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!
oh my I’m so happy — it’s cake week at our house and so far the results of a different cake each night have been so so — especially the yellow cakes! so perfect perfect timing – I will be making this cake next! Thank you for saving me so much pain and testing! Can’t wait for the perfect yellow cake! What frosting did you use??
Deb – I used this chocolate frosting:
http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2014/03/whipped-chocolate-buttercream-frosting.html
Thank you! Wow, what a great resource! Pinning and hoping to try sooner than later. Quick question: How do you view your “homemade yellow cake mix” recipe now that you have tested so many yellow cakes and found “the” one. Will you still keep the cake mix on hand to use in a pinch?
Jeanette – good question. I think the homemade yellow cake mix has its merits for certain recipes and I like knowing I have a dry mix option but this perfected yellow cake is better, in my opinion.
I am so going to try this soon! The photos look like a party just waiting to happen.
I totally woke up this morning thinking: I need to try different yellow cake recipes, and attempt to find the best one.
Then I go to your website and find out that you’ve already done it all! It’s a sign. Now I MUST try this recipe. Thanks for all your hard work!! I especially love the long explanation behind the recipe (I love knowing WHY I need to do things a certain way).
If you could take the time and trouble to bake 16 cakes and then write this awesome post, the least we could do is read it to the very end! It’s either that or I’m a big kitchen nerd too. I am putting this at the top of my baking to-do list! Thanks for all your experimenting on our behalf! Oh, and I love that you weigh your ingredients. LOVE, love, love!
You are fabulous. And I LOVE that you include all those details. One of my fav things about your recipes! This was perfect timing, son #’3’s 7th birthday is tomorrow and I was just sitting down to figure out what type of cake so I will be doing this one TONIGHT (mini cake for him; cupcakes for his class). He cannot have chocolate so I’m going to use a caramel frosting. Thank you thank you!
Great. Now I will spend the rest of the day yelling at my chickens to hurry up and lay more eggs. I can not wait to make this cake, and I don’t typically make cake in the first place. Thanks Mel!
Haha– so you guys ate a lot of yellow cake. I was mostly also curious if you just discard some of the cakes because that’s a lot of cake! I love the why’s of how to do specific recipes.
WOohoo! Cant wait to try this! So u recommend using the whisk attachment? Hm…i think the paddle is best for creaming though. Anyway, i would love the perfect vanilla cake recipe. Something moist and fluffy but not a sponge cake ( i already have a great sponge cake recipe ). would this cake taste like a vanilla cake if i add a vanilla bean to it? THANKS AGAIN!
Great post! So for how long do you leave out your butter? Thanks!
Sally – It really depends on the temp of my kitchen but usually if I take it out and place it on the counter, it’s good to go in an hour or two (that’s judging by the cooler, winter kitchen).
I LOVE this post!! Thank you for all the hard work in finding the perfect yellow cake recipe! I will be trying this recipe very soon! 🙂
This is next on my to make list!
I would love it if you could give me a perfect recipe for Cherry Turnovers!
So there’s no sour cream where I live… What would be the next best thing, creme fraiche, yogurt, something else?
A suggestion for what to perfect next? This might sound simple but how about the perfect french fry. I’ve tried the double fry method and different fry temperatures for each fry but mine never seem to come out right.
After all the work you put into perfecting this recipe, how could I not make it! This is going to make my family very happy!
Loved reading your process to get to the best end result and I’ve done a lot of them. Things I really loved. Using unsalted butter. I have NEVER bought salted butter; see no need for both and I’ve never had anything taste bad if I used salted.
More significantly though, I live in Denver at 5680 feet and I’ve struggled with high altitude for 28 years. It’s a variable beast for sure but the past couple of years I’ve had more success than ever with a tip from a local celeb baker who owns a very popular dessert restaurant. He said to forget changing the leavening and other ingredients and simply increase the oven temp 15 degrees. This allows the heat to more quickly set the risen goods and prevent them from falling for having risen too fast in our lighter air. Made sense and works for me. It does mean cutting back a bit on time too so the end result isn’t overbaked so I start testing at 10 minutes less baking time. Just a suggestion because high altitude baking is such a pain. It varies from 2,000 to 5,000 to 10,000 feet and sometimes it really is on the baker to test and find the perfect fix.
Thanks for the high altitude tip, Barbara!
This looks divine! Will you please share your chocolate frosting recipe also? If I’m going to go to the work of making YOUR perfect yellow cake, I want the perfect frosting as well. Thanks!
