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!
This cake is AMAZING!! I am having about 25 guests over on Tuesday so I was thinking of making 2 of them. Do you think it would be best to just wait until Monday to bake them or do you think they will still be fresh if I made them on a Sunday? Thanks for all your tips. This is my husband’s FAVORITE CAKE!!
I would definitely try to make them Monday if you can!
Has anyone tried to freeze this cake once baked? I want to make for my son’s birthday but we will be traveling so need to make during week but serve on Saturday. I read your comment it is best day of…
Yes, it freezes great. (I’ve only frozen it unfrosted).
OMG…Thanks you for all your trial and error. I follow your recipe and I made one of my best cakes ever.. again thank you for sharing I didn’t have any sinking and My cake was beautifully perfected in 27 minutes.
Hello Mel. Your scientific presentation to baking is spot on and quite warranted! Baking is a science much more so than cooking! I am eager to try out your recipes but rely on aluminum free baking powder. Have you tested this version against the traditional version in terms of performance and quantity? Thanks!
Hi Tom! I haven’t tested aluminum free baking powder but I’m hopeful it will work just fine in this recipe. Sorry I’m not more help!
Hi Mel, thank you for the detailed description of the ingredients and how to use them. I am going to bake this cake today for a friend’s birthday and am super excited. I have very less experience in baking and want to bake this perfectly as I have a reasonably large audience (peer pressure. hehehe)
I was wondering if instead of baking in 2 different cake pans as I have only one, can I bake it in a single 9inch pan and then cut it in the middle?
Please let me know if it’s possible and what adjustments will I have to keep in mind for that.
Thank you!
I’m afraid that if you bake all the batter in one 9-inch pan it will overflow. It would be best to bake two separate batches.
This cake is absolutely fabulous. Thank you soooooo much for sharing. Though I am very busy and work 3 jobs I love to treat my loved ones to only the best on their birthdays. I have made it for my daughter’s birthday and it is now my go to recipe whenever I have a crowd to impress. I always share your story of perfecting this masterpiece. Kudos to you, I take my hat off. I also have done this to perfect flan which is my personal favorite. You are not alone my friend. It takes a special person to give their loved ones the absolute best thing they can get which is your time and a moment shared with this divine treat..
My first yellow cake from scratch was dry and blah. I was so bummed as it was the first birthday cake I ever made for my (new at the time) husband. The next year I went searching and researching and finally found this recipe…..my husband was flabbergasted! Said it was the best birthday cake ever. I have made it every year since (5 years!) and once in a while throughout the year. This cake, with the chocolate buttercream frosting, is amazing. I followed the recipe to a T and my cake looked just like her pics:) Thank you so much for this recipe! I thought after this many years….I should probably say something. Totally a keeper. Don’t even look anywhere else!
Hi Mel, I’m wanting to make this cake for my daughter’s birthday. She wants a rainbow cake so I was planning on doing a double batch and then making each layer a different color. Do you think mixing in food coloring will be too much mixing and ruin the texture of the cake?
I’ve actually done the same with this cake a few years ago helping a friend make a similar sounding cake for her daughter. It definitely did make the cake texture a little less soft and tender…but the kids didn’t seem to notice. 🙂
This cake recipe looks delicious! Can’t wait to make it this weekend. How thick are the layers when using the 9″ rounds?
1 1/2 to 2 inches
At the moment I’m unable to access cake flour. What amount of all purpose flour would I use for this cake. Thank you so much for sharing!!
Do you have cornstarch? If so, you can make your own cake flour: https://www.melskitchencafe.com/kitchen-tip-how-to-easily-make-your-own-cake-flour-two-methods/
I baked this delicious yellow cake today, flavor is great.
I increased the baking soda to 1/2 teaspoon to prevent the cake from sinking. It still sunk somewhat so next time I will increase to 3/4 teaspoon. I did bake it as a 9×13 and increased the time an extra 5 minutes.
Hi, do you have a good fudge chocolate frosting recipe for this cake?
This is my favorite chocolate frosting for cakes:
https://www.melskitchencafe.com/whipped-chocolate-buttercream-frosting/
Thank you! I’m making this for myself today as Birthday treat. Thank you
Hi there,
I tried out your yellow cake recipe today! I used whole milk and followed the instructions to a T. The cake tasted so great however my cakes didn’t rise flat instead they sunk in the middle? Any ideas as to why. I made sure not to overheat the batter and I even folded near the end. Any advice would be appreciated!
