Whether you're celebrating a special occasion or simply craving a sweet treat, this delightful cake is the ultimate comfort food! It brings smiles to faces and fill hearts with happiness.
So grab your apron, preheat that oven, and let's get baking!
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Table of Contents
❤️ Why you'll love it
- Just as quick as a box mix, but so much tastier
- Easy cake to make without any special baking skills, tools, or ingredients
- The chocolate icing is good enough to lick straight off of the spatula
This homemade yellow cake recipe has a buttery, tender crumb and tastes just like the classic treat you loved as a kid.
It's the perfect cake for special occasions, family birthday parties, and no occasion at all—cake makes any boring day feel like a celebration!
📖 Variations
- Ditch the cake layers and opt for a yellow sheet cake! Pour all of the batter into a 13x9-inch pan. The baking time will be about the same.
- Switch up the style and make cupcakes by portioning the cake batter into a cupcake tin. Start checking for doneness after about 15 minutes.
- We love to add about one tablespoon of lemon or orange zest to the batter. It gives the vanilla cake a delicate, dreamy citrus flavor.
- It's subtle, but feel free to omit the almond extract if you don't like it. Just use a touch more vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste, instead.
- This recipe makes the perfect birthday cake. Stir some colorful sprinkles into the batter before baking and you'll have a homemade funfetti cake!
- The chocolate buttercream frosting is supreme—you have to try it! This classic yellow cake recipe is tasty with any frosting, so feel free to use whatever. Irish Cream Whipped Frosting would be great!
🥫 How to store leftovers
Homemade cakes don't have preservatives like store-bought yellow cake mix. This means your delicious dessert won't keep as long.
That shouldn't be an issue if your household is anything like mine.
Store the leftovers at room temperature. Keep them on a serving plate with a cover or sealed with plastic wrap.
Enjoy within two days.
Want your from-scratch cake to last a little longer?
Tightly wrap it (whole or slices) in one layer of plastic wrap, then one layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for one month, thawing at room temperature before digging in.
The homemade chocolate frosting makes enough for the whole cake. If you have some leftover, spoon it into an airtight container.
It'll keep for about a week. Use it on another cake, or dip sliced fruit and shortbread cookies into it!
💭 Things to know
Expert Tip: Use room temperature ingredients for best results! This ensures that your buttery cake comes out fluffy and perfectly moist.
- Line your pans with parchment paper cut into circles for a guarantee your cakes won't stick. You still need to butter and flour the parchment and the sides of the cake pans.
- Cream the butter and sugar until it's fluffy and lighter in color. It'll take about three or four minutes. Most home cooks stop too soon.
- When adding the dry ingredients and buttermilk to the wet ingredients, use the low speed of your electric mixer, or mix it all together by hand.
- Don't remove the cakes from the pans when they're piping hot. Instead, let the cakes cool for 5 minutes. They won't tear when you flip 'em out.
- Make sure the cake cools completely before you add frosting. Wire cooling racks speed up the process and prevent soggy layers.
👩🍳 FAQs
White cakes only use egg whites. Yellow butter cakes, however, use whole eggs. The bright, yellow egg yolks give this dessert extra richness and contribute to its namesake, golden coloring!
Nope! The best yellow cake recipes have a little more texture to them, and all-purpose flour does the trick. It'll taste just like the cake Mom used to make—no fancy or fussy ingredients needed!
Stick a toothpick into the center. When the cake is done, it will come out clean or have just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. You can also use an instant-read thermometer. The cake is finished baking when the center registers a temperature of 200 degrees F.
Are you measuring ingredients properly? Have the refrigerated ingredients come to room temperature? Did you beat the sugar and butter long enough? And, don't forget: once the flour mixture goes into the batter, stir gently, just until it comes together, for a more tender cake.
This yellow layer cake recipe is tried and true—as long as you follow the directions and tips carefully, you'll be good to go!
