it! Made this today and my husband swore I bought a box mix. You are fabulous! Yellow cake with chocolate icing has always been my favorite. Now I can make it from scratch and not worry about weird preservatives and the like.
i love this cake one of the best ive ever made fir my hubby thanks
I loved making this cake! Made it with friends and man was it AMAZING!! Yum…still thinking about it the day after! The flavour of the cake was just delicious. A really good vanilla cake!
Thanks so much i used this recipe for my cake pops for a christmas party. Thanks:)
I agreed to bake a cake for my boyfriend’s grandma’s birthday party, thinking it would be a small family gathering, only to find out I need a cake that can feed 60+ people. eek! I’ve really only recently started baking, so I am panicking a little. I am excited to give your recipe a try, and I am hoping you can help me out with a few questions.
(1) I’m trying to figure out how many batches of batter I need for a two layer, 11×15 in cake. Based on what I’ve read so far, I’m thinking 3 batches of the recipe should be enough. Does that sound about right?
(2) I’ve been reading about using flower nails for large cakes to help make sure there’s even heat distribution and large cakes bake properly. Have you tried this or do you have any thoughts about this technique?
(3) For the larger (11×15) sized pan, do I use the same temp — 350 — for a longer bake time, or should I adjust the temperature in addition to the time?
(4) I have only just gotten the cake baking and homemade frosting parts down… decorating is not my forte. Do you have any fool proof decorating ideas (anything that would get me away from having to learn fancy icing techniques)?
Any helpful advice/tips/reassurance would be greatly appreciated!
I have tried this recipe twice now and both times the cake has been too dry. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong?? The cake taste is delicious, but the texture is off. How do I make it more moist??
I’ve been meaning to make this forever but yesterday bought 2″ high pans so finally tried it. It came out so well, I am thrilled. The frosting is indeed quite sour creamy, which I think tastes great. I used an extra yolk to be sure of yellowness.
Not sure if you had any advice on this, but I was hoping to use a *little* bit of whole wheat flour and a *little* bit less sugar to make this cake for my daughter’s first birthday. I don’t know enough about the science behind it to know how it will affect the texture and taste. Do you have any suggestions or warnings? Thanks!
This cake is fantastic! Perfect for my daughter’s 4th birthday. Everyone loved it. Thanks!
Hi there – thanks for this recipe, big hit! That said, I followed the recipe to a t and it came out on the dry side. Any tips for next time I make it? Thanks!
I just made your cake recipie and it went over soo, soo well. Although baking is my hobby, cakes always have intimidated me. Thank you so much for the recipie!!!
The first time I made this recipe I WAS HOOKED. I think that’s enogh said.(Making it for New Years) I didn’t however try the frosting, but it looks great! (:
I’m so intimidated of scratch-baking, but I recently taught myself hos to make bread and pizza dough, so I think I’m ready to attempt a cake next. I TRULY appreciate the fact that you made this recipe so simple. It doesn’t scare me or make me feel like I’m going to destroy the kitchen in the process of making a simple dessert! I’ve got everything ready to go, so wish me luck. I’ll let you know how it goes!
Ok…update…the batter was actually very easy to make and was BEAUTIFUL!! I agree with some of the others that it is too much batter for the 2 cake pans, but I had the benefit of their wisdom, so I prepared a cupcake pan and was able to make an even dozen. I sprinkled a little cinnamon sugar on them to give them a snickerdoodle effect. Can’t wait ’til everything is out of the oven! :-)
Fabulous! Absolutely fabulous! This is my new “go-to” recipe! I particularly like how easy it was to make the most awesome of frostings!!!!!! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe with us!
I love this cake, have made it for a few parties. Now I want to make it for my twins’ second party this weekend (two of them, actually). Problem is, one of my girls hates chocolate, and the other has specifically requested green frosting. What would be your recommendation for an easy buttercream or other non-chocolate/colorable frosting?
CKSOne — Aw, they’re opinionated! (My Jacob is cake indifferent at 2. He just wants cake all the time.) Basic quick buttercream or cream cheese frosting is the way I’d go. I have a cream cheese frosting here; for the buttercream, I use the basic recipe on the box of powdered sugar. The only thing I change is that I add the powdered sugar slowly, half cup at a time, and sometimes this allows me to use less. I’d hold back on the vanilla extract in either recipe if you want the food coloring to show up more brightly (as it makes things slightly beige).
THANKS!!
You had me at your first paragraph. I love you. And I have also had a very strong crown and coke. But I’m awesome that way, so…yeah…thanks for the birthday cake recipe, and hope parenthood is going swimmingly!
I just wanted to say that I’m glad that I found a post that I can really relate to as far as the whole “The One” related to cakes and frosting!!! I’ve been driving myself crazy for months trying to find the perfect one! I need a perfect “base” cake recipe so I can create from there! Cant find “The One”… BUT I plan on attempting this soon! ;)
Thank you so much. I needed this recipe so bad! Thank you! I made it last night and I’m up early just to eat a piece!!!!
Deb! I’m making a 1st birthday cake, and I’m looking at this recipe to try out. How long do you think this cake will keep? I’ve got a bit of an ambitious plan for decorating it, and it would be good if I could bake Thursday, decorate Friday, and then the party is noon Saturday. Does that seem doable, or do you think it will dry out? With the buttermilk and such I suppose it should be refrigerated?
I’m going to do something else with the frosting, I think – as I need something I can pipe out of a bag… I really hope I’m not in over my head with my plan to turn this cake into a couple of muppets… ;)
Making this recipe today as cupcakes. How long should I bake the cupcakes for? Can’t wait to eat one!
I’ve made this a couple of times and it came out really nicely. Tender, fine crumb and moist. Made it today and the texture is more like cornbread. Not light like the previous times. Any idea why?
I made this and this is truly the best!!! Well done, don’t go anywhere else the cake stops here:)
After so many comments, and nearly all of them adoring the recipe, I feel slightly guilty posting the story of my disaster with this cake. But maybe you can explain what happened, Deb? (If you’re still responding to this post.)
I started the recipe at 4 p.m. the day before my son’s party. Followed it exactly, except that I overfilled the pans (mine are 8 inch, not 9 inch – sleep deprivation kept me from noticing this). I baked the recommended time, but they still seemed jiggly in the center, so I kept them in 5 minutes longer. Took them out, let the pans cool 5 minutes, turned them out, and OH NO! Both were still liquid in the middle at the bottom. I had to pitch them in the trash.
I tried again later that night, after a grocery trip to restock my ingredients. Didn’t overfill the pans this time, turned the heat up slightly (because my research online indicated that an incorrect oven temp can cause cakes to cook unevenly and sink), and everything looked okay — until I turned them out of the pans again, and this time one was still liquid in the bottom middle. Enough of the surrounding cake had cooked to contain the mess, so I was able to put the cake back in the pan and bake it for another 10 minutes. I’m not sure that the middle ever turned out right — it was baked enough for me to assemble the cake, which looked gorgeous on the outside (the sourcream-chocolate frosting was perfect, BTW), but when we cut into it, there was a sort of marled “cave” in the middle of one layer.
This is my first bad experience with one of your recipes. I could chalk it off to bad luck, but the fact that the problem happened twice makes me wonder if there isn’t fault in the recipe itself — or maybe my ingredients? BTW, I baked chocolate cupcakes, too, the same evening for the birthday party using a from-scratch recipe that did not contain buttermilk, and they turned out just fine.
Any ideas of what went wrong with my yellow cake?
Best,
Brittany
I have been looking for a nice, reliable yellow cake for a while, and this was wonderful. The poor batter was subjected to being split into six bowls and mixed with different food colorings before being recombined into rainbow cake, a procedure which has knocked all of the air out of other cake recipes– but not this one! It remained light and airy. I did moisten it with simple syrup while assembling the layers, but it had been frozen the week before and deserved a bit of help. It’s nice to get complements both from the 6-year-olds and the parents! Thank you, Deb!
Just a quick follow up that I used this recipe for my daughter’s birthday cake, and it worked great. Thanks so much for the tips about layer cake – they came in well with my overly ambitious plan to decorate.
I will say, though, that making the cakes a week ahead and freezing them did result in a drier cake than I imagine would’ve been the case had we eaten them right away. I think I’ll try it again sometime when I can eat it right away. It was a much lighter cake than I was expecting with all that buttermilk! :)
Made this for my daughters 9th birthday. She tends not to like cake, but she thought this one was fabulous! I love a cake that is not super sweet and this one definitely is not. The cake was so moist and light and the chocolate sour cream frosting was so smooth and creamy. Perfect. I did add a little powdered sugar to the frosting for added sweetness only because I was a little worried that the kids may not like the sour taste. Everyone loved it though, children and adults alike. Thanks for the great recipe!!!
WEll..just made this cake as a bday gift for a friend….I do believe I found my “go to” cake…thx!
I’m very excited to see how this cake comes out this is my first homemade cake I’ve been up all night loolooking for the perfect cake for my moms 41 bday and just kept coming by this one the batch tasted devine I will let you know how it came out its sitting in the oven now ;) Thanks
I just made this for my birthday last weekend – it was perfect! I added a dulce de leche filling :) Thanks for the lovely recipe! http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/chocolate/birthday-cake
I made this cake for my Mothers Birthday in Nov. and just made cupcakes. Instead of using the Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting I used the instant fudge frosting from the espresso chiffon cake and wow this is AMAZING!!!
Note: It made about 40 cupcakes
I offered to make a dozen cupcakes for a school fundraiser, so of course this recipe came to mind. I used IKEA’s funny tall/narrow papers in muffin tins that are smaller diameter than standard, so they fit nicely. I had an extra couple of egg yolks so I used two yolks and one whole egg, otherwise following the above recipe.
Made 18 cupcakes quite nicely filled and slightly domed, though switching the pans around to get even baking did cause a couple to shift enough to crack and ooze over a bit, so I’ll wait until later in the baking to move the pans around next time.
Fortunately the school gets the pretty ones and oh, darn, we’ll have to eat the less attractive ones ourselves. I have chocolate ganache left from chocolate fondue for my 8-year-old’s birthday(he and my Dad walked to the Kripsy Kreme to get a dozen hot to cut up and dip in the chocolate, along with strawberries, banana, etc…)
I cored out the middles, put a little dab of berry preserves in , put the core back and spooned over warmed ganache. Now they’re sitting in the fridge firming up.
Bianca’s dulce de leche filling sounds divine, maybe the extras will get some of that! A wonderful thing about cupcakes, they can get different fillings, toppings, frostings…
Hi,
How can I make this cake chocolate?
Please write me back soon.
Thank you!
Wow. Oh my God. WOW. I cut the recipe in half and made cupcakes. I used a standard size muffin/cupcake tin, and ended up with 20 cupcakes (I filled the cups only half full because I prefer a flat top on cupcakes–easier to frost!) If I’d filled them 2/3 full, I probably would have had closer to 15 cupcakes. These are without a doubt the BEST cupcakes I’ve ever had. The flavor was perfect, and the texture reminded me exactly of a box mix cake. I’m going to make these again on Monday to take to my son’s class Valentine’s Day party. I plan on using Ina Garten’s Swiss chocolate buttercream frosting. These are to die for!
I just made these cake layers in two nine inch pans. I forgot that mine are not 2 inches high, more like 1 3/4. I worried that they would overflow. The layers puffed up but did not overflow. They are looking fine as they cool, not overly dome like at all. Would be curious if you know why some people had an overflow problem. Curious because I have had a few cakes overflow in the past, usually when I am using a special mold shaped pan. I find those molds often hold less than an average recipe, which is annoying. Cake mold designers should make the molds to work with an average cake recipe. Hopeful that these cake layers will taste as good as they look. I am making the fudge frosting and was inspired to make the cake by the amateur gourmet who posted this cake on his site yesterday. Thanks!
I love most of your recipes, but this one fell short. Taste was okay, but super dry. Your almond cake is far superior and moist. Not sure what happened with this recipe.
Made this cake yesterday and was so sad about how dense buttery it turned out. It was gross- I stuck a knife in, and it came out wet with butter. I’m a pretty experienced baker, have an oven thermometer, etc… any tips on making a light, much less buttery, perfect yellow cake?
Totally overflowed 2 9″ pans… I’m hoping to cut them down once they’re baked, but for now there’s a god awful burning smell instead of cake smell. Kinda dissapointed.
So interesting to me that many people found the chocolate frosting too “sour”! My favorite frosting is from a James Beard cookbook, from someone named Helen Evans Brown (friend of James Beard), and it uses only chocolate, sour cream and a bit of salt. No sugar/corn syrup/sweetener at all. But this frosting is pretty great too, and goes so well with the yellow cake.
I have a new boyfriend and he lives in CA (I live in NY) I just found out his most favorite dessert in the world is his Aunt Martha’s yellow birthday cake with chocolate froasting. He’s not great with description, so I don’t know what made the flavor so out of this world, but this cake looks like it could be a winner!! Now, I want to “ship” this to him for his birthday this month, Feb, from NY to CA, do you think that is going to work? Can I ship it froasted? And if so, what is the best froasting to use, this one worries me b/c of the sour cream Thank you so much for your advice!!
Just made this recipe for my little girl’s 3rd birthday party at her toddler school. I made them into cupcakes and used the cream cheese pink lady cake frosting… they were AMAZING! I baked the cupcakes at 350-degrees for 21 minutes. It made 30+ cupcakes. They were light, fluffy, moist and buttery. I was worried because the batter looked curdled like you mentioned in the post but I mixed it just enough to combine ingredients and wah-lah – amazing! This is my go to birthday cake recipe now! THANK U!
Could you please offer some advice regarding this recipe? I intend to make a 3D dragon cake for my boy’s birthday, and I would like to have a really good tasting cake for it. Do you believe that if I cut one of the cake layers in the middle, it would be possible to paste the two halves in an upright postion (consistency – wise)? I don’t know how moist or how soft this cake will become when baked, and I don’t have the time to try the recipe – I’m making three different birthday cakes (I have twins and their sister’s birthday is only a day apart, so we are having a common party for them all). I would really appreciate it if you could help me. Thanks in advance.
Lubinka — It’s a pretty sturdy cake but I haven’t tried sculpting with it before.
I made this into cupcakes and they baked beautifully in 18-20min. but they taste like sweet cornbread! :/ oh well, I’m using them anyway.. haha
It’s true. This IS a killer yellow cake recipe. It’s not too sweet and is perfectly light and moist. It will now be my go to yellow cake. I made two sponge tin sized cakes and around 7 cupcakes.
This recipe is simply awesome. For 3 running years now, I’ve made this at least once, and sometimes twice for “birthday weekend” – where my 2 daughters both celebrate their birthday with a day in between. I have been substituting creme fraiche (as suggested above) for frosting the younger crowds, which has been seamless. Thank you, THANK YOU, for this classic beautiful recipe!!
WOW…what a pleasant surprise!!! I was tossed between the “box” or your recipe which just so happened to stumble upon. I took a chance with your recipe for my best friends birthday cake and glad I did! I used it as a base for a pineapple and coconut topping. It was orgasmic!! Everyone wanted to take a piece home. Thank you for sharing.
Hi! Happened upon your website when I was desperately searching for a good yellow cake recipe for my brother’s 48th birthday, which was yesterday. My parents, brother and I enjoyed the cake. In fact, and, as I commented to my mother several times, it takes like birthday cake should taste. I didn’t use chocolate frosting. My brother requested vanilla frosting and a coconut topping.
One thing, however, that I am observing about the cake: Although it’s very moist, it’s also rather crumbly. Please advise.
My daughter (4 yrs old) is allergic to dairy, but I am going to try this recipe with oil instead of butter and rice milk instead of buttermilk. I need a good recipe so I can make her cupcakes to take on birthday parties she is invited to so she does not feel left out. Wish me luck!
i tried the frosting, and used just chocolate & sour creme, and some vanilla, didn’t seem to need the corn syrup (consistency wise) so left it out. I played with my proportions…. did anyone else find this? I’d like to leave it out if I can… haven’t frosted the cupcakes yet, they are in the fridge :)
i dont know why but every time i try to make a icing it comes out way!! too watery to put on a cake so i cant decorate any tips so it wont happen to this frosting
? please help!!!!!!!
Hi Deb,
Just stumbled upon your blog while searching for a birthday cake recipe for my almost 9 yr old daughter. Can I tell you that your recipes and photos are just lovely (I tried your blondies last night – the ease to make them and the chewiness more than made up for the fact that they were a little too sweet). I will be attempting this cake tonight and since my daughter has asked for a non-chocolate frosting, I’m thinking of trying your cream cheese frosting instead – any other suggestions? Thank you and happy Friday!
Hi there,
This is a delightful recipe! Thank you so much for redeeming yellow cake! I had always written it off as the stuff of cheap grocery store bakeries (a vehicle for saccharine frosting), but my husband requested it for his birthday this year. I stumbled upon your blog during my search and I have been faithfully returning ever since. My favorite part is the sour cream frosting–I fed it to a party of foodies and no one could guess what it was. Most thought is was ganache, and I hesitated to correct them! I used a local organic sour cream (Nancy’s), which is almost as thick as cream cheese and superbly flavorful. It made this cake truly spectacular! Thanks again!
Julia
Cupcakes again, regular size this time, made a half recipe, 16 nice little cakes. Had forgotten to get buttermilk, or the sour cream I needed for the chocolate cupcakes I needed to make, so faked it with 2%milk, lemon juice and a couple tablespoons of fat-free Greek yogurt for the tang. They taste great, nice crumb. Baked for 15 minutes and they are tender and moist.
A few of them have slightly funny tops, maybe that’s my oven though. It’s fun to make the same recipe repeatedly to see what makes a difference, if anything.
I also made chocolate cupcakes from the back of a cake flour box, one that calls for sour cream and boiling water. I subbed the same lemon juice/Greek yogurt/milk mixture and I think it did just fine there too.
Dawn,
if your daughter likes raspberries, you can make a lovely pink frosting with butter, powdered sugar and fresh or thawed raspberries. Should work great with strawberries too. The recipe I tried called for:
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup fresh raspberries
4-6 cups powdered sugar, more will make it stiffer
I used all butter, and thought it was actually maybe too buttery tasting, so added more raspberries, putting it in the fridge to help it firm up a bit.
My 8yo likes lemon frosting too–
1/2 cup butter(1 stick)
3-4 cups powdered sugar(about a pound)
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
The lovely caterer I got this recipe from uses 1/4 cup lemon juice and about an ounce of water, saying that all lemon juice makes it too tart, but we like it tart.
with either recipe, beat the butter at high speed, lower the speed to blend in all the other ingredients, then beat some more at high speed to make it fluffy.
The cake was lovely however, I used the buttercream frosting which was far too sweet for my taste and it spoilt the cake plus the chocolate content wasnt enough and was rather weak in taste – just reminded me how much I dislike buttercream. Should of kept to the ganache or a swiss merguine buttercream. In the UK we would probably call this a vanilla sponge. I only had 20cm sandwhich tins so took a good scoop out and popped the excess in a tiny time.
Delicious! I just made a butt-load, er I mean, a lot of cupcakes this weekend and the yellow cake I made was just not working out. I decided I needed to find something better, googled ‘yellow cake’ and saw your blog. Again, this is why your my new fav! The cupcakes are great. I had some leftover chocolate swiss meringue buttercream, wow wow WOW! Thanks so much!
BTW I did cupcakes, and I used 1 cup buttermilk, 1 cup sour cream, just cause I depleted my buttermilk reserves this past weekend.
Thank you so much! My husband loves yellow cake with chocolate frosting and I have tried many recipes. None of them has been right until this one! I only had to make one change. I ran out of regular sugar, so had to substitute 1/3 cup of turbinado sugar for 1/3 cup of the white sugar, but this did not cause any issues.
Hi Deb,
Have a question.I would really like to bake this yellow cake.Looks yummy.
I have two 8 by 1.5 inches baking pans. So in order to make this cake, should I make it as a 4 layer cake?..and how do you determine the cake pan size(& layers) based on any recipe?..any ideas?..
Hi Deb – I’m at a loss with this cake. I LOVE your site and pretty much everything I’ve made from here I’ve deemed as the best of ___ I’ve ever made. Seriously. However this cake is not working for me :(. The first time I made it I thought it was because I wasn’t measuring flour properly (I used to scoop my cup into the container, which I think packs in too much flour). The result was a pretty dry and bread like cupcake (Oh and I made the cupcake version). Then this past time, a week ago or so, I made it again, and this time sprinkled the flour into my measuring cup. While the cupcake tasted good straight out of the oven, it was still dry and breadlike after it cooled. Could you help me? What am I doing wrong? I have 100% confidence in all of your recipes, so I know it’s me! Thanks in advance for the info! :) And thank you for your beautiful delicious site!!!
I just made this for my own birthday cake for my 40th birthday! It is the epitome of birthday cake – yellow cake with yummy chocolate frosting. Mmmm. I can’t wait to share it with my friends! Thanks!
More like best UNbirthday cake… I just made this because I was desperately craving some sort of Platonic ideal of a yellow cake – eggy, moist, begging for chocolate frosting – and it completely delivered. I adore the chocolate sour cream frosting and look forward to seeing how it would work with even more intense chocolate (I went with a mix of 60% and 70% chocolate this time). I didn’t skip the sprinkles, either. Thank you!
Hi Deb! I’ve been reading your blog for many years! First time posting. Just made this wonderful cake this weekend for my son’s 1st birthday. It was AMAZING! I have never had yellow cake with chocolate frosting before because we don’t commonly use box mixes here or at least in my household. Everyone in my family approved, I wasn’t sure about the sour cream frosting so I halfed the amount and added double cream instead. It was perfect! I have made many of your recipes and all are great! Currently am obsessed with your challah breads. So if you ever come to Malaysia, please do let me know! Malaysia is a land of wonderfully delicious food! Oh and love all the photos of Jacob!
Mixing and matching celebration cakes, the day after (well, a couple of days after!):
it was great, it was yummy, it was showstopping, it was so much better than I could hope!!!!!
The birthday girl had asked for a combination of something fruit-y with something chocolate-y, and this is what I came up with (well, actually, you came up with it, I just put the pieces together!):
I used this yellow cake recipe for the cake, and it was incredibly moist and delicious. I baked 1.25*recipe and it fitted perfectly in three 8″ round pans with 2″ sides. I baked them one at a time (no problems with rising, at all) at 165°C (325°F) in my convection oven to avoid having to level a lot – it still domed, and didn’t rise all the way up the 2″ sides, but given the 3-layers concept and everything, the final height of each layer was fine.
The filling I used was the one you had said you would use the next time for the neapolitan cake: a 50-50 mixture of a delicious salted butter caramel with a seedless raspberry jam. I went by weight for the 50-50 mixture, and I think it was just perfect: you could definitely taste the caramel and had a delicious tart aftertaste of raspberries.
As for the frosting, I used the whipped bittersweet frosting from the almond raspberry layer cake, which was bittersweet as it should be, and complemented perfectly the sweetness of the cake.
I took your advice and melt some white chocolate with a little bit of cream to write the “happy birthday” with, but having no food coloring in hand, I decided to dye it with some of the leftover raspberry jam. White chocolate + raspberries. No way to go wrong there, it was delicious!
All in all, it was delicious, the birthday girl loved it, our friends loved it, and we polished it off even after having a (big) delicious dinner!
Just one last note, before the big B-day celebration, I made a mini test-version of the cake-to-be for the boy and me (and then a couple of lucky, if I may say so, friends) to taste. It was unbelievable how moist it was even after 2.5 days in an airtight container in the fridge – yes, I know, how could we not polish it off the first day, since it was a mini version?? Well let’s say it was hard, but I kept thinking I would have a big slice from the real thing :p
There you have it! Thanks so much for the recipes, the tips, the assistance but most of all, the inspiration!
E.
I really LOVE your blog. I will be trying your Best Yellow Layer Cake recipe for my grandson’s 1st Birthday. My daughter and I felt he needed the nostalgic, ‘traditional’ Yellow cake/Chocolate buttercream concoction for his “1st”. I’m not going to use the frosting you mention here (not this time) because I’m making a two-tiered version and I’m afraid it won’t hold up well. Wish me luck!
I love this recipe, it was the first cake I ever made.
I have noticed that if you make your own buttermilk using milk and vinegar, you might need to add a little extra sugar to cover up the bitterness of the vinegar.
This looks perfect as is, but for a raspberry and chocolate lover, how do you think a layer of raspberry in the middle would be? thanks for any advice!!
I made this cake last Friday. I made Italian buttercream instead of the sour cream chocolate frosting. I flavored the buttercream raspberry for the filling and chocolate for the outside. I must say this was the most impressive cake I’ve ever baked. A whopping 8 cups of batter (most mixes have 4 to 4 1/2) in two eight inch pans made very tall, beautiful layers. It was a test cake as I am looking for a yellow cake for an anniversary cake I am making later in April. It was quite good so I think I will use it.
I made this cake this morning and right now, it’s in charred bits in my garbage. There was way too much batter! I followed the recipe exactly. I split it evenly between two 9″ cake pans, as suggested, and I made sure to knock the pans on the counter to remove the bubbles, but they both spilled over, making a mess of my oven. Your photos made it look like the cake baked perfectly within the constraints of the 9″ pans, so when the batter was a little high in the pans, I thought nothing of it, assuming they would cook up evenly. I should have baked three 9″ cakes instead. :( I tried this recipe because it said, “…It just works. Every time.” I only had one shot at this, as I was going to have it ready as a birthday surprise for when my roommate got home tonight. I will try it again some other time, because it really did look amazing before it outgrew the pan and spilled over the sides. I’ll just bemore careful with how much batter I put in each pan *probably splitting it in to three 9″ pans next time*. Thanks for the recipe! I hope to get this one right at some point.
