- 9
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar (13 ounces, 368 grams)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 large egg yolks, room temperature
- 2 1/4 cups cake flour, lightly measured (9 ounces, 255 grams), see note for high altitude adjustments
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda (see note)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup milk (1% or above), room temperature
- 1/2 cup sour cream (light or regular), room temperature
Preparation
Step 1
Kitchen Tip: How to Easily Make Your Own Cake Flour {Two Methods}
a big day. Monumental, some would say. But probably only if they are a total baking nerd like me. So yeah, I’ll stop waiting around for any phone calls. While this post is a bit involved (I couldn’t help but share the testing results with you!), the truth is, the actual 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.
I’ve been amused by all of you who have left comments and emailed me about what on earth I’ve done with all 16+ yellow cakes; apparently this is a source of much concern. There were two or three variations that honestly were inedible (either burned or so dry, even my toddler couldn’t choke them down). The others have been widely shared with friends and company and I even have a few unfrosted layers hanging out in my freezer for when we get the hankering to crumble it up and toss it on some ice cream. So rest your weary minds: the yellow cakes were well taken care of and devoured, although I don’t think anyone in my family will be requesting a yellow cake for his/her birthday for a long time. We are a little yellow-caked out.
For all of you interested in the ins and outs of testing, I’ve included probably more details than anyone wants below the recipe. If you don’t give a hoot (don’t worry, I still love you), the recipe is below just waiting for you to make it.
Makes two 9-inch layers or three 8-inch layers
, 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.
Directions
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.
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.
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.
(as mentioned above in the post), who encouraged me to scale down the whole eggs from four to three and add 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. Know what I mean? I was quite in awe of the difference two egg yolks made. However, when I used all egg yolks and no whites, the cake was slightly gummy and not as fluffer-fluffy as I wanted.
(yes, she’s brilliant and I want to be her when I grow up), helping me troubleshoot my cake conundrums, suggested that a bit of acid in the recipe would create the tenderness I was after. 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.
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. And uh, I don’t want cake that tastes like 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
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).
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 recipe. The last few cakes I made were so good. But just not quite
. I should have considered sifting earlier on, but again, I was trying to minimize fussiness. 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).
Homemade Yellow Cake Mix
Light and Fluffy Yellow Cupcakes
I made this cake recipe this past weekend and it did not disappoint! It was absolutely amazing! This recipe makes me so happy! Thank you Mel!!!
I made this Saturday and it was really really good! The first slice I had (two hours after it came out of the oven) didn’t really impress me. My husband on the other hand who is not a dessert person at all went back for seconds (he doesn’t even like cake for his birthday he likes milkshakes)! The second slice I tried after dinner rocked my world. I used the chocolate butter cream recipe you posted a few weeks ago and it all was just perfect. This is my new go to yellow cake recipe!
Hi Mel, I made this cake plus the chocolate frosting for a small party the other day. I topped the whole thing with sliced strawberries and served with cream. Everyone said it was – quote – Fabulous! and it really was. Light, moist, fluffy, and tender. I made it in 2 x 9″ tins and may try it in 3 x 8″ tins next. Thanks for the recipe! x
Mel, this cake is SO good! I’ve tried many different yellow cake recipes, including Cook’s Illustrated and Shirley Corriher’s, but I think your recipe is now the one I’ll use. I followed your instructions to the letter and weighed all the ingredients, and the cake turned out very moist, tender, and fluffy. I used one of the layers for a strawberry shortcake, and I wrapped up the second layer and put it in the freezer. A week later, my husband thawed it and had a slice—plain—and, HOLY COW! The texture had become ever-so-slightly more dense, and it tasted like the best pound cake ever. With every bite, he kept saying, “This is SO good. My god, this is good.” Thanks for your tireless research and testing to bring us this recipe!
My cake turned out exactly like Laurels…. I even measured and followed directions to a T. So strange… I’ll try it again someday… You are amazing Mel and I absolutely love everything you do.
Next time I think I’ll add 6 ounces of chocolate, just to see how it compares.
I’m back and I figured it out!! Thank goodness you perfected everything for me and all I had to make was 3 cakes.
I’m at 5,660 so I added 1 T more milk, 1/8 t baking soda, 1 1/4 t baking powder.
So one important question – any thoughts on this in a bundt pan? I know I’d need to increase the cooking time, but do I need to use more ingredients (like 1.5 times?) or do anything else differently? I’m trying to make a yellow cake for my dad’s birthday and he is quite skeptical of me using anything other than a boxed cake mix combined with a boxed pudding mix. Thanks!!
This cake does tend to be a little sticky in regular cake pans so make sure to grease and flour the heck out of your bundt pan.