📚 Related recipes
- Vintage Buttermilk Cake is called "white velvet" for good reason. It's so soft and tender and tastes fabulous with tangy cream cheese frosting.
- Topped with chocolate fudge frosting, this classic Vanilla Layer Cake is super moist and one of my easier recipes—even if you don't bake much!
- Want an even easier option? Strawberry Angel Food Cake is a no-bake treat, perfect for when you're craving a classic dessert but don't have time to spare.
🍽️ Serve with...
- Homemade Ice Cream—what's better than old-fashioned yellow cake served a la mode? Nothing, the answer is nothing!
- Boston Cream Poke Cake—make the yellow cake in a sheet pan and use it as a base for this unique and fun poke-style dessert!
📞 The last word
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Classic Yellow Cake Recipe
Print Pin Recipe Save Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
Cake
- ½ cup butter
- 1-¼ cups white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1-¼ cups buttermilk
- 1-¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoons baking soda
- Pinch kosher salt
Frosting
- ½ cup butter
- 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
- 1 pound powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¾ cup heavy cream
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease and flour two 9" round pans.
- Sift together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt)
- Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time and then stir in the vanilla and almond.
- Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk, mixing just until incorporated.
- Pour batter into prepared pans, scraping out the mixing bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Allow to cool completely before frosting.
Frosting
- Melt chocolate and butter in the microwave, or in the top of a double boiler.
- Let cool.
- In a large bowl, combine confectioners' sugar, vanilla and ½ cup of the cream.
- Blend in the melted chocolate mixture.
- Add remaining cream, a little at a time, whipping until desired consistency is achieved.
- Let stand until spreadable .
- Frosting will thicken as it cools.
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients.
- Cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
- A homemade yellow cake recipe will go stale faster than a store bought cake because of the lack of preservatives. Eat within a few days or freeze.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
First published September 21, 2007. Last updated June 23, 2023.
Lee Rosenberg says
This would have been great but because of the photo and the requirement for cake pans (plural) I assumed the recipe was for two layers. I thought the 2x was for making a larger cake.....duh. So I got two pancakes that were almost delicious but for the dryness. For morons like me it would be clearer to write one layer, 2 layers etc rather than 1x etc. some of us nonbakers don’t know the lingo. Will try again.
Marye says
I make 2 layers with that recipe - exactly like in the image. Sorry it didn't work for you. Try 8" pans.
Kristal says
This cake was sooo delicious and extremely easy to make. I paired it with a blueberry compote it worked perfectly 🥰.
Marye says
🙂 Thanks - I am SO glad you liked it!
Mary L. says
Can this cake and frosting be made a day ahead and refrigerated overnight?
Marye says
Yes or left (covered) on the counter.
Patty says
So how much of the cake batter extract do you add and do you still use the vanilla and almond extract with the cake batter extract? This cake looks so good!
Marye says
I use about a teaspoon - and I use it in place of the other flavorings.
Laila Soubra says
Everyons needs a good yellow cake recipe in their files. Thank you. Can you double the recipe for a bundt cake?
Marye Audet says
That should be fine. 🙂
Carlee says
Yellow cake with chocolaty frosting is one of my favorite dessert combinations. This looks amazing!
Healing Tomato says
It has been a really long time since I have had a classic good yellow cake. This is the one I want to try. Great Recipe
Christie says
I love a bittersweet chocolate frosting. I often find frosting too sweet. Yours sounds perfect.
Kim - Liv Life says
What a sweet story!! And bittersweet chocolate frosting?? I"m totally sold!! Bittersweet is my all time favorite. I have to admit I haven't made cake in ages (even though my daughter has asked for it...) You have me totally inspired!
Renee J. (RJFlamingo) says
You are 100% correct - Would you believe that I don't have a good, simple yellow cake in my repertoire? Now, I do! Pinned and Stumbled, too!
Monica says
I love this recipe, and return to it time and time again....
marye says
🙂 I love it too. simple, yummy....yummy...simple...