Best Homemade Yellow Cake Recipe Ever
A tried-and-true recipe for a classic yellow cake recipe that really is the best yellow cake! Made from scratch, it is tender and so fluffy and moist!
Well, the day is finally here. As many of you know, I’ve been on a quest to perfect the best yellow cake on the planet.
And this is it.
While this post is a bit involved (I couldn’t help but share the testing results with you!), the truth is, the actual best yellow cake recipe is super simple so don’t let the explanations scare you.
If you follow the recommendations thoroughly, you’ll end up with the fluffiest, most delicious yellow cake ever.
The Evolution of Testing the Perfect Yellow Cake
When I first set out to perfect the best yellow cake, I started with three recipes popular online (David’s Yellow Cake from allrecipes.com, Deb’s yellow birthday cake from smittenkitchen.com and Cook’s Illustrated Yellow Layer Cake).
I made each of them as is. While I am a fan of each of these sites and resources, respectively, the cakes were all lacking to me.
David’s Yellow Cake was a little dry with kind of a weird, spongy texture, the cake from Smitten Kitchen was reminiscent of cornbread and the Cook’s Illustrated yellow cake was by far the driest of them all.
I set about modifying ingredients and amounts and methods and while someone smarter than I probably could have pared the testing down to just a couple of cakes, what can I say, it took me a while.
Ok, let’s talk…
I’ve jotted down all the details of why the type of ingredients/method matters for this cake. Read on, read on!
The Butter
- I’ve mentioned it before, but I rarely use unsalted butter.
- I tested this cake with both unsalted and salted and adjusted the salt amount accordingly. In the end, there wasn’t a difference in outcome, so I stuck with my go-to: salted butter.
- I use the Land o’ Lakes brand mostly (sometimes the Sam’s Club brand). If you want to use unsalted butter, increase the salt to 1 teaspoon.
- Also, butter temperature really matters. It should be soft enough to gently slide a finger through with a bit of pressure but not sludgy, greasy or overly soft.
- The time I accidentally used overly soft butter (uh, it somehow stayed on the counter for, like, 12 hours because even though I love baking, my five kids still take precedence over making a yellow cake), it resulted in a greasy, weirdly spongy cake.
- I did not test this cake with margarine, coconut oil, shortening or the like so you’ll have to experiment with those if desired.
- Also, whipping that butter for a good 1-2 minutes is extra important. And beating the heck out of it and the sugar for another 4-5 is non-negotiable. Doing this creates air which helps create fluffiness in the baked cake.
- The cake(s) that I tested where the butter was minimally whipped were not nearly as fluffy. And fluffy = greatness.
The Eggs
I know, I know. Using room temperature eggs is a total pain in the behind.
I’m right there with you! I hate recipes that require it. And so when I first started testing cakes, I refused to do it.
And my cakes were looking like this:
- So I crumbled, no pun intended, and used room temperature eggs the next time I made a cake and the difference was remarkable.
- Light and fluffy…where before the cake was slightly dense and a bit crumbly.
- There may have been other factors at play, but as I messed around with the recipe, it was very, very clear that room temperature eggs are important.
- If you are like me and often forget to plan in advance, don’t fret – place those chilled eggs in a bowl or liquid measure filled with very slightly warm water for 15-ish minutes and you’ll be good to go.
- Speaking of the eggs, in my testing, I ended up scaling down the whole eggs from four to three and adding an egg yolk or two to replace the missing whole egg – two egg yolks managed to be the perfect answer.
- Egg whites add structure but can take away moisture from baked goods, hence the three whole eggs + two egg yolks in the recipe.
- Don’t be like me and get tempted to sub a whole egg for the two egg yolks. You’ll get a pretty decent cake but not a fantastic, best-ever cake.
- However, when I used all egg yolks and no whites, the cake was slightly gummy and not as fluffer-fluffy as I wanted.
The Milk + Sour Cream
- I was sure that plain old milk was the only liquid I needed in my cake.
- At about cake #10, I was fairly positive it needed to be one cup of whole milk, even though the thought made me cringe since I never have whole milk on hand.
- I was befuddled why I was getting a really, really good cake that was still just so, very slightly dry.
- In the end, it wasn’t necessarily dryness but a lack of tenderness I was noticing.
- And the adjustment of sour cream to compensate for the reduced milk did just the trick (plus adding baking soda in for the acidity in combination with the already present baking powder, which took a couple rounds because I misjudged the amount of baking soda at first and there was so much leavening power in the cake that it sank in the middle…badly…however, once the baking powder and soda were adjusted accordingly, the cake was magnificent).