I made this today for a family birthday and it was really moist and delicious. My husband and I are not really cake people, especially when it comes to “plain” flavors, but we both went back for seconds. (I used a different frosting recipe so I can’t speak to that.) The batter was thicker than I expected, but I’m normally a box cake maker. After 15 min. in the oven the batter was really high in my 9″ cake pans and not very set in the center, so I decided not to swap the pans half-way through the cook time as planned. I dropped each pan from 2″ up like Deb suggested 4x each so maybe that prevented overflow? I also measured the flour by weight and found that 480 grams of cake flour was less than 4 cups for me–maybe I pack it too much. This is my second homemade two layer cake (the first was the SK Pink Lady cake) and I would definitely make again–moist and relatively simple for someone who isn’t a frequent cake baker. I’m curious to see how it tastes on day 2.
My Guys loved this cake. as well as me! thanks!
Can you use milk instead of buttermilk in this recipe?
I tried your cake and it turns out very well, it tastes so good……hummmmm
Thank you for the sharing!
just found your blog, so excited to try this cake recipe, my son is turning 10 and we are having his party tomarrow, I detest store bought cakes, and the fancy bakerys are good, but charge way too much, so I have my sons hooked on fresh baked cakes, isnt that great? They def know the difference because I cook a lot, and bake some too, so they have an appreciation for scratch items, thanks so much for this, and Im going to try it today. I was a bit concerned about the buttermilk? But Im going to give it a whirl, I know its great in biscuits. Your baby should be about 3 now, since the date of original post, congrats.
If you use this recipe for cupcakes, how long should they bake? thanks!
I made a test cake April 2 and made two half sheet cakes on Friday, April 20, for a party. While the test cake was good, I decided I wanted a finer crumb so I added an extra egg yolk with the eggs and alternated the flour and buttermilk beginning and ending with the flour. I used three batches of cake batter (24 cups) for two half sheet cakes. They came out perfect and the crumb was wonderful. My client loved her cakes. This will be my go to yellow cake (with my tweeks) from now on.
Yum! Made this cake for my son’s first birthday party and it was a total, amazing, extraordinary hit. Wish you could see the photo of him. He devoured this!!! Thank you!
i made this cake exactly according to your instructions but it was very crumbly and fell apart :(
I just made this cake and made my own buttermilk out of 1 cup of almond milk + 1T apple cider vinegar It turned out great and has a hint of almond, delicious!
What a fantastic frosting!!! I generally don’t like cake because the frosting is way too sweet or tastes like chemicals if it comes from a can, but this frosting, well it’s just in its own league! I LOVE that it’s not to sweet, and a bit sour, and has a deep chocolate flavor with gorgeous shine! I used it on your chocolate cake recipe for a 5 year-old birthday party and it was a HUGE HIT! I was worried the kids would think the frosting was too sour, but no one said a peep and everyone ate every single crumb! I refrigerated my cakes and the frosting overnight, then assembled everything while it was cold the day of. Left it in a box in a cool basement (50 degrees) until dinner and it was perfect. This frosting is so easy to work with and it looks BEAUTIFUL! love love love it
Made this cake last week for my mother in-laws birthday. I followed the recipe and the cake came out perfect. The cake is so moist and the frosting was fantastic. Everyone loved it. Thank you.
I have made this cake twice. Once with the cup measurements and just now using the weights. I just got a kitchen scale and this was the first cake I baked with weights. What an incredible difference it makes to the results! Baking this recipe by weight yielded an incredibly beautiful, fluffy and moist cake. Just when I thought this recipe couldn’t get any better, it does. Thanks Deb!
hi,i want to make this cake for my son`s first birthday can i use normal cream instead of sour cream.kids might not like soury
I used this recipe in cupcakes for my step dads birthday. It turned out fantastic!
I just requested this for my birthday cake and my husband made it last night… can’t wait to have a slice (or two) tonight!
I made this cake last week, and everyone loved it!
Since I only have one 8” cake pan and one six” cake pan, I got creative while making the cake and decided to make two 8” layers, and bake a 6” taste-test size in between. In spite of my tiny oven from East Germany by way of a Parisian basement, all three layers turned out to be gorgeous! I was terrified that the top of the cake would burn before it had completely baked, but although the top was a lovely dark golden brown when taken out of the oven, the inside was a beautiful yellow cake.
The cake was lovely and moist for our games party potluck the next day (cut into 24 thin slices, it served everyone), and we shared the tiny 6” one-layer with two friends the same day I made it. Thanks for the recipe. :)
Your cake looks scrumptious! I’m glad for you that you have made a cake you’re happy with. It reminds me of the cake my mom used to make many years ago. Although it was an all chocolate cake, it was the “special” one she always made for birthdays and special occasions. And it had mayonnaise in it! That gave it a very moist consistency.
Yup, this is the one! I poured through sooo many yellow cake recipes and settled on this one. So glad I did! I made 1.5x the recipe to get 3-8″ round pans for a triple layer birthday cake + 2-4″ round pans for a double layer cake for my 1-year old son’s personal “cake smash” cake + 4 cupcakes for the kids who will be at the party. It makes a lot of batter!
I also baked at 325F rather than 350F to avoid burning. The larger cakes got a little brown on the edges, but the tops are perfect! And of course, the best part is, that THEY TASTE EVEN BETTER THAN THE BOX! They definitely do have that same fluffy texture. My friends who have had 1 year old birthdays in the past few weeks complained that their cakes were too dense for the adults and the babies. This one was perfect!
Best tip I used from another blog is to make sure you cream the butter and sugar long enough to keep it from being crumby. I beat the softened butter alone first for 1 minute, then creamed it with the sugar for 7 minutes! Seems like forever, but I have to believe it was worth it. I also followed all of the other instructions to the letter – eggs room temperature, add 1 at a time, buttermilk first, then flour in 3 batches.
Enjoy and THANK YOU DEB!
Deb, what are you thoughts on filling this cake with pastry cream instead of the frosting???
My thoughts are that you should invite me over? :) I am sure it would be wonderful.
Loved this cake and the sour cream frosting. It’s sour, but with the chocolate mixed in it, it absolutely works! The cake was dense and delicious. I made this yesterday for my daughter’s 5th birthday. Our family devoured it tonight, which to me, is a win! Thanks for this great recipe. I hope you are enjoying your family and have made this for many birthday’s. ;)
Deb, I was going to attempt to email you… then I read your FAQs and decided leaving a comment made more sense!
I am planning my little man’s first birthday party. I am determined to make cake pops (and my mother thinks I have fully lost my mind…) I would love to make my own cake and frosting for the cake pops so I can control what the little one is eating. I love this cake recipe but I have a question on frosting. I don’t like chocolate frosting (GASP I know!) I would love to make something that doesn’t require an ungodly amount of sugar (I do NOT need a suagred up baby!) Do you have any suggestions?
You are my favorite baking/cooking guru! Thanks for all of your recipes!!
Hi Alexia — I’ve never made a cake pop before so I am not sure what is required. I thought was just a quick buttercream, which you can make with powdered sugar, softened butter and a splash of milk.
I realy need some ideas for my best friends birthday because she wants a dog cake but I don’t know how to make a jack russel cake?
I made this yyesterday and you are right it is a great recipe, but I am an amateur at best at baking and I wanted to bake 2 6×2 round cakes I filled up my pans with batter with about 2/3 of an inch for head room. My cake did not bubble over but it did burn on the outside before it was cooked on the inside. I was thinking maybe fill the pans a little less and adjust the cooking temperature. With the rest of my batter I made cupcakes which came out almost perfect but they had a hard crust over the top of them. Any suggestions on what I can do to fix these problems? By the way this was the best recipe I have found so far not dense at all like most of the cake recipes I have tried.
such a great cake…. i split the batter and did 3 tablespoons of dark cocoa powder and did black and white oversize cupcakes!!! YUM thanks for the great recipe. thought the yellow cake was my downfall with baking…. YES REDEMPTION IS HERE!~!~ <3
This was my first smitten kitchen cake attempt. AND it was for my daughter’s first birthday!
About 5 minutes in, the cake bubbled over and at 10 minutes I put a cookie sheet under the rack. The entire kitchen filled with smoke and still smells like smoke. hahahaha.
I blame my pans and not the recipe. The cake tastes wonderful!
Deb, is there any reason that with this cake you add all the buttermilk in and then the flour, instead of alternating it like you do in other recipes (the raspberry buttermilk cake specifically)? Will it affect the texture?
kcsnedah — The alternating way is the classic way, taught in cooking schools. But I didn’t find that it added enough in texture/crumb to this cake to make it worth the extra bowls and work.
Amazing recipe! I can’t stop eating the batter. I just made this recipe as jumbo cupcakes for a Father’s Day BBQ tomorrow. My husband is a devout box mix, yellow cake with chocolate frosting kind of guy. Can’t wait for him to taste these. Think I’ll try to save a smidgen of the batter for a teaser. Thanks ahead for making me look good!
Thank you for answering that. I made it the way you wrote here (with altitude adjustments) and it was great. Saving extra bowls is always appreciated! It is a sturdy cake, and super tasty. I personally prefer something lighter, but it was perfect for my family who knows nothing better than box mixes. Paired with strawberry filling and a light almond cream cheese frosting – it made a great birthday cake for the parents. Thanks again!
Thanks for this great recipe. I don’t cook but I will try this one, I already feel it’s sweetness…
Wish I had read more of your posting at top – this recipe makes FOUR 9 in rounds – not TWO!! SO much batter – I will definitely half it the next time – but it is very moist and tasty!!!
I just wanted to say thank you SO much for this wonderful recipe. It got rave reviews from some picky people. I have to say, I’ve been reading for a couple years, and you’ve never let me down! :)
I made this in cupcake form last night as my birthday is today. This has really brought my life up a notch. It’s also made me feel like I am now ready to be a mom. Five weeks and counting!
Also, did anyone else get 36 cupcakes out of this?
Could I use this recipe to make a half sheet cake (12×18)? I assume I would probably double, but just wondered if anyone has tried it.
Which cake flour do you think works best bleach or unbleached?
DeAnne — I prefer unbleached but both will work just fine here.
Thank you for posting your this recipe for yellow cake :)
My daughters birthday party tomorrow & I made it tonight ~
We’ll try it out tomorrow when it is complete.. But, it smelled divine, cooked perfectly, & felt absolutely perfect to the touch (moistness & fluffiness)
I’ve always wanted to be a Cake Mom.. But I have a much more wholesome taste and perspective.
Needless to say, my baked goods are Great to me, but I find it never quite ‘pleases’ the crowds ,)
Now that I am comfortable with the process, I think adjusting the sugar to some honey, and some different flours, will be a breeze :)
I did use whole milk yogurt, instead of the buttermilk, and 1/2 cup of Xylitol (less sugar).
It’s Great =)
Thxx u again*
i just made this cake for my little guy’s 1st birthday and it was a HUGE hit! it was absolutely delicious! i made the chocolate fudge easy buttercream frosting instead of the choc sour cream above b/c I found the choc sour cream one a bit too bitter for my taste. I doubled the cake recipe in order to make a double layer 12 inch round cake, and I added a little more vanilla, as well as real vanilla bean, which i think added a fabulous depth of flavor. The cake was incredibly moist but also dense. And it remained delicious for several days after defrosting it and serving it. By the way — the layer cake tips you provide in another section were absolutely instrumental in my cake success!! One tip that you don’t have — which was helpful for me in making such a big cake — was to use a decorating flower nail as a heat conductor in the 12 inch round to ensure that the center got baked. Thanks for your fabulous recipes and tips, as always!
I just combined two of your recipes and it resulted in an amazing success! I made this yellow cake and then topped it with the raspberry filling from your double chocolate layer cake and drizzled that with the chocolate ganache!! Your recipes inspire me! Thank you!
Also, I’ve read that other people made 25-30 cupcakes with this recipe. I found the same. As far as bake time is concerned, mine were ready in 15 mins.
I’m not sure what I could have done wrong. This cake was SO dense and the batter was almost dough-like. It took the cake so long to cook through the middle that it ended up being much too dry on the outside. It didn’t even taste sweet at all. It pretty much tasted like flour. I had to throw it away. :-
Great cake recipe! Followed the directions exactly and ended up with a moist and flavorful birthday cake. I’m very happy to have a yellow cake recipe that works! Thank you.
The cake itself was a little dry, and the frosting was to sour!
hai im a first year student at a hotel school and would love to learn more on cakes and recipes. this cake lukes delicious. . . . . wow i got to try this. next month it my mum’s birth day.thank you
Absolutely the most perfect yellow cake recipe ever! I have tried many, this was moist and delicious, super easy to work with for frosting and decorating (I put whipped cream and berries in three layers and fresh flowers on top). My new “go to” for yellow cake. Thank you *so* much!
I used this recipe for cupcakes today and baked them in ice cream cones. They turned out great!
Hey…I am searching for a chocolate frosting recipe for cupcakes for a wedding. The wedding is going to be on the beach down here in hot Mexico. Is this a pretty durable frosting? If I pipe it on and let them sit for a few hours, is the frosting going to be a disaster?
Made this for my 3 year old nephew’s birthday yesterday. It was a hit! Frankie mostly ate the frosting which I was worried he might not like because of the sourness. I made it with more than the minimum corn syrup to increase the sweetness but it still wasn’t super sweet. The batter of the cake was so light and fluffy that I knew that I was on to something good. It took longer to bake than the suggested time but that could have to do with my oven. The cake reminded me of the best boxed cake that you could ever eat. I don’t normally make yellow cake because it is pretty uninteresting but I enjoyed the flavor of this cake. The finished product was excellent. It appealed to everyone because it was familiar yet a bit sophisticated. I’ll definitely make it again!
I used this cake recipe for my daughters 4th birthday last week. It was definitely the best I have tried. This will be my go-to recipe from now on. I also used your cream cheese frosting recipe, which was delicious. I received many compliments on the cake. Thank you!
For people who don’t normally have buttermilk in the house, I’ve made this cake twice with substitutes. For my first trial, I subbed an equal amount of sour cream. The cake came out nicely leavened but dry. The second time, I subbed the buttermilk with half sour cream / half milk, and a bit of vinegar to replace the lost acidity. I also subbed half the butter with oil because I seriously hate dry cake. The result was tender with a lot of rise, and moister. I almost think this recipe has an egg white too many but I wasn’t willing to risk a full recipe.
Deb, thing cake is wonderful!! Really moist and the crumbs are perfect. I love that you provide weights with the recipe, so precise! :)
I made the recipe as is, except I mashed some fresh lemon and lime zest into the sugar before creaming it with the butter, to give it a citrus note. The recipe works great in a 9×13 pan. It’s even more delicious if you pour a little fresh lemon juice over the top and dust it with powdered sugar.
http://pieontherun.wordpress.com/2012/08/08/delicious-lemony-yellow-cake-not-yellowcake/
This cake did not go over well at all. My kids said it tasted like pancakes.The frosting was overly chocolatley.To bad it looked really good.
Thanks for the excellent recipe! I made this into cupcakes and topped them with a whipped bittersweet chocolate ganache frosting. They were delicious, and my co-workers loved them. I got a load of compliments, including two people saying that these were the best cupcakes they’ve ever had. Thanks for making me look good (again)!
I made this cake for my daughter’s birthday last week. I used this recipe for the vanilla cake layer in a three layer cake with strawberry buttercream icing. The cake was good fresh out the oven! It had a good flavor and fluffy texture, but it wasn’t as moist as I would have liked. Within 24 hours, the cake was pretty dry and had the texture of cornbread. I followed the recipe exactly, so I’m not sure what went wrong:-( I’m looking for a vanilla cake recipe that’s REALLY rich and moist – similar to a chocolate cake. Does anyone have any ideas? I’m tempted to use a chocolate cake recipe, minus the cocoa.
When this cake is perfect it’s PERFECT> I have made twice in the last week – lots of birthday gatherings. – my thoughts if it’s coming out dry?
first – use the weights – super helpful.
second – mix in the flour by hand – not by the beater to JUST incorporate it.
third – make it a three layer – and divide batter again by weight – three layers means less doming – and allows for an extra bit of filling….but WATCH THE BAKING TIME – – it bakes much faster as three layers.
four – brush some sort of syrup on the layers for extra fun – I’ve used Bacon syrup and filled with Dulce de Leche and Mexican chocoate – and I’ve used a Meyer lemon syrup – and lemon curd filling.
I know you’re uber busy, but…I’m going to ask anyway.
I’m usually a pretty decent cake baker, but I made this cake this weekend for my nephew’s birthday. The batter turned out beautifully, I baked it at the prescribed temperature until it was golden and a toothpick came out clean. I cooled it in the pans for 10 minutes, during which time it sort of deflated. But when I turned them out, the layers seemed ok. So I frosted it and served it, only to discover that it had fallen into a sort of vanilla flavored brick. What did I do wrong? How do I keep cakes from falling in the future?
(Incidentally, I made your triple berry summer bundt (second time this summer) for the adults and it turned out perfectly. I’m thoroughly stumped here…)
M — Are you at a higher altitude?
I made this cake for my 24th birthday yesterday which I celebrated in Paris with 10 friends. My rental apartment has a tiny rotisserie oven, one mixing bowl, and one wooden spoon. I had never made a cake without a mixer. It was FANTASTIC. Moist, yellow, cake-mix-like but 10 times better. Thank you so much for providing the metric weights (saved me from doing a lot of math) and for a wonderful recipe. My French friends had never seen a real American layer cake before. Most ate two pieces, and a few of the boys ate 3. My French ingredient substitutes worked perfectly. Deb, thank you so so much for this recipe, I always make my own birthday cake and this was exactly what I needed.
So I have made this frosting before to go with your “Best Birthday Cake” (P.S. It is). Today, in a very last minute attempt to redeem myself for missing a friend’s birthday party, I decided to make her birthday cupcakes for our book club tonight. I only had semisweet chocolate so I used that instead but I substituted some unsweetened cocoa for some of the confectioners sugar. I was able to maintain the consistency and still have a decadently chocolaty frosting. Cupcakes, frosting, a shower and dishes in less than 1.5 hours – I’m going to be a great mom some day!
I made the cake and frosting for my father’s birthday last weekend. I was drawn to the frosting because most frostings I pick are overly sweet, and this one was not. I wrote down my ingredients for the market (i.e. sour cream), and everytime I spoke of the frosting, I said “sour cream”. I made the frosting, and of course it had a sour taste. The texture was a little off too. It was not until the following morning when I was waking up, it clicked… I used cream cheese. I had to arrive with the cake in less than 2 hours, and there was no time to start over. Surprisingly, everyone loved it. It looked and tasted like a layered cheesecake. I just had to share because I almost tossed the cake. After an hour of internet searches, most articles/blogs/comments said that if you replace sour cream with cream cheese, this will essentially ruin the frosting. I think I just got lucky this time around..
Thanks for the recipe. I made the cake last night and we will have it tonigh for hubby’s birthday party. Haven’t tasted it yet, but it looks good. I put green and yellow food coloring in the cake to represent the Greenbay Packers. For the frosting I made my chocolate cream cheese frosting (yum). I’m hoping the 2 cups of buttermilk will make this cake not dry (like some yellow cakes are). Of course I decored the cake with green and yellow sprinkles, green M&M’s and candy footballs :) Again, thanks for the recipe, and hopefully people will think I’m a genius tonight :)
This has become my go to yellow cake recipe, it is truly amazing. I love that you mentioned a bunch of different sized pan options. I just wanted to mention that one recipe makes a perfect one inch layer for a half sheet cake. When serving a large crowd I make 3 recipes of the cake for a super big and impressive cake. Thanks again for such a great recipe!
I’ve made this recipe as cupcakes and used bittersweet chocolate. Liked it but made it as a birthday cake yesterday with semi-sweet and LOVED. I thought I had let the sour cream warm up long enough but still ended up with little chocolate flakes. I actually really like it that way!!
hi deb-
i’m wondering how i could make this cake a little more “grown-up”. i see someone asked about using bailey’s above, but i was wondering about bourbon-it’s a different consistency, so maybe the flavor might be a little more pronounced if i substituted it for some of the milk?
noemi — You can always brush the cake with an alcohol-infused simple syrup.
My frosting tastes disgusting. I even added a ton of corn syrup. Sooooo gross :(
Hi Deb .. Would love to make this cake but I never use Corn Syrup .. would it be ok to use Agave Syrup instead .. or Maple Syrup??
It should be just fine.
Deb! Trying to figure out if this cake will keep for a bit without drying out?? I need a cake for Sat but cant bake it Friday night (work all day Friday) and the party is early Sat. So I’d need to bake it Thursday night OR use a recipe that I have that lasts three days easy. Was really trying to use this one as I’ve been excited about it! Thoughts?? It’s for my nieces 1st birthday…
P.S.
I cannot BELIEVE the amount of comments on this one!
I halved the recipe and ended up with 12 cupcakes and a tiny “smash cake” that I baked in an oven safe glass bowl. I substituted apple sauce and coconut oil and butter for the all butter called for just because I was *gasp* out of butter. It turned out really well, good crumb and everything. I used mostly sour cream and a little bit of plain yogurt for the frosting. Everything was at room temperature and I still had some seizing but like you said it’s just like little chocolate chips are in the frosting. This has got to be the best chocolate frosting recipe I’ve ever made or eaten. Thank you so much!
I just made this about two weeks ago and it was sooo good! I love this. I keep meaning to make it again. I have all the ingredients on hand. I couldnt believe how dense it was. Usually I can eat a huge portion of cake but I could only do a little slice at a time with this since it was so filling. I love that! It was my first homemade cake :)
I wonder if anyone else has asked this already (too many comments for me to read through all of them!) But, what’s up with the 4 cups of flour? All the other recipes I’ve seen/used for this size cake (2- 8 or 9 inch rounds) call for 2 to 2 1/2 cups of flour. Two cups of buttermilk is also more liquid than I’m used to, but I guess what you’d need to moisten that much flour…still the ratios here seem off. Why does it work?
Jen R. — The ratios here are pretty standard (to what I’ve seen) for a tall two-layer cake. If everything seems high, it might just be a bigger birthday cake than you’re used too seeing. For the most part, I make single cake layers (birthday or coffee cake-style) with 2 cups flour, about a cup of sugar (less for coffee cakes), a stick of butter and two eggs. There’s usually a cup of milk/buttermilk/sour cream/yogurt too. This, of course, is just doubled.
Hi Deb – This truly is the BEST birthday cake!! I’m a pastry chef and I bake a lot of cakes and I was blown away by this recipe. Thank you so much for all your wonderful recipes. You’re always the first I turn to when I’m looking for something new!
I made this cake for my baby boy’s first birthday two days ago and I must say it was delicious! I also cut the layers in half, so I ended up with 4 in order to have a taller cake and it worked perfectly. I’d like to ask you where do you keep it once it’s made? On the counter or in the fridge?
And also when you make the layers and you don’t have time to finish the cake, you should put them in the fridge or you can leave them outside in order to finish the cake the next day?
Made as cupcakes for my husband’s 29th today along with the help of my 2yr old…we decided jumbo would be best for big kids and with the full recipe it yielded 16 jumbo cupcakes at 18min cooking time. Thanks for the easy and delicious superfluffy go-to cake! As he has snuck and finished off an entire unfrosted cupcake on his own as his offical Taste-testing, I think I know what recipe we will be using for his upcoming 3rd birthday!
I know this is an older post, but I wanted to say thank you for the recipe! It turned out great for my friend’s birthday. One thing I would personally endorse is to brush the cake with simple syrup if you make it in two day (like I did) to prevent it from getting dry. Mine dried a bit in the fridge for 24 hours, but was still delicious for the occasion. Thanks again!
I made this cake for my four year old daughter and it was soooo good. Very moist. I made a butter cream frosting for it and it was delicious. This will become a staple.
Oh my goodness. This cake recipe has me wanting to go out and purchase a stand up mixer!
Good lawd, I just made this tonight for my daughter’s Halloween party tomorrow and it made 31 of the best tasting cup”cakes” I have ever had, ever. Thank you, Deb!
Made cupcakes out of this recipe! They turned out great :) Thanks! Love you blog
I have never been a fan of yellow cakes and chocolate frosting but after reading this article decided I needed a go to recipe for when the occasion called for it. I made this for a church reunion party at a restaurant last night. Everyone raved about it and even the servers were commenting about how good it looked so we offered them a piece. The word got out and the next thing I knew people around the room were begging for a taste. I left with my cake carrier empty and a clean plate but with lots of happy appreciative people!
I made this cake and followed the directions exactly, but it came out very dry. I even baked it for less time. The taste was great but the cake was not moist – not sure what went wrong, but I’m very disappointed with this recipe.
Yuck. Dense, dry cake. Too bad I didn’t give it a test run before making it for my son’s birthday. The frosting on the other hand was delicious.
I made this cake for my son’s 2nd birthday party. I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out perfect – moist, flavorful and delicious! Thanks for a fantastic recipe. I made a layer cake this time but will try cupcakes next time!
What can i use to substitute buttermilk?….would regular milk do?
I am “Home Room Mom” for my son’s Senior English class. They LOVE when I bring treats! I took them these cupcakes iced with chocolate buttercream… they were so happy and thought they were so delicious! I think they were a bit dry…I probably baked them a minute too long. It made a bunch… I think 38!
I have to agree with post #911 (and some others). I followed to the letter using weights, but the batter was a bit doughy after gently mixing in the flour. The cake was far too dense; not overdone, just brick-like. Bummer, it was my son’s birthday cake.
amn — See my link in Comment #466
So – made this cake exactly as the recipe says – and it turned out wonderful! Except for one problem. I’m guessing I needed to use larger pans, because when I filled up my two standard size 9″pans, the batter went all the way to the top, and yes, I went against my better judgement and put them into the oven. Thank goodness my DH suggested I put a cookie sheet underneath, because when they baked, they resembled volcanos! Cake batter everywhere!
