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A slice of yellow cake with chocolate frosting on a plate.
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4.18 from 131 votes

Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting

This classic yellow cake is an old-school recipe with homemade chocolate frosting. It's super simple to make, and everyone loves a traditional yellow cake!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Cooling Time2 hours 10 minutes
Total Time2 hours 55 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 866kcal

Ingredients

For the Cake:

  • 2 sticks unsalted butter room temperature
  • cup vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 ½ cups granulated sugar
  • 7 large eggs room temperature
  • 3 cups cake flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup sour cream room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon butter extract optional

For the Frosting:

  • 2 sticks unsalted butter room temperature
  • 4 cups confectioner's sugar
  • ½ cup cocoa powder
  • 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

For the Yellow Cake:

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  • Prepare 3 9" round baking pans with non-stick baking spray and put aside.
  • In the bowl of your mixer, beat butter, vegetable oil, salt and sugar on high until fluffy and smooth (about 5 minutes).
  • Next, add eggs one at a time to the bowl and beat on medium until well incorporated.
  • In a separate large bowl, sift cake flour, baking powder and baking soda together.
  • Turn the mixer to low and add half of flour mixture to the mixer and fully incorporate.
  • Next add sour cream to mixer and blend well and lastly finish with remaining flour mixture and mix well.
  • Finally add vanilla extract and butter extract to mixer and finish beating on low until everything is well mixed.
  • Make sure to scrap the bottom of the bowl as well.
  • Evenly add cake mixture into prepared baking pans and place in oven to bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean but don't overbake (crucial not to overbake this cake)!!
  • Remove cakes and oven and rest in pans for 10 minutes.
  • Next remove layers from pans and place on cooling racks for one hour.
  • Wrap each layer in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 1 hour to make it easier to work with when assembling the cake.

For the Chocolate Frosting

  • Add butter, confectioner's sugar and cocoa powder to bowl of mixer and mix on high speed until smooth.
  • Lastly add in heavy whipping cream and vanilla extract until frosting is fluffy and smooth.
  • Frost each layer of cake with frosting then frost the end.

Notes

To keep your Yellow Butter Cake as fresh as the day you baked it, cool it completely and then store it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, refrigerate it, and it'll stay good for up to a week. When it's time to serve, bring the cake back to room temperature to ensure that every slice is as soft and buttery as intended
    • For the Fluffiest Frosting: The key to the best homemade chocolate frosting is making sure it is as fluffy as possible. This comes from beating the frosting and measuring your ingredients properly!
    • Do NOT Over Bake: This tip is crucial for a moist and tender cake! Be sure you watch the cake closely especially the first time you bake it in your oven. You can't always rely on just the time. Your cake is done when you insert a toothpick an it comes out mostly clean.
    • Use Room Temperature Ingredients: All the dairy -- butter, milk, sour cream -- and eggs should be at room temperature. Pull them out of the fridge and let them sit for a bit before you start mixing. About an hour will do the trick.
    • Make Sure Cakes are Cool: Before you add the frosting make sure the cakes are fully cooled. Even better -- freeze the cake layers before assembling the cake. This makes the cake a little more firm and much easier to work with when frosting and layering.
    • Mix Just Long Enough: Overmixing is detrimental to cakes especially once the flour is added to the bowl. Make sure your mixer is on low speed and ONLY mix until everything is mixed.

Nutrition

Calories: 866kcal | Carbohydrates: 108g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 46g | Saturated Fat: 24g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 205mg | Sodium: 313mg | Potassium: 171mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 82g | Vitamin A: 1274IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 1mg