Yellow cake

by Andrea Gámez

Yellow cake is a typical cake in the US that is thought to come from the english “pound cake” recipe. It is often made for birthday celebrations and it is one of the most famous cake flavors and it is actually sold as cake mix.

Yellow cake is yellow because of the quantity of egg yolks and butter, though some people actually add yellow coloring or vanilla pudding. It is a classic cake with basic ingredients that is usually decorated with chocolate frosting.

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The most complicated thing of this recipe is the frosting, given that it is a buttercream that sometimes can be tricky. It isn´t hard to make, you just have to make it following the recipe. We do not want to scare you, because cooking, specially baking, is there to make us happy.

Speaking of cake mixes (which I mentioned in the frist paragraph), Do you usually use them?… we never use them, though in Mexico it is easier to find better brands. The truth is they are actually good, but for me they sort of always lack some flavor. But to be honest they do come in handy and in the US there are lots of flavors to choose from, you can find almost any flavor. Here in Spain, I do not know that many brands, but I am interested in trying them and see how they might be improved nby adding some more ingredients that just those the box recipe calls for, they always turn out better and tastier that way.

I remember as a little girl I only knew on type of cake: chocolate with chocolate frosting and multicolored sprinkles maded by my mom. I loved waking up on my birthday and see that cake on the kitchen table; it was a shame I could only eat it until the afternoon. To make that cake my mom used a chocolate cake mix and premade chocolate frosting, as easy as that… and I don´t know if it was because I was little or what but everything tasted great, as I remeber it that was the best cake ever.

So, as you can see the pictures of this yellow cake look so yummy, its pretty and simple to celabrate something special, either a birthday, anniversary, or just because you feel like eating it. You can deocrate it with fruit or fondant, but remember that most of the time less is more and that a good homemade cake ir more than enough.

If you like cakes like this one, you should check out our pistachio cake and snickers cake, you´ll love them!

Yellow cake

Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 16

Ingredients
  

For the cake:

  • 3/4 C (6 oz) (170 gr) unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1/4 C (2 fl oz) (60 ml) vegetable oil soft flavored
  • 1 1/2 C (10.5 oz) (300 gr) white sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 eggs yolks
  • 1 tbsp (0.50 fl oz) (15 ml) vanilla extract
  • 2 1/4 C (9.5 oz) (270 gr) all purpouse flour
  • 1/4 C (1.30 oz) (37 gr) corn starch
  • 1/2 tsp (3.5 gr) salt
  • 2 tsp (14 gr) baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp (3.5 gr) baking soda
  • 1 C (8 fl oz) (240 ml) buttermilk

For the frosting:

  • 1 C (8 oz) (225 gr) unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1 1/3 C (5.8 oz) (165 gr) confectioners sugar
  • 2/3 C (2 oz) (56 gr) cocoa powder sugar free
  • 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1/3 C (2.70 fl oz) (80 ml) whipping cream
  • 2.5 oz (75 gr) semi sweet chocolate

Instructions
 

For the cake:

  • Preheat the oven to 375ºF (180ºC). Grease two round cake pans of about 9 inches (23 cm) diameter.
  • In a medium sized bowl, sift the flour along with the corn starch, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
  • In a big bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar for 3 minutes until the mixture becomes fluffy and lightens in color.
  • Add the oil and butter and mix until fully integrated. Mix in the eggs and egg yolks one by one, beating after each addition.
  • Add in the flour mixture in three separate additions alternating with the buttermilk, beating after each addition. Mix well until smooth.
  • Pour the mixture in the two cake pans and bake for about 20 minutes aprox until a wooden stick comes out clean when inserted.
  • Once ready, let the cakes rest for about 10 minutes. Turn them out and place them on a cooling rack to completely cool down.

For the frosting:

  • Cut the chocolate un small pieces and place them in a heat resistant bowl. In a small pot to medium heat or in the microwave, heat the whipping cream to bring it to a boil.
  • Once boiling, pour it over the chocolate pieces, let it sit for 3 minutes and then mix until fully integrated to form a ganache.
  • In a big bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and confectioners sugar, salt and vanilla extract for 3 minutes until you get a lighter in color and fluffy mixture.
  • Add in the cocoa powder (sifted) and continue to beat for 2 more minutes until you get a smooth mixture.
  • Once cool, add the ganache and beat for 2 more minutes until the mixture is soft and creamy. Refrigerate the frosting for 15 minutes.

To assemble:

  • Place one of the cakes on a big plate or cake stand (which is where the cake will be presented). With a spoon spread a third of the frosting over the cake´s top.
  • Place the other cake on top and then slowly spread the rest of the frosting all over the cake. Spread the frosting on the sides of the cake with a spoon, making circles to form "waves" and decorate.
  • Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes before cutting.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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2 comments

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[…] If you like this recipe, then make sure to see our yellow cake with a chocolate frosting. […]

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