- The real plus was that after I added sour cream, I used 1% milk instead of whole without sacrificing any moisture or tenderness.
The Flour
- As much as my heart wanted a fabulous yellow cake without having to use cake flour, it didn’t happen.
- The cakes I made with all-purpose flour were dry and dense with a much coarser crumb, slightly reminiscent of dry cornbread.
- Cake flour is lower protein than all-purpose flour and also has a finer texture (thanks to the starch in it) which results in a much finer crumb in a baked cake. The good news is that even though the recipe requires cake flour, you can make your own (my kitchen tip from yesterday gives you two super easy methods).
- If you have a kitchen scale, use it. You’ll get very precise results.
- If you don’t have a kitchen scale, buy one. Ok, just joking. Kind of. I know not everyone can do that (but you should really put it on your wish list). If you are measuring using cups, measure with a light hand. Spoon the cake flour into the cup and gently level off with a flat edge.
- For this recipe, if you are making your own cake flour, don’t mess with making one cup at a time, instead, I’ve done the math for you: you’ll need 210 grams of all-purpose flour and 45 grams of cornstarch. Sift it twice. Then add the baking powder, baking soda, salt and sift once more. Make sense?
- Also, for high altitude, I’ve got your back. Ok, actually, my friend, Lisa, has your back. She tested this recipe for me – she lives at 5,400 feet elevation.
- She made the cake twice, the first time it fell significantly. She added an additional 2 1/2 tablespoons cake flour (if using a homemade cake flour substitute, that would be about 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour and 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch) and the cake baked up perfectly (along with a slight increase in baking time and buttering the heck out of the pans).
Sifting
- This sifting action, called for in the recipe, is in addition to any sifting you may have done if you are making your own cake flour.
- You don’t need to sift twice, just give the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda a quick sift through a fine mesh strainer.
- This was one of the last variables to add to the best yellow cake recipe. The last few cakes I made were so good. But just not quite there.
- Once I sifted the dry ingredients prior to incorporating into the batter, the results were far superior – lighter and fluffier (let’s see how many times I can use those two descriptors in this post).
The Batter
- Ah, the gorgeous batter. It may look just slightly curdled and that’s ok.
- Spread it evenly in the pan, and give it a quick tap or light drop on the counter.
- When I didn’t do this, there were significant air bubbles in the baked cake. You don’t want to drop it from the rooftop like a crazy egg-drop challenge and you don’t need to tap more than once, just a quick light drop will suffice.
- I only ever baked the cake in two 9-inch pans to keep testing criteria similar, however, I think it could also be made in three 8-inch pans.
- Cupcakes and sheet cakes will have to be an experiment until someone reports back. I have them on my radar also, but it may be a little while before I actually try them.
- As for the cake pans, significant greasing (with butter and cooking spray and possibly flour, too) is needed for the cake not to stick. I also line the bottom of the greased pan with a parchment round that I’ve cut out and then grease the top of it.
- My magic number for baking was right at 27 minutes; however, keep in mind that all ovens vary slightly.
- Lisa, my awesome friend who tested high altitude baking for me, needed more like 30 minutes for her cakes (she made the recipe twice).
One Year Ago: Six Recipes the World Forgot {Part 3}
Two Years Ago: Paprika Chicken Stroganoff
Three Years Ago: Naan – Indian Flatbread
Perfected Yellow Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup (227 g) butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 ¾ cups (371 g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 large egg yolks, room temperature
- 2 ¼ cups (255 g) cake flour, lightly measured, see note for high altitude adjustments
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda, see note
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup milk, 1% or above, room temperature
- ½ cup sour cream, light or regular, room temperature
Instructions
- To prep, whisk together the milk and sour cream together in a liquid measure and let come to room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and make sure an oven rack is placed in the middle of the oven.
- In a large bowl of an electric stand mixer or with a handheld electric mixer, whip the butter on medium speed for 1-2 minutes. Add the granulated sugar and beat for 4-5 minutes on medium speed. Mix in the vanilla.
- One at a time, add the eggs and egg yolks, mixing just until combined in between additions. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Combine the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Sift them together through a fine mesh strainer.
- Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix just until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add 1/2 of the milk/sour cream mixture and mix. Add another 1/3 of the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined. Add the last 1/2 of the milk/sour cream mixture and beat until just combined. Add the final 1/3 of the dry ingredients and mix just until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary. Give the batter one good, final stir with the rubber spatula.
- Grease the cake pans and line the bottoms with a parchment round. Grease the parchment and sides of the pan again very well. I use regular cooking spray but you can also use butter or cooking spray with flour. If your cake pans tend to cause sticking, consider also flouring the pans.
- Divide the batter evenly between the two pans. Drop each pan from about 3-inches onto the counter to minimize air bubbles while baking.
- Bake for 25-28 minutes (high altitude: 28-30 minutes) until lightly golden around the edges and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs. Resist the urge to open and close the oven to check on the cake – this can cause the center of the cake to fall and never recover. And as with all cakes, don’t overbake or the cake will be dry.
- Let the cakes rest in the pans for 5-10 minutes before gently turning them onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
Recipe Source: Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
Special Thanks To…
A special, super, huge thank you to two very important people (I kind of feel like I’m giving an acceptance speech at The National Convention for Best Yellow Cakes here):
Nicole, a wonderful friend of mine, was the one who finally gave me the insight I needed for the last step in perfecting this cake (a huge blessing because I didn’t know if I honestly had another yellow cake in me and her advice resulted in the.perfect.cake) and Lisa, sweetest sweetie ever, who willingly tested this cake for me (multiple times) in order to provide all you high altitude dwellers with essential tips for success.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Mel! I have been baking homemade cakes for years! I have perfected all of my faves but always managed to steer clear of yellow cake. Yellow cake can be the driest, most flavorless cake in all the land. You my friend have INDEED PERFECTED THIS RECIPE. I cannot thank you enough for this amazing recipe! I almost cried when this cake came out of the oven because it was that moist. You can feel the moistnest before even tasting it. I had a request for a yellow cake with chocolate icing and this SAVED THE DAY! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU MEL. I know what it feels like to try recipe after recipe, alteration after alteration, trying to obtain the perfect recipe. You have truly outdone yourself!
Your comment gave me goose bumps (I know, I’m a nerd), Ashley! Thank you for taking the time to let me know you loved this recipe!
I want to substitute stevia for sugar..would you be able to give guide to do so in the perfect yellow cake recipe
Hi Vickie – I’m sorry that I can’t help you; I haven’t tried this recipe with stevia and don’t use stevia enough to know how it would work here. Good luck if you try it!
Wow! I made this cake for the third time and I still can’t get over how delicious it is! I made it in a 9×13 pan and it baked beautifully. I weighed everything and followed your instructions and it was perfect! Light ,fluffy ,and tasted so buttery. It was even delicious plain ,without any frosting.
I leave in Africa,tried this cake but it sunk,help me and I didnot have cornstarch I used custard powder
Helen – I don’t know what custard powder is but that might be the reason the cake sunk – it’s a technical recipe and so the results may not be the same if ingredients are substituted. I’m sorry it didn’t work out!
Mel, do you use unbleached or bleached cake flour?
Alejandra – I use bleached cake flour (I’ve never seen unbleached in my store). As for your other question about ounces, a measuring cup’s volume is 8 ounces but that doesn’t translate to the same weight. Cups of flour generally weigh anywhere from 4 to 5 ounces. If you have any other questions just let me know!
I discovered your web site a couple of weeks ago and I love it. Thanks for all the recipes.
I want to bake this cake for my twins birthday which is tomorrow and I’m confused about the quantities the recipe calls for flour.
The recipe says 2 1/4 cups of flour and next to this 9 ounces. Meaning 2 cups plus 1/4 cup?
One cup is about 8 ounces so, is the total amount of flour 9 oz times 2?
Can you give me some make ahead tips? Like could I make the cake a couple days in advance, let sit at room temp covered and then frost the day of? Or would you do it differently? Also, is it better to use the hand mixer? I’ve always made cakes in the Bosch but I want to do this exactly how you did.
Marci – I don’t use my Bosch for cakes because I like using a hand mixer to really get the bottom of the bowl cleaned and all the batter incorporated. If I were making this a couple of days in advance (more than the day before), I would wrap the baked and cooled layers in plastic wrap and slide them in a freezer ziploc bag and freeze them. If making the day before, I would bake, cool and frost that day and then cover well and keep it out at room temperature until serving the next day. You could also refrigerate the frosted covered cake but I’d take it out several hours before serving.