Anyway, I’d make this recipe again in a heartbeat – it was that good – but I’d use taller cake pans, or more of them!
(Woops hit enter in error. Sorry.)Who wants to read such mundane, useless, trivial comments. Those who are perusing comments are looking for people who actually (gasp) made the recipe and have something intelligent to say about it.
So here I am someone who actually made the recipe-twice. Here is my comment. The flavor was outstanding but the texture of my cupcakes was disappointingly dry as some other commenters have said. I tried a second time b/c I assumed it was me leaving them too long in the oven. The bottoms of my first batch were a little over brown. But the second batch were cooked perfectly if anything underdone but still had that dryness. Deb, what am I doing wrong? Is it possible that some recipes should be used stricly for cakes and not cupcakes? My other question is that the only buttermilk in my grocery store was low-fat type which I used. I wonder if that could make a difference. And yes, your cake is beautiful.
I made this recipe into cupcakes for my daughter’s second birthday, topped with a chocolate buttercream from MS baking handbook. The flavor was good, but they were a bit dense, and cooked in much less time – the first batch I made got quite brown on the edges though I checked and pulled them early. The second batch were better as I knew to cut the time. I would agree that these rise quite high – probably only a third full in each cup is fine.
Long time lurker, first time poster. I just wanted to say thank you for this great recipe. I made it for my son’s first birthday and it turned out perfectly. The icing was the best part – much more rich and far less sweet than the store-bought kind. I am by no means a baker but I think this recipe is fool proof. And the confetti sprinkles made it.
I just made this recipe for my partner in cupcake-form. The batter is absolutely luscious! I will say that it made closer to 36 cupcakes for me! :) Thanks for the recipe. Can’t wait to try one after they cool down!
I have made this cake twice in the last 2 months, once for my own birthday and once for my son’s birthday, who just turned 2! It was perfect both times. I even froze slices of the cake from my birthday to enjoy weeks later. Yum!
Hi!
Making this wonderful looking cake for my 2 yr old bday tomorrow. Have you heard of the Hershey’s chocolate frosting? Seems like a lot of bloggers talk about it… homemade frosting. If you have heard of it do you think that will be too sweet for this cake? Not sure if my little one will like the sour cream/tartness/sourness of the one listed for this recipe. Want it to be perfect of course so any tips as far as my idea of frosting would be great! LOVE yellow cake and chocolate frosting (fudge)& am hoping she does too;).
Thank you!
Wow, i consider myself a great amateur yellow cake baker, and this cake is indeed very good, moist, tender and light for a yellow cake. However, because i dislike the acidic aftertaste of cake flour, i instead used AP flour using my always successful, never fail formula of 1 cup cake flour equaling 3/4 cup AP flour plus 2 tbsp cornstarch. I did not count the additional 2 tbsp cake flour into my conversion. I detected a slighy “baking soda-ish” taste which I may mask next time with some lime or lemon zest; or i may consider using 3 tsp bp and 1/2 tsp baking soda instead of the 2 tsp baking powder and 1 1/2 tsp baking soda. If/ when i do, i will let you know how it turns out. Also, those that complain 2 9 inch pans are not sufficient are not using the professional 9 inch pan that is higher but i cant remember the length of the sides.
Hi,
I made this today…Its awesome..Thanks for the Recipe dear..
Sudipa
hi deb. i’m new to the site, but i’m loving it! i found you while hunting for just this recipe — the very best birthday cake. i’ve never made a layer cake before, and want to try this. in my eagerness, i bought layer cake pans only to get home and find that they are 10 inch instead of 9 inch. dare I use them? what changes would i need to make? thanks for your help!
patti — You’ll just need to bake them for a little less time, most likely. And they’ll be thinner layers.
I just baked this cake for my sons birthday tomorrow and although it smells wonderful, I should have made 3 8″ cakes instead of 2. It was too much batter and the cakes burnt a little on the bottom before the cakes were fully cooked! Any suggestions? I need to shave the tops as they are too round but if I shave the bottoms I think my cakes will be too thin :(
When cakes burn before they bake through, it’s usually because an oven runs hot. Or, if you’re using glass or a very dark baking pan, sometimes it helps to bake the cake at 25 degrees less or it can get too dark before it’s done.
Okay, just looking for help…will never bother you again.
I made this cake for my cousins 18th b day and it turned out perfect!
Well one of them did. See I’m kinda sort of the owner of only 1 nine inch round pan of stainless steel. So I tried to bake the other half of the filling in another 9 inch pan that was a much darker finish and didn’t think it through. But it’s ok though because after I scraped of the bottom part I decided to keep that one for myself! Ermahgerd this was delicious!So in all I’m kinda glad for once that I didn’t get a second pan because now I have delicious cake! I will rectify the whole missing ss pan though. I would love to make this again for anymore upcoming birthdays.
The cake itself though is so moist and tender. The kind of moist and tender yellow cake that I believed was only possible with DHGB mix. I still put a simple syrup on it just for an extra burst of vanilla flavor and paired it with a white chocolate Swiss butter cream. I have finally fond my moist butter cake mix from scratch!
Has anyone attempted making this a white cake instead? I love this cake recipe, but I want to try coloring the cake batter in a rainbow pattern for my son’s birthday cake. (I did a test run of the original internet sensation and I was not impressed, to put it mildly, and I’d rather not use a box mix for white cake.) I’m afraid I won’t be able to get a good red, blue, or purple if I leave it as a yellow cake. I wondered if I could just leave out the yolks and maintain the integrity of the recipe.
Linda — For a pure white cake, I might look to Dorie Greenspan’s Perfect Party Cake. It’s wonderful, and white.
Just curious – this seems a little different than the yellow cake in your cookbook, but not too different? Do you mind explaining the difference?
Also, I want to make this into a mini-cake for my daughter’s birthday (the rest of us are eating a chocolate/caramel cake). Any suggestions for how to size it to a 6-inch cake?
Thanks!
The version in the book is roughly a 3/4 volume and it’s fitted into a 9×13 pan to make a simple sheet cake — the single layer is a touch thinner than each layer of the 9-inch round cake is here. But, you are right! There are other changes too. First, instead of having people go find cake flour, I have you “make” it yourself with a blend of all-purpose flour and cornstarch (roughly the way I’d tell you to make it at home if you didn’t want to buy it). The bigger change is that I knock down the leavener quite a bit too. Some people have mentioned an overleavened vibe (sometimes dry, coarser crumbs) in the cake in these comments and I wanted to address that so rather than just 3/4-ing the baking powder and baking soda, I found even less would work and give a smoother, more tender crumb in the cake. I hope that helps clarify (for you and others that might come here with the same question).
This recipe (above) can be halved to make a tall 2-layer 6-inch round birthday cake.
Mine is spilling over into the oven!!!! What did I do wrong???? I’m ready to cry…waaaa!
And I just tasted the part that spilled in the oven and it doesn’t taste sweet at all…what for pete’s sake did i do wrong…any ideas anyone? so disappointed.
rosemary — Might you have used cake flour that already had baking powder/soda in it? Some do, some don’t. You want to use the regular stuff here (not self-rising). Cakes that “erupt” often have far too much leavener in them.
My cake came out dense and hard almost. The frosting tasted great but was sliding off the cake. What did I do wrong?
I am going to bake this for my birthday party tomorrow. Instead of the icing you provided, I am doing a chocolate cream-cheese frosting. I am also making my own buttermilk so wish me luck. I am my families resident baker. Hopefully this will be a hit.
I used the same baking pan that is used for cheesecakes. The spring release. Made getting the cake out so much more easier. Tomorrow I will frost the cake and see what the family thinks of my first home baked cake.
I was wanting to bake a good basic yellow cake for my neighbor’s birthday. I came acrossed this recipe and was really excited. I followed the directions to a tee except that I forgot to tap the pans to get the air bubbles out. I can’t imagine that it would make that much of a difference but possibly so. I was really disappointed in the texture of the cake. It was not soft and fluffy but slightly hard and chewy. I baked it in 9″ rounds for 35 minutes and let it cool. I frosted it with my delicious chocolate buttercream icing which in my opinion was the best part of the cake. I won’t be using this recipe again as I was highly disappointed. :(
I was compelled by all the great comments on here to make this cake for my yellow-cake loving husband. I made both the cake and the frosting per the recipe. Overall, it was somewhat disappointing.
The cake: it was frankly a little on the tough side with a dense crumb. More like a muffin in texture. The frosting: a little wet without much body. After making it per the recipe and cooling it in the refrigerator, I was skeptical it would be able to hold the weight of the heavy cakes. I ended up using Scharffenberger cocoa and powdered sugar to give it more body and structure, and helped even out the sour cream flavor (which I didn’t mind, especially as I prefer a lighter frosting to overly rich buttercreams).
I didn’t write in to pile on criticism, just to let people know that in my experience, this was not a standard birthday cake-type of cake.
OMG, Deb, you have done it again! I have been floundering to find THE.PERFECT.”WHITE”.CAKE. The buck stops here!!!!! As I did not have cake flour or buttermilk on hand, I used your equivalent substitutions in the comments. I am sorry if anyone else has reported back -I did not read through all 987 (!!!!!!) comments – but I made cupcakes; 31 standard sized ones with this recipe. I am wagering that they are gone in less than 24 hours (and I am not going to admit that there are only 2 adults and 2 toddlers in our household and they are NOT leaving the house). You never NEVER disappoint. Thank you.
I just made this cake and frosting for my daughters 15th birthday…and it was spectacular! I’m not a fan of white/yellow cake but this is an exception. I did add the fruit from one vanilla bean to the batter and it was just delicious. It was perfectly paired with the ever so easy and tasty chocolate sour cream frosting. We now have e new tradition for birthday cake in this house!
I also just made this cake (again!), and realized at the last minute I didn’t have enough sour cream. So I nervously swapped about a third of it with softened butter. It was wonderful. Just a little bit of the sour cream tang, but all the ease and nice texture of the base recipe. Too bad I overbaked the cake a tad, though.
Hi – I just made this cake and it is delicious. I just wanted to comment that I used two 8 inch pans and had enough batter leftover for a 3rd pan. However, 10 minutes into baking my pans were overflowing onto the oven floor and i had to put cookie sheets under the pans to keep more from dripping down. So I would advise against using 8 inch pans. This makes ALOT of batter! :) Thanks for your recipes, they are great.
hey. 1. can I use a springform pan?
2. how necessary is the cake flour vs regular flour
3. can I use soy milk instead of buttermilk to make it non-dairy?
My cake fell in the middle! My guy called it a bundt – I told him he couldn’t put a flower in it (My Big Fat Greek Wedding). Do you think that if the pans weren’t tall enough, it might have prevented the middle of the cake from cooking properly? I guess I need to buy taller pans…
Cakes that fall in the middle are usually an issue with the leavening. Any chance you used cake flour that already had leavening in it? If so, that would have led to too much in the cake, and it would have risen then collapsed.
Leora — See comment #556 for someone who used soy milk. See comments #206, 408 and 734 for my suggestion on how to make your own cake flour from all-purpose and cornstarch.
Thanks! and what about the springform? will the cake seep through?
I haven’t made it in one but comments #436 and 602 did so successfully, it sounds.
I’ll have to check the cake flour tonight. The reason that I guessed about the pans was that the cake sort of pillow topped a bit but didn’t overflow. I will say that the cooked sides/edges tasted good. I’m trying to figure out what to do with the cake pieces. I cut out the goopy middle…some kind of trifle maybe?
I was on the quest for a good, homemade cupcake recipe and, of course, started here. My little guy has a peanut allergy which keeps him from eating most anything that comes out of a commercial bakery. So when I found out that he wouldn’t be able to join in a classmate’s birthday party because he couldn’t have their store-bought cupcakes, I knew I had to do something. They baked up last night and are awaiting decorations tonight for a yummy treat tomorrow. Thanks Deb for making this so easy!
My quest for the perfect yellow cake continues. I made this recipe into cupcakes, paired it with fresh lemon curd and buttercream frosting. Maybe with chocolate this cake would be better but in my particular application it was definitely lackluster. Nice texture and color but the flavor definitely leaves something to be desired.
Can you tell me if the “plus 2 tablespoons” of flour are meant to go into the batter or are they for flouring the pan. brand new to baking. thanks!
Diana — They go into the batter.
I L.O.V.E this cake! Seriously awesome. I’ve made it as a multi-layered cake, cupcakes (hubby’s personal fav) and a sheet cake. All fabulous-all the time. Thank you !
Followed the recipe exactly. Frosted it with a chocolate buttercream frosting. It was fantastic on day one, moist, not dry at all. But on day two, it was totally dry. Not great at all. My hunt for the perfect yellow cake recipe continues…..
I noticed the pans were too full when I put them in the oven but since you are so precise about everything I just went ahead and started baking. With 15 minutes to go I just noticed they are overflowing all over the place. Yikes!! I am making two of these(one for the birthday girl at college, one for us!) and so the batter for the next one is nearly all mixed up. I measured, just to make sure I was using 9″ pans, but I think I’d better use 3 8″pans or my 10″pans for the next batch. How can I be the only one this has happened to( not that I read ALL the comments but I did try to read all of yours, Deb)? I love your blog but I’m trying to figure out how to deal with all that mess in the kitchen now. Thanks for any thoughts you might have.
Lisa — Two guesses (and of course, they’re just guesses, as I wasn’t there with you): there could have been too much leavener (perhaps you used a cake flour that had baking powder in it?) or you might have had baking pans with shorter than standard walls. Most standard cake pans have 2-inch walls.
A further thought on the previous post: Our eggs might be bigger than average though I tried to pick out ones that looked like “large”eggs (we keep chickens). Perhaps that contributed too much leavening?
I am drooling over the photos of the delicious looking birthday cake as no one has made me a cake since my daughter moved to New Zealand 6 months ago.
So do you know what I am going to do? Buy the ingredients and give it a try myself.
Wish me luck
Deb,
I’m going into the foray of making my best friend’s wedding cake this summer. It’s a small affair and she wants a natural-looking cake without too much fuss, so I’m not *too* terrified about making it look perfect. BUT we are most definitely having a cupcake tasting and in the running include this, your two cakes from your wedding cake extravaganza, your lemon curd, and fresh peach cake. I won’t bore you with *all* the specifics. :)
Thank you for encouraging the ambitious home cook and tentative newbie alike. My husband jokes with me that although I hate dirtying extra dishes and taking lots of steps, when you tell me what to do, I never ask questions!
PS – I’m still loving the book and photos/updates on not-so-little Mr. Jacob. :)
I was asked to bake a Reveal Cake and I had been searching the web for a good moist yellow cake from scratch. I came across your website and decided to try your cake on blind faith. I am so glad that I did. It was a real hit. Everyone raved about the cake. Thanks so much. I know I’ll be using this recipe again and again.
Pure randomness that I have never heard of you and your book jumped out at me at the library. I checked it out and fell in love! I seriously read your book cover to cover like a novel while wiping away the drool. So I had the task of baking my Dad’s favorite yellow cake with chocolate icing for his birthday and I went right to your site to find if you had perfected it. I was so excited to find this recipe! I followed it to a T but it didn’t turn out. :-( It was very very dense, not soft and barely moist. We even had a hard time getting a knife through it because it was so dense. Any idea where I could have went wrong? Other than that the flavor was delicious and the icing (instant fudge) was AMAZING. I must admit his birthday cake for as long as I can remember has been from the Duncan Hines box. I so want to get this right and give him another cake.
Mandi — One of the most frequent mistakes I hear about from people making this is that they might accidentally use cake flour that already had leavener in it — i.e. you’d end up with twice what you’d need and the cake would rise then sink, tasting dense. Does that sound like what happened? Otherwise, I’m stumped.
Hi Smitten Kitchen:
You have changed my life forever! For YEARS I have been looking for a great yellow cake with chocolate frosting recipe. And finally, I have found it! Was searching for what to do with my leftover buttermilk and stumbled on your site. Made this cake last night and it was simply amazing. AMAZING. The first (successful) layer cake I have made in my entire life. The cake was fluffy and moist and perfectly yellow. The frosting was scrumptious – not too sweet (I hate all those confectioners sugar recipes), and perfectly spreadable. I have died and gone to cake heaven. THANK YOU!!!!!
Couple questions: Is it possible to half this recipe (incl the frosting) by just halving all the measurements? It’s just my husband and me so for us to eat an entire layer cake before it goes bad is a bit insane.
And, how do you store this? Should I put it in the fridge (because of the frosting)? Or can it be left on the counter covered?
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!!!!
Just made these as cupcakes and I found that they make about 34 cupcakes. I used a small ice cream scooper and put about two scoops in each liner. I only needed to cook it for about 15 minutes with a dark tin because, well, it’s a dark tin and my oven is weird. :) In the light tin I cooked it for about 17-18 minutes.
I think I actually may need to adjust the timing for the cupcakes in the dark tin because they were slightly dry. I don’t know if anyone else will notice it, but I did, so I may need to cook it a minute less.
However, they tasted AMAZING! Thanks Deb for posting this.
Oh, and I used regular cake flour and not the self-rise, so I have no idea how I ended up with 34 cupcakes but I’m not complaining ;D
So, I probably should have asked this earlier, but can I make the frosting the day before and let it sit covered in a bowl in the fridge overnight? I am hoping to frost the frozen layers tomorrow, but don’t know if I will have time to make the frosting tomorrow also? If it will turn out hard or gross than I will, but it would be nice to do it tonight. Thanks!
Brittany — Sorry, I’ve never tried to make this frosting in advance before and I can’t remember what happens as it cools enough to give you a fair warning. I don’t think the frosting ever gets fully hard, but you really can’t rewarm it again once it is with the sour cream, or it will curdle. I would just frost the cake and keep it in the fridge overnight.
Second question I should have asked prior to today (I’m sorry this probably sounds ridiculous): not having frosted a cake before, I’m not sure how to do the sides. Do I put a bunch of frosting on top and then run it down over the sides, or put a huge dollop on the side and try to go around the circumference of the cake? I saw that yours looks like it goes around the circumference, but I’m not sure if that is just the final smoothing, or also how you started out with the crumb coat.
Brittany — I usually dollop everything on top and push it down the sides… I think. You’ll figure out what works for you as soon as you get started, promise. I enjoyed this post on “messy” cakes. The tips might help you.
Deb, thank you so much for your patience. I actually did end up making the frosting the day before and refrigerating it overnight in a covered bowl and it went on just fine. You are right, I did figure out how to do it. I ended up just sort of sticking a dollop on the side and smoothing it around the cake. The cake was great, though I think I should have left it out longer to defrost and warm up. Everyone really like it, and thank you for your help!
Hi!!
I was so excited to find this recipe on your website since I am making a cake for my 2 boys’ birthday party this weekend. I am sooo sad about my outcome though- the crumb of the cake is rather coarse, not fine, and it is rather dry and lacks any sweetness- it tastes a lot like cornbread. I don’t know what I did wrong! I made this cake 4 times in the past 2 days, and I am stumped. I was so excited to try it based on all of the rave reviews. I know it must be a great recipe, since so many others have had great luck with it, and that I must be doing something incorrectly…I just have no idea what that could be!!! Any thoughts? I really want to make this work and have the best birthday cake like all of the others who have commented. BTW, I read every single comment! PS- your blog is one of favorites!!!
If you were to want a chocolate base- Could you stir trough melted chocoloate or add cocoa powder or use a completely different recipe? Thanks
Just made this with all-purpose flour (480g) and OMG sooo tasty! The texture is lovely, although I think my oven runs a bit hot since the sides were a little tough when I sliced it for layers… I’m doing this with the mango curd for a labmates birthday but this cake would also hold up well with just a glaze since it is full of buttery (and buttermilky) goodness.
I just made this cake for a friend’s going away party but I made a bunch of adjustments on the frosting I thought I would share. Didn’t have bittersweet chocolate so I used milk chocolate. I added 1T of unsweeted cocoa powder to up the chocolate taste per previously posted comments. Then, to make it a “grown up” cake and to replace some liquid which would have otherwise come from the syrup, I added 1T of bailey’s irish cream. IMHO, it was yummy. Very yummy.
AMAZING CAKE! great crumb and not too sweet!
Greetings. I am always on the scout for a new yellow cake recipe, ever trying to one up my repertoire. I read a ton of the comments on here, (man there’s a ton). There was Almost too much batter for my two 9″ rounds though, shew, I was eyeing it some kind of nervously thru the oven window. It rose very full and domed and needed to be trimmed if I wanted them nice and even, but I didn’t have time. I made my buttermilk by adding milk to 2 tbs of white vinegar for a total of 2 cups liquid. This cake did not lack moisture, but my palate felt a little fooled, thinking it was dry because of the texture of the crumb. If you are looking for a very small cell, fine crumb, this is not your cake. I have made more finely textured cakes using plain AP flour in the past, so I felt like I kinda wasted the cake flour on this one, although the texture may have been even more coarse if I had not used the cake flour. I loved the mild cultured zingy flavor of the buttermilk too, but for me personally, and perhaps other folks, it needs a finer crumb. This cake is a very nice version of an old timey style butter cake, which is super tasty, and if you don’t mind the coarser texture, then this is a great way to go.
This looks wonderful.
I want to make it for my fiances birthday next week.
If I made it on the Friday, would it last until the Monday?
I want to make it when I have the day off work so it is a surprise for him.
Can you suggest a frosting which will not need to be refrigerated? The instant choc buttercream you have discussed earlier would be good I assume?
I’m long time reader from the smitten kitten days (which I loved) and love your site. I made this for my daughter’s first birthday but used the chocolate fudge icing and it was perfect. I love how well you test your recipes so I know I can trust them. Thanks so much!
I made this for a friend’s birthday this weekend and it turned out beautifully, rich and moist. I made the chocolate sourcream frosting but wasn’t quite sold on the flavor, so I used it between the two layers, then frosted the entire cake with whipped cream and added berries on top. It was a hit!
I made this for my fiance’s birthday last year, and it was so delicious he’s requested it again! Just one question though – I’d like to use a chocolate frosting that I can pipe this year (I found the chocolate sour cream frosting too liquid to pipe, though incredibly delicious)- would you recommend the fudge frosting or the whipped bittersweet frosting from the almost raspberry layer cake recipe? Or perhaps a different one altogether? He tends towards the less sweet side of the dessert spectrum. Thanks!
Oops, I meant *almond* raspberry layer cake…
I just made these as cupcakes. For me, the batter yielded 34 regular sized cupcakes (ie, filling batter about 2/3 of the cupcake tin). They also cooked in 15 min on 350, turned down to 325 after 10 min (I have a new oven so my oven just might be poorly calibrated). They are still delicious and moist– just know the full recipe yields a lot of them! I paired them with a strawberry buttercream (made w puréed strawberries) and it was divine.
Wonderful! I just made this cake and I agree, it’s a winner. I actually made a mistake – I didn’t drop the pans to remove the air bubbles. I don’t know exactly how it’ll come out when I do that, but mine was so full of volume that the cakes went over the pan (Yeh, now I have to clean the oven). But it was great. We added mini-chocolate chips and used Instant Fudge Frosting. The chocolate chips were not necessary with that frosting, so I won’t repeat that. The frosting got very high marks with my chocoholic family. And I love the very fast food processor method – awesome! Thanks so much.
I may be making cakes for fifth grade graduation next week,(300 people?) and I want to use my 12×16 pan. I think if I do 1.25 times this, except for the leaveners, it will work out perfectly sized. I have found that the smaller amount of leavener in the cookbook version does better for me, nicer crumb and a bit more moist. If it works out I will post my quantities and baking times.
Anybody have advice on baking a cake in such a large pan? It’s about 2/3 larger than a 9×13. I’m a little apprehensive, having seen tips on baking lists about using flower nails and such to get the middles to bake properly.
Now to finish figuring out how many boxes of cake flour, dozens of eggs, pounds of butter and bags of powdered sugar to buy(they want white frosting) to make maybe as many as three of this in 12×16 and three chocolate ones…
I work on a goat dairy and we are just getting back to sanity after an extremely hectic kidding season. On my boss’s birthday we had one of our favorite goats die, it rained right as we were trying to seed new pasture and we got the tractor stuck. In short, we were in need of a very special cake. I made this one but didn’t have any cake flour. Maybe because of that it turned out slightly dry and not sweet enough, so I poured a coconut milk/brown sugar mixture over it tres leches style before layering and frosting. It was exactly what the situation called for, but no surprise there- you have never let me down before. Thanks :)
The best recipe E.V.E.R. Thank you
I made this cake with a double batch of the Chocolate Buttercream Frosting from swansDown.com and it was perfect. This will be my go-to yellow cake recipe from now on. It has a nice crumb, is sturdy enough to layer (I did three), and has a nice level of moistness (not dry at all). I recommend this recipe to anyone who needs to make a yellow cake!
Made the recipe but multiplied 1.5 of all the measurements for my half sheet cake pan, lowered the temp to 330F and baked for about 50 minutes rotating it once halfway through. I stuck a flower nail through the bottom of the parchment so that only the tip was on the “cake” side of the paper and then added the batter before baking it. It came out very level (minimal leveling would be required to stack this but since I’m not stacking I’m not gonna bother–going for the “rustic” look) and quite tall (which is why I’m not stacking). Delicious!!! Thank you!
Deb, I made this and it turned out funny. The texture was dense like cornbread, and it was barely sweet. I checked my cake flour – it has no leavening. What do you think I did wrong? Could it be from mixing with a hand mixer?
Going to give this a try here in Tanzania. My son is turning 3 this weekend. My only concern will be the moisture content versus cutting it into a character shape (no character pans here!). So, i may do a half recipe today to see if this will wor this time around. Never hurts to have a little extra cake on hand!
i usually smitten kitchen recipes but this one didn’t work for me. i’m a pretty experienced baker but this cake turned out SUPER dry and more like cornbread than cake. dry to the point where you need a glass of water next to you to help wash it down otherwise you’ll choke on it :( it looked pretty but it’s just not the recipe for me.
