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
Ingredients: please read below the recipe for information on specific ingredients. I made and tested this cake over 16 times and have fine-tuned the ingredients and the methods. That isn’t to say you aren’t welcome to substitute and change, but in my yellow cake experience, this match up creates yellow cake perfection (substituting all-purpose flour, using cold eggs/milk, overly greasy soft butter, and a multitude of other factors can result in a dense, dry cake).
Cake Flour: if you are making your own cake flour using one of the two simple methods I posted about, don’t worry about making one cup of cake flour at a time, instead, use 210 grams all-purpose flour and 45 grams cornstarch; sift twice. Then add the other dry ingredients and sift once more.
For High Altitude: add an additional 2 1/2 tablespoons cake flour before sifting (that would be about 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour and 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch if using a homemade cake flour substitute).
Update: I’ve heard from several of you that while the cake tastes amazing, it is sinking in the middle or is baking flat. I can’t analyze the why’s too much because it will make my head pop off since I dedicated months of my life to this cake anyway. When I had too much leavening in the cake (2 teaspoons baking powder + 1 1/2 teaspoons soda), the cake rose too much in the oven and then deflated so I scaled it back to what worked perfectly for me. But here’s the deal, if you are worried about sunken layers, increase the baking soda. My suggestion would be 1/2 or 3/4 teaspoon.
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!
Disclaimer: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
I made this cake, and it was meh. Because the middle was still sunken and giggly after 28-ish minutes (as noted by others), I probably baked it too long. It resulted in a dry and unappetizing texture. If I ever make it again, I’ll up the baking soda, as noted.
I was worried since I’ve had bad experiences with yellow cake in the past, but this one was perfect. I adjusted the baking soda to 1/2 tsp per Mel’s notes. It was perfect.
absolutely best cake ever! rose perfectly…and the taste was awesome!! and i have been baking for about 60 years…thanks so much, sharing with my friends….
Cake baked up beautifully! It was a dream to work with! Followed recipe as written and baked two lovely 9-inch layers! Thank you Mel.
I was so excited to try this for my grandsons birthday cake. It was doing well up until the last 5 mins in the oven. It was rising then suddenly went down in the middle :(. I was so careful but obviously I made a mistake somewhere. so sad.
This cake got such great reviews I just had to try it! I made it today using Swans Down Cake Flour. This cake is absolutely amazing!! It’s so light, moist and delicious!
It’s The Best Tasting Yellow Cake I’ve ever made! I give 5 stars! I highly recommend this recipe and I’ll be making this again!! I frosted with chocolate buttercream!
I just took this out of the oven, been craving yellow cake for days. The biggest pain was allowing ingredients to come to room temp. I ended up baking in a 13×9 lighter colored metal pan. I set the timer for 35 minutes and came back to an overdone cake! I’m assuming my oven temperature is off, because I thought it would take longer to bake (based on previous reader comments). The flavor is really good though, but a little dry and crispy around the edges! Will make again. If you’re wanting to make in a different pan size than specified, watch the oven closely!
I’ve made this many times before and received rave reviews from family! Our favorite Birthday cake! I am getting ready to make today, but need to make I picnic cake 13 x 9, so I’m very thankful I read your comment. I’ll keep an eye on the oven! Happy Easter!
It was super moist and delicious!!
This cake was unbelievable. I had to make my own cake flour and I really appreciate your instructions on how to do so. Fabulous!!!
Great cake thanks for all your time an effort for us.
I have always wanted to try a half chocolate, half yellow cake (not marbled, but poured side by side into the same pan). I am considering trying this with this recipe and your “best chocolate cake” recipe (which have slightly different baking times). I’ve never done anything like this and am fairly new to baking cakes. Do you have any thoughts or advice on attempting something like this?
Hmmm, that will be an interesting experiment! The texture of both of the cakes is fairy different. This yellow cake has a slightly sturdier/firmer crumb while the chocolate cake is a bit lighter and slightly more fluffy so I don’t know how they’ll bake up next to each other. Good luck!
This cake is absolutely amazing!! Converts to cupcakes perfectly as well (and I struggle with cupcakes usually). The bottom creates a caramel flavor on the paper which is incredible. This, paired with fudge frosting, is now my go-to cake for both my brothers’ birthdays (they start checking that I’ll make it weeks before—they are obsessed). Thank you for this recipe and all of the information about the ingredients, it’s so helpful!!
Update: My brother requested a yellow chocolate chip cake this year. Has anyone tried this recipe with chocolate chips in the batter? Any tips?