Love how this recipe reads – I am on a mission to make a marble layer cake for an upcoming birthday. Wondering if I took a cup of the batter and then added either 2 oz melted chocolate or a 1/4 cup of high grade cocoa and then swirled? What do you think?
Wendy – Generally for marbled cakes you need to swirl the yellow batter with another batter, in your case chocolate, so instead of swirling melted chocolate or straight cocoa you might try adding a bit of cocoa to half of the yellow cake batter and using that to swirl. I haven’t tried it so I am not sure how adding cocoa will affect the yellow batter. You could also use another chocolate cake recipe for swirling. Good luck!
Here’s something to try for those who have trouble with cakes sinking in the middle – baking strips on the outside of your pan. Wilton and a few others make them (sometimes called ‘bake even’ strips). I’m at about 4500 ft, and find they really work well here. You soak them in water first, then wrap them around the pan. I prefer the ones that are pinned rather than Velcro so that I can adjust according to pan size (or use two for my larger pans).
I’ve been on the lookout for the best cake recipe. I’ve made so many cakes that haven’t matched up with my expectations. I have to say you nailed it. This cake was delicious, fluffy, and moist. Just what I’d expect from a homemade cake. It did take a little more planning ahead but well worth the effort. Thanks so much. If I wanted to convert this to a white cake what would you suggest since the yolks were so important in this recipe?
I added the extra baking soda you recommended. I weighed everything (with a newly-calibrated scale). The cakes looked beautiful in the oven but ended up being very thin and dry. So sad. I wonder where I messed it up. I think you are amazing and know it was me who ruined it and not the recipe’s fault. I made it for my son’s first birthday and he dug right into it! Thank you for all of your hard work for us helpless chefs!
Emily – The increase in baking soda is just a suggestion for those that have had cakes fall which can happen based on altitude and other factors. It could be that you had the same thing happen to you that happened to me – because of the increase in baking soda, there was too much leavening and that can make the cake fall into thin layers (that’s the reason I scaled the baking soda back to 1/4 teaspoon). The 1/4 teaspoon soda works the best for me so I’d encourage you to make it per the recipe and see if that helps next time. I am glad your son still enjoyed it despite it being thin!
Worked great for my daughter’s birthday cake! Very tasty! Topped it with Deb’s Caramel cake caramel topping instead of frosting – so good! The texture and flavor and rise were all great. I did add 1/2 t. baking soda instead of 1/4 t. though, but everything else was the same (I use a scale and love the weight measurements – so much more precise and that’s important!)
Mel, have you ever doubled this recipe with success? Having tested it out and declared it a winner, I now have an occasion that requires a larger cake. I know straight doubling doesn’t necessarily work as the leavening agents don’t necessarily double…etc. so if you have successful larger volume amounts, that would be great. If you haven’t doubled, I will just make the recipe twice to be safe. Thanks!
rmd – I totally know what you mean and wish I had doubled it so you didn’t have to go to the extra work but I haven’t yet. If it were me, I’d probably make the recipe twice instead of doubling. If I do double it, I’ll be sure to post an update. Good luck!
Any ideas on how to incorporate coconut into this to make it a yellow coconut cake? I wasn’t sure if just adding dry coconut would change the texture. I don’t want a dense cake. Thanks for any suggestions!
Daphne – It’s a great idea but I haven’t tried it so I don’t know how coconut would affect the texture. If it were me, I’d whisk in a cup or so of shredded coconut with the dry ingredients and incorporate that way. Coconut usually doesn’t absorb moisture so I’m not sure it will dry out the cake but it might change the texture a bit.
So…I made this cake and brushed it with rum Chata. The cakes did sink a bit in the middle…got a little darker than I would have liked on top bc the centers weren’t cooked. Texture seemed great though! I cut each later in two to make 4 layers. I put cake, vanilla ricotta cannoli filling, cake, chocolate ricotta cannoli filling with coconut, cake, another vanilla layer, cake, and iced it with European buttercream. Topped it with toasted unsweetened coconut and chocolate ganache drizzle. The fillings are not very sweet, but the cake and buttercream should help with that. So excited to taste it for my mother in law’s bday tonight!!!! I’d add a pic if I could!
This cake is perfected!!! I’ve made it twice now. the second time I added 1T of lemon zest (which was a little wet with juice) and my son did the beating (I think a little overbeat). It sank a little and was a little heavy, but still really good. I added a batch of the lemon curd from the no bake lemon cheesecake to the Magical frosting and it was a winning lemon cake!
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I'm Mel; I make family-friendly food from scratch that speaks to my soul (and that doesn't take all day to make). And then I share it with you!
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