Sherry – here’s the link for the chocolate frosting:
http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2014/03/whipped-chocolate-buttercream-frosting.html
Thanks for perfecting the yellow cake. Personally, I’m not a regular cake eater, I like pies instead. But, my daughter & grandson will only eat yellow cake. So, the next time I make them a birthday cake, I’ll try your recipe.
Mel, can I give you an award for your efforts at perfecting this recipe? You surely deserve one! I love this!
Not to make you scream after all your hard work…but would this batter do well as cupcakes? Easter is around the corner and it just begs for yellow cupcakes with pastel swirls of frosting…however, you were very specific about having a yellow CUPcake recipe and a perfect yellow LAYER CAKE recipe. And I have to say, the tender texture of this cake in your pictures is enchanting!
Anna – I mentioned in the post I haven’t tried this as cupcakes yet but I’d love it if someone did and reported back! I’m sure I’ll be trying it soon but until then, I have this lovely yellow cake recipe in my archives:
http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2014/03/light-and-fluffy-yellow-cupcakes.html
Mel, I’ve visited your site often in the past, but when you mentioned that the perfect yellow cake was coming soon, I had to sign up for regular emails. And, I’m glad I did! I am obsessed with finding the perfect recipe for many different things and while I’ve gotten close on yellow cake, I’ve not made anything I could crown, “the one.” I deeply appreciate all the baking geek talk and read every word of this post at least once. I can’t wait to try your perfected recipe….and enough time has passed from my last attempts to present yet another yellow cake to my family. I’ll let you know how it goes…Thank you for all of your efforts. Love your blog!
Thank you so much for perfecting a yellow cake recipe for us! I loved hearing how you got to the perfect recipe. I recently made the Cooks Illustrated yellow cake (my first layer cake from scratch) and was so disappointed, I’m glad that it was the recipe and not me. After reading this post, I can’t stop thinking about cake…. 🙂
Wowzers! I appreciate all your effort. I’d have never made it through that many trials. I can’t wait to give it a try.
I love this post! I’ve had similar experience with yellow cakes (was really surprised when I had the same thoughts on Deb’s!) and have found only a couple of recipes that are pretty decent. I’ll definitely be trying your recipe soon.
What should you perfect next? You should poke some holes in that there yellow cake and pour milk (or coconut milk or whatever other variations that you have the patience to try, but I don’t), and make the perfect tres leches cake. It would be awesome if I could get those results before May 5th 🙂 Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Been anxiously awaiting this recipe for my twins’ upcoming birthday! From one baking nerd to another, I had given up finding that perfect yellow cake recipe…I am confident my search is over 🙂 ever grateful for all you do!
Yellow cake always has been and will remain my favorite cake flavor. You have no idea how much this is calling to me right now! I’d love to try your recipe, Mel. Thanks for sharing!
What next? How about a lemon meringue pie? Or if you want to back off sweets, how about pimento cheese? Or since Mother’s Day is coming, how about the best breakfast casserole ever?
Your kids and husband are pretty lucky to have you, you have FAR more patience than I. You are amazing! I can’t wait to reap the rewards of all your hard work. This looks so good!
If any of you, like me, hate hassling with the parchment rounds, a flattened coffee filter (basket style) is a handy substitute.
You are amazing Mel!! Thank you for all your hard work. 16 times! Way to not give up! I’m excited to try this recipe now. And I am sure you won’t be trying it again for a LONG time!
Best! Post! Ever!
Could I ask you to share your secrets for staying skinny in spite of doing things like making 16 yellow cakes??? This is seriously the secret I desperately need perfected. haha.
I had the exact same experience with Smitten Kitchen’s yellow cake and thought I did something wrong! I was so sure it would be the best but it totally underwhelmed for my birthday cake last year. I will be trying this one this weekend for my mom’s birthday, it looks and sounds amazing. It’s incredible how much time and thought you put into it! I imagine I’ll have a tough time getting the cakes into the oven though, that batter looks deeeelicious
You are a total trooper for putting this much effort into getting the perfect yellow cake! From all of us way too lazy to do that – THANK YOU!!!
Hi Mel!
Hurray for us that we get to enjoy all your hard work — thanks! I can’t wait to try it — sounds like it will be perfect for a birthday cake I’ll be making in a couple of weeks. Anyhow, you asked about what you should perfect next — how about fruitcake? I’m serious here — I love a tasty, moist fruitcake around the holidays, but a good one is very hard to come by — that’s probably why they get such a bad reputation. You could be the cook who creates a fruitcake that no one would ever regift! :o) If anyone could do it, it would be you.
Appreciate all you hard work on perfecting the yellow cake. Enjoyed reading all the details. Also, is the recipe for the chocolate on your website? Thanks.