Oh no I left out an egg by accident and it didn’t rise much
There are a lot of eggs in this recipe. I am concerned that it will have an “eggy taste”. Also some people complained about the cake not rising enough. Will whipping the eggs, sugar and butter for a longer time increase the volume and make the cake rise more?
Hi Dee, I’d encourage you to make the recipe as is before making changes. It really is a phenomenal recipe!
It’s in the oven. Time consuming to make but if the cake tastes anything like the tiny bit of batter I tried it will be amazing and worth the time. I have tried several yellow/vanilla cakes and they’re all too heavy and dense. I want something a bit lighter. I put it in a 13X9 rectangle pan, that’s what was requested, so we shall see how it comes out.
Becca, I’m curious how your cake turned out. I’m going to make a 9×13 today. How long did you bake it for? Same temp?
Is it best to mix in dry ingredients by hand with a spatula or in the kitchen aid/hand mixer?
You can mix in the dry ingredients with the stand mixer – just mix on low and don’t over mix.
Loved this recipe. Cake was delicious.
I have made this cake several times with no issues. I make it EXACTLY as written (I am not high altitude). The only thing I ever do different is if I am making it a day ahead of time before I frost, I make a small batch of simple syrup and use a pastry brush to brush lightly over the top to ensure it stays moist (may not be necessary but I’m a creature of habit and have always done this no matter what cake recipe I’m using). One big tip on the butter for those who may have had issues: if the butter is soft but has an oily sheen it’s too soft. I appreciate all the effort the author put into making sure we all ended up with the same amazing results. People need to remember that all ovens are different and because of that, bake times may vary. That’s not the author’s fault.
This is by far the best yellow cake Recipe I have found.It taste like the yellow cake my Mother use to make for Sunday dinner.I am 67 years old.Thank you.Thank you.
It was so good!!!!! I did a tad less than 1/2 tsp baking soda baked for 28 minutes and was perfect my whole family loved it. It’s not like corn bread at all or too sugary and it’s super light and fluffy just make sure u follow every step exactly and the temperature of ingredients should all be the same. Whipping the sugar and butter for 6 minutes in the beginning seemed long but made it so light and fluffy. Thank you so much!!
My batter was very thick. Thicker than a box mix that would pour easier out of the bowl (I never use boxed mixes myself), but it was very soft and easy to guide out of the bowl with the spatula. Does that sound like the right consistency? I measured everything the way the recipe said, even making my own cake flour using a scale, and all the sifting. I’m using a 9” round pan and a 6” so I hope it turns out!!
Yes, this cake batter is thicker than a boxed cake mix batter. Did it turn out?
Mel —
I’m making an Italian Cassata Cake at the moment (similar to Cannoli Cake) and this is the yellow sponge recipe I’m using as the base. I just pulled them out of the oven a few moments ago and they look beautiful. They did not fall whatsoever. I baked them for 28min and let them sit inside oven turned off for another 2min before taking them out. I used two 9″ Williams Sonoma Goldtouch Springform pans and my trusty Bak-Klene ZT Nonstick Spray (never fails me). Can’t wait to taste this tomorrow when we celebrate my daddy’s 75th birthday. I usually pay a lot of money to have his favorite Cassata Cake shipped from a pastry shop in Baltimore (they only do overnight), but this year I decided to step it up a notch. I think he’ll be thrilled! Thanks for your tireless efforts in perfecting this cake and your graciousness in sharing it with us. Your recipes haven’t failed me yet! God bless.
Hello! I just baked this cake (without altering any quantities of ingredients, I was able to make three 6-inch cakes and 12 cupcakes) and I have to say, it’s delicious! Very moist and it has the perfect “classic yellow cake” taste. I have just one complaint that prevented me from rating it five stars–it’s super crumbly and therefore hard to frost! Even after refrigerating the cake layers to make a “crumb coat” I still found it to be a bit difficult to frost nicely. Any ideas on what could be causing this; perhaps it’s the length of time I shortened my baking times by to account for my cakes smaller sizes? Thank you, Mel!
Hi Katie, if the cakes are super crumbly, it sounds to me like they might have been over baked by a few minutes?
This is an amazing recipe! It works beautifully, and my cake is still moist the next days.
I love this recipe! My husband and oldest daughter ask for it specifically every year for their birthdays and my husband says it is the best cake he has ever had. EVER. Super dense, flavorful…it is great. I have made it 3 or 4 times now and I get the same great results with no modifications, and I live at altitude. I have been baking for a long time and this cake beats all the rest!!