I wasn’t sure about the frosting but decided to go ahead and give it a try, and I am so glad I did. This is my new absolute favorite chocolate frosting. I found no “sour creamy” flavor to it — just very rich chocolate, not overly sweet. I used half semi-sweet and half milk, both Callebaut. If I can track down some of the Valhrona Gianduja next time, I am absolutely using that for some of the chocolate. With a good-quality milk chocolate, you get plenty of chocolate flavor and don’t need much syrup, if any. I might try agave nectar if I’m using a darker chocolate, as that tends to have a little bit of caramel flavor, though I’m not really a “corn syrup avoider” most of the time.
Anyway, thank you! This seriously changes the game in my cake-frosting world!
I just wanted to say that last year I used your yellow cake recipe (frosting was a chocolate nutella frosting but decorated just like yours) twice for my daughter’s parties, one with our staff and one with family. It was a hit both times and got so many compliments on it. When planning for this year’s parties, I will be making the exact same cake in hopes to start a tradition for both of my girls! Who doesn’t like a classic yellow cake with chocolate frosting?! Thank you so much!
Thank you so much for your recipes! I know you put this one up a while ago, but in the last couple of months I have made this yellow cake for my mother-in-law with your Swiss buttercream, your red velvet for my sister’s wedding cake, and now this mixture today. The chocolate frosting is delicious! I wouldn’t call it sour, just nice and tangy.
I made this cake for a potluck at work and even though it had great flavor and came out great. (you converted me in regards to weighing the ingredients instead of measuring, thank you!) Everyone loved it (I even got proposed to, jokingly of course, because of this cake) but, I thought it was kind of dry. I also used cream cheese frosting instead of the chocolate.
Hi Deb – not sure if you’ve tried this variation yet, but I made the sour cream frosting (which I LOVE) with white chocolate today – had to chill it a bit longer than the dark chocolate variation, but it eventually firmed up nicely, and tastes delicious! Today’s attempt was an experiment – I’ve now determined this will be the frosting on my bday cake later this summer – which will be a raspberry variation on the Pink Lady cake you posted a few years ago. Thanks for the inspiration – I love your blog & have recommended it to many of my friends bc the writing & recipes are so interesting & reliable.
Unfortunately, this recipe didn’t work for me. I followed it to a T, so I don’t know what could have been the problem. I measured using weights, used two 9-inch round pans, baked for 35 minutes, used full-fat buttermilk. My oven tends to run a few degrees cooler, but I still set the temp at 350F. Like some of the other commenters, my cake turned out too dry, and was very crumbly, sandy almost. And my husband also made the comment that it was like dry cornbread. I wonder if the cake flour could have been the problem? I only had Softasilk available to me, even though I hate using bleached and enriched flours.
For the frosting, I had the opposite problem where it was too stiff (without refrigeration). I used 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp light corn syrup, and the whole thing seized up when I was done mixing. I had to stir in 3 to 4 more tbsp of sour cream to get it spreadable again. All in all, super disappointing, we had one slice each and decided to chuck the rest of the cake because it was so bad.
I love this recipe, BUT, I need to make 15 cups batter. Would you double or triple?
Making G-sons 7th. birthday cake.Need Help!
Kay
Have a wonderful day!
Hi Kay — I never measured the batter volume here, however, this page estimates that a 2-layer 9-inch cake such as this usually requires 10 to 12 cups batter (well, the pans will hold 12 cups but you wouldn’t fill them to the top). So, if it you need 15 cups batter for a pan that holds more than 15 cups (again, so it’s not filled to the top before baking, leading to overflowing in the oven, etc.), I’d probably 1.5x this recipe. If you have a 15-cup baking pan (and therefore probably only need 12 cups batter to fill it), I’d probably just 1.25x the recipe. Hope that helps!
Absolutely outstanding! This was the cake my middle daughter requested for her 4th birthday – she was told to select any cake from your recipe index and I’d make it for her. I think the sprinkles put this one at the top of her list. :)
The cake was outstanding (super moist and so tasty) and the frosting is the easiest I’ve ever worked with – spreading on a flash-frozen cake, it didn’t even need a crumb coat. Awesome again Deb. Thanks so much for making another one of our birthday celebrations that much more special.
I needed a chocolate frosting recipe to top my Mom’s Chocolate Mousse Cake this afternoon – she uses canned store-bought, but I really didn’t want to do that. I remembered this one, made it, and it was awesome. She even agreed – no more canned icing for her (or me!). Thanks Deb – you are always a great source for delicious and attainable recipes.
Hi Deb,
I am making a shark cake for my son’s party. From all the comments it looks like this is the best yellow cake out there. Although, I am planning on making a buttercream frosting that is vanilla and not chocolate. I love my frosting recipe and have taylored it to be my own, but I am nervous that the cake needs something more sweet/flavorful like the chocolate frosting you show and suggest. Do you think it will be just as good without a chocolate frosting?
Hi Deb
I made this today for my daughter’s 11th birthday party. It was fabulous. We couldn’t stop licking the bowl. I doubled the amount of vanilla essence, used cake flour, an extra yolk and 50% bittersweet and 50% milk chocolate.
The cake looks fabulous and tastes divine.
Thanks for sharing.
Jessica, I’m not Deb, but I can tell you I have made this cake many times with other frostings and it has been excellent every time. Lemon frosting, vanilla frosting, raspberry frosting, all have been great.
I like it better with slightly less leavener, as Deb has mentioned above, and adjusted it in her book. The exact amount for this much flour would be 1.6666 teaspoons of baking powder, and .6666 teaspoons of baking soda, but I have used 1.75 t of baking powder and 1/2 t of baking soda with the four cups flour, 2 cups sugar, four eggs, etc, as listed here on the site, and it works very well. (I don’t have a 1/3 teaspoon measuring spoon. :)
Hope that makes sense.
Made this cake today… but I turned it into cupcakes. Make almost 3 dozen cupcakes! I topped it with whipped chocolate ganache and whipped peanut butter buttercream. GREAT cake recipe! DANKE!
I made this cake tonight to use with a different frosting and chocolate ganache after the cake recipe that went with the frosting failed. Deb, I LOVE that your recipes always work. I really appreciate how careful, detailed and accurate your posts are!
Oh, and the cake was delicious! I baked it for my own birthday!
I love your website, let me start by saying that. You can imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon this terrific yellow/birthday cake recipe. I was really surprised to see that you’re claiming this recipe to be your own, or at least it looks this way. But it also looks to be a plagiarized recipe. It’s the exact same recipe that Americas test kitchen uses for the same cake. This is the exact same cake recipe. I’m not sure if this was intentional or an oversight, but in any case it is certainly misleading to the readers if it is intended that they think you developed the recipe on your own. If an oversight or unknown on your part I did want to call it to your attention. I did not want other readers to be disenchanted if they were to find the same thing. I love your site and I love your recipes and I hope you’ll add credit where it is due. Keep up the good work.
Hi Sabrina — If this recipe had been taken from America’s Test Kitchen, in whole or part, I would have credited them. I always do, even if I only used a suggestion or two. [See: More than 2/3 the recipes on this site that contain a credit line.] That’s simply not where it came from. Do keep in mind that just about every yellow layer birthday cake in America contains these exact same ingredients (flour, butter, sugar, eggs, buttermilk or milk, vanilla, baking powder) and most have similar levels. The same could be argued for brownie recipes or chocolate chip cookie recipes. Theft does not equal similar ingredients and virtually similar levels. Theft would mean that I looked at that recipe and decided I’d pretend it was my own because nobody would ever find find out, right? I can’t see what I’d have to gain by trashing my own professional reputation.
Hello,
I’ve made this cake several times and it is so moist and delicious. I need chocolate cupcakes for my daughters bday party. I’m wondering if there is an easy way to make this recipe into chocolate cake/cupcakes. Apologize in advance if the answer is already in the comments. I saw several people ask this, but never found an answer and there are so many comments to read through!
Thanks,
Wendy
Made this for my 4 year old’s layered mermaid birthday cake and received rave reviews!!! I called it my hippy (all organic, no artificial dye) homemade version of the Betty Crocker Barbie picture I referenced to create the mermaid scene. It was fantastic and easy to make and blew away the guests! Thank you for yet another delicious, easy recipe!!!
I have to say I really didn’t like this at all. I followed it to a T and thought the frosting was a waste of quality (in my case, Tcho) chocolate. All that you taste is the sour cream tang (I used Clover full fat organic). It was tragic really.
The cake was blah. I used KA cake flour, Penzy’s Mexican Vanilla, Clover butter, organic sugar and it all came together to be a tasteless moist (bordering on soggy) dense… Well you get the picture.
I was excited to try this but in the end it was really disappointing in every respect. I remain hopeful that there is a great yellow cake recipe out there – this (and the accompanig frosting) just weren’t it.
I tried it but it tasted like poo
Tip for anyone who can’t find or doesn’t have instant espresso powder on hand. The amount the recipe calls for is a near perfect equivalent to the amount in a single Starbucks VIA instant coffee packet!
Hey Deb,
Just wanted to Thank you for the wonderful recipe – I made this cake for my daughter’s 5th Birthday and needless to say it was a big hit!!! Keep blogging and sharing your wonderful recipes – thank you, thank you, thank you:-)
Hi Deb,
I read that you thought pastry cream would taste good inside this cake. Do you think this would be a good cake to use to make Boston Cream Pie? I’ve been assigned a BCP cake to bring along to a First Thanksgiving With Boyfriend’s Family. Or do you have a better simple vanilla cake to be filled with pastry cream and draped in ganache? One of the important things with BCP cake is that it’s usually served cold so the pudding/pastry cream inside is cold. Is this cake airy when it’s refrigerated?
Thank you so much for all the culinary inspiration! I sell at farmers’ market for my family’s vegetable and fruit farm and your blog give us so many great ideas…
Hi Carolyn — Hm, I’m not sure it’s the softest when refrigerated but I otherwise think it would be great for a Boston Cream Pie Cake. Also, I would like a slice, thank you.
I made this cake for my sisters birthday and it was almost perfect! (when will I learn to not use too much salt in my baking?!) But instead of the icing recipe you provided, I used a secret home recipe of dark chocolate icing and it tasted sooo good together! Anyways, thank you for the amazing recipe; I will definitely be using it again!
Hi Deb, I want to make this cake for my daughters birthday on Wednesday. How far ahead can I make the cake?
I almost always freeze the layers of cakes after baking them if baking them more than 2 days in advance. Wrap them tightly in two layers of plastic. You can decorate and fill them while still frozen; it’s easier as they’ll be sturdier. Then let it fully defrost in the fridge (or, the rest of the way) for 12 hours.
Wow!!! I
What a delicious cake. Cooked perfectly in 35 minutes and the texture is perfect. Thank you!!
I am making this next week. Can this recipe be doubled? I would like at least three layers.
I made this cake. And…I don’t know.
IMHO it was a lot of work with those three layers…(at least it was not SUPER easy to do)
And of course mine didn’t look as neat as yours in the pictures.
And the taste was good…but not out of the ordinary.
Maybe I did sth wrong…
I guess I had too many expectations about this after the raving reviews here.
My son turns 4 this year and I have used this recipe for all 3 of his previous birthdays. I use a traditional buttercream recipe for the frosting, but I wanted to let you know that everyone raves about this cake. It’s our very favorite scratch recipe, we look forward to it every year.
I made this and while the batter came out amazing in looks the batter tasted bad. I went ahead and baked it against my better judgement. I’m not a novice at baking, I just happen to lack an amazing yellow cake. It baked beautifully and I was actually excited to taste it. After letting it cool for a few hours we tasted without frosting and it was HORRIBLE. It tasted of flour, I wanted to toss it but my husband said to keep it. We tried it the next day and it was little better in taste but not by much. I did like the texture but honestly Id rather have a dense cake that tasted good than this cake that had good texture but tasted like vanilla flour.
As comment #1075, it’s fair to say you’ve probably heard it all by now :) But I mostly just wanted to say thank you — this, and all your recipes, never fail — and always make meals special – whether just for myself, or shared with those I love. I made this cake over the weekend for my dad’s 65th birthday (he insists on calling yellow cake with chocolate icing “chocolate cake”, which has become a family joke). Well, short story, long, he loved it. It made for a very special and happy memory — and now I’ve earned the title of “Cake Jedi” according to my dad :) high praise indeed lol. so, thank you.
Can we call this “Just Because I Feel Like Having Cake” cake? I made it for my daughter’s 6th birthday back in December, and it was amazing! I’m making it again today with a chocolate peanut butter frosting just because I want cake and this is a winner. It’s especially good if you bake it ahead of time, and then wrap and freeze it a day or two before frosting. The resulting cake is moist, with a wonderful crumb. Thank you so much for the recipe!
So many comments on this cake! I made it to celebrate my 100th blog post (yay me!), but added mini chocolate chips and used a different frosting. The batter is thick enough that the chips stayed evenly dispersed while baking.
Can I mention how yummy this cake is? The batter tastes and smells exactly like birthday cake. The perfect birthday cake!
I’m so happy with the way my cake turned out. You can see it here: http://loveandduckfat.com/chocolate-chip-cake-recipe-100th-blog-post/
What a wonderful tasting cake–moist with a fabulous crumb. The batter even tasted great. I made this cake for my daughter’s birthday this past weekend. She likes white or yellow cakes, no chocolate. When I saw your recipe I decided to try it. I’ve tried many yellow cake recipes over the years & was almost always disappointed until now. I used a white chocolate frosting, a favorite of my daughters & filled the cake with a cream horn filling with about 1/4 cup of mashed, fresh strawberries stirred in. The result was better than a bakery cake & my daughter & family loved it. Thanks for a great recipe.
I just made the “best birthday cake” as cupcakes and the batter was enough to make 28 full-size cupcakes. I filled the cupcake papers about 3/4 to 4/5 full; if you prefer smaller cupcakes then the recipe could make more. They were done after 18-20 minutes at 350.
The cake is not too sweet with a nice texture. I expected a stronger vanilla flavor but the cake has a light, neutral flavor and therefore would probably work well with lots of different icings.
Your birthday cake is really help me to make my sister’s one.
Thanks for helping me with my cakes
Happy cooking! :)
Nice! My question is can I substitute something else for the corn syrup (GMO)?
Tim — See my comment response in #161. If you Cntrl or Command + F with a search for “corn syrup” in the comments, you’ll see some stuff others have used, such as honey, agave or simple syrup.
Fabulous recipe, as always! The cake itself is beautiful, moist and not too sweet. I really liked the sourness of the sour cream frosting, and found that it needed very little additional sweetener (maybe a tablespoon the 1/4 to 1/2 c in the recipe would have been way too much) when made with 60% cacao chocolate. It also stayed shiny and easy to spread – the easiest to work with chocolate frosting I’ve ever made. I like a fruit flavor with chocolate frosting, so I subbed in lemon curd between the layers. Huge hit! I’ll definitely be adding this to my regular rotation.
One additional note: I didn’t have 9 inch pans so I made this in 2 8×3 round pans instead. It increased cooking time by maybe 10 minutes, but worked just fine.
It seems that you have the wrong weight for the cake flour. 480 grams is not 4 cups plus 2 tablespoons…
Deirdre — It is and it’s not. Some cookbook authors say that 1 cup cake flour = 116 grams, which would bring us to 480 grams (rounded) for 4 cups plus 2 tablespoons. However, my last box of cake flour was packaged as 128 grams per cup, which honestly seems a little more accurate. That would bring us to 528 grams for 4 cups plus 2 tablespoons. Hope that helps.
This cake was absolutely beautiful! Thank you for sharing such a great recipe :)
Hi Deb – Love your site! Quick question on the frosting – I’m living in France where sour cream is hard to come by, but creme fraiche is everywhere. Do you think I could substitute creme fraiche for the sour cream?
Kristin — I have no tried it with creme fraiche, but I feel like it could work. You might want to try a mini-batch first, just to be safe.
Once again, your recipe does not fail. Thank you so much for generously sharing your recipes and wisdom on making them work.
Deb – You are the BEST. I did not think about this dilema while pregnant with my first but instead,three days before his fifth birthday, which is Monday (Cupcakes, Icebox Cake and others have sufficed until now). He said he wanted a racecar cake. So I got a wilton car shaped pan and had no idea what to put in it. This recipe came out like a dream. I just baked it and after slicing off the rise before unmolding it, I got to taste all that is natural and holy in the yellow cake world. And what a cake it is! You rock!
Decorating it tomorrow and have to say, very much appreciate the cake decorating tips page. My husband is a chef and graciously offered to do it after his 16 hour shift tomorrow. Of course the stubborn “mom-pleasing-child” me wants to do it on my own. Thank you!
I am so happy. I finally know how to make cake. I just did this cake for the second time, and, for the first time, did something I never have the time/patience/forethought to do, which was to let all the ingredients be the required temperatures. It was miraculous. The creamed butter-sugar swelled up and was enormous before I put the eggs in, the egg-butter-sugar looked like I’ve never seen it look. (I am the type of bad person to realize her butter is cold just before cake-baking, and microwave it a little). It even smelled different than the first time I made the cake, when it was fine but not life-changing. This cake, correctly baked, was life-changing!
Deb,
I am Txakoli about your cakes recipe. They make me feel bumps up my arm. Especially cakes that are yellow and scrumptious. I want to be frosted.
Kristin, I have used creme fraiche in icing recipes and it comes out fine, just milder in flavor than sour cream or cream cheese. However, I have always subbed creme fraiche in a cream cheese icing recipe, so you may want to find one of those to use instead. I think sour cream is a good deal looser than creme fraiche.
I have a batch of cupcakes in the oven. Holy wow this is a ton of batter! It’s tasty though. I hope it bakes up as good as it is in batter-form. Going to fill them with grapefruit curd and frost with honeyed Swiss meringue buttercream!
Hi deb. Can i make the cake batter of this as a a rainbow cake? Will the “yellowness” of the cake will affect the color once the gel colors are mixed? Thanks so much..
Angel — Maybe a little, but most rainbow cakes I have seen use so much dye, it will quickly overtake any light coloring of the cake.
I’m just learning to bake and would love a go-to yellow cake recipe – Yours looks ridiculously good! My question: Can I sub in browned butter (cooled to re-solidify to cream with the sugar)? If so, I’m guessing I should start with more to end up with 2 sticks brown butter?…Or is brown butter not a good idea here bc the cake would be less moist? Thanks, Deb – from me and my family, who thankfully enjoy my baking trials & errors! : )
I made this cake for my wedding anniversary and I had a question – is the cake supposed to be quite dense? I must have really goofed something up here because I had a very dense cake that tasted faintly of cornbread. I’m still scratching my head on this one.
Hi Deb- Well, I’ve just spent the evening stalking your last 4 years of birthday cakes for your son. I did the monkey cake for my son’s first and this one for another friend’s son’s 3rd. I’m about to try this one again for my son’s 3rd this weekend, but I am curious- how do you feel about this cake 5 years later? Is it still “the one”? I noticed you never repeated it for your son!
My sister and and I just made this cake for our 102 year old neighbor. Our treatment was quite different, but the cake proved to be the perfect foil for our fillings/toppings. It’s become a go-to recipe for both of us. Many thanks.
Glinda and I both love your blog. When we post photos of the cake on our blog, we’ll be sure to link back.
I LOVE this cake recipe – it’s my go-to for yellow cake and cupcakes, and a great base to add things to (I’ve made them lime and funfetti), and recently made it in cupcake form for my boyfriend’s mother’s birthday. The two of them were raving about how they’re the best vanilla/yellow cupcakes they’ve ever had! My boyfriend’s birthday is coming up and I have a lot of baking I want to do for it. Have you ever frozen these cupcakes (baked, but unfrosted)? If so, how long do you think they’ll keep? Thanks in advance!
Hello! I want to put a strawberry buttercream frosting with this cake. I searched around for one and the best I could come up with is this:
http://www.marthastewart.com/314981/strawberry-buttercream
My only concern is that with beating the egg whites, etc, in a double boiler it leaves a lot of room for error. What do you think? Thanks.
MLE — The kind of frosting is a Swiss Buttercream. You can read many tutorials on it on the web, or on this site, though mine is more melodramatic since I was learning as I wrote it. The double-boiler is nothing to be scared of; it’s purpose is just to heat the eggs enough that they are safe to be eaten raw (although they no longer are). It can be skipped if you’re not nervous about serving raw egg whites, but it’s very easy to do, so I see no reason not to.
What is cake flour? Can I use Ap flour?
Amy — You can us AP flour or you can make your own cake flour with a combination of AP and cornstarch.
Gotta be honest here….I made this cake and the frosting exactly in accord with the recipe. I just apologized to the person I made it for and promised to make him a good birthday cake. It really was the most awful frosting I ever made for a cake. In retrospect, I should have realized this before I even made it. The tartness of the sour cream and the bitterness of the chocolate (I used 8oz bittersweet/7oz semisweet Ghirardelli…and 4oz corn syrup), obviously will not be enjoyed by the average eater. It really was awful…even felt ill after. The cake itself was edible, barely, but certainly nothing worth the time and effort. Baked up nice and high and looked good but tasted heavy (not in a good, pound cake way) and dry. It would have been okay soaked with a liqueur or syrup, like a genoise, but that would be silly when it would be no more difficult to simply make a genoise. Really puzzled and disappointed cause I could have made any number of cakes in my repertoire but decided to try something new, especially since it was touted as the best…. I live in Honolulu, where maybe chocolate is more expensive than the Mainland, but that ingredient alone set me back 15 bucks! Glad two people in my family work at places where the coworkers will devour any kind of sweet they bring in, otherwise I would have had to throw the 25 dollars worth of ingredients in the rubbish can. Wish I could say one good thing…the cakes did pop right out od the Wilton layer pans I used.
Thank you for sharing. I am going to make this for my baby’s second birthday and I was wondering if I can use regular milk instead of buttermilk.Thank you!
Good Morning! I have made this delicious cake the last two birthday’s for my son and today is his 3rd birthday! I’m making this cake again but thinking of making the recipe for cupcakes. Do you think that would work also?! It’s Sunday so I’m doubtful you’ll get back to me in time but I’m still curious.
Thanks so much! I LOVE LOVE LOVE your site and cookbook!
I have been using this recipe for a few years now, I have messed with it maybe more than I should admit, but have made many of the best cakes of my life with it as a starting point (and yes, I do still make it straight up quite often!). I have made marmalade cake (added orange zest to the batter, marmalade coated between layers and a marmalade frosting), maple walnut with maple frosting, a zillion kinds of cupcakes (yes!! it works great! reduce cooking time) with a zillion kinds of frosting and more that my memory has allowed to fall away. This is the recipe I had been looking for for many, many years. I bow at your feet, kiss your toes and thank you from the bottom of my cake-loving belly.
just read about the weight of your flour measurements…I’ve found out that the 1 cup measure I have been using for years is about 140g! not 116 or 128g… perhaps that would explain some of my flops over the years?
Lea — Some authors use 140 grams. It would only be the cause if the flops were because the cakes were too dry or firm. When just using 1 or 2 cups, it may not have made a huge difference.
I read through a lot of the comments on this post and made a half batch (2 x 8in x 1.5in round pans) with some trepidation. But they came out perfectly and I made a second half batch right away. Now I have one chocolate fudge iced cake (I had a sugar fiend where sour cream wouldn’t have cut it) and a delicious mascarpone cream with blueberry compote filled layer cake. I’ll definitely be using this recipe as my go-to simple yellow cake, even though my oven is notoriously adept at ruining cakes, these came out great, flat and cooked through.
I used the weights rather than the measurements as I’m in Australia and I know our measurements differ in some areas. No complaints, everyone who tried the cake was thrilled! Thank you Deb :)
I made this recipe as cupcakes for my 2-year-old’s birthday party last week, but they came out somewhat dry, certainly nowhere near as moist as a box mix cake. Other cakes I have attempted from scratch have also been dry, including Rose Levy Beranbaum’s Yellow Butter cupcakes, which were too dry to serve. I also made Cooks Illustrated’s Fluffy Yellow Layer Cake (as cupcakes), designed to imitate box mix moist & fluffy texture; this recipe uses separately-beaten egg whites and a bit of oil. These came out better, but still not as moist as box mixes.
I have made several other recipes from Rose’s Heavenly Cakes, which have all been very dry. I weigh ingredients in grams on an Oxo scale, use Swan’s Down cake or Gold Medal bleached all-purpose flour, Trader Joe’s other ingredients (butter, sour cream, buttermilk, etc). I follow the recipes exactly except that I only have a hand mixer, no stand mixer. And I use an oven thermometer to monitor the temperature. I tried both 350 and 325 (because my cupcake pan is dark and heavy), and took cupcakes out as soon as a few moist crumbs clung to a wooden toothpick, but not when a big clump of moist batter still clung (which is maybe what I have to do with this dark pan?). I WANT to be able to make a moist & delicious yellow cake from scratch!
I have made a couple cakes that are always nice and moist, a pumpkin spice cake and an apple cake. Both of these use oil as the fat, mixed with sugar & egg first and then whisked into the combined dry ingredients. I baked these in a light-colored Nordic Ware bundt pan.
I skimmed the 1000+ comments on this post and noticed that people are split on this cake, some, like me, finding it dry, and others calling it moist and delicious. I would love to be able to make a yellow cake from scratch that is as moist and fluffy as a box mix cake, but without the weird & yucky flavors!
Wow, over a thousand comments- true estimate to you, your talent and what you offer us, your audience! Today is my second time baking this cake, we love it! Thank you!
I made this today for my younger son’s first birthday party. It was lovely; thank you :) (Easy, too!)
I know this is an old post, but everytime I make this cake I swear I’ll comment. This is the BEST cake I’ve ever made. I love it, I always get complimented and everyone always ask for the recipe. I sometimes change the frosting but the cake itself is always amazing.
