Skip to Content
Menu

Basic Yellow Cake

  • Save Recipe
Basic Yellow Cake
New Personalized Recipes Just fof You - Take the Quiz Now
  • Prep 20 min
  • Total 1 hr 55 min
  • Ingredients 13
  • Servings 15
  • Save
  • Print
  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Email
Ready to make?
  • Save
  • Shop
  • Share
  • Keep Screen On
Everyone needs a fluffy yellow cake from scratch in their recipe collection—and it doesn't get much easier than this one. It's light, fluffy and simply delicious. This no-fail homemade yellow cake recipe is quick to prepare and easy to make. With a few steps and basic pantry ingredients, you can have it in the oven in just 20 minutes. This yellow cake with chocolate frosting is a tasty way to make any occasion extra special.
By Pillsbury Kitchens
Updated Mar 9, 2021

Ingredients

Cake

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 1/4 cups milk

Frosting

  • 4 oz unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1/3 cup milk

Steps

  • 1
    Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and lightly flour 13x9-inch pan. In medium bowl, stir flour, baking powder and salt until well blended.
  • 2
    In large bowl, beat granulated sugar and 3/4 cup softened butter with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat in 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla and eggs until well blended. Alternately add flour mixture and 1 1/4 cups milk, beating well and scraping bowl after each addition. Pour batter evenly into pan.
  • 3
    Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
  • 4
    Meanwhile, in small microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate uncovered on High 30 to 60 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted and smooth. Cool 10 minutes.
  • 5
    In large bowl, beat remaining Frosting ingredients with electric mixer on low speed until creamy. Gradually beat in melted chocolate until well blended. Immediately spread on cake.

Tips from the Pillsbury Kitchens

  • tip 1
    This yellow cake recipe makes a classic sponge-style cake—its light texture depends on the air you beat into the softened butter and sugar by creaming them together until they’re smooth and fluffy. Measuring the flour accurately is important too. Stir up your flour to aerate it, then lightly spoon it into a measuring cup and level it off with the flat side of a knife. Too much flour will make the batter too heavy and the final cake texture will be dense.
  • tip 2
    Don’t overbake your homemade yellow cake. It will be a rich golden brown and the top will spring back when lightly touched with a fingertip. You can also use a toothpick inserted into the center—it should come out clean when the cake is done.
  • tip 3
    This yellow cake from scratch can be baked in two 8- or 9-inch round cake pans; grease and flour pans. Make as directed above; pour batter evenly between 2 prepared pans. Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until the toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pans to a cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Assemble, fill and frost cake.

Nutrition Information

460 Calories, 21g Total Fat, 5g Protein, 61g Total Carbohydrate, 43g Sugars

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 Serving
Calories
460
Calories from Fat
190
Total Fat
21g
32%
Saturated Fat
13g
64%
Trans Fat
1/2g
Cholesterol
80mg
27%
Sodium
270mg
11%
Potassium
140mg
4%
Total Carbohydrate
61g
20%
Dietary Fiber
2g
8%
Sugars
43g
Protein
5g
% Daily Value*:
Vitamin A
10%
10%
Vitamin C
0%
0%
Calcium
10%
10%
Iron
15%
15%
Exchanges:
1 1/2 Starch; 0 Fruit; 2 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Skim Milk; 0 Low-Fat Milk; 0 Milk; 0 Vegetable; 0 Very Lean Meat; 0 Lean Meat; 0 High-Fat Meat; 4 Fat;
Carbohydrate Choice
4
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

More About This Recipe

  • Once you’ve baked yellow cake from scratch, you’ll have a go-to-recipe that never fails to delight and impress. “You made this yourself?” people will ask, and you can just smile and nod. No need to tell them that your never-fail recipe required just a few steps and some basic pantry ingredients—or that you were able to mix it and put it in the oven in just 15 minutes. There’s just something so celebratory about cake that it seems to be the one dessert everyone loves. If you want to welcome a new neighbor, make a splash at the next neighborhood potluck or tell someone “Have a Happy Birthday,” there’s really no better way to do it than by baking a cake. This yellow cake recipe is sure to become your favorite baking project when something a little bit special is the order of the day. And now that you know how to make yellow cake, you can find more time-tested favorites, heirloom classics and fun modern twists in our cake and cupcake recipe collection.
© 2023 ®/TM General Mills All Rights Reserved