I thought I found the perfect recipe. You put so much work into it. Alas, no. I frosted a cornbread cake. My husband told me to just use a mix next time.
Me, too. I thought I followed it to a T. Not only was it dry and not fluffy, but it had less flavor and color. I even used Happy Egg eggs and yolks, which are yellow-orange. I couldn’t open a recipe I once made with a boxed cake mix that added pudding and extra oil so I tried this from scratch…..Baking is such an exact science. I owe my husband a belated cake. Might give him a boston cream donut instead. I know that’ll be moist!
This is by far the BEST yellow/vanilla cake I have ever made. I made it a few years ago, but for some reason I lost it and then I recently found it again. I made it this past Sunday and let me tell you, I frosted it with vanilla ABC and it is soooooo very good! The vanilla comes through so pronounced and pleasantly. Thank you so very much for this wonderful recipe. I will not be using any other recipe for yellow or vanilla cake.
I have made this recipe multiple times per request of people that have tasted it. It has always been perfect. I did just do a sheet cake 11×15. I doubled the recipe. It took 32 minutes. There was a slight dip in it, but otherwise great. Frosting will obscure any of that. Hope that helps.
Late to the party on this one, but this cake is SO good! I made it gluten free with KAF “measure for measure” and cornstarch to replace the cake flour. I got three thick 6 inch layers of this. Baked for about 35 minutes since the layers were tall. No sinking! Seriously so happy to have this recipe in my arsonal. Thank you!
This is the best yellow cake recipe hands down. My search has ended! It tastes just like a bakery cake (but better)…like the yellow cakes from your childhood birthdays!
Great recipe and appreciate all the tips. After reading all of the many many comments, I would think all the failures are “user error” of one kind or another. If the recipe was that bad or incorrect the failures would out pace the successes by a mile. For all those who have the need to post “nasty” comments instead of offering a thank you to Mel for going through the trouble and taking the time to post a recipe for everyone to make and enjoy, a simple “it didn’t work out for me” would do!
I made this cake for my birthday last year. I got a great yellow cake which I had been looking for that didn’t come out of a box. Birthday is tomorrow so planning on making it again. For the life of me I cant remember which chocolate frosting recipe I used. What was this one covered with?
I use this one: https://www.melskitchencafe.com/whipped-chocolate-buttercream-frosting/
Fabulous recipe! Follow as written….however…I used a 13x 9 pan and it took almost an hour….but that’s ok….wish I could post a photo! This is a bouncy, moist cake
Haven’t made it yet, but can tell it’s a fine recipe. But firstly, what about buttermilk instead of sour cream/milk? Do you know if that would be a better improvement as an ingredient? Great article though and look forward to making it as is. Thanks
I have no clue what these other people are talking about, this recipe is excellent! It turned out beautifully for me and has such a rich flavor. Thanks so much for working so hard on this recipe, it’ll definitely be my new go-to!
Absolutely Delicious! I’m a pastry chef and mastering the perfect yellow cake is always a challenge. The recipes out there are either too dry, cornbread consistency, flat, no flavor etc. I wanted to give this a try because I never use sour cream in any of my cake recipes BUT I have a specific brand that I use with my cheesecakes and when I have switched to a generic brand of sour cream, my cheesecake was terrible. I believe if you use the highest quality ingredients, your product will be exceptional. The brand of sour cream worked SO well in this recipe! Thank you for sharing!
tried this recipe TWICE. both times it turned out nasty. her comment on it “falling” is beyond me… it bakes over, bubbles on your oven floor, and then falls flatter than a pancake.
don’t waste your time on this nasty recipe.
Hi Kristen, sorry to hear this recipe didn’t work out for you. In all due respect, let me point out that it isn’t necessary to create additional profiles with different names and email addresses to also leave “nasty” reviews. I am able to tell from the dashboard that the IP address is the same, so I just went ahead and deleted all the other comments you left. 🙂
How do I bake 2 cake pans at the same time. I see various ways but would like your opinion please.
Is your oven big enough to put the cake pans side by side on the same rack?
worst cake ever, flat, horrible texture, just threw it away
couldn’t agree more. i bake all the time. this recipe is garbage.
Hi Mel,
I made this cake exactly to your instructions. Thanks for the detailed analysis of common changes and how they affect the outcome. I was convinced! The cake turned out perfectly. The only change I was forced to make is that the baking time needed about 10 more minutes – I’m assuming that my oven needs calibrating. I look forward to checking out other recipes from your blog.