It sounds like they might have needed a few more minutes of baking (did they sink during baking or after you took them out of the oven?).
I did put it in the oven few minutes longer the cake was fully cooked through just sunk in the centre. The cake didn’t rise right while it was baking. I was keeping a close eye on it and it didn’t look right as it was baking. It’s really a bummer because the taste of the cake was so good!
This is the best yellow cake I’ve ever had! It’s very soft but it’s sturdy enough to be stacked. It’s not hard to make and uses ingredients I always have in my kitchen. I love that the recipe is for 9” cake pans (my standard) and I made 1.5x the recipe and baked it in three pans. The layers were the perfect thickness for a layer cake. I can’t say enough about this amazing cake. Thank you for a fantastic creation!!
Hi Mel! Would using 6 inch cake pans work and if so, would you recommend I make 3 6-inch layers or 4 6-inch layers?
Thank you!
Hi Dana – I would probably suggest three 6-inch layers if the pans are 3-inches tall, if they have shorter sides, I’d go for 4 layers.
Thank you! Should I adjust the oven temp?
No, I’d leave it the same.
Hi this recipe looks awesome. I love all of the detailed explanations.
I am making a tiered cake. How much of this batter should I make for a 6”, 8”, and 10” cake pan (all my pans are 2” tall) ? I would like to know how much batter should go in each pan basically. Also, , should I adjust time or temperature for these sizes?
Thanks so much for putting in the time to research all of this for a perfect cake so that we that make it don’t have to 🙂
This is a fabulous cake! Made 2 last weekend for 2 special birthdays. Use disposable 9×13 pans for transport. Baking time was approximately 35 min…..They were perfect! Iced them with dark chocolate buttercream frosting. Best yellow cake recipe I’ve ever tried. This is DEFINITELY a keeper. Thank you!
First time making a scratch yellow cake and it was absolutely delicious! Followed the instructions to a T! Made this for testing purposes so I did 2 6” rounds (baked for about 20-25 min) and some cupcakes (baked for about 18 min). This will definitely be my go to yellow cake recipe! Thank you for all of your work and testing!
i love this cake its everything you said and more this will be my go to yellpow cake recipe
I just want to let you know this recipe is wonderful! My husband and I cook a lot, and this one is *really* well done! I read it through, and we took your advice to add a bit more soda. The whole family agreed it was the best cake we’ve eaten in ages! Your work perfecting this recipe is greatly appreciated!
I love this cake. I wanted to try it as a sheet cake in a 9×13 pan. Any suggestions on if I should adjust cooking time or need to increase the ingredients? If so by watch percentage? Thank you 🙂
It should work fine in a 9×13 pan and will probably need 25-30 minutes to bake (give or take).
Not sure if my previous comments went through. The cake did taste good, but it definitely sunk in the middle, making for a thick layer of icing. No complaints were heard though so that was good!
This cake looks heavenly I am making it tomorrow for a friends birthday. Has anyone used buttermilk instead of milk/sour cream combo? Just curious. Thank you.
Just made the cake… wanted to thank you for all your time and energy and research!!! Turned out so good…love love to bake and cook and always appreciate the best recipes
Thank you! So happy this worked out for you!
Made this cake, relatively no taste. It wasn’t light or moist. NOTE: Don’t worry, Bobby Flay won’t call you on this cake.
Bobby here–Mel, what’s your number? This cake is the holy grail of yellow cake. 😉
hahahahahahaha
is this really bobby
Does this cake stay moist the next day? I’ve tried a few yellow cakes that were amazing the day they were made, but extremely dry the next day.
I personally think it’s best the day of, but if it’s kept well-covered and stored at room temperature, I think it tastes pretty good the next day, too.
I just found out that I’m allergic to eggs, milk, and soy, but I was planning to make this cake for my daughter’s birthday. Do you have any suggestions for substitutes that would work for the eggs and butter?
Hi Rebecca, I’m afraid I don’t! I’m sorry! I extensively tested this recipe with eggs and butter and haven’t tried it with any substitutes
My daughter and I baked it together and it is so delicious!! I always tell my friends that you can’t go wrong with a recipe from Mel!
