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Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting
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Name a more classic dessert than yellow cake with chocolate frosting? I’ll wait. This yellow cake recipe is light, fluffy and perfectly moist and the chocolate butter cream is decadent, rich and fudgy!
Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting
For me, there is no combination more nostalgic than classic yellow cake. Light, fluffy yellow cake and a rich, fudgy, decadent chocolate buttercream…the combination is simply perfection. Whip this tasty cake up as a classic birthday cake, centerpiece for a holiday, or just because you want cake.
What is the difference between vanilla cake and yellow cake?
Vanilla cake and yellow cake are very similar, but they vary slightly to warrant two different recipes! The main difference between the two is that yellow cake uses extra egg yolks! Both vanilla cake and yellow cake are made with sugar, butter, flour, baking powder, milk, vanilla extract, and eggs, but yellow cake adds in a few extra egg yolks to give the cake its yellow (duh) color! The egg yolks also make the cake a little richer and denser, while vanilla cake is lighter and fluffier!
Both cakes are often paired with similar frosting flavors, such as chocolate or buttercream. Ultimately, the choice between vanilla cake and yellow cake comes down to personal preference and the occasion for which the cake is being made!
If you’d rather make a vanilla cake, we’ve got a great recipe for that too!
Ingredients for yellow cake
This yellow cake recipe calls for all the usual cake suspects: butter, sugar, flour, milk…you know–pantry staples! Luckily you probably have most of these on hand, but it you need to take a trip to the store here’s your list!
- Butter
- Vegetable Oil
- Granulated Sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla Extract
- Flour
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Buttermilk
Ingredients for classic chocolate buttercream
You can frost this cake with any frosting your heart desires, but I highly recommend trying it out with this decadent chocolate buttercream. It’s fudgy, decadent, chocolatey and complements the yellow cake beautifully! Here’s what you’ll need to whip it up!
- Butter
- Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder
- Corn Syrup
- Milk
- Powdered Sugar
- Salt
- Vanilla Extract
Tips for frosting a perfect layer cake every time
Remember that all cake (no matter what it looks like) is perfect because it is delicious, so try not to get too hung up on the presentation. We have decorated our fair share of cakes around here though, so we have some tricks up our sleeves for you!
- Freeze your cakes before frosting: Frosting cakes can be a little intimidating if you haven’t done it before, but if you freeze your cake layers beforehand they’ll be much more solid and easy to work with! Let the cakes cool completely and then wrap them in plastic wrap before freezing. You can freeze them for up to 3 months, or just until they’re firm enough to work with!
- If you choose not to freeze, be sure that your cakes are COMPLETELY COOL: You certainly do not have to freeze your cakes before frosting them, but if you choose to just let the cakes cool, be sure they are completely cooled before you bring any frosting near them. If your cakes are even slightly warm, the buttercream will melt and you’ll be left with a messy, unstable cake!
- Be sure your frosting is a spreadable consistency: Homemade frosting is easy to whip together, but the consistency of it is so crucial when it comes to frosting your cakes! If it’s too wet it doesn’t bind the cakes together enough and it it’s too dry it will be impossible to move around! Be sure to measure your ingredients precisely to make sure you get the right consistency!
Happy baking, my friends!
XXX
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- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours and thirty minutes
- Yield: 16 servings
- Category: dessert
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: american
Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting
Name a more classic dessert than yellow cake with chocolate frosting? I’ll wait. This yellow cake recipe is light, fluffy and perfectly moist and the chocolate butter cream is decadent, rich and fudgy!
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours and thirty minutes
- Yield: 16 servings
- Category: dessert
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: american
Ingredients
for the yellow cake
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/3 cups buttermilk
for the chocolate buttercream
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup Dutch processed cocoa
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup milk
- 3 Tablespoons light corn syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F and grease and flour two 8-inch cake pans. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the softened butter and oil together until they become homogenous, about 3 minutes. This will not work if your butter is not completely room temperature!
- Slowly add the granulated sugar to the oil and butter, beating on high until the mixture is light and fluffy and turns a very pale yellow, about 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs and egg yolks in one at time, scraping down the bowl in between each addition. Add the vanilla extract. Beat the mixture on high for 3 minutes more to incorporate as much air as possible.
- In separate bowl sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Alternate mixing in the dry ingredients and the buttermilk in 4 batches, starting with the buttermilk and ending with the dry ingredients. It’s okay if the batter still has a few lumps in it–you don’t want to over mix it.
- Split the batter evenly into the prepared pans and bake for 30 minutes or until the cake is a lightly golden brown and springs back when pressed. This will depend on your oven. Take out of the oven and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.*
- Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat the butter for 30 seconds to soften it up. Add the cocoa powder, powdered sugar, milk, corn syrup, salt, and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed gradually increasing to high until glossy and smooth, about 1 minute.
- Place the first cake on a cake stand, then top with about a third of the frosting. Top with the second cake and top with another third of the frosting. Frost the edges of cake with remaining frosting. Top with flowers, sprinkles, or whatever your heart desires. Enjoy!
Notes
- We like to refrigerate or freeze our cakes before frosting!
Hello!! I’m curious if this cake can be made in a 9×13 pan instead? Would that change baking time?
Hi Raena! Yes–this can be made in a 9 x 13-inch pan! The bake time will be a little longer so keep an eye on it once it hits that 30 minute mark!
Hi i this part where it says this.
In separate bowl sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Alternate mixing in the dry ingredients and the buttermilk in 4 batches, starting with the buttermilk and ending with the dry ingredients. It’s okay if the batter still has a few lumps in it–you don’t want to over mix it.
Did you mean batter instead of buttermilk? Tried to mix the buttermilk with the dry ingredients it was to lumpy wasn’t mixing right
You add the buttermilk and dry ingredients into the batter in alternating additions!
If I only have 9-inch cake pans, will those work for this? If so, should I bake on the same temperature and just adjust the timing or will the oven temperature need to be adjusted as well?