Have you tried this in a 9×13 pan? Do you recommend any adjustments to the recipe for a 9×13 pan? Thank you!!
Diana – I made this the other day in a 9X13 inch pan (for a tres leches cake) and it worked just fine for me although I think I ended up baking it slightly longer.
Mel- could this recipe be converted to a white cake? Maybe 1 egg and 4 whites? Has anyone else tried this? I’m looking for a really good homemade white cake recipe.
Kim – Hmmm, good question. But my inclination is to say no. White cakes are usually different structurally (flour amounts, etc). I’m on the quest to get a perfect white cake, too. Hopefully soon!
Hi Mel,
What a wonderful cake! I made this cake for my sister’s 65th birthday luncheon. I bought salads & soup from this delicious restaurant that we all love but I wanted the cake homemade so I read many recipes and their remarks and chose yours. Mel, your cake is the best, moist flavorful. Thanks for the tips on baking soda & curdling look to the batter. I know raw eggs but even the batter was delicious! Thank you for this recipe I gave copies to all my four sisters & daughter. You are awesome!
Thanks, Mary – happy birthday to your sister! I’m so happy this cake worked out so well for you!
So sad…I made it EXACTLY according to instructions and the layers sank in the middle. : (
I rarely, okay never, leave remarks on web sights. Mainly because I have to make changes to every recipe for my picky husband, but I had to on this. Yellow cake with milk chocolate frosting is his favorite, but he told me he only likes the box kind. I like to bake from scratch so I decided I was up to the challenge. His birthday was in May, and he is still talking about it. I had to break the news about the semi-sweet chocolate chips in your frosting, but he couldn’t tell. Thank you so much. I did have a question about where to find a good conversion chart since I purchased a scale and want to continue to use it. I also wanted to tell you that I have used a number of your recipes with excellent results and will look here first for recipes from now on.
Johannah – Thanks so much. I’m so happy you loved this recipe and hope you enjoy others that you try. I don’t have a really great conversion chart but I think if you Google it you might be able to find one. Good luck!
I’m making this for a birthday lunch on Friday and wanted to try it first before I served it to guests but TRUST ME I cannot have two double layer yellow cakes laying around. Does this recipe halve well? Could I make one cake round so I could possibly minimize my weight gain?
Jessica – I’ve never halved it but it should work out just fine.
It was good, but not great. What would account for sponginess? I followed recipe to the letter.
Wanda – Sometimes overmixing can be the culprit of sponginess. Sorry you didn’t love it.
Holy smokes. It is amazing that Mother Earth has the necessary elements to create something so divine. I didnt know a cake like this could be created. I served this cake as a pineapple upside down cake with whipping cream. Best I have ever had.. and everyone at my dinner party loved it. Mel I have to tell you that you are the only way I have been able to achieve any cooking success. After my third son was born over a year ago I resolved to use the next year to learn how to cook without any artificial color flavors or preservatives because of some health issues. My sister in law introduced me to you, and I am ever so grateful. AND I ALWAYS GIVE YOU THE CREDIT BY THE WAY;)
Aubrey – that is brilliant to use this in a pineapple upside down cake. Love that idea (and will probably copy it!). Thanks so much for your sweet comment – you made my day!
I just made this for my sons bday party and it was AMAZING!! So worth the work. Very fluffy and full of flavor. I live in Spain, so this type of baking is not common here. The Spaniards couldn’t believe how fluffy it was! One lady said it was the best cake she ever tried. So fun! Thanks for making it so many times and perfecting it so that the rest of us can benefit from all your hard work. I read your blog but have never commented. You’re such an inspiration to me and I use many of your recipes. Thanks for such a great blog!!
I’m so happy you wowed everyone with this cake, Melissa. Thanks so much for letting me know!
Hi Mel – Just wanted you to know I made your cake and posted about it today. It was phenomenal! Thank you so much for taking the time to test and perfect the recipe. It really is the best yellow cake I’ve ever had!
I wanted to make sure I came back to report! I made this cake and when I tasted it on the first day, I wasn’t to sure about the texture. I waited until 1.5 days to taste it again, at room temperature and it was absolutely amazing!!!!!!!! I doubled the recipe for a 12 x 16 inch pan and baked it at 325 degrees. The only other change I made to the recipe was to add additional vanilla and also added butter flavoring, because I really like the flavor to pop. Thank you for sharing because I have replaced my original yellow cake recipe with this one!!!