Hi! First of all, thank you for doing the hard work to create-from what I’ve read-the BEST version of yellow cake! I wanted to ask your opinion on adding strawberries to the cake. My daughter wants a strawberry cake for her birthday (actually, she’s turning one so I suppose I want a strawberry cake for HER birthday lol). And I don’t want to ruin the texture of this cake by adding something extra. The strawberries would be reduced so they’re not so watery. And I’m definitely doing a strawberry icing. Thoughts? Thank you!!!
I think if the strawberries have been reduced to a thick jam-like consistency it may work – although adding anything to this batter that changes the liquid-to-dry ingredients ratio may affect texture (since I haven’t tried this in particular I can’t say if that would be good or bad!). But if you are really after a strawberry cake, it is worth a try!
Mel. Do you think I can make this in a bundt pan? I love your recipes and as my sister and I like to say, Mel never let’s us down! Lol! We say your name like you’re our friend. Thank you!
Hey Kristy – I haven’t tried that but I’m pretty sure it would work out! If the bundt pan is dark coated, you’ll want to watch the baking time closely so the cake doesn’t burn (or consider turning the oven down by 25 degrees). Good luck!
I made this as a cake, and it was perfect! As cupcakes, they still tasted great but did not have a domed top. They were flat and bubbly.
Mine were too. Not a cup cake recipe. The cakes look fine but had that kind of topping. I haven’t tried the cake yet it
Hi Mel!
I’m planning on making this recipe as cupcakes and as stated by many in the comments, they come out great. However, I couldn’t find any comments on time and temp. My questions are, how long should I bake them for and should I use the same temp as stated above? As always, thanks for your time and your fantastic recipes!!
Yes, use the same baking temperature but check them after about 16 minutes (or before if your oven tends to bake hot/quickly).
Perfect! Thanks! 🙂
Have you tried this recipe as cupcakes?
Yes, it works great. 🙂
This truly is “The Best Yellow Cake Ever” I’ve made this recipe twice and it came out perfect each time. Now, what is the best chocolate frosting ever?
This is the frosting I love: https://www.melskitchencafe.com/whipped-chocolate-buttercream-frosting/
Can I make this in a Bundt pan? How long and what temperature? Thanks!!
I haven’t tried that so I can’t say for sure. I’d probably use the same temperature and try about 45-50 minutes?
This is a great recipe! I didn’t use cake flour and it was still awesome (I like a dense cake with a coarser crumb though…) Next time I make it I’ll either buy cake flour or go to the trouble to make it. Not at all dry and really nice clean vanilla flavor. I’ve tried a bunch of scratch cake recipes and this is my favorite. Five stars.
I made this cake for a birthday sheet cake size 12 x 18. And it was fantastic! Thank you so much for posting this. When I saw you had baked it 16 prior times and had finally decided on the perfect recipe ~ I knew I was going to use your recipe!
This cake is Amazing! Truley! I used this recipe for cupcakes… it worked pretty well. I followed the recipe verbatim…. even down to the sifting even though I didn’t know why until I read more of your blog later. Ok but… whats weird is some of the cupcakes domed perfectly and others went sorta flattish. That didn’t seem to affect the texture though. I now wish I had taken a picture. I also read your update and nodiced that you have 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda listed as the original amount and had to scale it back, but the actual recipe has 1/4 tsp. That’s seems to be a big difference? Is the actual recipe supposed to read 1 1/4 tsp.??? All that aside I am truly grateful for this recipe and all your trials. Thanks agian.
Hey Crystal, yes the 1/4 teaspoon is the right amount of baking soda. if some of the cupcakes domed well and others didn’t, it might be a mixing issue…like maybe the ingredients weren’t mixed enough? Do you think that could be the case?
I guess that is possible… I’m always so afraid of over mixing. Maybe I’ll try double sifting next time…. and a heaping 1/4 tsp. baking soda, ty ty.
Hi. This is Ava from London, UK. Made this cake for my daughter’s 15th birthday yesterday together with cream cheese icing (your special one) and it was AWESOME. Thank you so much Mel. Best cake I ever made.
