The Best Yellow Cake Food

YELLOW BIRTHDAY CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease two 9-inch cake pans, line with parchment paper rounds (see #6 in Cake Baking Tips), then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans. I recommend using nonstick spray for greasing.
• Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
• Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed for 3 full minutes. The creamed butter and sugar will be extra creamy. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Turn the mixer down to medium-high speed and beat in the 4 egg yolks one at a time, letting each egg yolk fully mix into the batter before adding the next. Beat in the vanilla extract until combined.
• Add about 1/3 of the dry ingredients and 1/2 of the buttermilk and beat on low speed until combined. Add 1/3 more of the dry ingredients and the rest of the buttermilk and beat on low speed until combined. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and beat on low speed until combined. The batter is very thick. You may need to whisk it all by hand to make sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl.
• Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar together on high speed until fluffy peaks form, about 3 minutes. See photo and video above for a visual. Slowly and gently fold the egg whites into the thick cake batter. Avoid over-mixing as you don't want to deflate the egg whites.
• Pour/spoon batter evenly into cake pans.
• Bake for around 27-31 minutes or until the cakes are baked through. After about 18 minutes, tent the cakes with aluminum foil to prevent the tops and sides from over-browning. To test the cakes for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it's done. The cakes may look a little spongey on top as a result of the whipped egg whites. (That's normal!)
• Allow cakes to cool completely in the pans set on a wire rack. The cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling.
• With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder, 3 Tablespoons heavy cream, salt, and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high speed and beat for 1 full minute. Do not over-whip. Add 1/4 cup more confectioners' sugar or cocoa powder if frosting is too thin or 1-2 more Tablespoons of cream if frosting is too thick. (I usually add 1 more.) Taste. Add another pinch of salt if desired.
• If cooled cakes are domed on top, use a large serrated knife to slice a thin layer off the tops to create a flat surface. This is called "leveling" the cakes. Discard or crumble over finished cake (or on ice cream!). Place 1 cake layer on your cake stand or serving plate. Evenly cover the top with frosting. Top with 2nd layer. (If desired, if the edges seem extra crumbly, apply a crumb coat which is a thin layer of frosting all over the cake. You can see I did this in the video tutorial above. Refrigerate the crumb coated cake for 15 minutes before adding the rest of the frosting.) Spread remaining frosting all over the top and sides. I always use an icing spatula and/or a bench scraper for the frosting. Garnish with sprinkles, if desired.
• For extra neat slices, refrigerate cake for 30-60 minutes before slicing. This helps the cake hold its shape when cutting.
• Cover leftover cake tightly and store at room temperature for up to 1 day or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

YELLOW CAKE WITH AMERICAN BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the bottom of two 8-inch round cake pans and line with waxed paper or parchment paper.
• Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder, then set aside. In a large bowl using an electric mixer, cream the granulated sugar and butter together until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and eggs, and beat until thoroughly mixed. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk, a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating for 1 minute. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes.
• Cool the cakes in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans and cool completely on the wire rack.
• For the buttercream: In a stand mixer fitted with a whip attachment, beat the butter with the vanilla and salt. A little at a time, mix in 5 cups of the confectioners' sugar and the milk and whip until smooth, adding more milk or up to 1 cup more confectioners' sugar if needed.
• Frost the top of one cake and place the second cake on top. Then spread the frosting over the top and sides of the cake. Serve at room temperature.

HOMEMADE YELLOW CAKE MIX

Steps:

• For the cake mix: Whisk together the flour, sugar, dry milk, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Store in a resealable bag in a cool dry place for up to 3 months until ready to use.
• To bake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 9-inch cake pans with parchment. Coat with cooking spray.
• Whisk 1 1/4 cup water, oil, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl until well combined and slightly frothy. Add the dry mix and whisk vigorously until well combined and smooth, about 50 strokes. Divide between the prepared cake pans. Bake until lightly golden and slightly puffed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool in the pans 5 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack right-side up to cool completely. Frost and decorate as desired.
• For cupcakes: Place liners in pans for 24 cupcakes. Fill each cup 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degrees F until golden, puffed and a toothpick comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. Cool completely before frosting as desired.

BEST YELLOW CAKE EVER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease two 9-inch x 1 1/2 inch cake plans line bottoms with parchment paper grease bottom and flour entire pan.
• In a medium bowl lightly combine the yolks, 1/4 cup milk, and vanilla.
• In a large mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients and mix on low speed for 30 seconds to blend.
• Add the butter and remaining 3/4 cup milk.
• Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened.
• Beat for 90 seconds at medium speed to develop cake structure.
• Stop mixer, scrape down the sides.
• Gradually add the egg/milk/vanilla mixture in 3 batches, beating 20 seconds after each addition.
• Stop mixer, scrape down the sides and give it a final mix by hand.
• Pour the batter in the prepared pans and smooth surface.
• (Pans will be half full.) Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in cake comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly in center.
• (The cakes should start to shrink from the sides of pans after taking them out of the oven.) Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes, then invert onto a buttered rack.
• Reinvert cakes so that tops are right side up.
• Cool to room temperature and wrap tightly with plastic wrap.

YELLOW SHEET CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-by-13-inch cake pan.
• Combine the buttermilk and vanilla in a medium bowl. Combine the flour, the sugar, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat with the paddle attachment on low speed until well mixed. Add the oil and beat until evenly distributed. With the machine running, add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time and beat until fully incorporated. The mixture will look like coarse sand.
• Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping the bowl occasionally. While beating, add the buttermilk mixture in a slow, steady stream. Beat just until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
• Bake until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes.
• Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Pour as much caramel as desired over the cake.
• Set the butter in a large saucepot over medium heat. When it's halfway melted, add the sugar and salt. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the mixture is dark golden brown. It will look grainy and the fat will separate from the sugar and then come back together.
• Remove from the heat and add the evaporated milk while whisking. Be careful! The caramel will bubble up. Scrape up any sugar that's stuck to the bottom of the pan. Make sure the sugar is completely dissolved.
• Set over low heat and cook, whisking often, until very smooth and creamy, about 1 hour. Remove from the heat and cool completely, stirring occasionally.