Yellow Cake

This easy yellow cake recipe yields moist and fluffy cakes, which are so delicious everyone will want a slice. Step-by-step photos teach you how to bake a moist yellow cake.

Ingredients

For this cake you'll need:

• Large Eggs. You'll need two whole eggs and two additional egg yolks. You'll use 2 Egg Whites but 4 Large Egg Yolks. The egg whites get whipped into stiff peaks to fold into the cake batter. This lightens up the heavy cake batter from the butter and sour cream. Make sure your eggs are at room temperature.
• Granulated Sugar. I have made this recipe with 2 full cups of sugar and it's delicious but I find its too sweet for a cake that is going to be frosted. So I like to use 1 ½ cups of sugar for a sweet but not overly sweet cake. You'll also need one tablespoon to use when you whip the egg whites.
• Cake Flour. This is key don't use all purpose flour. Cake flour has been finely sifted and has a lower protein content for a lighter cake texture.
• Baking Powder. This chemical leavening agent is already activated and does not need an acid to activate. This helps the cake rise while baking.
• Baking Soda. While baking powder doesn't need an acid to activate while baking baking soda does. In this recipe the sour cream and buttermilk act as the acid to activate the baking soda.
• Salt. Just a smidge helps balance out the sweetness.
• Butter. Your butter needs to be softened to room temperature. This is critical to a good cake. Make sure that the butter is around 65F/18C.
• Buttermilk. This star ingredient gives the cake moisture, tenderness and buttery flavor. Make sure it is at room temperature.
• Sour Cream. Your sour cream must be at room temperature. Sour cream has extra fat content than other dairy products. Sour cream helps create a moist, rich, creamy cake.
• Pure Vanilla Extract. Make sure you use good quality vanilla extract.

For ingredient quantities please reference the recipe card below. On the recipe card there is a button for US or M (Metric) measurements.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F/180C and heavily grease two 8-inch pans or two 9-inch pans, and set them aside. Your oven must be properly preheated for your cake to bake properly.

Keep in mind 9-inch cakes will bake quicker than 8-inch cake pans.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or a large bowl with an electric handheld mixer beat the egg whites until foamy then sprinkle in one tablespoon of sugar and mix until stiff peaks are formed. Set aside.

In a clean bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a large bowl with an electric handheld combine the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and granulated sugar.

Once fully combined for 30-60 seconds add the softened butter in chunks and stir on low to medium speed until incorporated and the mixture becomes like wet sand.

Add the buttermilk, sour cream, vanilla extract, and egg yolks.

Mix until just fully combined, then gently use a spatula to fold in the egg whites. Be careful not to over mix the batter and knock out all of the air from the egg whites.

Pour the cake batter into prepared pans evenly.

Quickly and gently place the pans in the oven and do not open the oven door until the 25-minute mark. Do this very quickly and don't close the door too abruptly. Your cakes should be done baking in the 27-30 minutes mark for 8-inch cakes and 31-35 minute mark for 9-inch cakes. If you press a toothpick into the center it should come out with no wet batter, or you can gently press the top center of the cake and it should bounce bake immediately, the sides of the cake will be coming away from the edges of the pan. Set on a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes before inverting onto the wire rack to cool completely.

Once completely cooled frost with your favorite frosting recipe. I place pieces of parchment paper on the serving cake plate and place the first cake layer on top. The parchment or wax paper pieces should only be one to two inches thick so you can easily pull them out front under the cake when done frosting. This helps create a cleaner serving plate.

I use a small angled spatula to spread an even layer onto the first cake layer then top with the second cake layer upside down to create a flatter top surface.

Make sure to get down and look at the cake at eye level to see if it is level or not, adjust as necessary. Add a thin layer of frosting around the whole cake to create a crumb coat, then place the cake in the fridge for 30 minutes or freezer for 10 minutes to set it.

Then frost with the remaining frosting, I use a small angled spatula to create a rustic swirl, ribboned look.

Add sprinkles if desired.

Gently remove the parchment paper pieces. Store the cake in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, if the frosting is okay at room temperature or store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

I hope you love this classic yellow cake recipe.

Tips and tricks for successfully baking a yellow cake

• Use room temperature ingredients. The ingredients will not emulsify together if the ingredients are not all at room temperature. Trust me, do not skip this!
• Weigh your ingredients. Too much or too little flour can drastically alter the structure of the cake. I suggest using a digital scale.
• The oven needs to be properly preheated. I suggest using an oven thermometer to double-check that your oven is actually at the temperature you set it to. Many home ovens are not calibrated properly.
• Don't overmix the batter as you will overdevelop the gluten creating a tougher, denser cake.
• When you fold the whipped egg whites use a spatula so you don't mix too much and knock the air out.

Baking is a science and to really achieve the best results I highly recommend investing in a kitchen scale. This OXO Kitchen Scale is the one I use and is also the number one recommended kitchen scale by Cook's Illustrated. Think about it -what one person scoops into a "cup" is completely different from what someone else scoops!

Can you make this ahead of time

All butter cakes are delicious but have a tendency to dry out so I suggest making this cake the day you want to serve it. If you must make it ahead of time then let the cake layers cool completely and wrap them in plastic wrap tightly, twice to try and prevent the air from drying them out.

You could also brush the cakes with a simple syrup after baking, this is a trick most bakeries do to ensure a cake stays moist for a long period of time.

In a small pot mix together equal parts sugar and water, I do about ⅓ cup of each. Place over low-medium heat and mix until the sugar is dissolved then cook for another few minutes for the syrup to thicken. Once thickened remove from the heat and cool completely. Use a pastry brush to brush the simple syrup onto the cake.

Frosting recipes to go with the cake

My first choice for a yellow cake would be chocolate frosting- here are some options:

• Chocolate Mascarpone Buttercream (what I used in the photos)
• Fudgy Chocolate Frosting
• Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

But if you want something else try one of these:

• Coffee Buttercream
• Vanilla Buttercream
• Peanut Butter Frosting
• Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream

★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!

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