I fell inlove with your blog while leaving in Chicago and now back in Israel I’m still addicted. Thanks!
This is the first time posting on this site, but I’ve made a few of your recipes (which I loved!). I made this cake last weekend, and it was still extremely gooey in the middle after 35 and then 40 minutes of baking. We then baked it in increments of 5 minutes until the toothpick came out dry. However, this left the cake intensely dry and dense. Should we have taken the cake out even though the toothpick was covered in batter? Thank you!
Nicole — It sounds like something was off! What kind of baking pan did you use?
I know this is an old post but the comment section is still alive!
Warning, rookie baker here! I want to use your recipe for the cake and spread my homemade jam between the two layers. Do you think this will taste ok with the buttermilk in there? I think this recipe sounds delicious with the sour cream based icing, but I’m making it for someone who loves fruit/cake combo so I was just going to use your cake recipe and another of your butter cream icings with my jam. Thanks!
Ok – just found out we have a few people at the event that do not eat dairy. Any suggestions for dairy free cake / icing recipes?
Nina — Jam sounds delicious. Seven-minute frosting aka marshmallow frosting uses just egg whites and sugar, no dairy. I have variations on it in the archives here, here and here.
Hi Deb! Gearing up to bake this tomorrow. Question on the buttermilk. I can get “real” buttermilk from a local dairy instead of the filtered part skim grocery store stuff. Do you think that will work in this recipe? Is the buttermilk for leavening or tanginess? I think “real” buttermilk is a little less tart? Many thanks.
Ann — It will work just fine; it’s for flavor and the leavening amounts anticipate the presence of acidity. That the real stuff is slightly less acidic should be a concern.
I made this cake yesterday and it was fantastic! I’ve been looking for a good yellow cake recipe for so long, and I have finally found one that works!
I made this cake weighing ingredients, 2 oven thermometers so temperature was on the money, rapped the pans on the counter,but I used a well known brand of unbleached cake flour. My cake was dry and course, full of holes. It baked no more than 30 minutes.
Deb, could unbleached cake flour make so much difference and could you suggest changes that would correct the results?
If I try again I will use bleached flour, but I’m leary at this point.
Thanks, love your site. I have been a follower since 2008.
Hi- thanks for the great recipe . One quick question- I am assuming I add all of the buttermilk at once and then add the flour- I don’t alternate dry and wet?
Mary — No need to here. I mean, you can do it the traditional way but I didn’t find that the extra steps improved the texture in any measurable way.
Hi Deb,
I just made these as cupcakes to test out for my daughter’s 3rd birthday, and they are amazing! I added confetti sprinkles to the batter – so pretty!
One quick question – is it normal for my cupcakes to shrink a bit after cooling on the wire rack? If not, is there somethink I should do differently?
Thanks!
Hi, want to know if the frosting will work equally well with homemade sour cream?
Farah — It is as thick as the storebought? If so, I think you’ll be just fine. Oh, and I’d love to hear more about how you make it!
I made this cake last night for my daughters 17th bday and it was a huge hit. It looked exactly like your picture. My family thought I bought it :)
hey y’all
I just pulled these out of the oven and… Yum.
If you are concerned about cupcakes this made 24 regular sized and 24 mini cupcakes for me. Bonus!
hey deb, would you mind telling me how to make this a triple layer cake? how much cake and frosting will i need to make? thanks for the help. i cmd + F “three layers” but didn’t really see any answers. thanks so much – kari
kari — Depends on whether you want it to be 1.5x this height (as in, increase the recipe to 150%) or whether you want a similar height and more layers (use the same amounts, but divide between three pans). To safely fill the extra layer, it cannot hurt to 133% the frosting.
Can I add my comment to the chorus of praise here? Just baked this recipe and it was fantastic! It was a test for thanksgiving (my boyfriend requested cake for thanksgiving and nothing ‘fancy’ just ‘normal cake’) and the third recipe I’ve tried. I guess third time’s the charm!
I did add a bit of butter extract with the vanilla. I think when I make this at thanksgiving I will add a little more of both. Great flavor but would prefer it a little stronger.
I was wondering if you could help me with a conundrum: I divided this recipe in two and did everything the same except for one bowl I substituted some of the buttermilk for 1/4 cup mayo. Then I promptly forgot which pan was which when I put them in the oven. One pan was noticeably fluffier than the other and dare I say the taste was slightly enhanced. Do you think this difference is the result of the mayo or because one pan sat for 10-15 minutes before baking while the other was baked immediately…
hey deb, would you mind telling me how to make this a triple layer cake? how much cake and frosting will i need to make?
Thanks!!
Manish — I would probably use the same amount of batter but divide it into three layers, so it doesn’t get too tall. You’ll probably want to increase the frosting by 1/3, just to be safe.
I think this is a really good article. You make this information interesting and engaging. You give readers a lot to think about and I appreciate that kind of writing.
This is my “impress them with yellow cake” cake. No one believes that yellow cake can taste this good until they try this. It’s just divine. Yes, the volume of batter is alarming. Very alarming. But it will fit in those cake pans (because of the moistness, it doesn’t rise a whole lot). I just love this cake because most people really love birthday cake for the frosting because grocery store birthday cakes and box mix cakes can be so dry, but this one is perfect every time and makes me just want to eat the cake plain sometimes. I cannot comment on the frosting, because I’ve never made it (my family are of the one-stick-butter-one-box-powdered-sugar-quarter-cup-milk buttercream leaning, so a chocolate version of that is what I put on this cake). I’m sure it’s good though. It sounds delicious.
Wow what a Great Information about World Day its very nice informative post. thanks for the post.
Awesome, Its really looks good, Next week my brother birthday is there. And i want to give surprise by preparing this cake. Thank you for sharing this good recipe with us.
I admit, I have not been on this web page in a long time… however it was another joy to see It is such an important topic and ignored by so many, even professionals. professionals. I thank you to help making people more aware of possible issues.
FYI, this really is the best birthday cake ever. I just baked it for a friend’s birthday this week (he wanted yellow cake with chocolate frosting), and it was DIVINE. FWIW, the grocery store was out of cake flour so I just used regular flour I had on hand and didn’t sift it (I have no patience for sifting, oops), and it turned out amazingly. You totally couldn’t tell — the cake was moist and fluffy and perfect. I actually baked it in a 9×13 pan (adding about 15 more minutes to the baking time), and then cut the cake in half, and stacked the two halves on top of each other to make the cutest mini cake you ever saw. Also, I detest normal frosting, so I used the chocolate ganache frosting from Deb’s double chocolate cake (http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2007/07/you-are-owed-chocolate-cake/), and it was almost too good for words — I’m currently eating the leftovers for breakfast. Highly endorse this cake for any cake-lovers in your life.
Nice to read your article! I am looking forward to sharing your adventures and experiences.
Great Article it its really informative and innovative keep us posted with new updates. its was really valuable. thanks a lot.
Yet another endorsement from the Slate Culture Gabfest- this time cake! Can’t wait to try it.
I love reading through your responses to comments/questions, but those spammy comments coming through ^^ are super annoying.
Deb – I love your blog! I also have your cookbook and I love that too! I have made so many of your wonderful recipes and I really appreciate your writing style and clear directions for recipes. I want to make this cake tonight for my stepdaughter’s adoption day and I’d like to do it with fudgy chocolate frosting from the espresso chiffon cake. The instructions say to put everything in a food processor. I don’t have a food processor…Can I put everything in my kitchenaid with the butter softened? Do you have another chocolate frosting you recommend? Thank you!!!!
I think this is an informative post and it is very useful and knowledgeable. therefore, I would like to thank you for the efforts you have made in writing this article.
I’m about to use this recipe (scaled up x1.5) for my housemate’s 30th birthday. I’m going to attempt to turn it into a guitar. Wish me luck!
Making this right now for my fiancee’s birthday–can’t wait!
I like this cake and your method is helpful for me, when I will prepare this cake on my husband birthday and thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
We made a dozen cupcakes by halving this recipe and baking for 20 minutes at 350 – absolutely sensationally perfect. We topped them with the fudge frosting that is linked in the original post – we halved that recipe too but still ended up with about 30% extra frosting (OH DARN).
These were for a baby shower, and the verdict from the baby’s father was “will you please save this recipe? This would make the perfect first birthday cake – baby fistfuls of buttermilk and butter, oh yes!”
In short, a rousing success all around! Thank you!!
It proved to be Very helpful to me and I am sure to all the commentators here!
Hey Deb! Is it possible to sub out the corn syrup in the frosting recipe for a mild flavored honey or even agave? Thanks!
mariam — Yes, it should work just fine. Well, to be honest, I have little experience with agave. I use golden syrup instead a lot. But I wouldn’t expect any of them to be a problem.
I made this recipe as cupcakes. It made 28 cupcakes. I baked them at 350 degree for 18-20 minutes and they turned out great! I can’t wait to taste test them! :)
Hello, Deb! Is there actually a chance of substituting the buttermilk for another liquid, such as pineapple juice, without harming the recipe? I was planning on baking a pineapple upside-down cake, and the recipe I got requires a yellow cake mix (substituting the water in the box recipe for pineapple juice). Thanks in advance!
OMG. I just saw your recipe for a pineapple upside-down cake. Never you mind my last message! Although I’m still quite curious for the answer, hehe.
Wow, that cake looks scrumptious. My son’s birthday is coming up and he wants me to get him Bavarian Creme-filled donuts. It would be nice to find a place that can make them from scratch. That was my son’s one request; to have them custom-made and not just store bought.
http://www.bakemydaycafe.ca/about-us/
Are the 9 inch pans used for this recipe regular depth or 2 inch deep pans?
Hi Cabaker — I thought 2-inch was regular depth? But not to quibble: 2 inch works fine here. (But I am curious what depth might be regular to someone else?)
Hi!
I love this recipe, it is the tastiest cake – thank you! I have one problem though. I made a 9 x 13 inch sheet cake, and baked it for over 50 minutes. The very middle wasn’t cooked and the outside had crusted (deliciously) like a bread. Help! What did I do wrong? I was making a practice cake for my son’s first birthday – this week!
From what I’ve read, 2 inch pans are considered deep while 1 1/2 inch deep pans are the usual, standard ones that most people use.
I made this on the weekend for my best friend’s birthday cake and it was amazing! The cakes turned out perfectly, even though I went rogue on the second one and attempted to make it bake flat in a truly non-sensical way (a layer of baking paper on top, why????) but it was delicious and held together perfectly, despite the weird carpentry techniques I had to employ to create an even layer after the baking paper fiasco. Delicious icing too- definitely not too sour. Thanks for my new favourite basic cake recipe!
Hi deb!
im going to be trying a vanilla/yellow cake for the very first time so hope it goes well! Just a thought- how should i adjust this recipe for a 10 inch round baking pan because we don’t have 9 inch rounds available where i live. If i want a nice tall cake should i just make the entire recipe and bake it in the 10 inch pan for double the baking time or should i divide the recipe by half?
Hi! I would like to try this cake for my son’s bday on Monday. But he wants chocolate chips in his cake. Could I fold some mini ch chips into this batter without messing it up? Thanks so much!
I would like to know if this yellow cake recipe would work for cake pops.
Thank you!
Arlene — I’ve never made cake pops before (I’m a terrible mother, heh) but I think this would totally fit the bill. Good luck.
i am working with this frosting recipe for my son’s birthday cake – i really want to use it because i am sick of butter-based icing and i don’t like fondant. (i have also given up using anything but boxed cake for regular plain cake. no matter what recipe i try the boxed version is always appreciated more, so – going with it :) the birthday boy and i just tried a batch using half milk chocolate and half dark chocolate. we used golden syrup and skipped the espresso powder. it tastes pretty good, just have to see how it works on the cake. thought to mention that i bought three different brands of sour cream for this icing and they all had noticably different levels of sourness, so we chose the mildest. i wonder if you can sour your own cream. hmm.
Frosting a success! We used two kinds, a white chocolate version as mentioned in another comment, plus the ‘brown chocolate’ version…when I had finished with the white frosting I had some left over so I mixed it in with the brown frosting and it was really nice, with a milk chocolate colour and sweet-but-not-too sweet flavour. The kids loved the cake, it looked great and all got eaten. The frosting was great to work with, too – it was a bit softer than I imagined but I was icing a frozen cake and it firmed up perfectly and stayed that way. I will definitely try the original recipe for our next grown-up cake birthday cake.
This recipe makes me happier than words can say! This was my favorite when I was growing up. I always used to ask for it for my birthday cake!
I have never attempted a homemade cake before, but I just found a kitchenaid stand mixer at a garage sale, and I am dying to give it a go. I have been lurking about your cake section for quite some time, now. I offered to bake my niece’s 1st bday cake. (Am now a wee bit nervous. ) I have this perhaps crazy idea to incorporate Nutella in the frosting. Do you have any off the cuff ideas about this? Less corn syrup, less/more chocolate, amount of Nutella to add? I found a bunch of Nutella buttercream frosting recipes on the internet, but I usually find buttercream frostings to be way too sweet for my tastes.( Btw, I think Nutella right out of the jar is really terribly sweet, also…but tasty.)
Alyx — I haven’t tried it here, but I don’t think it will cause a lot of trouble to mix a spoonful or two in. This sour cream frosting is on the tangy side, so you might be fine on sweetness, but Nutella will definitely make an already-sweet buttercream sweeter.
Deb, I feel like a world class dope. I was so excited to try this recipe and even had my hubby come home during lunch to take out the eggs and butter so they were the right temp. As it turns out I didn’t have cake flour but decided to wing it and put it all into a greased and parchment lined 9 X13 cake cake pan. Within minutes the whole thing started to rise so much that it went all over my oven and I had to just pull it out for fear of burning the house down. This was a tester for my son’s birthday party so its a good thing I tested it first. What the hell did I do?????
Naomi — It sounds like it had too much leavener in it — but you said you didn’t have cake flour (which sometimes come with baking powder/soda in it, and thus would be like doubling up on it). Otherwise, I’m clueless. Glad you tested it too, but I can’t imagine why it would happen again unless it was a leavener issue (maybe the bottles of baking powder/soda got mixed up?)
Deb, This turns out to be a valuable lesson in why not to do too many things at once. My mom and I figured it out. I used a bakers quarter sheet and not a 9×13 cake pan. I don’t know what I was thinking . . .Did I mention that 10 years ago I went to pastry school. yup, very embarrassing. Thanks for your reply. I love your site and book. You have been my go to for years!!!! Wishing you all the best with your new addition . .
When my oldest had her second birthday, we threw a birthday party and invited…a lot of people. All grown-ups because we had no friends with kids at the time. I was all ambitious and overly confident in my baking abilities at the time and decided to make the cake myself…without recipe testing in advance (idiot.). Naturally it was an EXTREMELY dense disaster. I was mortified. I could see people choking down bites and trying to be nice but it was so embarrassing. My husband, who really really loves my cooking normally, has still not entirely let me live it down.
By the time there was another occasion to make a cake, I had vowed to stick with Duncan Hines for yellow cakes and never tell a soul. Later I discovered Trader Joe’s has a totally passable and even delicious vanilla bean mix that works great for cupcakes.
Fast forward to today. My oldest is turning 9 tomorrow…so it’s been exactly 7 years since I attempted a yellow cake at home, from scratch. It took seven years to work up the courage to try again.
I made this recipe, with extreme hesitation because there seems to be so many conflicting reviews from people who’ve actually made it. But I have a near-blind faith in SK recipes, so I figured if anyone could mend my yellow cake scarred heart, it would be Deb.
I have to admit that because we are a no-milk family (butter is okay though as long as it’s Kerrygold), I did swap out the buttermilk for 2 c. lite coconut milk + 1T apple cider vinegar. I also added a bit of vanilla bean to the batter along with the extract.
And I’m skipping the sour cream icing altogether because I can already say for sure that wouldn’t be a hit in my house.
So far the cake is done, I’ve sliced it into four layers and I’ve made about 4,000 batches of frosting: actually just chocolate, vanilla and strawberry buttercreams (swiss for chocolate and vanilla and regular american buttercream for the strawberry). I’m now in the process of filling and frosting and assembled a tasted test from trimmings. It’s actually quite fantastic. The crumb is beautiful, it’s not dry (yay!!!), it’s fluffy and moist without being too dense – though it is more dense than say, a chiffon cake. You can definitely tell it’s made with butter. :-)
My only complaint is that there is a definite cake flour flavor…maybe I’m just used to my usual organic unbleached all purpose, but man…that bleached flour taste is strong. If anything, the cake could be slightly sweeter and maybe needs a balance of a stronger hit of vanilla or almond or something to counteract the flour taste.
The texture is RIGHT ON though and I’m so thrilled/relieved that it worked! Deb wins again! :)
I just wanted to followup on yesterday’s comment: the cake turned out better than I imagined. I was super nervous as we cut into it, but oh my heavens, when everyone tasted it – there was no awkward “oh, how…nice” moment. My hubs and my MIL (who witnessed the original cake wreck 7 years ago) were amazed, to the point that my MIL, who usually die before appearing to overindulge – asked for a second slice. Hurray! Yellow Cake Woes are officially over.
FTR: I did two things that I think helped the texture
1) I really spent time to whip the butter and sugar (2-3+ minutes) and the each egg as it was added and scraped down the bowl religiously. Once the flour was added, I barely beat it just to fully incorporate.
2) Those layers are TALL! I was very worried my 9″ pans would overflow, but they didn’t. I sliced each layer in two to make a four layer cake. Breaking up the cake with moderate amounts of swiss buttercream (Strawberry, chocolate and vanilla) seemed to balance the amount of cake and frosting a person got in one bite. I could see being very overwhelmed by the cake if it was served in two layers vs four.
Do you think this cake recipe would be sturdy enough to be covered in fondant/sugar paste icing?
Hi Deb! I want to make this cake for my husband’s birthday next week but unfortunately i only have 10-inch round baking pans available where i live. Can this recipe be made in a 10-inch pan without changing the quantities? How should i adjust the baking temperature and time?
Update: i halved the recipe to try out out and baked one of the layers in a 10-inch Springform at 170°C for about 37 minutes and it came out beautifully! Thanks deb for a wonderful recipe!
MarahK — You beat me to it. Glad it worked out. My answer would have been yes, but the layers are a little thinner. Not actually a problem, as you found.
Grrrr! I got all the ingredients, brought them home and started sifting the flour and noticed it was a little earthy. I bought Bob’s red mill whole wheat pastry flour not realizing the “whole wheat” part of the label. I’m thinking I should nix the cake making for tonight and go back to the store tomorrow to get plain ol pastry flour (that’s what you mean when you say “cake flour” right? Boy’s first birthday party in T minus 36 hours, but I have so much else to do. Was hoping to put this in the freezer tonight. Should I just use this? Or will it be heavier and grittier and not nearly as good? Thank you so much for sharing your AMAZING recipes and talent with us!
I’ve made this a million times with perfect results every time. My younger sister’s 21st birthday is tomorrow so I subbed 1/2 cup of buttermilk for 1/2 cup of kahlua and will be decorating it like the Portal cake. Hopefully it will still taste just as wonderful as usual!
I’m making this cake tonight for a party tomorrow evening. What should I do about the sour cream icing overnight? I’m almost tempted to bring the icing separate from the cake and ice it at the office. If I were to ice it this evening would it be best to put in it in fridge all day? I know you aren’t supposed to put cakes into the fridge. Thoughts?
Madeline — Refrigerate it. I leave cakes out if the frosting is okay at room temperature, but not otherwise. The frosting should protect the cake from drying out. You can always bring it back to room temperature before serving it. Enjoy!
I am attempting this cake tomorrow for my daughter’s second birthday party. Do you think it would turn out to have chocolate chips inside the cake batter?
Daniela — I don’t see why it wouldn’t work flavor-wise, but the tricky thing with adding a heavy ingredient is that it may sink. Wouldn’t change the taste, just the look. Perhaps mini-chips?
This batter was amazing! But then when I baked the cakes they fell…. :-( I think they will still taste alright but I’m not sure what I did incorrectly.
Deb,I am making the cake today, Friday, to eat on Sunday night and Monday. I figured I would frost it on Sunday morning. How do I store it till then – frig or not? and how tightly wrapped? And once it is frosted? I am never sure. Thanks!
Deb, I’ve now made this cake 3 times and every single time, it’s been a hit. Thank you thank you thank you for this wonderful recipe.
thanks for the recipe. It was delicious. I didn’t use this icing recipe but I’d like to try it sometime too. I’ll be making this cake again.
Deb, how long to bake this cake in a 9×13 pan? Can I make my own buttermilk with lemon juice or vinegar instead of buying a whole carton? Thanks for your advice!
This is the second time making this yummy cake. The first time we tried a Bundt pan and it was too much batter, so it came up over the sides, and took about 10 minutes longer to cook. We also made it a marble cake by adding some melted chocolate chips to part of the batter. Best cake I ever have made!
This time I made it in 9X13 inch pan and again it took about 42 minutes to cook. I checked my oven and the temperature is correct. Just an FYI if others find it takes a bit longer to bake.
P.S. No frosting needed
I just wanted to say thanks for this recipe. Like others who have commented here, I too had a bad cake-baking failure years ago and was scared off trying again. But after success with some of your other recipes, I gave this a try for my daughter’s fourth birthday (with a 7 minute frosting) and it was a complete success. A tiny little area of my soul has now been redeemed. Thanks again.
Hi Deb,
After reading this post 3 times, scrolling the comments to infinity, I finally got the courage to bake it. I too, had no success with simple yellow cake… until now! I hid myself behind apple galettes and tiramisus people raved about. It was my ultimate deep secret. I was a repeat-yellow-cake-flopper. They came out dry and/or crumbly, over baked at times, dense as a brick at times… I was on perpetual yellow cake purgatory.
Until now! So I thank you. I’ve been visiting your cyber home for years now, borrowed your cook book from the local library on regular basis… Tried many, many recipes. Now here I am, a proud yellow cake baker! My son’s second birthday was a great success thanks to you. Cheers!
Hi Deb, I’m wondering if this cake can be baked in a sheet pan (with reducing the time of course). I like to build thin layer cakes and sheet cakes make it easier. Is this something that is possible with this recipe?
I have to say, I was pretty disappointed in this cake. Mine came out spongey and wet and I’m not quite sure what happened. Also the frosting, came out not really tasting like chocolate. The sour cream was way too strong. I’m sorry, I love your other stuff still!
This was my THIRD yellow cake recipe to try this week in my trial runs to find the best birthday cake before my daughter’s birthday in a few weeks. I went to my trusted sources, Cook’s Illustrated and Smitten Kitchen, and I have to say that THIS recipe takes the.. well, you know. I do wonder – Deb, can you substitute sour cream for the buttermilk in the cake? It seems no matter what I do that the yellow cakes are just drier than chocolate ones. Is that just how it goes? Thanks!!
Awesome, Delicious, adorable cake
Just liked it!!!!!!!!!
I’m SO excited to try this for my daughter’s birthday! Growing up, my mom made us “checkerboard” cake using boxed mix of yellow and chocolate cake to make three concentric circle cakes, alternating what color was in the center, so when it was stacked and sliced it looked like a checkerboard! My question is, do you have a chocolate cake recipe that comes out to be about the same density so that if it’s mixed with this cake recipe the two flavors will be the same texture and density?
Thanks!
Brooke — Yum, what an awesome mom. Best way to get cakes of similar densities? Make one version of this vanilla, and make one version where you swap 1/4 to 1/3 of the flour with good cocoa powder. I do have chocolate cakes that I love, but none that are a true match for this otherwise. Good luck.
Made this cake today for my daughter’s birthday. Easy to put together, smelled wonderful when baking! Made a lovely, moist, great tasting cake! Will be using this many times in the future!
I make this for all my favorites birthdays. I freeze it as well, it really seems to lock in the moisture. Frost it and serve it the next day….its perfection. Everyone thinks I buy it from the local bakery!
Deb, Will do! Am I using 1/3 cup flour, and then using cocoa powder to make up the remaining to equal the 1/4 cup? Or just 1/3 c flour and then ?? amount of cocoa powder?
Thank you!
I just need you to know that this is my go to cake for birthdays with the quick fudge frosting, its just perfect. I found it 3 years ago and have never looked back. Thanks for the obsession with finding the perfect yellow cake :) It made my obsession much easier.
I wanted to thank you so much for your fantastic recipe. You hv no idea ( or maybe you do!) what a blessing you hv been to beginner bakers like me. I didn’t change a single thing in your recipe except to decide the completed batter into 3 pans to create a rainbow layer cake for new year (well…not really rainbow considering it’s only 3 colors! Lol) but you get my idea… The cake is dense yet moist and absolutely scrumptious! My kids love it and my daughter announced that she wants it for her birthday next year!
Also I wanted to say that your recipe works even though I used a simple hand held mixer as I don’t have any fancy kitchenaid… And I’m using the tabletop convention oven that is small so the pans stay around while each layer cooks. I had to color the batter by seperating into 3 bowls and used Wilton gel. I used a spatula till every color was fully incorporated all the while wondering if I were breaking out the air or ruining texture and still the end result was outstanding! Anyone and everyone should use this recipe. Once again, thank you so much!
I made this recipe tonight in cupcake form. They are delicious but instead of 22-24 cupcakes I got 48 large cupcakes!
I made this cake for my daughters’ birthday (raspberry preserves for the filling with vanilla buttercream frosting). I liked the flavor but not the texture. It was dense and a bit dry. I used cake flour, which I sifted with the other dry ingredients, and I even stirred the batter by hand in the final stage of mixing wet with dry, being careful not to overmix it. The following day, I used the same recipe (x2.5) to make about 70 cupcakes. The cupcakes came out much better than the cake. For some reason, the cupcakes were lighter but still had great flavor.
Hi Deb, Do you think if I use soy milk for the cake that I should add lemon juice to make it “buttermilk?” or just leave it as soy?
