This is a very delicious and rich yellow cake recipe with chocolate frosting. It is one I first made while testing multiple yellow cake recipes.
This recipe was the sixth yellow cake tested. What was interesting about it, other than that it was recommended by my friend Rina who is a fabulous baker and makes a lot of cupcakes, is all the butter. This recipe calls for 2 ½ sticks -- 10 oz. I was curious to see how a cake made with loads of butter would compare to the other 5.
This recipe is from a blog called Egg Beater and I paraphrased the directions heavily, so make sure to click on Egg Beater for more detailed points about baking her cake. But this is the way I made it and I got good results. The cake has a great butter flavor (how could it not, right?). Plus I’m fairly certain people who like rich desserts would go for this. It is a rich cake – so much so that putting a rich chocolate icing on it felt like buttering a biscuit or dipping French Fries in mayonnaise. But last time I checked, this wasn’t a diet blog so I’m going to stop babbling about that and get more into the texture.
Yellow Cake Texture
Did I mention the cake was moist? When you pinch a piece off with your fingers, it sticks together in a slick clump. It doesn’t slice quite as neatly as the others, but if you are making cupcakes that shouldn't be a problem. In fact, for cupcakes this might be the perfect recipe because cupcakes need as much moisture as possible. Cupcake portion sizes are small by nature, and when you bite into a cupcake, it’s kind of a bonus if it sticks together and doesn’t fall apart. So this one’s a winner too.
More Relevant Recipes
This cake is a good one, but a lot of work if you are new to scratch baking. Or maybe you just want a cake with fewer than 7 eggs or less than a half pound of butter?
Recipe
Last of the Yellow Cakes - Rich Yellow Cake
Ingredients
- 20 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature (280 grams)
- 2 cups granulated sugar (390 grams)
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt (Morton brand or table)
- 2 ½ cups sifted all purpose flour ,weigh flour ordef. sift! (300 grams)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3 large eggs room temp
- 4 large yolks room temp
- ¾ cup whole milk, room temperature (170 grams)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
Easy Chocolate Buttercream
- ¾ cup granulated sugar (150 grams)
- ¼ cup all purpose flour (30 grams)
- 3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa (15 grams)
- 1 cup milk (230 grams)
- 1 cup butter, 2 sticks, salted or unsalted plus ½ teaspoon salt (230 grams)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 6 oz bittersweet chocolate melted and cooled
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9x2 inch round cake pans.
- Cream the butter in bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add sugar and continue beating until light, scraping bowl often. Add the salt and continue creaming for another 5 minutes at medium high speed.
- While the butter and sugar are creaming in the stand mixer, sift flour and baking powder together. Remember, the flour should have already been sifted before measuring. Set aside in a bowl.
- Combine the eggs and yolks together in a separate bowl.
- Combine the milk and vanilla in a measuring cup.
- When the creamed mixture start to look fluffy, add the egg/yolk mixture gradually, making sure mixture comes together fully after each addition. Scrape down bowl and continue mixing until uniform.
- By hand or with very lowest speed of mixer, add the flour mixture and milk mixture alternately, beginning with flour and ending with flour so that you add dry, wet, dry, wet, dry. When all flour and liquid is incorporated and batter appears uniform, divide batter among the pans.
- Bake at 350 degrees F until done. My cake was done in about 28 minutes, but all ovens are different so check at 18 min.Cake is done when middle bounces back and/or small sharp knife inserted in center comes out clean and sides pull away from pan.
Silky Chocolate Frosting
- Off the heat, combine the sugar, flour and cocoa in a small saucepan. Gradually whisk in the milk.
- Put the mixture over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Reduce heat to low, cook 2 more minutes, whisking all the while. Remove saucepan from heat; cool completely. This should take 40 minutes to an hour. At this point, you might want to go ahead and melt your chocolate so it too will be cool.
- In large bowl with mixer at medium speed, beat softened butter until creamy. Gradually beat in cooled milk mixture, vanilla and melted chocolate. Depending on the temperature of your ingredients, you’ll either have a beautiful frosting or a big goopy mess. Never fear! If what you’ve got is too goopy (this is usually due to ingredients being too warm), stick the whole mixing bowl in the refrigerator for another 40 minutes or until the mixture is thoroughly chilled. Remove it when chilled, put it on the stand mixer with the whisk attached, and beat until it lightens in color and fluffs up. Frost the cake.
Sue says
Another fantastic looking yellow cake! It's been forever since I've made a yellow cake and of course all of these cakes makes me think I need to try one too. Thanks Anna!
Amanda says
It looks really moist, bet it was delicious. I always prefer yellow over chocolate cake 🙂
vanillasugar says
anna--when you have a chance come see my latest creation. have you ever experimented with rice krispie treats? oh i had so much fun. i have a few more recipes to post: some a little strange, some good.
Julie says
Looks like a successful experiment to me!