Yellow Butter Cake

This Yellow Butter Cake is a gem, so moist and buttery, and a perfect sponge for any frosting you wish to add.

I’ve been told I’m high maintenance.  This yellow butter cake recipe with chocolate frosting was created to prove that notion dead wrong.  I’m a simple gal with simple wants and needs.  Do I love shopping for new clothes and shoes?  Sure! What girl doesn’t.  Do I sometimes have a tendency to order the most expensive thing on the menu?  Yep, but it really is because I enjoy quality food.  It has nothing to do with pricing.

I may be guilty of enjoying lovely (yet high maintenance) things from time to time but I love classic and easy going things as well, like this cake.  This yellow cake recipe with chocolate frosting is a traditional plain jane cake that I grew up on but adore.  I need no other cake in the world.  This satisfies me each and every time.

Ingredients

• Butter: Two sticks of unsalted butter, room temp, to make your cake rich and dreamy.
• Oil : A splash of vegetable oil for that extra moistness.
• Salt: A teaspoon of salt to balance the sweetness.
• Sugar: 2 ½ cups of granulated sugar to sweeten your day.
• Eggs: Seven large eggs, room temp, to bind and fluff up your cake.
• Flour: Three cups of cake flour for a tender crumb. It’s the foundation.
• Leavening: A mix of ½ teaspoon each of baking powder and baking soda. They’re the little lifters.
• Sour Cream: One cup, room temp, to add richness and tang. It’s adds moistness.
• Extracts: A tablespoon of pure vanilla extract and a teaspoon of butter extract for that aromatic charm.

And Now, for the Decadent Frosting:

• Butter: Two sticks, room temp, for a creamy, spreadable base.
• Sugar: Four cups of confectioner’s sugar for that sweet, smooth finish.
• Cocoa: Half a cup of cocoa powder for a chocolatey hug in every bite.
• Vanilla: One tablespoon of pure vanilla extract for that aromatic kiss.
• Cream: Three tablespoons of heavy whipping cream to add richness.
• Vanilla: Two tablespoons for an additional burst of flavor. It’s the echo of sweetness.

How to Make Yellow Butter Cake

For the 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 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.

How to Store

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.

Favorite Layer Cakes to Try

• Best Yellow Cake
• Lemon Layer Cake
• Hummingbird Cake
• Italian Cream Cake
• Butter Pecan Cake
• Chocolate Turtle Cake
• Chocolate Raspberry Cake

Yellow Butter Cake

This yellow butter cake is a gem, so moist and buttery, and the chocolate frosting is whipped to perfection!

4.16 from 128 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 servings

Calories: 864kcal

Author: Jocelyn Delk Adams

Ingredients

For the Cake:

• ▢ 2 sticks unsalted butter room temperature
• ▢ ⅓ 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

For the Frosting:

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

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

For the 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 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: 864kcal | Carbohydrates: 107g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 45g | Saturated Fat: 28g | Cholesterol: 204mg | Sodium: 304mg | Potassium: 182mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 82g | Vitamin A: 1275IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 1.4mg

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