That goes the same with the instant fudge frosting (if I can just use soy and not cream)
I am also in the dense crowd – but so many people say this cake is light and fluffy! I would also love to know what I could have have done differently. Think I’m gonna try another recipe in the meantime (gave my daughter’s bday cake a dry run today – and am hoping to get some more fluffiness in the next one). Maybe another recipe/website will have tips on how to avoid such density… there must be something!
So, I just posted on Jan 31 about how my cake came out super dense. I knew this had to be something I was doing because so many others raved. I googled other recipes, and learned a few things (which, experienced bakers will know). Made it again this weekend, and it was awesome. So – here are tips for newbies (or those of us who used to bake… years ago): When SM says your butter-sugar mixture should be “light, pale, and fluffy”, she is NOT kidding! I used a stand mixer this time (though prob not necessary), and I beat that mixture to death. I read from another blog that the sugar granules almost disappear. This is true! That set the whole tone for the rest of the cake. I also beat the butter first, even though already soft, and then added the sugar.
I also had the buttermilk room temp this time, though no idea if that really matters.
I also halved the sugar in the recipe, but this is my personal preference for lowering sugar around the house (while still keeping the cake for birthdays!). People raved – probably because I also had a traditional chocolate buttercream, which is all sugar, so it’s not like anyone missed it in the cake.
Anyway, now that I know about the butter-sugar mixture, this will definitely be my go-to recipe. It’s perfect!
Last comment – I put this in a 9×13 pan and it was done after either 25 or 30 mins (can’t remember) – but definitely less time than suggested for the others. Might be my oven, but just an FYI for others trying that one out.
i have made this cake for everybody’s birthdays for the last three years and it never fails to be perfect in every way. thank you for creating a classic.
Made this last night on a “I really want cake” whim. I wasn’t interested in experimenting with the sour cream frosting, and my family hates espresso powder in -everything- so I made a fudge icing. I brought 2c sugar, 2/3c milk, and 10 TB of butter to a boil in a saucepan, removed it from the heat, and whisked in 2c of chocolate chips. Let it cool off in the fridge for an hour, and then frosted the cake with it. It was absolutely perfect, the cake was moist and not crumbly, and the fudge style frosting was exactly the right amount of sweet for it.
I will definitely be making this combo again for birthdays. :) Thanks for the cake recipe, Deb!
I made this as cupcakes this week for a friend’s birthday party. I used the scaled-down recipe from the cookbook (I think it’s 3/4 this recipe?) and I got 24 cupcakes that are the best manifestation of yellow cake I’ve ever had, personally. They have a great flavor from the buttermilk. I did increase the salt and vanilla just a little (I almost always do).
I paired them with the instant fudge frosting you linked to, and that was equally delicious. The birthday girl was raving about it! This has officially killed my prejudice against yellow cake with chocolate frosting as boring and not worth the effort/calories/ingredients.
Is there an alternative to light corn syrup?
J — Honey or golden syrup should work here.
Oh my gosh, this recipe is AMAZING!!! My daughter requested vanilla cupcakes for her birthday, so I halved this recipe and it made the MOST perfect cupcakes!!! I baked them on the convection setting and they were done in 18 minutes. This will be my go to recipe from here on out!
It’s appropriate that you say “great big noisy fuss” as I am making this for a party at our school library tomorrow to celebrate Beverly Cleary’s birthday and her most famous character, Ramona Quimby, is always making a “great big noisy fuss.” I never make plain yellow cakes, but because that’s what Ramona’s sister had for her birthday, with pink frosting, that’s what I’m making. Any idea how much frosting to make for TWO layer cakes if I’m using the Quickest Fudge + Vanilla Buttercream Frosting from your monkey cake recipe?
I made this yesterday for my husband’s birthday. This recipe really showcases good organic eggs, butter, and buttermilk. What a great cake. Topped with peanut butter frosting because that’s the favorite here, it is fantastic.
I made cupcakes. Recipe yielded 34 standard size, wow! I used all-purpose flour, 480 grams. Fluffy, golden, very buttery.
Hi! I just realized my child’s birthday is tomorrow and I’ve not done much of anything in the cake department (or anywhere!). Can I use the whey from my freshly made yogurt in place of the buttermilk??? Thank you for responding (hopefully) before tomorrow morning when he will turn 6 and realize I totally flogged his new year of life with my forgetful mind. Thanks!
Juliane — Absolutely. Thin it with a little milk, or even water if you don’t have milk, just to get a more sloshy texture. (As the mom of a 6 year-old, I can assure you all will be forgiven when cake appears.)
I’ve made this for my daughter’s past two birthdays and I just wanted to say (in case no one else has said it): it really deserves to be a layer cake. The first year I made cupcakes, and the frosting-to-cake ratio was nearly right. Last year, when I made it just as a sheet cake, there was not nearly enough frosting per bite. Do yourself a favor and borrow pans if you need to, but make it layered!
This is an excellent cake recipe and I’ve tried lots because I LOVE a moist buttery cake with chocolate frosting. I appreciated the tip about the batter looking curdled – it did and I probably would have had some cake-panic without the warning. I used a different chocolate frosting but I like the sour cream version, too. Next time I might cut each layer in half for a different frosting/cake ratio. Make this cake.
Great recipe! I increased quantities by 25% so that I could also make a 4″ 2-layer cake at the same time. The quantity of batter was perfect, and both cakes turned out well, with the smaller layers baking more quickly, of course. Yum! Perfect little smash cake for the baby, with a delicious bigger cake for everyone else to enjoy. Per a previous comment, I substituted almond milk (for each cup of milk needed, I used 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar plus non-dairy milk to equal 1 cup liquid). Topped everything with a vanilla buttercream (I made far too much; from 2 cups butter and 2 lbs powdered sugar, but oh well), and pretty sprinkles. Two days later I’m still enjoying it. Homemade dessert is the best breakfast!
Can you freeze this AFTER it is frosted? Not sure how the sour cream frosting would freeze.
Hi Deb,
I have only posted a comment once before, when I was in the middle of exams and a recipe didnt quite turn out and I definitely had a nervous breakdown haha.
3 years later I still use your recipes for nearly everything and have recommended your website to people all around the world.
Now, I’m making a three tier wedding cake! This yellow cake, your swiss buttercream, and fresh raspberries in August. I’m making a full practice one next weekend for my Oma’s 83rd birthday.
My question is about cake flour and sifting. You call for: sift twice, add two tablespoons of corn starch per cup, and then measure from this when making this cake. Then I’ll sift again when combining the dry ingredients (holy sifting!!). Other recipes for cake flour call for replacing/removing two tablespoons of flour for each addition of corn flour. Just not necessary? Wrong? Also you explained your scooping merhod here in the comments and now I’m all flustered because I assumed all these years that I had learned and was using your version of measuring flour! I just scoop and swipe! Should I alter my method for my wedding cake? For all smitten kitchen recipes?
Normally I would never be so precise and finicky – but it is a wedding after all!
Thank you so much for your help and all your wonderful recipes over the years. I always get compliments on my cooking and I always mention you. Essential raised waffles for breakfast this morning!
Also… would you recommend using the recipe in your cookbook instead of this one? I read your comment re:the difference in leveaners and how that may make this recipe here more prone to dryness and cornbread taste.
Hollyrose — Both have fans (I’d say this is more popular) but the one in the book aims to specifically address the texture concerns some had here so it might be the right one for you.
Hi Deb, I made this cake a few years ago and it was great! I’m making it again for my son’s first birthday, which will be outdoors, and I am concerned about the frosting sitting outdoors in 70-ish degree weather for a couple of hours. Do you think it will melt or “slide” off the cake? Should I substitute something else?
Thank you.
Made this cake last night for my sons 5th birthday today! I make this cake every year for him. My mom LOVES it. It’s secretly for her to enjoy, because we all know kids love presents more than cake on their birthday!
Thank you for your endless library of awesome recipes and personal stories. I’m a cookbook owner too!!!
Hi Deb, we loved the sprinkles on this cake and we liked making the frosting. It was hard to wait for this while it was baking. It was yummy when we ate it. We all worked on this cake project for our teacher Tyler’s birthday. We loved this cake.
Thanks so much for this recipe, Deb! We live at 8,750 feet and so baking (especially cakes) can be challenging. This cake completely surprised me because it actually rose!
Hi Deb, I’m planning to make this for my daughter’s first birthday and I want to make a small cake for her and then a larger cake for everyone else. I have a set of three pans in 6″, 8″ and 10″, as well as a couple of 9″ pans. If I were to double the recipe could I make the 6/8/10 trio and use the 6″ for her and the 8″ & 10″ for everyone else? Or am I better off going with the 6″, the 8″ and some cupcakes? Or some other option? Thanks!
I had a really fun time making this cake and was incredibly excited when I got the super fluffy delicious cake batter down pat. But I used to 8 inch round pans and lowered the oven temperature per my cake decorator in structures directions to help reduce a doming a fact and the cake came out incredibly and horrifically dry. I am tempted to remake the entire cake using the 2 8 inch round pans at the suggested oven temperature but considering I only bake the cake for an additional 10 minutes until the cake was just done I really feel like it should not have had a cornbread consistency. I am not the type of person to tweak a recipe while I’m using it so I know I followed it perfectly. I just need some insight as to if it was the lowered the temperature and increased baking time that could have done this???
Hi Deb! I just made this cake for the second time. The first time it came out perfectly – and the crumb wasn’t tough or dry. The second time I used a 9×13 cake pan instead of the two rounds, and it came out much drier and tougher than the first… Any idea what could have happened? I didn’t do any recipe alterations or change the batter between these two times.
Looks like it is a plum cake with icing on the top, but still it looks beautiful.
Would reduced fat buttermilk be acceptable here? It’s all I can ever find in the store. Or would I be better off curdling dome whole milk with vinegar?
No, reduced fat is perfect. It’s what I’m using 90% of the time, because it’s the standard at most stores.
I was nodding along happily to the ingredients of the frosting until I saw “light corn syrup”… Since corn syrup is a prime example of Ingredients I Don’t Want to Bring Into Our Home, does anyone have any ideas for substitution? Would agave syrup or good old maple syrup (real) work here, or does this recipe rely on the viscosity of corn syrup?
This might be WAY too late, but you could try Lyle’s Golden Syrup! It’s pure cane sugar, in syrup form.
Have you tried it with agave or maple syrup? I am also looking for a substitute for corn syrup. Golden Syrup is also hard to get here (in Germany).
Hi Deb, I made this once and it was delicious! Preparing for my daughter’s first birthday party, and I’d love to make her cake. The only problem is, she has an egg allergy. Can I substitute anything here?
I made this once but used your food processor chocolate frosting instead and it was PERFECT.
I also have a first birthday-related question; I plan to use coconut milk instead of buttermilk and dairy-free/soy-free butter because my son can’t have dairy or soy. Is there a better substitute for buttermilk you can think of?
I answered my own question: I got the idea for a buttermilk substitute from a waffle recipe of yours, where you instructed to add vinegar to milk. So I added honey white balsamic vinegar to coconut milk, and it turned out perfect. Also, coconut butter is great to use along with other butter substitutes for depth.
Hi Ashlee
I am wondering if there was a coconut flavor to the cake when you used coconut milk plus the vinegar (how much vinegar?) as the substitute for buttermilk? ( I’ve tried other cakes needing a dairy substitute and have used almond milk with varying results. ). Since I’m using a raspberry filling between layers I don’t want to add a pronounced coconut flavor.
The cake is not mind blowing, but it is super solid. Not texture-wise, texture was on point. Just it’s a good, dependable yellow cake reminiscent of the box version. Since it’s made by hand and with love, the cleanliness and good ingredients shine through to make a rounded out flavor.
I used the Instant Fudge Frosting.
People were please. I would repeat. Next time, I’d probably halve the recipe and make a shorter layered cake.
I have made this recioe several times and I LOVE it. It comes out beautifully every time and is always a crowd pleaser. In fact, people like it so much that I have offered to make it for a friend’s Bday for 60 people 😬 I plan on doubling and then halving the recipe to get 25 cups of batter for 2 14″ round layers. My question is: can I make this the day before and wrap the cakes in plastic and refrigerate over night? Or should I make the cakes and crumb coat the day before and wrap that and refrigerate over night? I will have a couple of hours the day of the party to ice and decorate, but I usually always make my cakes the same day and I’m worried about it drying out. Also, I will be using a basic chocolate buttercream recioe for the icing. Thank you!
The day before, wrapping them at room temperature should be fine. Any longer, I prefer to freeze the layers. It’s easier to work with them frozen, anyhow.
I was excited to try this cake, because I love a great yellow cake, but I was disappointed. The proportions seemed to be really off, with over four cups of flour and just one cup of sugar, making the finished cake taste more like cornbread than cake.
The recipe calls for 2 cups of sugar.
Hey-your link for “measurement explanation” by the flour under the recipe no longer works. it used to, but stopped when you updated your website–now it just links you back to the top of the cake recipe page. I can’t remember how much flour to use for the cake and there is the range…!
Oh, that’s annoying. I was a nut when we did the redesign about having no broken links in the comments or anywhere. Anyway, the range — I think the issue was that different brands don’t agree. I’ve done a full swap with regular flour without a lot of issue. You could also, say, swap 2 cups with 2 cups flour and add 2 tablespoons cornstarch for a decent approximation of cake flour.
I made the batter into 24 cupcakes. They turned out well and were just sweet enough. One note though: I would highly suggest sifting the cake flour before measuring it out. I didn’t and when I sifted it with the other dry ingredients there seemed to be too much volume. I then measured the dry ingredients and had 4 and 3/4 cups. That would have altered the batter too much if I had used it all. I removed the correct amount and added a pinch more baking powder and soda to make up for any left in the excess flour. Thank you for the recipe Deb. I will make this again.
I made the batter into 24 cupcakes. They turned out well and were just sweet enough. One note though: I would highly suggest sifting the cake flour before measuring it out. I didn’t and when I sifted it with the other dry ingredients there seemed to be too much volume. I then measured the dry ingredients and had 4 and 3/4 cups. That would have altered the batter too much if I had used it all. I removed the correct amount and added a pinch more baking powder and soda to make up for any left in the excess flour. Thank you for the recipe Deb. I will make this again.
This was my first time baking but I must have messed up somewhere. Help! I halved this recipe and made the cake three days before I needed it. I let it coolfor an hour then frosted it (not this frosting recipe) and stored it in my microwave. When I tried it, it was dense and crumbly like a muffin. Did I over-stir? Make too early? All of my ingredients were fresh.
Yes! Awesome yellow cake! Moist and delicious. This will be my “go-to” yellow cake. Thank you so much. Made my own buttercream, but will try the sour cream icing next time.
I made this classic for my daughter’s wedding cake and it was a huge hit! So easy and when filled with Colorado Palisade peaches and a plain buttercream icing with a little whip cream layer and well…a few of the neighbor’s freshly picked raspberries it was just about perfect!!!
Hi Deb. I live in South Korea at the moment and many ingredients arent easily accessible. Is there a substitute for buttermilk? I’d love to try this recipe but I’d hate to spend time on baking and having it turn out subpar just because I don’t use buttermilk.
Thanks!
You can make your own buttermilk substitute. You can also thin yogurt with milk or water.
This dummy still doesn’t understand the flour amounts – please help!
You say 480-530 grams – does that mean use my eye and start at 480g of flou and then go up to 530g till the texture of the mix looks right?
I read it as the range of weights dependent on the brand of cake flour you use. I used Softasilk cake flour and ended up using 530 grams. It was delicious!
Oooooh ok, I get it. Thanks Bianca for replying :-)
This cake was perfect. Fluffy, moist, buttery. When I asked my brother if it tasted just like the boxed yellow cake mix he initially requested, he said, “No, it’s infinitely better!!” The recipe was easy to follow, and I couldn’t have been more pleased with the outcome. I used a non-dairy chocolate buttercream frosting. It was a five star birthday cake. I would recommend this recipe to anyone looking for an alternative to the preservative filled yellow box cake mixes. It has become an instant household favorite.
Hi Deb – long time fan here! This cake turned out really well but the frosting/icing was a bit of a disaster. I tried to temper the chocolate with some sour cream mixture and the chocolate seized up on me. I tried re-melting it but it refused to get silky again. As a result I got really chunky frosting. What’s the order of operations here that would help me avoid this frosting faux pas? Thanks!!
I needed to make a homemade birthday cake for my son’s 18th (gulp) birthday. I went to Smitten Kitchen, as my “go to site”, and made this fabulous cake. It tasted so delicious, and we all were amazed by how huge it was — it is definitely an extravagant cake, appropriate for a big birthday, or any birthday, because cake. Thanks for another tremendous recipe, Deb, from a long time lurker, first time poster.
On the cake flour – I don’t keep it in the house, but wanted to make this last night. 3.5 c. flour plus 7 T. corn starch (following Deb’s suggestion above), sifted twice, made just over 4 c., by about a tablespoon or so, so I called it good and used all of it. I also did the homemade buttermilk. Yield: 1 tall 6″ round, 18 standard cupcakes, 26 mini cupcakes. Thanks!
4 years late, but THANK YOU! In this time of flour shortage, plain is all I can find!
Hi
For more spongy tasty and delicious cakes, please visit our website http://www.example.com
Great recipe! My face when I ate it: 😍
I made this for a work birthday party and it was VERY well received — including requests for your recipe! I thought it was a little eggy (perceptibly eggy, though not unpleasantly so) and not as moist as I’d hoped. This might be because I only had AP flour or perhaps I overbaked. I used 500g of flour as a middlepoint. Everyone else loved the cake, which just goes to show that one person’s best cake is another person’s “fine”. I used a 13×9 glass pan with two inch sides and made six cupcakes on the side to avoid overfilling the baking pan. The cupcakes were completely done after 15 minutes and the 13×9 pan after 30, which caught me off guard.
I used 1 and 3/4 cups of white sugar in the cake and topped it with lightly sweetened buttercream icing, which was perfect for a group of adults who find extremely sweet desserts overpowering.
FYI: This cake does not work in a 9×13 pan, unless you keep back about one to two cupcakes worth of batter. Major over-flowage!
Everything else I try from this site is golden, thought you’d want to know about this.
I tried making this cake twice. I used a 9×13 and it needed much more time. It was like cornbread-dry and crumbly. I thought there was something wrong with the ingredients so when I tried again, it was the same. Did anyone else have 2 distinct colors on theirs? the bottom half of the cake was an ugly deep yellow and the top was a regular pale-yellow.
That sounds like it separated. My guess is that your eggs and butter (and maybe buttermilk, if you are melting your butter) were too cold and are congealing and sinking to the bottom. Set them out ahead of time so that everything’s at room temp and while you don’t want to over-beat it, the batter should be a smooth and uniform consistency.
I am confused about the “explanation” for the variation in cake flour. Where is this?
Ah, looks like the comment link is broken. Basically, there’s variance between brands. Don’t sweat it. You can also make your own cake flour.
Made this tonight for my son’s first birthday and it is fabulous. Previous comments made me nervous but the texture was divine (very like a box mix) and the flavor was rich and complex. It surprised me by not tasting very sweet; I slathered it in chocolate buttercream and everyone loved it. I was careful to follow recipe instructions exactly and brought everything, including buttermilk, to room temperature before mixing.
I always used to get so excited when I saw these holy grail recipes on your blog, until my sad lactose-intolerant self discovered that a crucial ingredient is buttermilk. Alas!
But then – BUT THEN. I did some research and discovered that you can substitute almond milk with a half teaspoon of vinegar to achieve the requisite acidity, and the baking chemistry won’t be adversely affected. HUZZAH!
I love the blog (as everyone else says, but it’s worth repeating). You’re my go-to not only for the moments when I need random inspiration, but also when I’m looking for something to become a family staple. Thank you for this wonderful internet cavern of cooking delights!
Im very rarely disappointed in recipes here @Smitten (Ive made so many cakes from the “celebration” section to rave reviews) but this one was a dud for me. I made this for my son’s 2nd birthday. The cake was dry and not very flavorful. Im an experienced baker and my oven runs pretty true. I should have started checking it at 25 mins, instead of the 35 recommended in the recipe.
The frosting was ok, but not quite my style. A shame, really. I wish I enjoyed the flavor of the frosting more because it was so easy! If you’re looking for a frosting with a little tang, this one might be for you.
For yellow cake, Im gonna stick to my coconut cake recipe base with a chocolate flour frosting.
Hello, is there a cupcake variation for this? My husband wants to make me cupcakes… okay so he made me a batch and let’s just say we ‘donated’ most of them and it was the recipe (he’s very good in the kitchen). And a friend of mine highly recommended your blog, which is amazing, and this looks great. If it adapts well to cupcakes, these would be perfect. I’m not a baker at all, just very good with non-baking… so I’m no help.
Can you help me out?
This adapts well to cupcakes, makes about 22 to 24.
How long should I bake cupcakes? Thank you.
Mine were perfect at 15 minutes.
I didn’t love this recipe (a very uncommon occurrence for me on Smitten Kitchen). I followed it to the letter and my oven is generally true to temp. I made cupcakes and there were ok, just not very fluffy or flavorful – as another commenter said, they were sort of like cornbread. They were for a bunch of seven year olds, though, so I just covered them in icing and oreo ninjas and all was well. I think I’ll stick to the double chocolate cake recipe on this site because it’s never been less than perfect.
https://smittenkitchen.com/2007/07/you-are-owed-chocolate-cake/
Just made this. It was so delicious! Perfectly moist without being too soft. I added orange zest to the sugar before beating it with the butter, and then added some juice to the frosting, just to give it a bit different flavor. I am not usually a big fan of non- chocolate cakes, but I would definitely make this again.
I just used this cake recipe for my daughter’s first birthday and made marshmallow icing for it because she LOVES marshmallows. The little smash cake version was a hit and the adults enjoyed the big one. I will definitely use this recipe again when I need a yellow cake!
Thank you, thank you for the perfect yellow cake recipe. I can’t tell you how many I’ve tried and none measured up. This one nails it: perfect crumb, not too sweet, nice rise in the pan. Life is good :)
Hi Ashlee
I am wondering if there was a coconut flavor to the cake when you used coconut milk plus the vinegar (how much vinegar?) as the substitute for buttermilk? ( I’ve tried other cakes needing a dairy substitute and have used almond milk with varying results. ). Since I’m using a raspberry filling between layers I don’t want to add a pronounced coconut flavor.
Can this be made in 3 8inch round pans?
I want to make this for a party, but is it enough for 25 people? Or should i make more? t.i.a. :)
Perfection!
Made 2 separate batters..yield 3 perfect 9×2″ cakes and 16 beautigul cupcakes!
Cakes were so fabulous ..no leveling was needed!
Released from pan like a dream we just ate a cupcake…deeeeelishus!
P.S. i have your cookbook ! LOVE IT!
Yikes! It’s in the oven now and the future does NOT look good. I followed the directions and the amount of batter came just shy of the top of my cake pans. Since I’m in a rush (birthday party this afternoon) I just shoved the pans into the oven and I can see that was a mistake. It is gonna run over. Batter tasted fantastic but it is going to be one ugly patched together cake. I guess it will scream “homemade”. How deep are your 9″ cake pans? Also, regarding the weight of cake flour, there are two amounts and a link to an explanation however, the link leads nowhere. Or maybe I am just rushing and missed something obvious. I decided to use the cup measure instead of weight.
No, the link is broken, now edited to explain (varies between brands). My layer cake pans are 2″ deep, standard for layer cakes. I hope it all works out, crossing my fingers.
That’s it! My 8″ pans are 2″ deep but my 9″ pans are not. Batter did leak over the edge of each round. Each pan, in addition to producing a luscious cake layer, laid a free-form cupcake in each corner that was easy to pry off and have for lunch. Crispy and delicious!! Moms preparing birthday cakes should always be able to have cake for their working lunch. As per one of your hints, once I saw the mess developing I reduced the heat for the last 10 minutes of baking. BTW, I do all my baking in a Miele speed oven which just fits 2 9″ cake pans and bakes them evenly when in convection mode. This oven also serves as my microwave oven. I can’t say enough good things about this compact gem, especially since we got it at half price due to “scratch and dent” status at the appliance store. I wish I could post a picture of the beautiful birthday cake and of the happy faces of the children (and husband) as they gobbled it down. My son requested vanilla frosting so I made the kind that is simply butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk. Did you ever take a rolling pin to gum drops and then cut them into shapes? That is how made the red and yellow letters to spell out happy birthday and such. Those letters along with multicolored sprinkles gave the festive garnishes to the cake. Thank you for my new go-to yellow cake recipe, sturdy and forgiving enough to survive changing from buttermilk to kefir and from 8″ to 9″ baking pans before popping into the oven.
PS I wonder if the ganache attributed to the Dessert Bible was inspired originally by RB’s Cake Bible recipe, the one she pairs with her outstanding banana cake? Hers is a bit simpler. I’m going to try it with kefir next time to see how that works out. Why so much kefir? I just started making it and I can’t keep consumption in balance with the non-stop supply.
I’d like to make this cake for my son whose birthday will be on Saturday. I cannot access buttermilk where I live. What can I use instead?
BTW Deb I love Smitten Kitchen. I’ve been following you for years. Thank you so much.
This made a beautiful cake. Delicious with a moist tender crumb. Buttery and rich like I was hoping. NOTE: I don’t think this recipe is suited for a bundt pan. I prepared mine in a bundt and it ended up crusty on the outside while being just done inside. It could be because my pan is a dark coated pan, so I may adjust the temp and time and try it again. I’ve been in a bundt kick lately so I am really experimenting here. I went with my standard chocolate buttercream frosting and the final result was as expected there. I think this one is a keeper for ease of preparation and great end product. Thanks!!