I am going to use this recipe for a bday cake order i have, I am going to make the recipe twice, enough to fill a 12X16 pan. I like to “overfill” a little to level, did you find this to work for you? Thank you for sharing!
Hi Mel, just a quick cupcake update since you haven’t tried this yet. I’ve made this cake a few times as it is now my current go to yellow cake (thanks again for that.) I baked it last week in a 16 square pan (two batches of batter) and it worked out beautifully for one of the layers of a Neapolitan cake. Today, I confidently made cupcakes….no changes to the recipe, but I didn’t get a good dome and they were not only flat, but strangely, mis-shapen when they cooled and also looked a bit oily on top like they might not be cooked, but they absolutely were cooked to a perfect cake temperature. The crumb is still perfect inside and the flavor remains insanely delicious, so they’re destined to become a trifle or something, but I wanted to let you know, that the cupcakes did not work well. In retrospect, I should have used your vanilla cupcake recipe instead. I’ll keep watching comments to see if anyone makes cupcakes and succeeds.
rmd – thanks for reporting back! It sounds like cupcakes don’t work perfectly with this recipe (someone else commented with a similar experience). My guess is that the leavening needs to be adjusted for cupcakes to get a nice rise. I’ll definitely report back when I try them out. Thanks for sharing your experiences!
Hi Mel!! The cake is sooooooooooooooo, sooooooooooooooo Yummy! Who knew I could make a cake from scratch?!! I don’t have 2 round pan. (Only 1), so I baked mine in a 9×13. It obviously had to bake longer, and I was concerned about keeping it out, as we weren’t going to eat it until 1~1/2 days later, so I put it in the fridge and worried(all that time) that it would get dense,…..but it didn’t!!!!! Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy! !!!! Great recipe! This cake is moist and beautiful!!!! I’m having a piece for breakfast too! Lol Thanks so much for working so hard on this and all your delicious recipes!!!
I am going to be making this tonight and will be doing so in a 9×13 pan as well. How long did you bake yours for?
Jen – I haven’t made this in a 9X13 so I don’t have a lot of advice. Sorry!
I made a 9*13 on Memorial Day. In my oven it baked for 30 minutes. I used made a chocolate frosting with:
1 stick butter
3 Tablespoon cocoa
6 Tablesppon of cream or milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Mixed it all together over medium heat until the butter melted and then added 3 3/4 cups confectioner’s sugar. I poured it directly onto the still warm cake. It was so tasty!
Hi Mel- I made this cake as cupcakes. I followed your original recipe, but did use super-fine sugar (the secret to REALLY tender cake). The cupcakes puffed up very nicely in the oven, but after about 15 minutes started to fall. I ended up baking them for approx 19 minutes and they had at that time fallen quite a bit but they were done so I pulled them out. I was a little disappointed at first because I didn’t get any dome whatsoever. However, they did still taste very good and they were moist and tender. If they had just stayed risen, they’d be perfect! I iced them with Hershey’s chocolate frosting recipe on the back of the container. I think my dad will be pleased with his birthday cupcakes, so for that I thank you.
Hi Taylor – sorry the cupcakes fell a bit. I haven’t made this recipe as cupcakes yet and am guessing the falling issue is either due to the superfine sugar (not saying it would be for sure, but I know that every ingredient can be a factor and I haven’t tested the cake with superfine sugar) or the batter needing more/less leavening when adapted as cupcakes. I’ll definitely try them soon this way and report back with my experience.
This cake is perfected!!! I’ve made it twice now. the second time I added 1T of lemon zest (which was a little wet with juice) and my son did the beating (I think a little overbeat). It sank a little and was a little heavy, but still really good. I added a batch of the lemon curd from the no bake lemon cheesecake to the Magical frosting and it was a winning lemon cake!
Hi Mel,
A few quick questions. What is the best way to store this cake after I’m finished making it? In the fridge or on the counter at room temp? Also, I making your chocolate butter cream frosting to go with the cake, do you think the frosting travels well? I’ll be driving about two and half hours with it and I’m debating whether or not I want assemble the cake before I go or after I arrive.
Kelly – I definitely think the cake is fine assembled with the frosting for that length of time as long as the temperature isn’t overly warm. I always store this cake well covered with plastic wrap or on a cake plate with a cake dome at room temperature. Sometimes refrigerating cakes can dry them out. Good luck!
