Say no to store bought box mixes, and learn how to make rich and moist homemade yellow cake recipe from scratch with chocolate buttercream frosting instead. This is a classic dessert that’s so easy, anyone can make it!
I’ve always been able to make pretty great homemade vanilla cupcakes, but homemade cakes have always been a struggle. They were either too dense, or they were so dry and crumbly that they fell apart when it was time to dig in. But after much trial and error, I think I’ve discovered the secret to making the best yellow cake.
You can make so many different kinds of cakes, like blueberry coffee cake, angel food cake, chocolate zucchini cake, or my favorite Texas sheet cake. I love all of the above mentioned recipes, but oftentimes I just prefer to keep it simple with this classic yellow cake. It’s simple to make, and everybody will love it!
Ingredients & Substitutions Notes
- Salted Butter – The secret to making a perfectly rich and buttery yellow cake is by using salted butter, and a lot of it! If you must use unsalted butter, just add an additional 1/4 teaspoon of salt to make up for the lack of salt in the butter.
- Whole Eggs – Yellow cake uses whole eggs, but you’ll want to use an egg separator to separate the yolks from the egg whites. I like to fold the whites separately into the cake batter after everything else has been mixed together to create the light and fluffy texture that is so necessary for a good yellow cake.
- Vanilla Extract – My favorite vanilla extract is this Mexican vanilla– It’s so good!
- All-Purpose Flour – I made this yellow cake recipe with all-purpose flour just because it’s what most people tend to have on hand. Cake flour does yield a slightly more tender crumb and a somewhat lighter texture, but I find that all-purpose flour works just fine!
- Buttermilk – You can use whole milk in a pinch, but the extra acid in buttermilk makes for the best crumb and texture on this homemade yellow cake.
- Buttercream Frosting – I’ll show how to make an easy chocolate buttercream frosting with salted butter, vanilla extract, almond extract, heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and Dutch-process cocoa powder. But you can make any flavor frosting, including vanilla buttercream frosting.
How to Make Homemade Yellow Cake From Scratch
Before getting started, preheat your oven to 350ºF, and then grease the bottom only of 2 8-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. You want to grease the bottom only of the pan so that the cake can fully rise, climbing up the side of the pan.
How to Make Yellow Cake
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the butter, sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla extract for a good 5 to 8 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, including the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Alternate adding the dry ingredients with the buttermilk to the butter/sugar mixture, mixing after each addition only ’til just combined.
- When everything is mixed together, fold in the egg whites and mix together with a rubber spatula, being careful not to over-mix, which can over-develop the gluten, creating a dense, dry cake.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pans.
- Bake at 350° F for about 30-35 minutes, or ’til a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Be careful not to over bake, as even a couple minutes too long can dry out the cake.
Once fully baked, remove each cake from the oven, and allow to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Then remove each cake from the pan, and place on a wire rack to finish cooling.
Make the Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- In another large mixing bowl, mix together the softened butter, vanilla extract, and almond extract.
- Add in the heavy whipping cream, and mix well.
- Add in the powdered sugar and cocoa powder, and mix together for 2 to 3 minutes. At this point, it should be a very smooth, creamy, and spreadable frosting.
Layering Homemade Yellow Cake
- When the cake is fully cooled, use a butter knife or icing spatula to spread chocolate buttercream frosting all over the top of one layer.
- Place the second layer on top of the frosting, and repeat, spreading frosting all over the top of the cake.
- Then spread or pipe frosting all around the sides of both layers. Make sure the cake is fully covered in chocolate buttercream.
That’s it! Your homemade yellow cake is ready to slice and serve. You can add sprinkles on top, and serve it up with fresh berries!
Expert Tips and Recipe FAQ’s
To obtain its signature white color, white cake often only uses egg whites. Instead of butter, most recipes call for oil, and it’s best to use clear vanilla extract. On the other hand, yellow cake is supposed to be rich and buttery, with a golden-yellow hue. This is why I use both the egg yolks and the egg whites, real butter and 100% pure vanilla extract for this recipe.
Assuming that you followed the recipe to a tee, this is probably because you accidentally over-mixed the cake batter. You want to avoid over-mixing your cake batter, as it can over-develop the gluten, leading to a dense, dry cake. Once you’re ready to combine the dry and wet ingredients, remember to mix only ’til just combined. And always use a rubber spatula to “fold” in the egg whites separately after everything else is mixed together.
Once completely cooled, store your leftover yellow cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Keep in mind that you might be able to gain an extra day or 2 if it’s kept in the refrigerator.
I don’t recommend freezing a frosted cake. That said, you can wrap the yellow cake layers in 2 layers of plastic wrap plus 1 layer of aluminum foil. Then freeze for up to 3 months. Just be sure to let it thaw out overnight in the refrigerator before frosting and serving.
Optional Add-Ins & Variations
- Keep in mind that you can use any kind of frosting you want. I think this cake would also go well with a caramel buttercream frosting or even this chocolate ganache frosting.
- Don’t really care for the richness of a yellow cake? Drop the egg yolks, use oil instead of butter, and use clear vanilla extract to make the best white cake recipe!
- Mix up your own homemade yellow cake mix instead so that you can whip up a homemade yellow cake in a pinch any time you’re craving it.
More Homemade Cake Recipes
- Lemon Blueberry Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting
- Raspberry Poke Cake, Lemon Poke Cake, Strawberry Jello Poke Cake, and Mandarin Orange Jello Poke Cake
- Strawberry Filled Cupcakes with Whipped Cream Frosting
- Homemade Red Velvet Cupcakes
Homemade Yellow Cake
Equipment
- Mixer optional
Ingredients
Yellow Cake –
- 1 cup salted butter melted but room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups cane sugar
- 4 large eggs room temperature and separated (set aside the whites)
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting –
- 1 cup salted butter softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup Dutch-Process Cocoa Powder
Instructions
Yellow Cake –
- Pre-heat the oven to 350° F, and grease the bottom only* of 2 round 8-inch cake pans.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the butter, sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla extract for a good 5 to 8 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, including the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Alternate adding the dry ingredients with the buttermilk to the butter/sugar mixture, mixing after each addition.
- When everything is mixed together, fold in the egg whites and mix together, being careful not to over-mix.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pans.
- Bake at 350° F for about 30-35 minutes, or 'til a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Be careful not to over bake, as even a couple minutes too long can dry out the cake.
- Remove each cake from the oven, and allow to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes; then remove each cake from the pan, and place on a wire rack to finish cooling.
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting –
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the softened butter, vanilla extract, and almond extract.
- Add in the heavy whipping cream, and mix well.
- Add in the powdered sugar and cocoa powder, and mix together for 2 to 3 minutes. At this point, it should be a very smooth, creamy, and spreadable frosting.
Layering the Cake –
- When the cake is fully cooled, spread chocolate buttercream frosting all over the top of one layer.
- Place the second layer on top of the frosting, and repeat, spreading frosting all over the top of the cake.
- Then spread or pipe frosting all around the sides of both layers, making sure the cake is fully covered in chocolate buttercream.
- Slice and serve!