This has become my go-to recipe for cupcakes (I get more than 24, and they take 22 minutes to bake in my oven). It is simply THE BEST. Last night, I made this with a substitution for the buttermilk– whole milk yogurt and half-and-half, and they seemed extra moist and fluffy (and I didn’t sift the flour… it was fine).
The first time I made this, I made one layer of the yellow cake with whole wheat flour (because that’s what I had in the house) and filled it with chocolate pudding (sliced through the 2″ later and glooped in the delicious chocolatey goodness) and frosted it with chocolate buttercream. It turned out delicious, although a bit “corn-bready,” probably because of the whole wheat flour. But the pudding helped balance any dryness and the whole thing disappeared very quickly and we were sad when it was gone.
The second time I made this, I quartered the recipe to make a miniature layer cake with my 4″ springform pans. (My pans are 2″ deep, so baking times are about the same as for the 9″ layers.) Even with a quarter batch, it made three layers, so I got to make a cute little two-layer cake and eat the extra layer with leftover frosting and plenty of sprinkles “just to make sure it was ok.” (So now I have a picture-perfect cake waiting for tomorrow night’s dinner and I got my cake-eating fix for tonight.) The second time, with regular all-purpose flour, yielded a beautifully soft cake with a most crumb (yay!). I also tried out the sour cream frosting this time and love how this recipe is a cake sweet enough to feel like dessert, but not toothache sweet (my usual complaint with cake that has frosting).
This cake is FABULOUS! I made it for my friend’s birthday and we all agreed it was the best cake we’ve ever had. So moist, perfect flavor, and I paired it with Deb’s Fudge Frosting. Stashing this one!
Hi Deb,
I’m baking a cake for my daughters birthday and came across this recipe. It looks wonderful but wondering if it pairs well with vanilla buttercream; she’s not a chocolate lover and has requested a blue cake :)
Sorry for the delay but this absolutely works with other frostings.
I made this a second time and it came out as wonderful as the first. I used my 2″ tall 8″ round cake pans and put the extra batter in a small springform pan. I still got a free form cupcake out of the deal. This time I added grated Meyer lemon peel to the batter. I assembled the cake with a layer of Meyer lemon curd and frosted it with vanilla buttercream. Delicious! I put the extra small cake in the freezer. Just recently I took that little cake out of the freezer, sliced it into 4 thin layers that I stuck together with raspberry puree. These sandwiches I sliced into bite-sized morsels and made a berry trifle with it. After layering the sandwiches with vanilla pudding (made in the Vitamix in 5 min), strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries, and more of that raspberry puree, I folded all the leftover lemon curd into whipped cream for the top layer. There wasn’t quite enough of the cake sandwiches so I found another lonely chunk of cake in the freezer and some stale madelines so I added them in too. Mmmm.
Hi, you are my first ‘go to’ for any desserts, just saying. I baked this cake and for roasted eithe the instant fudge frosting, which was amazing. The cake, was more crumby than soft and I am wondering what I am doing wrong.
Has anyone tried to halve the sugar in this recipe for a kid’s bday cake? Thanks so much!
I tried this cake over the weekend. It was a nice cake- soft and fluffy. I paired it with a cherry vanilla Italian meringue buttercream (which is what my grandmother used to make for birthday cakes). I used 481 grams of cake flour. It wasn’t exactly dry, but I didn’t think it was exceptionally moist. It was also not particularly yellow. I might try this again, adding additional egg yolk. Thanks for the recipe- I love your blog.
Dear Deb,
If I wanted to turn this cake batter into a marbled vanilla chocolate cake how would you suggest I go about doing it? Using cocoa or dark chocolate and in what quantities if I were to do half vanilla half chocolate batter?
I would make it exactly as written except instead of 4 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour, use 2 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour. When you get to the end, divide the batter in half, pouring one half into a separate bowl. Into one half, stir 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour. Into the other half, stir 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark cocoa powder. Marble them back together in the pan.
Or you can wait until October when my next book will have (what I modestly think, heh) is the best marble cake I’ve ever eaten in it. :)
I made this into cupcakes last weekend. My husband said (and I agree) best cupcake ever! They were amazing!!!
For us, the recipe made 16 cupcakes, and I baked for 15 minutes (at high altitude–around 5,000 ft). As always, thanks!
I made this for my son’s first birthday. It’s probably the first recipe in a long time that I have followed exactly. It came out SO delicious and I got so many compliments on it. And the littlest one enjoyed it immensely :)
Thanks, Deb! Always a winner
I’m trying to find information about adding cocoa to batters to make marbled cakes (my dad requested it for his birthday). I’m an experienced baker but still fuzzy at times on the chemical reactions with regular cocoa and Dutch processed cocoa. Anyway, thoughts on adding either to part of the batter from this cake? Especially with the buttermilk?
Funny that you ask this as I just responded in detail about how to do this last week. Here’s the comment. Hope that helps!
Made these as cupcakes and put them in the oven for 17 minutes at 350. They were perfect!
My roomies loved them. Super fluffy and moist. Thanks for the recipe!
I just made these into cupcakes. This is definitely a yellow cake to me, very mild flavor. I made a full batch (as listed, no changes to quantity, ect) which yielded 43, 3T cupcakes. If you want a vanilla cake flavor, simply increase the extract. MAYBE double it. I am going to top them with a salted caramel cooked flor buttercream using homemade caramel sauce. It should work out well. If there are any taste changes I’ll report back (some people have reported an eggy fast once cooled, or a vanilla cake flour taste).
How many days ahead could I bake and store the cakes (unfrosted?)
I try to keep it at a day or day and a half, tops; beyond that, I freeze them because it keeps them fresher and more moist.
Deb I just want to say THANKKKK YOUUU!! I’m on the list along with so many people out there searching for the elusive fantastic yellow cake and I finally found it thanks to u!! My family is pretty tired of trying and trying my sub par versions. This baked up light and moist and fluffy! Finally. I followed ur directions to a t, even using cake flour which I was kind of concerned about because I’ve had bad luck with the taste of it. But no more. Did I say thank you????
Bless your heart.
Katie Bortell
I am new here and I found yours from BABBLE blog site and I am very glad that I did because I enjoy your food/ personal blog. I added yours to my speed dial. Your birthday cake is absolutely beautiful and I know that I will try your recipe one day. And also, your photos are incredibly gorgeous!
Hi Deb, Could I use this recipe for a sculpting cake? I am making a Peppa Pig cake for my son’s birthday next week and looking for a recipe that won’t crumble! Thanks!!
Sounds awesome. Ive been looking for a good yellow cake for years. If I want to make it nondairy do you think soymilk will be fine as a sub for buttermilk?
I have an ambitious plan to make a “bumble bee” birthday cake, with alternating 1 inch layers of yellow and chocolate cake. Do you think this cake will bake well in 1 inch layers? Which chocolate cake recipe do you think will pair best with this yellow cake as far as texture/crumb/stacking?
I think this would bake great in 1-inch layers. You could turn this into a chocolate cake by replacing 1/4 to 1/3 of the flour with a good dark cocoa powder and the texture will be as close as can be.
I didn’t even think of that! Perfect! Thank you.
I made this as a layer cake with the Instant fudge frosting. Both turned out perfectly-I get requests to make it again for birthdays. Your recipes have never failed me! I also loved your post on tips for making layer cakes. I purchased the baking strips as recommended and they really worked!
any tips to getting the chocolate bits to melt properly?whenver i put in microwave or on a double boiler i get dried out chocolate and end up adding milk to make it more liquidy. any tips?
Can this yellow cake recipe be made in a bundt pan?
Thanks!
This has turned out beautifully! I’m used to cake batter being a little runnier so I was nervous when it went into the oven but it came out perfectly – lovely rise and texture and not too sweet. Highly recommend!
I’m going to make this cake for my daughter’s first birthday but I wanted to use a vanilla frosting. I’ve been going through the archives and you’ve made a few different ones for different cakes over the years. Do you have one you’d recommend for this cake?
What about the frosting from Anna’s peaches and cream bunny cake?
I have been baking this cake for my daughter’s birthday since 2012 and has come out tall, perfect and delicious every single time! I love this cake!! I usually bake it in 2 9 inch rounds or 1 9×13 rectangular pan. This year I would like to bake it in a 11×15 pan. Do I have to adjust the recipe for the larger pan? If so, how would I do that? My plan is to bake two cakes to slice and have 3 layers of filling.
In case you’re making cupcakes from this recipe, and have searched comments for cupcake info – the recipe as-is makes WAY more than 24 normal-sized cupcakes. I needed 36, so I multiplied everything by 1.5, and I am sitting here surrounded by 60 full-sized cupcakes. The given recipe will definitely make 36 full-sized cupcakes (not minis, not giant ones, the ones that are 12 to a standard pan) and possibly more, I was filling the cups over 2/3 full because I realized I had a ton of batter. They are delicious, to be sure, but just so you know, this makes A LOT OF CUPCAKES.
I’m absolutely terrible at decorating birthday cakes. Honestly, I am (check this out if you don’t believe me). Luckily for me, my kids are terribly sweet, and will swear up and down that the awful looking cake I just made is really just what they wanted. But, just so they don’t have to keep consoling me when I make ugly cakes for kids.
Wow!! IT’s really nice and really best birthday cake. You really did awesome work. As you have shared the best things for me. Even this recipes can be made in busy time also.
What a nice birthday cake baking recipe. Thanks for sharing it here. I must try this at new years party. http://cake-delivery.in/noida
The cake was awesome .It really taste good .I like it very much. This blog is very useful.I just love it.
it’s really fantastic article about birthday cake
I’m not much of a baker outside of muffins and cookies, but I really wanted to make a cake from scratch for my son’s first birthday. I followed this recipe and the instructions exactly. The cake turned out well, but like some of the other reviewers mentioned, it was a little on the dry side. I tested it at 35 minutes and it was still totally wet, so left it in for another 5. Maybe that over did it? The taste was good, not as sweet as I was expecting, which was nice. I used a chocolate frosting recipe from Bon Appetite, which used sour cream, icing sugar, and just a bit of butter. It complimented the cake perfectly. I’d try this recipe once more and hope for a more moist cake, but not sure it will become my go to.
hi,
How is this different from your golden vanilla cake in your cookbook?
thanks!
It was looking Beautiful and eating very tasty. I was delighted to hear that I’m not the only mom who spent a good portion of her first pregnancy worrying about not having the perfect homemade birthday cake recipe!! This post made my day!
It is looking Beautiful and i was try to make it. I’ve looked FOREVER for a great recipe for a yellow cake. I really detest cakes that have to resort to being drenched in syrup, I much rather the moisture come from butter and buttermilk…is that wrong?How to made it short time?Absolutely the cochleae mix cake is thehttps://smittenkitchen.com/2009/07/best-birthday-cake .
I love this frosting, it’s perfectly rich, sweet & tart. I found a copy of it on another site, were you aware?
https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/chocolate-sour-cream-frosting-51353011
Thanks — it’s incredibly annoying, tbh, that Epicurious doesn’t police their member-submitted recipes. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
its very beautiful about birthday cake.it’s very helpful for me.it’s very fantastic.i want this cake on my birthday.i like this cake.my birthday is coming next week.I am lokking for such a birthday cake.this will be perfect for me.Thank you for sharing this cake.
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it’s really fantastic about the best birthday cake.your cake is very beautiful.I like this cake.I want this cake.your cake is awesome.your cake is really fine.I love this cake.my next birthday is next week.In my birthday I want such a beautiful cake.
it’s really fantastic about the best birthday cake.your cake is very beautiful.I like this cake.I want this cake.your cake is awesome.your cake is really fine.I love this cake.my next birthday is next week.In my birthday I want sucha beautiful cake. a beautiful cake.
awesome blog, I’ll try it this week This does look like the perfect birthday cake indeed!!! Thanks so much for sharing the wealth with us yet again.birthday cake
Deb- I got fanfare for this cake a couple weeks ago. Simply delicious- but you’re absolutely right about the sour cream! My frosting seized as well and I stood there staring at the frosting in agony because I only had an hour left to get to a friends birthday party. Luckily my boyfriend googled for solutions (while I was panicking and thinking about whether I had to resort to store bought frosting) and we discovered that taking a hair dryer to the frosting will warm up the milk solids and allow the frosting to gel together. Who knew? Anyways hope this helps anyone else with similar problems.
This cake looks so yummy that I can’t control my craving for it. Thanks for sharing the recipe, it will help me to bake this cake.
Amazing cake! I only needed one 9×13 layer for a chocolate/vanilla cake. I made the whole recipe and got a healthy 9×13 layer (about 900g batter) and 9 regular sized cupcakes.
I made this recipe for a party, but used a vanilla frosting – I personally LOVED this cake, and everyone at the party loved it as well. Deb, thank you for doing all the hard work. This recipe is now in my binder of what I call “Keeper Recipes”.
I only have salted butter. Is that okay to use and should I then omit the salt from recipe?
I do not have unsalted butter. Should I omit the salt from the recipe? Thank you
I just made these as cupcakes—- amazing texture. Done in about 25min.
To be honest, the picture really didn’t sell it for me – it looks dry and boring and sorry, cheap. In reality, it’s gloriously moist and fluffy. The picture just doesn’t do it justice.
I’m thinking of using this cake as the base for strawberry cassata cake. Mmmmmm
Thank you!!!
I made this cake yesterday for my husband’s birthday and came back to the comments today to see if I was the only one who found it to be more dense and dry than expected – I noticed a few people likened it to cornbread consistency, which is exactly how mine turned out. The flavor was good but the texture was not at all what I was expecting. I also made the Instant Fudge Frosting which was a huge hit. However, the search for the perfect yellow cake continues!
Hi, if I baked the cake layers a day (or possibly two) in advance, should I or would I need to keep them moist with a syrup? And if so, would this be best done whilst the cake is still warm? Thanks :)
It’s never harmful to brush the cakes with a syrup. You can do it when warm or at room temperature.
Do I need to store this cake in the refrigerator or leave it out? I’ve baked the cake a day in advance of the party. I haven’t frosted it yet as I plan to make and do that tomorrow.
With the sour cream frosting, in the fridge. With a regular buttercream, not necessarily.
My two cents—this is not a very sweet cake. I remade the batter after I tried my first cupcake because I thought I mismeasured sugar. But no, second time, same flavor. It’s kinda a cornbread level sweetness and you can really taste the leavener. If I made it again, I’d add 1/2c more sugar. Texture was great.
Deb – can I store the leftover frosting for a week in the fridge? It’s delicious but I only ended up using about half the amount. Thanks!
I am not positive — I’ve never tried to store this frosting, and it’s not like others so I have nothing to compare it to.
Stores well. Spread on graham crackers. Slice a strawberry on top. Gobble up.
Hi Deb, How many cups of batter does this recipe make? Any idea? I want to use it in a 3-D Train cake pan for my sosn’s 3rd birthday and that requires 6 cups. Thank you!
Michele
I’m sorry, I didn’t note it. But a bit! These are fairly full 9-inch rounds. I think full 9-inch rounds with 2″ sides hold 6 cups so maybe 3.5 cups per layer or 7 cups total?
Do you know how much vanilla sugar to use instead of the extract? I have not been able to find extract in Austria. Thanks!
It depends on how strong yours is. You could maybe just do a 25% swap of the sugar for a vanilla flavor, or up to half.
Thank you for this recipe!! I have made the cake before and it is so delicious! I haven’t tried to icing because I stay away from corn syrup. I was wondering if you have a substitution suggestion for the corn syrup? Thank you so much!
Hi Cait – I made this and used a chocolate cream cheese frosting. 16 oz cream cheese, 1/2 cup butter – both softened. Using a paddle attachment blend those together and slowly add 3/4 cup cocoa powder (more if you want a darker chocolate flavor) and 2 cups powdered sugar (or more if you want it sweeter). This was the perfect amount to frost a 2 layered cake. And it is delicious! Good luck!
OMG – can I just say this is the BEST yellow cake recipe EVER?? I did not make the same frosting (bday girl requested chocolate cream cheese frosting) but the cake is to die for. Delicious! Thank you!!!!!!
I was looking for REVIEWS not “oh this looks so good, I can hardly wait to try it”
There is a tab in the comment section called “I MADE THIS” that will take you to reviews only from people who made it.
I made this with the zest of 1 small lemon in the dough which turned out nice (but next time I’ll use even more). I topped it with half a portion of the really good fudge frosting that Deb suggests as an alternative + a bit of shredded coconut on top because I didn’t have nice enough sprinkles (which didn’t taste AMAZING but looked allright). Easy to make and very tasty cake, and it made my colleagues happy! The only problem was explaining what type of cake it is, since translating “yellow cake” into Danish doesn’t make sense 😂 So it’s just “cake” here. I made my cake a couple of days in advance and froze it, which worked really well – no problem with texture or taste.
Made this cake batter into cupcakes w/ a chocolate cream cheese frosting + sprinkles for a birthday! It was easy to throw together and I did like it better than the box mix, 100%. I baked them for 17 minutes and they got a little brown along the edges … but I believe that was due to the foil liners I used. Although they browned a bit, they still were moist, but sturdy for frosting. Would definitely make these again. I liked that they used the whole egg and not just the yolks! Another winner from Smitten Kitchen. Thanks for being a great resource!
can i replace the corn syrup with glucosa? or something els?
Oh I wish I could post a picture with this comment! I followed this cake recipe exactly to make a rainbow cake for my daughter. Because I don’t like cutting cake layers after they’re baked, I divided the batter beforehand into SIX equal layers. There was plenty of batter for this – the layers weren’t nearly too thin. I then colored them red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. When you cut into it, you could see each color beautifully! The cake was over 4.5 inches tall!!
I made this yesterday, using 7 inch cake pans so I would have enough left over to make a dozen cupcakes to bring to a meeting. Worked perfect. I even had some chocolate sprinkles in the cupboard, but God knows how old they are. Shouldn’t matter. The cupcakes were great and I like the less sweet frosting. Ever since childhood a yellow cake with chocolate frosting was my favorite though in adulthood I’m much more adventurous. This cake was a nod to my childhood. Oh, the family loved Mom’s Apple Cake which I made last weekend.
Do you mean Bulgarian cultured buttermilk? Supermarket only had that and reduced-fat buttermilk so I wasn’t sure what to get. What would be the difference in using one versus the other?
I’m unfamiliar with Bulgarian buttermilk, but either full-fat or reduced will work.
Hi Deb. The cakes are in the oven now – I am making my daughter’s first birthday cake for her family tea party tomorrow (she is also a tiny curly-haired redhead!). I love a tangy topping so am making the chocolate sour cream frosting. This is probably a very stupid question but how do you divide the frosting between the crumb coating, and then the filling, the top and the sides when you finish it?
Actually, I found a Cook’s Illustrated page that gave me the answer! Sorry to treat you like a textbook with arms. The cakes have cooked and smell fabulous, and I am taking the dog for a walk to stop myself from eating the cooling Bournville.
https://www.cooksillustrated.com/how_tos/10868-how-to-divvy-up-the-frosting-for-layer-cakes
Last post from me on this: massive success. The cakes needed maybe 10 mins more but were perfect. Not cloyingly sweet but certainly not cornbread. The sour cream frosting worked brilliantly. The cake serves about 25 people! The birthday girl had a very thin slice all to herself which she enjoyed immensely!
Unfortunately, this didn’t work for me at all. The top browned, but the interior is total soup, and it’s been nearly an hour. I’m sure it’s because of the amount of flour, because I just made a different cake in the oven this evening that was fine. :(
Can you clarify what the flour weights are? The recipe mentions different brands, and also how to make your own cake flour, but I’m not sure exactly how much to use, as the volumes/weights vary with sifting. Thanks!
Thanks for the recipe! Trying to master the at-home “yellow cake.” I love a lot of the smitten kitchen recipes and have the book but this one didn’t quite hit the mark for me! The cake came out a bit too dense and tasted dry by the next morning, even when wrapped up (I am a cold-leftover-cake aficionado). I love a not-too-sweet frosting but did feel the sour cream overpowered this one. It is tangy yet very rich, and I didn’t feel it played nicely with the cake in flavor or texture. Next time I will try something a bit more toned down and lighter in texture that will hopefully adhere better to the cake. I had made a classic chocolate buttercream for a cake recently that had the opposite problem, so I may do some experimentation in blending them….
Overall the recipe was a good start but my search continues!
This is the best yellow cake recipe I have made and I have made lots of yellow cake recipes! Yellow cake is the family’s prefer cake for Birthdays! This is amazing and I would give it a definite thumbs up. My go to!
I didn’t care for the chocolate frosting recipe (too sour) but I always use the chocolate frosting off the back of Hershey Cocoa can.
The cake and the Hershey’s cocoa frosting makes our family’s perfect Birthday Cake! Love this website! Thanks for all the great recipes and tips!
I’m getting ready to set my ingredients aside to make the best birthday cake recipe, but I don’t see how many eggs go in the batter?
how many eggs go in the batter, I don’t see it in the 8ngredients last? Thanks
recipe says 4 large eggs
Hi! Loved this recipe since I first met it!
Need help please with using it for a 3 tier cake.
1) if it makes 2 9-inch round cakes, would it in theory also make a 10-inch and an 8-inch that are of the same height? I’d have to watch the baking time I imagine…
2) for the third and smallest layer I figured I’d halve the recipe, fill a 6 inch pan halfway up and then make the rest into cupcakes (for lunch, obvs.!)
Does this sound like a reliable game plan? Please please share your thoughts on how you would approach the same end goal otherwise! (10, 8 and 6 inch tiered cake)
Thank you!!
Deb, what do you think about using your Cream Cheese Icing recipe from your “Red Velvet Cake” recipe with this “Best Birthday Cake” cake?
These look incredible, really mouthwatering.
https://cakes4occasions.com.au/
This cake came out dry. Because Deb can do no wrong, it must’ve been something I did. I just scoured the recipe for my mistake, and, duh, I think I figured it out. Cake flour is not all-purpose flour. I used all-purpose flour, and I bet this killed my cake. A lot of other people are saying their cake came out dry, and I wonder if they made the same mistake.
Deb, Could I substitute pastry flour for the cake flour?
This cake was just ok to me. I weighed my ingredients, followed instructions to a T, sifted, etc….the cake, in my opinion wasn’t sweet enough, moist enough or spongy enough. I found it to be dense and a bit bland. Your chocolate and carrot cake recipes are amazing and I use them often..
love your site
can you please tell me the cooking time for this recipe. best birthday cake. if I use a 9 x 13 pan
thank you
I love this Yellow Cake recipe and it is my absolute favorite. The cake just came out of the oven and the whole house smells of vanilla! It’s a birthday celebration time at our house and everyone always wants this yellow cake!
Here’s another idea for chocolate frosting that I love to make. I call it Creamy Dreamy Chocolate Frosting:
1 cup heavy cream
8 oz. of Guittard Semi-Sweet Chocolate chopped (64%)
2 T corn syrup
4 T unsalted softened butter
In a medium saucepan, heat the cream and corn syrup until bubbles appear around the edge; remove from the heat. Add the chocolate and stir until melted. Stir in the butter until smooth. Let the frosting cool, (sometimes I place the pot on top of an ice water bath to hasten the cooling process) then beat with an electric mixer until thickened enough to spread.
I just made this cake with the Instant Fudge Frosting that you linked to, for my mom’s birthday. She LOVED it! I was so pleased. She’s the kind of person who, if you made her something fancy and complicated, would say that she’d rather have a cake from the grocery store. This was perfect for her: simple and classic, but just BETTER than the storebought stuff. Great recipe!
didn’t like the dense, heavy cake ~ used kerrygold butter but still lacked flavor ~ sturdiness made it easy to handle and frost ~ will keep looking for a great yellow cake recipe
loved the alternate frosting recipe ~ a great improvement on sickeningly sweet standard american buttercream frosting ~ would have been perfect w a lighter, sweeter cake
I’m looking to only make a single layer yellow cake. It looks like I can easily half the recipe. However, do you think thaat cause any issues with the final cake? Thanks so much!
Not a problem at all.
Tasted amazing but it domed a lot. Can’t decorate like a bday cake. Any idea why it would dome? :/
You can level it if it domes too much. There are techniques, however, to reduce doming that I don’t use here. You can use wet strips (baking supply stores sell them and there are many free hanks or them online) but an easier one is just to bake the cake at a lower temperature for longer, such as 325.
This cake is a dream! I halved the recipe for a 9×9 inch pan. I overbaked it a smidge, but it was still delicious and had a great texture. I love how tall it rises!
Deb, Could I just add sprinkles (1/2 cup? more?) to make this funfetti vs making your “Confetti Party Cake”? Would this work? The Confetti cake looks lovely, and your desserts have never failed me, but I do love this favorite birthday cake flavor and texture so much yet need the sprinkle factor for our upcoming birthday. Any advice?
Yes, absolutely. The colors pop more on a white cake than a yellow cake, but otherwise, no reason not to add them here.
Thanks so much! I made it with 1/2 cup of confetti sprinkles. It was delicious and the 6 year old audience was delighted by the color!
This is the most delicious birthday cake in the entire universe!!! I made it exactly how you told me to and it came out so perfect. Thank you as always for making me the star of my gatherings!! I owe it all to you! I used the frosting from the allrecipes website though…https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/7350/chocolate-fudge-buttercream-frosting/
Sooooo I just made this cake and frosting for my one years old’s birthday. And this frosting is the best thing I’ve ever tasted. I even froze some in some old baby bullet cups to eat as a special sour chocolate treat. It reminds me of some frozen yogurt I ate as a kid and haven’t found found anything like since. Is this something anyone else has done? Are sour cream popsicles a thing? Because I’m in love 🤤
Whipped up ~70 cupcakes with this recipe (overshot a bit) along with a similarly insane number of cupcakes using your I Want Chocolate Cake. Came out perfectly testing and on the day of our daughter’s very over-the-top fifth birthday.