So…I made this cake and brushed it with rum Chata. The cakes did sink a bit in the middle…got a little darker than I would have liked on top bc the centers weren’t cooked. Texture seemed great though! I cut each later in two to make 4 layers. I put cake, vanilla ricotta cannoli filling, cake, chocolate ricotta cannoli filling with coconut, cake, another vanilla layer, cake, and iced it with European buttercream. Topped it with toasted unsweetened coconut and chocolate ganache drizzle. The fillings are not very sweet, but the cake and buttercream should help with that. So excited to taste it for my mother in law’s bday tonight!!!! I’d add a pic if I could!
Any ideas on how to incorporate coconut into this to make it a yellow coconut cake? I wasn’t sure if just adding dry coconut would change the texture. I don’t want a dense cake. Thanks for any suggestions!
Daphne – It’s a great idea but I haven’t tried it so I don’t know how coconut would affect the texture. If it were me, I’d whisk in a cup or so of shredded coconut with the dry ingredients and incorporate that way. Coconut usually doesn’t absorb moisture so I’m not sure it will dry out the cake but it might change the texture a bit.
How do you think this would do as the cake in your coconut tres leches recipe?
Katie – I haven’t tried it but it would probably be very delicious!
Mel, have you ever doubled this recipe with success? Having tested it out and declared it a winner, I now have an occasion that requires a larger cake. I know straight doubling doesn’t necessarily work as the leavening agents don’t necessarily double…etc. so if you have successful larger volume amounts, that would be great. If you haven’t doubled, I will just make the recipe twice to be safe. Thanks!
rmd – I totally know what you mean and wish I had doubled it so you didn’t have to go to the extra work but I haven’t yet. If it were me, I’d probably make the recipe twice instead of doubling. If I do double it, I’ll be sure to post an update. Good luck!
Worked great for my daughter’s birthday cake! Very tasty! Topped it with Deb’s Caramel cake caramel topping instead of frosting – so good! The texture and flavor and rise were all great. I did add 1/2 t. baking soda instead of 1/4 t. though, but everything else was the same (I use a scale and love the weight measurements – so much more precise and that’s important!)
I baked the layers yesterday and used one for the caramel cake today, though we all had to try a little of the other layer yesterday (that was destined for the freezer). It was definitely best and freshest yesterday, but still pretty darn good today!
Thanks for a great recipe!
I added the extra baking soda you recommended. I weighed everything (with a newly-calibrated scale). The cakes looked beautiful in the oven but ended up being very thin and dry. So sad. I wonder where I messed it up. I think you are amazing and know it was me who ruined it and not the recipe’s fault. I made it for my son’s first birthday and he dug right into it! Thank you for all of your hard work for us helpless chefs! 🙂
Emily – The increase in baking soda is just a suggestion for those that have had cakes fall which can happen based on altitude and other factors. It could be that you had the same thing happen to you that happened to me – because of the increase in baking soda, there was too much leavening and that can make the cake fall into thin layers (that’s the reason I scaled the baking soda back to 1/4 teaspoon). The 1/4 teaspoon soda works the best for me so I’d encourage you to make it per the recipe and see if that helps next time. I am glad your son still enjoyed it despite it being thin!
I’ve been on the lookout for the best cake recipe. I’ve made so many cakes that haven’t matched up with my expectations. I have to say you nailed it. This cake was delicious, fluffy, and moist. Just what I’d expect from a homemade cake. It did take a little more planning ahead but well worth the effort. Thanks so much. If I wanted to convert this to a white cake what would you suggest since the yolks were so important in this recipe?
Stacia – I don’t dare guess how to convert this to a white cake since I learned the hard way with this cake experiment that there are too many factors at play. The good news is I definitely want to perfect a white cake and hope to do so soon, so keep checking back!
Wowsa! I followed your updated advice and upped the baking soda to 1/2 teaspoon — I am looking at two beautiful, level yellow cake layers on my cooling rack just waiting for the chocolate buttercream frosting. Happy Birthday indeed! :o) Thanks Mel!
Here’s something to try for those who have trouble with cakes sinking in the middle – baking strips on the outside of your pan. Wilton and a few others make them (sometimes called ‘bake even’ strips). I’m at about 4500 ft, and find they really work well here. You soak them in water first, then wrap them around the pan. I prefer the ones that are pinned rather than Velcro so that I can adjust according to pan size (or use two for my larger pans).
