Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting

A close up of a sliced yellow cake recipe with sprinkles on top

4.24 from 142 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

Cook Time30

Cooling Time2 10

Total Time2 55

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 866kcal

Author: Jocelyn Delk Adams

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Cake:

1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 stick, room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs room temperature
2 large egg yolks room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups sour cream room temperature
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream room temperature

For the Frosting:

2 cups unsalted butter 4 sticks, room temperature
8 cups confectioner's sugar
1 cup cocoa powder
6 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the Yellow Cake:

Start by preheating your oven to 325°F then liberally spray 2 or 3 (8-inch) round cake pans OR with non-stick baking spray or grease and flour.
In your mixer bowl, add oil and butter and beat for 2 minutes on high speed. Slowly add in sugar and beat on high speed for an additional 4-5 minutes until very pale yellow and fluffy.
Next, add eggs, one at a time, combining well after each addition and scraping down the sides as needed.
Add in vanilla extract and mix.
Sift cake flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda into a medium sized bowl. Turn your mixer down to its lowest speed, and slowly add flour into batter in two increments then add baking powder, salt and baking soda. Be careful not to over beat.
Lastly, add sour cream and heavy cream and scrape down sides and mix until just combined and turn off mixer.
Evenly pour cake batter into prepared baking pans and place in oven to bake for 17-24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes just barely clean but don't over bake!! I personally start checking the cakes around 16 minutes just to be sure since everyone's oven is different.
Remove cakes from oven and rest in pans for 10-15 minutes. Invert cakes from pans onto cooling racks until cooled. If you baked 2, cut the slices in half to have 4 layers.

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.

Video

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.

How to Store Yellow Cake

If you wanna serve up this cake at its absolute best, try to assemble it on the day you're gonna show it off. Though, if you're in a pinch, you can totally get ahead of the game and frost it a day early. And for those leftovers? Keep 'em snug as a bug in an airtight container at room temp for about 2-3 days to keep that cake as moist as can be.

Got some extra chocolate frosting? No prob! Just pop it in the fridge, and it'll be good to go for up to two sweet weeks.

How long will yellow butter cake last in the fridge?

A yellow butter cake that's been frosted will keep in the fridge for 4-5 days. I like to store it in the fridge when it's a bit warm in the house or when I need to store it for more than 2-3 days. When it's been refrigerated it's a good idea to let it sit at room temperature before serving.

Can I freeze yellow butter cake?

Oh, for sure! If you're planning to get your cake game on later, you can totally freeze those baked cake layers. Just wrap each layer in its own little cozy blanket of plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Stash them in the freezer, and they'll be good for up to three fabulous months. When you're ready, just let them thaw out on the counter, then get down to the frosting business.

You can even freeze leftover cake, whether it's big chunks or individual slices. I like to give them a quick flash freeze on some parchment paper, then double-wrap those babies in plastic and foil. They'll keep in your freezer for up to three months.

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