Yellow Cake Recipe

After culinary school and before starting Once Upon a Chef, I ran a small cake business, so I’ve baked my fair share of layer cakes. This yellow cake was—and still is—one of my favorites because it gives you everything you want in a homemade yellow cake: buttery, vanilla-scented layers with a soft, fine crumb. Best of all, it uses an easy two-stage mixing method that’s practically foolproof. And while you can pair it with just about any frosting, rich chocolate buttercream is the classic and hard to beat.

• Cake flour: Gives the cake its soft, fine crumb. It has less protein than all-purpose flour, so it develops less gluten and produces a more tender cake.
• Granulated sugar: Sweetens the cake and also helps keep it moist and tender.
• Baking soda: Provides the leavening and works with the acidity in the buttermilk to help the cake rise.
• Salt: Balances the sweetness and brings out the butter and vanilla flavors.
• Unsalted butter: Gives the cake its rich, buttery flavor. Make sure it’s fully softened so it blends easily and evenly into the dry ingredients.
• Buttermilk: Adds moisture and tenderness, along with a subtle tang that balances the sweetness. (If you don’t have any buttermilk on hand, see my post on how to make buttermilk using milk and vinegar.)
• Eggs: Whole eggs give yellow cake its characteristic golden color, as well as richness and structure.
• Vanilla extract: Adds the warm vanilla flavor that’s essential to a classic yellow cake.
• Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements

Mixing Method

This cake uses a different mixing method than you might be used to. Instead of the traditional creaming method—where butter and sugar are beaten first, followed by eggs, flour, and liquid—this recipe uses the “high-ratio” or “two-stage” method.

The dry ingredients, including the sugar, are mixed first. Then all of the butter and half the liquid ingredients are added to coat and moisten the dry mix. Finally, the remaining liquid is added, and the batter is beaten until pale and creamy.

Popularized by pastry chef and author Rose Levy Beranbaum, this method works for cakes where the sugar equals or exceeds the flour by weight. It’s faster and easier than creaming and produces a fine-crumbed, velvety, and tender cake.

How To Make Yellow Cake

Step 1: Mix the wet ingredients. Whisk the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla together in a bowl or large measuring cup. Don’t be concerned if the mixture starts to look a little curdled as it sits—that’s normal.

Step 2: Mix the dry ingredients. Add the cake flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Give the dry ingredients a quick mix on low so everything is evenly distributed.

Step 3: Mix the batter. The batter comes together in three stages. First, the softened butter and half of the buttermilk mixture are mixed into the dry ingredients. Next, the remaining buttermilk mixture is gradually added, and the batter will start to loosen and smooth out. After a few minutes of mixing, it should be pale, smooth, and creamy, with no streaks of butter or pockets of dry flour remaining.

Step 5: Assemble and frost. If the cooled cakes have domed slightly, use a long serrated knife to trim the tops so the layers will stack evenly. Set the first layer on a serving plate and spread a generous layer of chocolate buttercream over the top. Add the second layer, then frost the top and sides. An offset spatula makes the job easier, but there’s no need to fuss over a perfectly smooth finish—a few swirls look great.

Pro Tip: If you’re picking up crumbs as you frost, apply a thin “crumb coat” first and chill the cake briefly before adding the final layer of buttercream.