I baked 27 minutes exactly and made the cake flour mixing white flour with a bit of corn flour as you suggested. The cake was moist and soft and beautiful except when I took it out of the pan (waited 10 mins and let it cool on rack for an hour) and as I was icing it, it crumbled a bit. Any thought as why this could have happened?
Hey Ava! Glad you liked this recipe! Did the edges crumble or was it crumbly throughout?
Questions – is it okay to put chopped up strawberries into this cake, or will the moisture from them mess up the ratios?
Also, I have pastry flour, is that okay? Or should I add 1 TBSP of cornstarch instead of 2?
Hi Kyla, I’m afraid adding strawberries (they have a very high moisture content) may make the cake gummy or dense – it will definitely alter the texture. I don’t know how pastry flour compares to cake flour – but you could experiment using. Good luck!
This is my rating
Thank you for your reply to my question about the whole milk. I made the cake yesterday and this will be the one for my daughters birthday. I did use the whole milk and because of fear I took your note and used 1/2 tsp baking soda and I also increased the vanilla to almost a tablespoon and it took 30 min to bake. This cake came out perfect. I am also looking for a white vanilla cake but didn’t see one on your website. Thank you for this recipe.
I am planning to try your recipe..my question is about the milk can I use whole milk with the sour cream because I have both whole and 1 percent does it matter
I believe either can work; I usually use 1% or 2%.
I’m in the UK and we don’t have ‘cake flour’
Is this flour that has baking powder added already, what we call self raising flour?
No, it isn’t self-rising flour, cake flour is a lower protein flour that is very fine in texture.
I am sooo extremely thankful and appreciative for all of your efforts in creating this recipe! I have nearly pulled out my entire head of hair searching for the perfect yellow cake recipe. I thought….”How can a yellow cake be so hard to make???” Well until now, every recipe that I tried was either dry, lacking flavor, sunken in the middle or a combination of these. Finally, a recipe that is perfectly awesome!!! The mosture, the taste and the texture are lacking NOTHING! Thank You a million times over!!!
Thank you so much, Dana!
I made this cake today as two 8” rounds (baked for 30 minutes) and the cake turned out perfectly!!! Thank you so much for such detailed instructions and all the time and energy that went into your recipe! It’s perfect!!
Instead of 2 pans I devided in 3, turned out good.
I’m a semi-naked. I was attending this bakers class(my cousin & I until she passed away) One of the things I learned when it came to uneven cake layers was: buy the cake pan strips and dip in cold water prior to wrapping them around the pans before putting them in the oven. This cooks the cakes evenly and helps with the cakes falling.
Made this cake today as part of a layered chocolate/yellow cake with mocha buttercream filling between layers and chocolate buttercream frosting on the outside for my son’s 14th birthday. Simply amazing yellow cake. Perfect taste and texture. Thanks!!!
Sounds like an amazing cake, Marc! Thanks for the comment!
Tasty! Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I used this recipe along with your chocolate buttercream icing and will use them again next time there’s an occasion that calls for yellow cake.
Great cake!!! Made it a few days ago it o oh lasted 24 hours in my house making two tomorrow for Christmas. Thanks!!
Curious to know what the importance of sifting is with the flour? I am somewhat new to baking, have seen the verbiage but never done it. Thanks
Sifting makes for a lighter cake texture.
I normally don’t post. However, this cake is delicious. I did just a hint of lemon. This is an awesome recipe.
I made this recipe last night and my cake layers turned out great but I think I should have baked my cupcakes longer. The tops are still sticky but if you cut the top off the bottoms taste fantastic. On day one the cupcakes were, dare I say, too moist and airy! The cupcake holder held no shape (I’ll try grease proof baking cups next time, I thought these were but apparently not). But the next day they were much more dense so perhaps I just didn’t let them cool enough before taste testing. Great recipe and easy to follow.
I do have one question though. The batter itself and the cake as an after taste taste somewhat salty to me. I haven’t frosted them so perhaps the frosting will negate that taste, but can I make this recipe with unsalted butter or get rid of the additional salt and not ruin the integrity of the recipe? Did anyone else feel theirs was salty?
Thanks for the great recipe!! I’ll be adding almond extract next time to experiment.
Yes, you can use unsalted butter (or dial the salt in the recipe down a bit)