Thanks for all your hard work Mel! Delicious ! Made it with a pastry cream and strawberries between layers and topped it with cream cheese frosting and strawberries !
I will keep this in my rotation ☺
Quick question. Have you tried 1 cup of buttermilk in place of 1/2 c milk and 1/2 c sour cream? I will try it with the sour cream since this will be my first go, but just curious, as I usually have buttermilk on hand.
I haven’t tried it with buttermilk but I believe others have.
I didn’t have cake flour, sour cream, or milk. Look at the “do not substitute” note and tried it anyways. So good, fluffy and moist!
My substitutes: vanilla greek yogurt, sugar-free vanilla almond milk, all purpose flour/corn starch combo. Reduced vanilla to 1/2tsp, removed 1 tbsp of sugar, and 1/2 tsp of soda.
Hello, Mel! I have tried previous recipes of yellow cake and they all seem to have the texture of cornbread, very disappointing. When I tried your recipe, I knew when I pulled it out of the oven that is was going to be delicious as it looked moist and fluffy. Well, let me tell you, your recipe was AMAZING! I am so happy because I made it for my sister and brother-in-law’s birthdays this past weekend. Their upcoming birthdays are back-to-back Oct 13/Oct 14 and have been married over 35 years. The cake was beautiful and made the event extra special. All the guest enjoyed it.
I doubled the recipe, used 8-inch pans, and put about 2-1/2 cups of batter in each cake pan. I followed all your suggestions. Brought the eggs to room temperature and also the mixture of milk and sour cream to room temperature. Used 3/4 tsp baking soda. My cake turned out moist, fluffy, and rose perfectly. I did add colored sprinkles to the cake per my sister’s request. I used baking strips so the sides of the cake did not turn brown. After the cake was completely cooled, I wrapped it in plastic wrap and left it out until I was ready to frost the next morning. I did not refrigerate it.
I would of made your recipe for buttercream frosting but had to use a different recipe that used shortening (for stability) and powdered because the weather here in Cali was a bit warm for buttercream.
Thank you, Mel, for all your hard work and sharing your tried and true recipe for yellow cake! Finally a yellow cake that I can be proud of giving to family and friends.
Wow, wow, wow! This cake is pure perfection! My family loved it. The only thing I did differently was I increased the baking soda to 1/2 tsp (pursuant to your notes). Thanks to all your hard work, I have found my go to yellow cake recipe.
I am anxious to try this recipe! I am a very beginner baker so I have a very basic question. If I am not able to bake the cake on the same day that I want to serve it can I make it a day ahead of time? Would I frost the cake and store it covered for 24 hrs?
Yes, you can frost a day ahead of time. There’s always a risk the cake may dry out a little (I recommend leaving it at cool room temperature vs refrigerating it).
Warning to all cake bakers out there: DO NOT refrigerate your cake! I’m so sad! I made this cake yesterday to serve to house guests tonight. In my ignorance I refrigerated it thinking that was the best way to keep it. Even though I took it out of the fridge a couple of hours before I served it, it was dry-ish and dense. Very disappointed that I ruined this cake’s texture. Arghhhh!
I had been so excited to test this cake out and see what all the fuss was about. Oh well, I guess I’ll need to make it again, right? Thank you, Mel, for your meticulous work to help us be amaze-balls in the kitchen! 🙂
A follow up note: after the cake warmed up on the counter overnight, it was much softer and lighter in texture. So…yay! Great cake! 🙂 Thanks, Mel!
Looks like my previous comment didn’t post. It went something like…Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!! Definitely one of my ULTIMATE “Go-To” recipes. PERFECT every time! Couple of questions: Can the sour cream/milk combo be subbed with buttermilk? Can I bake a day ahead and stored in a Ziploc or container on the counter until ready to assemble? Have you tested doubling the recipe or do you recommend not doing so? Thank you
One more question…Have you tested doubling the recipe or do you recommend not? Thank you
I haven’t tried doubling – sorry!
Thank you Thank you Thank you…This recipe is a LIFE SAVER & my ULTIMATE “Go-T0”!!! Only one question, Can the sour cream/milk combo be subbed with buttermilk? Also, is it OK to bake a day ahead and store on the counter in a Ziploc or container until ready to assemble?
Way to sweet. Baked fine but this cake was so sweet without icing on it even my wife a self admitted sweets fiend said its to sweet. I ended up tossing it out and going with a recipe I’ve used before. Nice crumb and cake structure just cut the sugar back way back.