Our soft and moist Yellow Cake recipe is topped with a simple homemade chocolate frosting. There is a reason why this is a classic, and I promise it tastes better than anything you can get from a box!
Yellow Cake That'll Make You Ditch the Box Forever
Yellow Cake That'll Make You Ditch the Box ForeverEveryone loves a classic yellow cake and it's just too easy and delicious to not make from scratch (especially paired with a homemade chocolate frosting)! This cake is soft, and moist, and uses basic ingredients, plus you know the ingredients are high quality, rather than all the processed junk put into cake mixes. Once you try it, you will never use a box mix again!
I have so many delicious cake recipes for you to try, like Chocolate Cake, Biscoff Cake, Cannoli Cake, Lemon Cake, Chocolate Mousse Cake, or Berry Cake!
Yellow Cake vs White Cake vs Vanilla Cake:
Yellow Cake can often get confused for white cake or vanilla cake. White cake is different because it's made with egg whites only, and sometimes even shortening to keep that white color. Yellow cake gets their name from the pale yellow color from whole eggs and real butter. When someone refers to vanilla cake, it can either be yellow cake or white cake.
How to make a Yellow Cake:
Make Cake Batter: With a hand mixer or stand mixer, cream sugar and butter then mix in oil. Add eggs and yolks one at a time, mixing after each one. Stir in vanilla. Mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl then alternate adding some flour mixture, then some buttermilk, back and forth until both are added, ending with the flour mixture. Only mix until just combined.
Bake: Separate the batter into two cake pans and bake at 350°F (180°C) for 25-35 minutes. A toothpick should come out with a few moist crumbs when inserted into the center of the cake. Don't over-bake it or it will be dry. Let it cool for a few minutes then flip onto a wire cooling rack.
Chocolate Frosting: Combine melted butter and cocoa powder. Using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer, mix in the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until light and fluffy. It usually takes several minutes of beating the frosting.
Frost and Assemble Cake: Once the cake has cooled completely, place one of the cake rounds on your serving tray then spread a layer of chocolate frosting on top. Place the second cake round on top then frost this easy yellow cake recipe with chocolate frosting on the top and sides. Enjoy!
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:
To Make Ahead: The chocolate frosting can me made in advance. Keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Let it come to room temperature before frosting the cake.
To Freeze: Let the cakes cool completely then wrap in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag for up to one month. Unwrap cakes and frost when frozen then bring to room temperature to serve. The frosting can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
More Cake Recipes:
- German Chocolate Cake
- Peanut Butter Mug Cake
- Tres Leches Cake
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
- Dark Chocolate Cake
- Berry Cake
- Nothing Bundt Cake
- Coconut Cake
- Carrot Cake
- Cinnamon Roll Cake
- Orange Olive Oil Cake
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Recipe
Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting
Equipment
- Stand Mixer , optional
Ingredients
Yellow Cake:
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter (170g), at room temperature
- ¼ cup oil (50g)
- 2 cups granulated sugar (400g)
- 3 large eggs , at room temperature
- 2 large egg yolks , at room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour (333g)
- 1 cup buttermilk (227g), at room temperature
Chocolate Frosting:
- 1/2 cup butter (113g), melted
- 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (57g)
- 3 cups powdered sugar (360g)
- 1/3 cup milk (83g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Yellow Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line two 8 inch round cake pans with parchment paper and spray pans with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl mix sugar and butter for 3 minutes. Add oil and mix again. Add the eggs and yolks, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add vanilla and mix.
- Stir together baking powder, baking soda, salt, and flour in a medium bowl. Alternate adding in some of the flour mixture, stirring to combine and then some of the buttermilk, ending with the flour mixture, stirring until just combined. Divide the batter evenly in the pans.
- Bake for 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with few moist crumbs. Don't over-bake or the cake will be dry.
- Invert cakes onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Chocolate Frosting:
- Melt butter, then stir in cocoa powder. Mix in the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla then mix for a few minutes, until frosting is light and fluffy. Once the cake has cooled completely, frost with chocolate frosting.
Notes
Nutrition
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I originally shared this recipe May 2019. Updated August 2023 and March 2025.
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Wow and wow!!!! I baked this cake but I added 1 can of cherry pie filling and it turned out amazing. My husband compared it to a cake his mother use to bake for his birthday when he was a boy. He actually shedded a tear while he was eating it. Thank you for sharing this recipe and helping me to give my husband the best birthday present ever…. childhood memories.
I rarely bake because I am trying to avoid sugar, but I found and tried this recipe for a special birthday. I made it with butter (no oil) and as cupcakes. It is a fabulous recipe!
Do you put in fridge after it is done. A lot of buttercream icing tell you to but this one doesn’t mention!! Love your German chocolate, carrot and chocolate mocha cake. That for the copes!
I am gonna try this.
The cake and frosting tasted amazing however , my frosting keeps turning out grainy. What could be the reason for this? Thanks so much!
Grainy frosting can happen for several reasons. Buttercream typically becomes grainy if your butter is too cold or with packed (unsifted) powdered sugar is used. The easiest fix is to let it rest and come to room temperature, remix it, or add a pinch of liquid to the buttercream.
Excellent recipe. I followed it exactly. I used whole milk instead of buttermilk. I had to cook my cake a little longer than the recipe suggested and I turned down the heat to 325 during the extra baking period to try to avoid overcooking. It worked.
My cake fell. I’m a great baker this is the first time this has happened. What could have caused this
Hi Valeria, this can happen for a variety of reasons–expired baking soda or powder, overmixing the batter, undermixing the batter, oven and altitude–here’s an article that may help you troubleshoot: https://bakinghow.com/keep-cake-from-falling/
Hey, I’m new to baking and was trying to find a good tasting chocolate icing recipe. This one is some of the best I’ve ever tasted (new to baking not eating lol!) I would highly recommend this to anyone who asks me. That is for the icing part I haven’t yet tried the yellow cake yet!
Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Quick tip, when using buttermilk, or any acidic ingredients, baking soda should be used instead of baking powder. The acid will hamper any rise in the cake and the baking soda will neutralize the acid so you can have rise.
But the recipe calls for baking powder even though you’re using buttermilk I’m about to make this cake I hope it turns out all right
Entirely too much flour. Cake is decent in texture and volume but it tastes like flour. Maybe it’s a little too thick and not fluffy enough.
Excellent recipe! I halved it and made cupcakes (it made 16) and also halved the chocolate frosting recipe and it was just the right amount of frosting needed for those 16 cupcakes. Gave one to a friend and she told me it was the best thing she had eaten in a long time!
I made this cake for my husband’s birthday, but like other reviews, mine fell as well. I’m an experienced baker, frequently cooking and baking from scratch and I know mine are not underbaked, I also do not live in a high altitude region. I feel like while delicious, there is definitely room for improvement. I wouldn’t go so far as to say a boxed mix would be better though.