Hi Cindy – here’s the recipe for {one of} my favorite chocolate cake:
http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2010/09/the-best-chocolate-cake.html
Reminds me of the fun in my food science class. It’s a fun process, thanks for writing about it for us kitchen science geeks.
At last…I’ve been waiting for this post since you hinted at it recently. Yellow cake with chocolate frosting is hard to do well! How many of us who love this combination have tasted a lot of bad yellow cake and been so disappointed! But when you get it right it’s amazing and so worth the calories as a special treat. All of us baking nerds appreciate you, Mel! I have also tried the versions mentioned in your post and have been disappointed as well. A version I did like used beaten egg whites but was so fussy to make (which I’m wiling to do for great yellow cake) so I’m looking forward to trying your version soon. I trust your taste buds. To answer your question above…I myself would love to perfect breaded pork chops. My mom and grandma used to bake these and I’ve never gotten it right….they used bone in pork chops and cracker meal. Ever made them?
YOU DID IT, MEL!! I’ve seriously been crossing my fingers every day since you said that you finally developed the Holy Grail of Yellow Cakes that it would be the day. And today’s it!! You’re too sweet to give me those shout-outs, but you know I enjoyed the troubleshooting more than a normal person ever should. Kitchen science geeks unite!
It looks … like a thing a true beauty. And the best part for you? No more yellow cake for at least a little while!
xoxo Nicole
Thank you! I will be making this cake on Friday for my son who loves yellow cake and chocolate icing. Like you, I have baked the Cooks Illustrated yellow layer cake and was a little disappointed. As for what recipe to perfect next, everything I can think of is already on your site and tastes perfect to me.
Thanks for all your hard work! I cannot wait to make this. My middle child is turning 3 in two weeks so I will be giving this one a try for her birthday.
I am so very impressed!! That’s nothing new when it comes to you and this here blog, but seriously…wow! This looks so delicious! Thanks for all your hard work!
I am very impressed as well; congratulations! I do have a question as I tried a yellow cake recipe a few weeks ago and it was WAY TOO DENSE for my taste. Is that a yellow cake thing (I’m not a huge fan) but want to try your recipe…?
Beth – this cake is definitely not dense. It has a different texture than a cake mix so if that’s what your after, this isn’t it, probably, but this cake is definitely on the tender, fluffy end of the spectrum and not the dense, cornbread spectrum. Hope you like it if you try it!
I just made this & it did not work out for me. Didn’t taste like yellow cake.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! My son is getting married next spring and they want several “homemade” cakes on stands at the reception instead of a big, fancy cake. I’ve been gathering recipes, but I was afraid I’d have to do several trial runs and, frankly, I feared I wouldn’t be able to fit into my dress after all that experimenting! You’ve done all the work for me and I truly appreciate it! One question: do you use the paddle or whisk attachment on your stand mixer? I always feel like I should at least use the whisk for the butter, but most recipes call for the paddle. Thanks again!!
Hi Betsy – I usually use a handheld electric mixer because I don’t have a KitchenAid and my Bosch is super great at making bread but too big for a cake recipe. Could you use the whisk attachment the entire time? That’s similar to the little beaters on my handheld mixer.
I’m making this tomorrow and after all the reading, am I to use the amounts of baking powder and baking soda that’s on the above recipe, I see people are adjusting the measurements for soda or powder and is the paddle or whisk beater used, I thought paddle. Thanks
Thanks for the detailed post! I will be making this cake tonight for sure. 🙂
You are amazing! All that plus 5 kids, and a husband??? You go girl.
As for what you should perfect next: that coconut tres leches looks might tempting. Love getting your daily blog. That and a cup of coffee starts my day just right. Thanks.
Congratulations, Mel, on this yellow cake achievement. What a witness to your little ones as they witnessed your determination through multiple failures to keep diligently trying to achieve excellence! I have changed my mind about wanting you in my presence to receive wonderful, neighborly gifts of food (or Bobby Flay). I would much rather prefer for my family to be constantly exposed to a steady dose of your character. Like Hillary, I too am incredibly impressed, as I laughingly read through this post. Delightful reading! Thank you Nicole and Lisa for coming along side of Mel to support and encourage her in her work!
I love hearing the whys and what fors. Thank you!
WOW!!!!! I am so impressed!!!!! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for all of your effort going into this extraordinary feat!!!! I CANNOT wait to try this, and being that we are supposed to get 10 inches of fresh snow in the next couple days, I think this will be the perfect treat to drown our winter blues in 🙂 as far as what to perfect next….. My vote is for tortillas…specifically whole wheat tortillas 🙂 thanks again and I will let you know how much we all loved it!!!