W.O.W. This cake is simply too good for words. It’s like no cake I’ve every made–it’s moist, flavorful, tender, and waaaaay to good to be turned into a bunny for Easter dessert tomorrow. But that is it’s fate. I’m happy to say that I now have a go-to cake and it’s this one!
Love how this recipe reads – I am on a mission to make a marble layer cake for an upcoming birthday. Wondering if I took a cup of the batter and then added either 2 oz melted chocolate or a 1/4 cup of high grade cocoa and then swirled? What do you think?
Wendy – Generally for marbled cakes you need to swirl the yellow batter with another batter, in your case chocolate, so instead of swirling melted chocolate or straight cocoa you might try adding a bit of cocoa to half of the yellow cake batter and using that to swirl. I haven’t tried it so I am not sure how adding cocoa will affect the yellow batter. You could also use another chocolate cake recipe for swirling. Good luck!
Hi! I, too, was wondering if this recipe could be ‘marbled’ since my son is looking for a marble cake in the shape of a bat for his 5th birthday (which is how I ended up on your site to begin with, which is even funnier because I noticed your bat cake was also for your son’s 5th birthday…)
Anyway, I’m wondering if anyone has tried your suggestion of adding in cocoa to a bit of the yellow batter with success?
Any tips would be super appreciated!
Thanks!
I haven’t tried it marbled myself, Adrienne, but I think someone up above in the comments did (If I remember right). Good luck!
I’m so excited to try this – I love yellow cake!
So one important question – any thoughts on this in a bundt pan? I know I’d need to increase the cooking time, but do I need to use more ingredients (like 1.5 times?) or do anything else differently? I’m trying to make a yellow cake for my dad’s birthday and he is quite skeptical of me using anything other than a boxed cake mix combined with a boxed pudding mix. Thanks!!
That Married Couple – hmmm, bundt pan. That’s a good question. Definitely new territory since I haven’t tried this specific batter in the almighty bundt. My inclination is that you will need more batter for a bundt pan unless you want it to turn out a little on the shrimpy side, so I’d go with your idea of 1 1/2 times the batter. We have to get this to turn out right so your dad’s skepticism can be banished for good! 🙂 This cake does tend to be a little sticky in regular cake pans so make sure to grease and flour the heck out of your bundt pan.
I made this in a bundt pan and it turned out perfect ! Make sure to grease the pan well ( I used Bakers Joy baking spray). It was baked at 50 mins, but next time I will check it at 45 mins. I will definitely make this again.
The batter was enough to fill the pan, and the cake was high enough when baked.
I’m back and I figured it out!! Thank goodness you perfected everything for me and all I had to make was 3 cakes.
According to a website, high altitude baking.com, high Altitude baking requires a decrease in the leavening and increase in the moisture. The website has a chart from the cookbook “pie in the sky” telling you exactly what you need to do depending on your altitude.
I’m at 5,660 so I added 1 T more milk, 1/8 t baking soda, 1 1/4 t baking powder.
Don’t forget the already mentioned increase in flour 2 1/2 T flour.
Watch the bake time too! I only needed 25 minutes.
Thanks for checking back in, Laurel! Love the high altitude tips and updates!
Perfection, Mel!! Thank you so much! The layers are perfect and the cake is so light feeling. I haven’t frosted and eaten it yet, but I’m sure it will be exquisite. I’m filling it with Italian custard and strawberries, and icing it with almond frosting and strawberries.
Mel, I love the scientific, experimental approach you take with your baking! As a engineering PhD and baker, I can totally appreciate the crazy amount of time you put into checking all the factors! Next time, whatever you decide to perfect, call me, I’ll give a smaller Design Of Experiment. That way you won’t have to get sick of the perfect thing you’ve created! (p.s.- cheesecake? brownies? toffee? I have so much trouble with toffee!)
Mariah – definitely noted! You’ll probably be hearing from me! 🙂
After seeing this post, I decided I wanted this cake for my birthday. Hubby made it and turned out delicious! The frosting is also amazing!
Tried it and it was amazing! So yummy!
Just chiming back in to report that as of yesterday, our cake is gone to the last scrap.
It kept getting better as the days went on, which is most of the reason it didn’t last long.
The orange curd soaked in to the cake a bit in the middle, the chocolate frosting soaked in a bit from the top. So good.
Next time I think I’ll add 6 ounces of chocolate, just to see how it compares.
My cake turned out exactly like Laurels…. I even measured and followed directions to a T. So strange… I’ll try it again someday… You are amazing Mel and I absolutely love everything you do.