I’d like to use this recipe again for a pink lemonade cupcake at our youngest’s birthday. Do you think working some lemon zest into the sugar, doing lemon juice and yoghurt instead of buttermilk, and throwing in a little lemon oil would do the trick without mucking up rising? If not, do you have a similarly unfussy and crow-pleasing lemon cake recipe?
I LIKE FUDGE ICING IS THIS A GOOD RECIPE FOR IT…..I’M GUESSING YOU CAN PUT THIS IN A LOAF PAN ALSO?
I would like to try your recipe however, I can only bake one layer at a time. Can the other layer sit on the counter until the first is done, will it affect the rise?
Yes, I do it all the time.
Thank you for your response.
Perfect! My brother birthday is in two days and I’ve been looking for a birthday cake. It looks so yummy and delicious. I just love it and i will make this at home for my brother.
Made cupcakes with this recipe – they are delicious! I made 1.5x the recipe because I wanted to make sure I had at least 24 cupcakes… well, I have 60 cupcakes! Haha! So just one batch of this recipe makes 40 cupcakes (and my scoop of batter for each cupcake was a generous scoop)! Also I baked them for about 16 minutes and they were lightly golden brown.
This might well be my new go to cake recipe. Followed the recipe exactly. I didn’t have buttermilk on hand so made some with milk and vinegar (one cup to one tbsp). I was a little shocked at the curdling that happened when i poured it into the creamed butter and sugar but i was forewarned (thanks for that!). Final result was a lovely, light cake. Perfectly buttery, not too sweet. Thanks Deb!
Can I make this cake with buttercream frosting :O?
Absolutely.
What’s the baking time for a 9×13 sheetcake? Would like to use this recipe
For a flag cake this weekend. Thanks!
I made this as a sheet cake for my neighbor’s birthday — she and her 3 children came for dinner then cake. I love a layer cake, but well, this one needed space for candles! I used the suggested butter frosting (and lots of sprinkles) because I was afraid the kids might not like the sour cream (which I will try when I make this cake all for myself). It was fantastic! Moist, flavorful, cut beautifully.
I baked this as a bundt using the classic 12-cup Nordicware bundt pan, and it turned out AMAZING! Moist, plush, and tender. Also really tall. This batter really rises, and there were a few panicked moments when I thought there might be overflow, but it all worked out. Domed to just over the height of the pan. I did lower the oven rack to the bottom third at about 40 minutes because the top was starting to brown before the batter was set (probably because the pan is so tall). In the bundt pan at 325F, 1 hour and 7 minutes was the perfect baking time. Iced with milk chocolate ganache and dotted with confetti sprinkles, ’cause, birthday cake!
Modifications – instead of 4 whole eggs, I used 3 whole eggs plus 2 yolks for added yellow-ness. And for mixing the ingredients, I used the reverse creaming method since this technique works better for me with cakes (I tend to overwork the batter with the traditional mixing method and get a tougher texture).
Made this for my Mother’s birthday. Was a hit all around – especially for those that enjoy a sour cream based icing! Thanks!
I made this into cupcakes and got 33 out of one batch! I have a very small countertop convection oven, so could only do one 6-cupcake pan at a time. Maybe the batter expanded a bit while waiting for the batches to go in and out of the oven. Everything baked up nice and golden in 18 minutes. The girls loved decorating these for a birthday party! Will definitley use again.
Can I add chocolate chips to the batter?
Yes but I cannot promise they won’t sink.
I made this for cupcakes and it made 24 cupcakes plus enough for a 6” round, too! It was delicious!
I was really nervous to make this because of the reviews, but when it came out of the oven it was great. Just like Deb said. I will definitely make it again.
Hi Deb!
I’m hoping to make this cake this weekend. I was wondering if you had the weight in grams for each layer? I’d like them to be as even as possible.
Thank you!
Zoe
I made this yesterday for my son’s bday and it did not work. Please help me figure out what I did wrong, bc I am sure it is not the recipe. Yours are always spot-on, but somehow I always manage to mess up baking. The cake came out really dense. Is it possible it’s related to my using all purpose flour (sifted twice as you said and adding 2 T of cornstarck for each cup of flour?! Or did not possibly not mix it enough or too much?
I first used this recipe years ago, and have used it as my go to recipe ever since for yellow cake. It is absolutely delicious! Made as is, and turns out perfect every time. If I ever can’t find this recipe and resort to using someone else’s it just doesn’t turn out quite right. This one is perfect- just the right amount of sweetness, and I think the buttermilk really sets it apart. I think it anyone doesn’t like it as good as something else they’ve had, just note you’ll want to use a good butter. I personally love Kerrygold. It makes such a difference in taste, and for a recipe like this, it will really shine through. No one should ever have to resort to box cake when you have a recipe as good as this, that is phenomenally better.
Thank you so much for such a delicious recipe!
In your opinion is this yellow cake better than the yellow cake recipe you used in the wedding cake? I need a good vanilla cake for a 2 tier cake.
I notice you baked the wedding cake at 325 for flatter topped cakes, but this one is baked at 350…is there a reason for this?
Thanks!
The difference is a matter of preference. This is my go-to, but I also hear people find it more tender without the last 2T flour. I am not as concerned about cake doming here vs. with a wedding cake, but you can do the same if you’d like it flatter.
I’m going to give this one a try and hope that my family loves it. I have tried so many different recipes for vanilla cake and none of them have passed the muster. I’m told that the others have tasted like corn bread, not vanilla cake. Fingers crossed on this one.
I recommend adding a little cocoa powder to the frosting! Mmmm! I thought it balanced out the sour cream a bit.
My baking pans are 9″ x 1/2″. Is this a problem for this recipe?
Only 1/2-inch tall or at they 1.5″
It would be helpful to add how much batter to put in each muffin cup, if one is making cupcakes, and how long to back cupcakes.
Yum, curious if there are any updates to this recipe? Looking at the comments for feedback but everyone was just excited to make it (agreed, looks adorable!) But would love to know if this has been rested or any tips I should know about, thanks Deb!!!
Hi Deb,
Made this cake (but used your new cookbook recipe for the butter cake, so slightly different). I love vanilla cake with sour cream choc frosting too! It was my dads birthday today and I am living with my parents with the kids the last few weeks while my dr husband works interstate (stupid Coronavirus). It was delicious. Thank you, hope you and yours are safe.
PS this was the first recipe I ever made from f yours ages ago during uni when I had just got married and pre kids. I’ve made so many of your recipes over the years, have both your cook books and tell people about your website heaps. Thanks heaps. Grace
Every year (apart from 1) I’ve made this cake for my daughter’s birthday :) :) this year she’ll be 8 and still wants the same cake recipe. Thank you
HI, Deb. I am about to celebrate my 60th birthday, next week. I was supposed to be going to the UK for the first time ever (after 2 failed attempts for my 40th and 50th birthdays), but my trip was canceled due to the pandemic. I’ve decided to make this cake for myself, but I’m the only one who would be eating it. Can I halve it to bake it in 2 6″ layers? I know you said that’s possible for another cake of yours (almond with raspberry filling), but I wasn’t positive about this one. Thanks very much, and I hope you are all staying healthy and safe.
Hi Deb- do you have the recipe adaptation for a 4 layered 6inch cake by chance? I’ve been studying your blog at a friends recommendation for you my son’s birthday cake but the design he’s want would be taller. Thank you!
You could simply halve this recipe. You’ll get two tall 6″ layers and can divide each into two layers.
I made this cake for my daughter’s birthday last and it was a hit! I’m wondering if I can half the recipe and will it still work. We are not having a big party this year due to quarantine times and so it will just be for 3 people.
This really is the best yellow cake recipe I’ve tried. Do you think it would hold up well under fondant?
Yes, although I’ve almost never worked with it.
Just made this cake this weekend. I made It with gluten free flour and it was hands down the best cake I’ve ever made!
Which brand of flour did you use? I want to try this gf. Anything else you did different? Baking time or temp? Thank you!
I love Deb’s recipes. All of the experimenting done for me. Thanks! I have a question on this one, though. I did everything as directed and ended up with some significant spillage with two 9 inch pans. Not complaining. Allowed sampling. Still, I didn’t see anyone else with this issue. Someone even mentioned using 8 inch pans.
Will this cake bake well in 3 layers or will the batter be too thin?
Sponge cake; cut in half; spray Marsala, spread jam and whipped cream, then cover cake with more Marsala then chocolate ganache. My mum’s traditional birthday cake is the best. 🤭
I was hoping to make these as cupcakes for my kiddos birthday. Do you have a recommended baking time if making as cupcakes? Thank you!
This is the best cake recipe, ever. We are celebrating the end of the school year and a neighbor’s birthday so we made this, and it never fails! Thank you thank you thank you for developing this recipe! Happy summer!
I was very jazzed because for the first time, this cake came out of the oven and the layers looked perfect. They held up beautifully and frosted like a dream. I followed the directions to the letter, because – science. And…it was completely dry and tasteless and awful. The birthday girl I baked it for was gracious about it, but everyone picked at it and I tossed the rest of the cake out when the evening was over. The first yellow cake you posted (the first wedding cake you did) *always* turns out well – I would never make this one again because it’s too expensive to waste ingredients on a cake that might not turn out no matter how closely you follow directions. I’m a pretty experienced cook/baker, but this cake seems to fall into the ‘fussy recipe’ category. That said, I generally have bad luck with cakes, which is why I love that first yellow cake one so much.
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Has anyone tried to make this cake using gluten free flour?
I don’t have cake flour, I have whole wheat pastry flour and king Arthur’s all purpose flour. Do I need to go buy another type of flour or can I adapt what I have to work with this cake.
I am going to make this as cupcakes for my one year old’s birthday (how is he already 1???) and was wondering if I could get away with adding some fruit puree (strawberry – pink or mango – yellow… not sure what I could use for blue?) in place of some of the buttermilk and maybe a touch less sugar. I would love your feedback on this! I recently made your wedding cake for my pandemic birthday and it was incredible. Thanks for so many amazing recipes.
I love Cake most becasue of taste. I like Chocolate flavor cake most.My Special occasions I cutting chocolate cake because everyone know without cake cutting incomplete the occasion. My special occasions such as a birthday , anniversary or surprise to my relatives or friend i used cake.I try this cake recipes at my home i like it most and that cake was the most attractive. I truly said I love you cake Recipes. Thanks for your recipes related to cakes.
Awsome birthday cakes recipes. thanks and keep updating.
Can I use a spring form pan instead of a regular pan as I don’t have 2” deep pans?
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THIS is my go-to bday cake. I’m now expected to make it for at least 4 family birthdays annually, and I have everyone convinced I’m the best baker. I find it easy to put together and extremely forgiving (over Or under baking it slightly doesn’t ruin it).
Hi Deb! No cake flour here. Would you suggest mixing my own? Or should I just go buy it? Thanks
You can make your own.
I don’t have 9″ rounds but I have 8″ rounds. If I cut this recipe in half would that be enough? I can’t figure out how much to cut down to make a recipe for two 8″ rounds.
How long would you say to bake for a 9x13inch cake?
If it came out kind of corn bread-y, does that mean I didn’t sift enough/didn’t add ingredients gradually enough? Flavor was good, but I was hoping for a finer crumb/for it to hold together more.
My almost 5 year old has requested a “rainbow cake” for her birthday. Any idea how this cake will take to food coloring?
Deb, you are our #1 go-to source for recipes. We are working our way through both books and most of the site. I made this cake today for my wife’s birthday. My frosting however came out pale brown, like a latte color. I double checked the ingredients and procedure. I made it in a kitchen aid stand mixer, do you think I overwhipped?
Hm, you’ve sent me on a chase, because I haven’t made this in a few years and I wanted to know if it’s common for others. A Google image search for “smitten kitchen best birthday cake” shows me some that are a little more pale, but not significantly: here are a few. Does it seem more pale than these?
Any idea what the baking time may be for the cupcake version of this recipe? Would you cook at same temp?
Same temp and cupcakes bake in 15 to 20 minutes.
Can this recipe be halved and baked in an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 pan and if so for how long?
For one layer or two? Each 9-inch round layer can be baked in an 8×8-inch square and be the same height. Or you could halve it and make a single layer.
I JUST did this for my husband’s birthday cake. It worked great, and took about 22 minutes. However, my oven consistently finishes bakes before suggested time on recipes.
*NAILED IT*
I was hesitant to use this recipe, since a handful of comments reported a “cornbread” quality/texture that wasn’t what I’m looking for. Ignore those comments! THIS recipe is total perfection. Followed the recipe exactly. It is utterly tender, plush crumbed, buttery and vanilla-forward. Truly perfect. I’m not usually a yellow-cake-kinda person… But wow. This is the best version of yellow cake I’ve ever had. I had to bake mine for about 42 minutes until done. I checked with wooden skewers, and also checked internal temp (between 200-210 degrees is what I wanted). Just scrumptious. Don’t hesitate, follow the recipe, and cream your butter/sugar properly.
…central to my image [idea?] of the kind of mom I want to be is the ability to make a cake without turning to a box of Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Butter Recipe Golden (anyone else ever been perplexed by this wording?)
The longer I thought about it, the more confusing it got! :p
I love this cake! I’ve made it for many birthdays. Tonight I made it into cupcakes. It made enough batter for 30 standard cupcakes to come out with a nice dome. All the measures come out about the same as the weights on my kitchen scale except for the salt. 5 g regular old blue canister salt ( with the girl pouring it) is closer to 1/2 tsp than the 1 tsp the recipe calls for. I went with the weight and found it was just right. For baking times, I found I had to start watching at 15 min. At that point I rotated the tins in the ove. They were done baking at 22 min.
First time commenting but long time reader. In our household, when I speak the name, Deb, everyone knows who I mean. This cake recipe is my go to birthday cake recipe. Never fails. Thanks Deb!
Love your recipes! Would maple syrup or brown rice syrup work for the frosting?
Yes
I am not a baker. I actually had a lot of anxiety about making my son’s 3rd birthday cake. But I trust SmittenKitchen and someone else who bakes uses this. It came out so good and I got so many compliments. I also was worried about the sour cream frosting and ended up adding a bit more corn syrup. It was amazing! I still don’t know if I’m more proud of this cake or the fact that my baby is 3.
THANK YOU thank you thank you thank you!
Hi! Would this recipe work in a cake mold rather than as layered cakes? If so, how long would you bake it for, at what temperature, and any other changes? Thanks!
I want this cake! I love your I want chocolate cake now, single layer chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. How can I make this cake a single 8 inch square or single 9 inch round? Do I just half the ingredients?
Thanks
Yum! This makes a lot of cake (in a good way). Completely filled my 9” round pans. My vanilla loving child wanted vanilla/vanilla for a birthday and was thrilled. Used vanilla buttercream from confetti cake recipe. It also handles an insane amount of green food coloring if your child is channeling their inner ninja turtle :)
Hi Ashlee
I am wondering if there was a coconut flavor to the cake when you used coconut milk plus the vinegar (how much vinegar?) as the substitute for buttermilk? ( I’ve tried other cakes needing a dairy substitute and have used almond milk with varying results. ). Since I’m using a raspberry filling between layers I don’t want to add a pronounced coconut flavor.
I made the cake part for a friend’s birthday (can you believe she didn’t want a chocolate cake?). It was pretty good, but I thought the cake part was a bit spongy. Could it be that I used jumbo eggs instead of large eggs? I also 3/4 ed it because my 9 inch pans are only 1.5 inches high. That worked out fine.
I made this cake for my best friend’s birthday and it was delicious, really hits the “birthday cake” vibes right on the nose.
A few notes that may help someone else: I made a rectangular cake using two 1/4 sheet pans. I live in Germany where flour translations from American recipes can be a little difficult sometimes, used 480 g flour (type 405 for any other Germans out there) and added 1 tbsp cornstarch to help mimic cake flour, a tip that I picked up from Claire Saffitz’s book… I can’t say for sure that this did anything to help without a side by side comparison, but the cakes baked up absolutely beautifully in around 38 minutes at 350°.
For the frosting, I used a 2x batch of the second recipe linked in the recipe notes (from the “I want chocolate cake cake”) because I didn’t have any corn syrup on hand. Making the frosting in the food processor was a breeze, and after it came together I added 300g of plain cream cheese, room temperature and whipped with a hand mixer for a chocolate cream cheese frosting, highly recommend.
Are there baking instructions for 9×13? Mine is taking a lot longer than 40 minutes but the top is starting to look too brown.
This recipe turned out fine. It would be ok for a kid’s birthday party or maybe cupcakes.
The flavor was a bit “blah”, and definitely needed more vanilla and maybe a touch of almond extract. The texture was fairly dense, almost like a pound cake.
Personally I would not make this again. Next time I do a birthday cake, I’m going to try the reverse creaming method.
Hi Deb! Love this cake and hoping to make it for my daughters birthday party. I was thinking about making it in a sheet pan and wondering if you think the volume would be better suited for a 1/4 or 1/2 sheet pan. I made it last year in a 9×13 and while it was delicious, found the cake to be a bit thicker so the frosting:cake ratio was off. Any recommendations would be most appreciated!!
A 9×13 = a quarter sheet pan so it sounds like half-sheet pan would better suit your needs. You could then quarter the cake and stack it. You’ll want to make double the frosting if so.
Cut both recipes in half to yield one lovely six inch cake (plus one bonus cupcake). Fantastic recipe. In culinary school we always learned to use a “cake soak” as insurance for a moist cake. For this cake I used milk plus a teensy bit of vanilla extract as my cake soak. Definitely saving this recipe. Thanks!
I have made this recipe successfully many times and it’s my older son’s absolute favorite–thank you so much. It’s about to be my older son’s bday party, and now my younger son has picked up a life threatening egg allergy–have you heard of anyone having any success substituting flax eggs for the eggs listed here? Thanks so much!
I’ve made this recipe before and love it! I’m making it this weekend for a family member’s birthday but want to make it in 6-inch pans. Can you tell me how to adjust the baking time and if you think I should use 3 or 4 pans? Thank you!
I’m in Canada and have a hard time finding buttermilk, what could be substituted instead?
Hi pals! I made this in a 9×13 pan but made 3/4 of the recipe since I feared it would just be too much batter. I used the following measurements:
375 g cake flour
7.5 grams baking powder
1.2 tsp baking soda
3.75 g table salt
168.75 g butter
300 g sugar
1.5 teaspoons/7.5 ml vanilla extract
3 eggs
356.25 g buttermilk
Baked for 30 minutes at 350 F and it came out a beautifully golden gal. Hope this helps!
I made this cake last week and was disappointed. I am an experienced baker and I’m not sure what went wrong. The cake was a little dry. I used an instant read thermometer to check the temperature for doneness as well as the normal tests. The icing never firmed up enough to use (very liquidy) despite refrigeration for 24 hours; I ended up throwing it away and making a different one. I wish reviews of the recipe had indicated people’s experiences and what they had done but could not find any of this. I have never had trouble with any recipes from this blog prior and love your site.
What do you recommend for a nondairy substitute for buttermilk. Thanks
I’d use a soy yogurt, thinned just slightly with either water or a non-dairy milk.
My son wants a blueberry cake with vanilla and chocolate frosting. Do you recommend I use this one and add blueberries or use the peaches and cream cake and sub blueberries? (Or would the vegan cupcake recipe work as a cake to include friend with allergies?) any cake will have to be made in advance and frozen to be assembled at a later date due to timing of sibling arrival. THANK YOU
I made the cake (without the icing, sadly the birthday person wanted vanilla) recently and I love the flavor. I made the cake in a 9×13 baking dish, and ended up needing to cook it for 38 minutes. I did find it to be a bit more open of a texture than I was imagining, but I also didn’t bang the pan on the counter much since mine was glass. The vanilla flavor is very big and very enjoyable, and the cake was delightfully sweet.
My favorite yellow cake for birthday cakes !just follow the directions and don’t over cook it and you will have the best cake! Just so yummy ! I didn’t care for the sour cream chocolate frosting because it was well sour! I personally like a sweeter frosting! Whatever floats your boat!
Whenever I need a recipe for something I always come to Deb! Thank you for these great recipes!
Hi, I’ve made this recipe more than 10 times. I’ve been looking for a good yellow cake recipe and I’ve stopped looking after Deb’s. I’ve read a lot of comments with ppl having issues with the density and I’ve made mistakes a couple of times. I think it may be down to a couple of things. The temp of the butter when you start, not letting the mixture curdle as you add the flour and milk. ( some ppl say to adda tbsp of flour towards the end of the egg additions) and the last was definitely not overbeating the batter. I bake mine at about 160* for bout 25 mins. I’ve baked 8 inch layer cakes and 24 odd cupcakes. Most times I add a lil lemon zest too. It’s gonna take a lot to make me move to another recipe. Thanks Deb 🤗
This is the best yellow cake recipe I have ever had. I’ve been making it for a few years now and it is my go to recipe whenever I want a special basic cake. Started out as “the go to birthday cake” but is now just one of my favorite cakes.
Love your blog and all of your helpful hints.
I usually rely on recipes with weights because the amounts are more accurate. For this recipe I started measuring the flour (King Arthur) by cups, but on my food scale. I got to 4 cups and it was 545 grams. So I’m going to knock it down to 530 which is the top range listed and hope for the best.
King Arthur calls 1cup = 120 g all purpose flour.
Love this cake. Have just baked it as cupcakes, using 1 cup of semi skimmed milk beaten with 1 cup of full fat Greek yoghurt instead of buttermilk. It makes a lot of batter. I used 1/3 cup per cupcake for the first dozen and got 12 perfectly cooked but overflowing cupcakes after 25 minutes. Now doing the second batch of 15 using 1/4 cup per cupcake and expect them to cook within 15-20 mins.
This made a great set of birthday cupcakes with a rainbow buttercream topping! I will say that I don’t think the mix benefited from being out on the counter in this heat whilst the first batch cooked, though.
So just to add: I got 27 cupcakes out of this, and the first 12 were made with 1/3 cup batter and overflowed quite a bit (still delicious though). If you want nicely rounded but not overflowing cupcakes, I achieved that with a scant 1/4 cup of batter per cupcake on the second/third batches and they cooked in between 15 and 20 mins. I would halve the recipe next time and be confident of getting 15 cupcakes out of it.
My daughter loved the cupcakes and the *look* of the rainbow icing, but she didn’t like the taste of it, sadly, so most of it got scraped off and eaten by wasps. But the cupcake itself was a BIG hit.
Greetings from Madrid! If Deb thinks the kitchens in New York are small, she should see the size of my European oven.
I can’t fit both cake pans in at once. I imagine that cooking one at a time will mean shortening the time it bakes. I’ll keep an eye on it. If anyone else has done this, please let me know how many minutes you bake each one.
Hi! Hope you are well. Loving your new book here in the UK. Just wondered if I made this and split the batter and used some colouring would that work? My little son has asked for a rainbow cake and I thought to try this recipe but just tweak the colour? Also what is cake flour in the UK do you know?
Thanks so much and hope you are feeling better! X
Baked this for 40 min in a 9×13 pan and the middle was all goo. Any recommendations? Thanks!
I strongly recommend a note that says “don’t use 8” cake pans unless you want to scrape burnt batter off the floor of your oven.”
Oh, my, I made so many missteps in making this cake, but my 3-year old grandson only has 2 to compare this one to—and maybe not even that since he’s a Covid baby!
And, it’s great, even with all my mistakes!
I made this cake recipe for my three nieces today, and unfortunately we are not chocolate lovers so I did not use the frosting. I used a cream cheese frosting with some lemon juice and vanilla extract. I did it as cupcakes and got 40 out of the recipe and only cooked for 15-17 minutes per batch. I felt the cake was overly sweet but so moist and delicious; if I had used the sour cream frosting I’m sure the sweetness would have been reduced. Will definitely do a different frosting next time. Any suggestions for a tart frosting that isn’t chocolate?
Today is my (fifth and final) baby’s first birthday. 🥲 I’ve made the cake and am about to make the frosting. Thank you for sharing the exact type of cake I wanted to make for him. We are all excited to eat it tonight!
Very nice Birthday cake recipe
This is a beautiful cake. Just made it for my wife’s birthday for, maybe the third year in a row. This time it was fluffier than ever before and, I accidentally added the sugar to the flour and had to include it with the dry (not with the butter). Maybe that did it? In any case, it was glorious.
Hi, Deb! If you’re still responding to this post, I have a question: I have made this cake every year since 2012 for my dear brother’s birthday. Some years, however, it turns out great, other years, one of the layers cracks. Not sure why. I have read various blogs re: why cake layers crack. So, I guess I will have to experiment. But, do you have any insights? Thanks!
What brand of cake flour do you recommend using?
These days I almost never buy it, just make my own if I need it: make your own cake flour
Hi! If I want to make this as a double layer with 9 x 13 pans, would I just double it?
Thanks!
Yes, you can just double it.
Can this be made as a 3 layer cake? What size pan 8 or 9 inch? And any increase in ingredients. Thanks
You can almost certainly make the same amount of cake but in 3 9-inch pans. The layers, as shown, are on the thick side.
Thank you for replying so quickly! My daughter’s birthday is on Monday and I’m doing the baking and decorating on Sunday so I really appreciate your reply 🙏❤
Just to say I make this every year and I love the cake and the sour cream frosting is to die for. Thank you!
Could this be done with 6 inch pans? Any idea how to modify to do so?
Hi! I love the cake recipes and am trying to adapt it to a cake pan that is 13×18 and 2″ deep. Any idea how much cake and frosting I’ll need. Triple it? Thanks!!
I really want to try the sour cream frosting but can’t find light corn syrup anywhere. Can I substitute it with anything else?
Yes, you can use another liquid sweetener such as agave or honey.
A half batch ame together without too many hiccups despite using buttermilk powder (and water), but I did have to mix the batter by hand at the end to homogenize it. I would increase the vanilla extract next time. Perfect with a half batch of the KA chocolate sour cream frosting.