This is the best yellow cake recipe! Made from scratch with simple ingredients, it’s dense and moist with a perfect crumb! Topped with chocolate buttercream frosting it's the ultimate birthday cake. Ditch boxed mixes and make this homemade yellow cake instead.
We have a large family, so we celebrate a lot of birthdays every year. I used to use box cake mixes, but I just didn't love the idea of using a highly processed ingredients for all of our (many) birthday celebrations. So, I created this yellow cake recipe that's seriously the best I've ever had.
This yellow cake recipe is made completely from scratch with simple ingredients. It’s dense and moist with a perfect crumb. It's seriously so delicious I had a friend remark that they usually only eat the frosting and leave the cake behind, but that this yellow cake was so good they ate the entire slice!
Frosted with our favorite chocolate buttercream recipe or homemade vanilla frosting, it's the ultimate birthday cake. Ditch boxed mixes and make this homemade yellow cake instead.
Yellow Cake Recipe: Ingredients & Substitutions
Let's discuss the ingredients in this recipe, as well as possible substitutions.
- All-purpose flour. Cake flour or bread flour can be used in place of all-purpose flour.
- Salted butter. Unsalted butter can be used in place of salted, if desired.
- Granulated sugar. There isn't a substitute for the sugar. I suggest regular white sugar or organic cane sugar for the best results.
- Canola oil. Oil keeps this yellow cake very moist. You can substitute equal amounts of melted butter or another neutral oil if desired, however canola oil will yield the best results.
- Sour cream. Full-fat, plain Greek yogurt can be used in place of sour cream. I recommend using full-fat ingredients.
- Whole milk. Again, full-fat whole milk is the best choice. You can substitute 2% milk but nothing with a lower fat content.
- Vanilla extract. You can switch up the extract and use almond, orange, etc. if you prefer a flavored yellow cake.
How to make yellow cake from scratch
This yellow cake recipe makes two, 6" round cakes. You can double the recipe to make two, 9" round cakes, if desired. We'll walk through how to make yellow cake step-by-step, and don't forget to watch the video!
Prepare the cake pans
Line two 6” round cake pans with parchment paper and grease well. Set aside. I like to line them by tracing the bottom of the cake pans onto parchment paper and then drawing "handles" out of opposite sides (see below). This makes it very easy to lift the cake out after baking.
Combine Dry Ingredients
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and sea salt. Set the mixture aside to use later. This step is important to ensure the ingredients are evenly distributed and that there are no lumps.
Combine wet ingredients
Next, combine the wet ingredients. In the bowl of a standing mixer, or in a large bowl with a hand-held mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy (1-2 minutes).
Add eggs and vanilla and beat until fluffy (60 seconds).
Next, add the sour cream, milk and canola oil and beat until combined.
Add dry ingredients
Once the wet mixture is smooth, add the dry ingredient mixture and beat until just combined. Do not over-mix.
Bake & Cool
Divide the batter evenly into the two prepared cake pans.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until top is set and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean or with a few crumbs.
Place cake pans on a wire cooling rack to cool to room temperature (takes about 30 minutes).
Once cool, lift cakes out of the pans and remove parchment paper. Let cool completely on the wire cooling rack.
Freeze
I often bake this homemade yellow cake recipe a few days before I need to frost it and store it in the freezer. Simply wrap each cake layer tightly with plastic wrap, put them in a ziplock bags and store in the freezer.
Even if you plan on frosting this yellow cake the same day you bake it, I still recommend freezing it before frosting. Frosting a a cake when it's frozen prevents crumbs from getting into the frosting.
Frost
Once the cakes are completely cooled, frost or decorate them any way you wish. I either use this chocolate frosting or this vanilla frosting to make our yellow birthday cakes! Don't forget to do a crumb coat first - a thin base layer of frosting to keep crumbs from getting into your final design.
Chill
If you decorate the cake with a design (like rosettes, etc.) I recommend chilling it in the refrigerator until the frosting hardens and the design sets.
Serve
If you decorated the yellow cake and chilled it in the refrigerator, remove it from the fridge 1-2 hours before serving so it can come to room temperature - because that's how it tastes best! This is another reason why I typically bake cakes in advance. I frost it the day before someone's birthday so it has time to chill/set and then come to room temperature to eat!
We like eating cake with a side of ice cream, like this homemade vanilla ice cream or homemade chocolate ice cream. A dollop of homemade whipped cream also tastes amazing!
FAQs about How to make Yellow Cake from Scratch
Here are my answers to some commonly asked questions about making this homemade yellow cake recipe.
Yes! This recipe is easily doubled and baked in two, 9" round cake pans. This is a great option if you will be making the cake for a large crowd.
Note: When I make this recipe as written for my family of 8, everyone usually eats three servings (slices) before the cake is gone, so don't let the 6" round cake size fool you - it's a lot of cake still!