Mel, this cake is SO good! I’ve tried many different yellow cake recipes, including Cook’s Illustrated and Shirley Corriher’s, but I think your recipe is now the one I’ll use. I followed your instructions to the letter and weighed all the ingredients, and the cake turned out very moist, tender, and fluffy. I used one of the layers for a strawberry shortcake, and I wrapped up the second layer and put it in the freezer. A week later, my husband thawed it and had a slice—plain—and, HOLY COW! The texture had become ever-so-slightly more dense, and it tasted like the best pound cake ever. With every bite, he kept saying, “This is SO good. My god, this is good.” Thanks for your tireless research and testing to bring us this recipe!
The cake turned out great! The orange curd I made was delicious, and your chocolate frosting is divine!
The cake baked really well in a 13×9 pan, then I wrapped it up in plastic wrap and chilled it before I sliced off the outer brown layer and split the cake into two layers. For service, I put it back in the cleaned 13×9 pan, with the curd between the layers, and topped it with a half batch of the frosting. So delicious!
Thanks again for sharing your experiments.
Hi Mel, I made this cake plus the chocolate frosting for a small party the other day. I topped the whole thing with sliced strawberries and served with cream. Everyone said it was – quote – Fabulous! and it really was. Light, moist, fluffy, and tender. I made it in 2 x 9″ tins and may try it in 3 x 8″ tins next. Thanks for the recipe! x
Hey Mel, just thought I should comment, as I just made these into cupcakes. It made 24 cupcakes, I’m not high elevation or anything, and it took my oven about 14ish minutes (and that was with two tins of 12 cupcakes in the oven together), so I would say for the average person anywhere from 12-15 minutes. The edges may not brown near the top (they didn’t on all of mine before the toothpick pulled out clean on them) but yeah, they came out awesome. Thanks for the recipe!
I made this cake for my son’s first birthday yesterday, and it was a hit!! I also wanted to let you know that I subbed the cornstarch for arrowroot powder, and it worked out great!! The internet told me I could, but it warned me the cake might bake faster. It didn’t. Just wanted to let you know that, and thank you for all the time spent perfecting it! It was yummy!!
I tried my hand at this cake over the weekend…I failed! Apparently my pans were over filled because half way through they overflowed into the bottom of my oven making a smoky mess. In an effort to salvage it, I dumped both cakes into a 9×13 pan and through it in another oven. (The non smoking one) It wasn’t very pretty, but I thought I would cover it with frosting anyways. I have never had more compliments on a cake in my life. The texture and flavor were perfect! Your recipe…even with all my mess ups it was still to die for!
I made this Saturday and it was really really good! The first slice I had (two hours after it came out of the oven) didn’t really impress me. My husband on the other hand who is not a dessert person at all went back for seconds (he doesn’t even like cake for his birthday he likes milkshakes)! The second slice I tried after dinner rocked my world. I used the chocolate butter cream recipe you posted a few weeks ago and it all was just perfect. This is my new go to yellow cake recipe!
Has anyone tried making this recipe as cup cakes?
Mel,
Thank you so much for this outstanding recipe!! I have been on a quest for the last 9 months to find a scratch yellow cake recipe that is moist, tender, fluffy and actually tastes good. After baking over 30 different recipies, wasting tons of ingredients and gaining 5 lbs, my search is finally over! I could kiss you! I made your recipe exactly as you instructed. Although, I did bake cupcakes instead of a cake. They were perfect. I did not have any of the issues that some of the other posters described with my cupcakes. They had nice little domes, no sinking or flat tops and the taste and texture were perfect. Again, I was careful to mix them exactly as you instructed, which I think makes a difference. Thank you so much for all your time in testing the recipes in order to make this one perfect for us :)!!!
Thanks, Lisa! I’m thrilled your cupcakes turned out well – I’m planning on trying this recipe as cupcakes next week. Thanks for reporting back!
I made this cake twice first time I made it sort of fell apart tthe second time I made it it was flat. Both times thecake delicious Do you have any suggestions to make the cake fluffy and moist I followed the directions to a t
I’m sorry that happened. I don’t have any other suggestions besides the one in the post. Keep in mind if you are at high altitude the cake may bake differently so you might want to google suggestions (or follow the high altitude suggestions in the post).
I made this cake recipe this past weekend and it did not disappoint! It was absolutely amazing! This recipe makes me so happy! Thank you Mel!!!