This recipe yields the best, moist yellow cake from scratch that you will ever eat. To ensure it turns out that way be careful not to over-bake, and measure all the ingredients properly and precisely.
I use either this chocolate buttercream frosting or homemade vanilla frosting to decorate this easy yellow recipe. I use the following tools to decorate (after my kids choose their design):
Piping bags - I have both reusable and disposable piping bags and use them all the time.
Piping tips and couplers - I recommend a great starter tip and coupler set. However I always make this rosette style cake with a Wilton 1M tip and large coupler.
Pastry Scraper. I use this pastry scraper to make a smooth crumb coat. I love it so much!
If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don't forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube - be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can your creations!
Best Yellow Cake Recipe (From scratch)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- ½ cup salted butter softened
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- ¼ cup canola oil
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Recipe
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line two 6” round (3” deep) cake pans with parchment paper and grease well. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and sea salt. Set aside
- In the bowl of a standing mixer, or in a large bowl with a hand-held mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy (1-2 minutes).
- Add eggs and vanilla and beat until fluffy (60 seconds).
- Add sour cream, milk and canola oil and stir until combined.
- Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined.
- Divide the batter evenly into the two prepared cake pans.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until top is set and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean or with a few crumbs.
- Place cake pans on a wire cooling rack to cool to room temperature (takes about 30 minutes).
- Once cool, lift cakes out of the pans and remove parchment paper. Let cool completely on the wire cooling rack.
- Once cool, with chocolate frosting and serve.
Video
Notes
Double the recipe
This recipe can be doubled and baked in two, round 9" cake pans.Freeze
I often bake this homemade yellow cake recipe a few days before I need to frost it and store it in the freezer. Wrap each cake layer tightly with plastic wrap, put them in a ziplock bags and store in the freezer. Even if you plan on frosting this yellow cake the same day you bake it, I still recommend freezing it before frosting.How to decorate a yellow cake
I use either this chocolate buttercream frosting or homemade vanilla frosting to decorate this yellow cake recipe. I use the following tools to decorate (after my kids choose their design):- Piping bags - I have both reusable and disposable piping bags and use them all the time.
- Piping tips and couplers - I recommend a great starter tip and coupler set. However I always make this rosette style cake with a Wilton 1M tip and large coupler.
- Pastry Scraper. I use this pastry scraper to make a smooth crumb coat.
Ingredient Substitutions
- All-purpose flour. Cake flour or bread flour can be used in place of all-purpose flour.
- Salted butter. Unsalted butter can be used in place of salted, if desired.
- Granulated sugar. There isn't a substitute for the sugar. I suggest regular white sugar or organic cane sugar for the best results.
- Canola oil. Oil keeps this yellow cake very moist. You can substitute equal amounts of melted butter or another neutral oil if desired, however canola oil will yield the best results.
- Sour cream. Full-fat, plain Greek yogurt can be used in place of sour cream. I recommend using full-fat ingredients.
- Whole milk. Again, full-fat whole milk is the best choice. You can substitute 2% milk but nothing with a lower fat content.
- Vanilla extract. You can switch up the extract and use almond, orange, etc. if you prefer a flavored yellow cake.
Beth
Hi, my family loves your choc chip cookie recipe so I came back to your site for a cake recipe.
Your directions at the top say to include the sugar in the dry mix. Then down low it says to cream butter and sugar.
I already mixed the sugar in with dry ingredients so had to see it through.
The vanilla seemed to create a curdled effect on the butter but I kept going as this was a 3x go and I was all in!
Milk and sour cream were added still had a curdled texture.
When I finally brought all the ingredients together I had a cake batter consistency and was relieved! The cakes baked up super nice and can’t wait to taste them tomorrow.
Anyhow you might want to edit that portion of the instructions!
Thank you for sharing your delicious recipes with the world!
Laura
Hey Beth! Thank you! I looked at the recipe and it reads, "In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and sea salt. Set aside" (Direction #3). I hope that clears up the confusion. The sugar was not supposed to be added with the dry mixture.
Beth
Here’s where it is up higher on the page:
“COMBINE DRY INGREDIENTS
In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and sea salt. Set the mixture aside to use later. This step is important to ensure the ingredients are evenly distributed and that there are no lumps. “
🙂
Laura
Ahhh!!! Thank you! I didn't see that!! I fixed it!
Lacy
Can you bake in a rectangle dis for 1 layer instead of two? If so what would be the length of time to cook it?
Maya
Hi, I am definitely going to make this recipe! ♥
I did want to ask though, how large is one serving? Is it one slice (as shown in the video)? It says 16 servings but the cake in the video looked as if it had around 6 slices. Or do the video's cake and the recipe's cake have a different amount of ingredients?
Thank you🙂
Laura
I calculated the nutritional information based off of the cake making 16 servings. We have 8 people in our family and a 6" round cake usually yields two pieces per person (one on the birthday celebration and one as bonus leftovers the next day). But if you have big eaters, they might want larger slices.