Perfect Yellow Cake

Our family has experimented for years to pin down the perfect yellow cake recipe. Well by George, I think we’ve finally done it!

Defining the Perfect Yellow Cake

First, let’s get on the same page about what we look for in the perfect yellow cake. For us, an ideal cake has the following qualities: 

• A moist, yet slightly springy texture, i.e. the cake should be beautifully moist, but not dense. 
• A tender structure still strong enough to hold up to any frosting.
• A vanilla-forward, buttery flavor, with that slight tang you’d find in say, a sour cream cake. 
• Coloring that actually looks yellow, distinct from a pale, plain-jane vanilla cake. Many recipes call for tons of egg yolks to achieve this end, but there’s gotta be a better way! (Spoiler: there is.) 
• Easy, fool-proof instructions anyone can follow to achieve consistent results. 

After much experimentation and flour usage, we’ve created this cake recipe, which ticks all the above boxes. Hallelujah! 

If you’ve been a longtime Woks of Life reader, you know we don’t often post recipes for cakes, cookies, and other American desserts, unless we feel very strongly about them (like our favorite Chocolate Cake, and our former neighbor’s amazing Carrot Cake recipe). 

This yellow cake recipe falls into that category, and if nothing else, I’m documenting it on the blog for our family to come back to again and again.

Our Yellow Cake Recipe Explained

You may notice a few unusual things about this recipe, but we have a method to our madness! Allow me to explain: 

• This recipe calls for both oil and butter. Oil makes cakes moist, while butter gives cake flavor. Having a mixture of both gives us the best of both worlds! 
• We did include 2 egg yolks in this recipe, in addition to 2 whole eggs. This gives the cake richness and a slightly deeper yellow color. To really get that “box cake” look, though, you can add the optional ¼ teaspoon of turmeric, which you won’t taste in the cake at all, but gives it a pop of color without 8 egg yolks, which I’ve seen in some recipes! 
• 4 teaspoons of vanilla may sound like a lot, but I promise it’s not overwhelming!
• Sour cream and buttermilk: both of these elements give the cake a tender texture and that slight tangy flavor that sets this cake apart. 

Final Tips

• You’ll see that everything needs to be at room temperature. Don’t take any shortcuts here. Be sure to have all your ingredients out at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour before baking for best results!
• I baked this cake in a 13×9 inch cake pan to make a sheet cake (I just love the look of clean cut, perfectly frosted little squares of cake. There’s something nostalgic about it!). You can make this recipe into cupcakes or two 9-inch round cakes, but note that the baking time will change. Cupcakes will take less time, while 9-inch round cakes may take a few minutes longer.
• The recipe calls for 1 1/4 cup buttermilk, but if you don’t have buttermilk, you can substitute 1 cup plus 2 1/2 tablespoons regular milk, with 1 1/2 tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice mixed in. Just let the mixture stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before using!
• With regard to the optional turmeric ingredient, you will not see a huge change in color after adding the turmeric to the batter. The yellow color will come through after the cake has been baked.

Yellow Cake Recipe Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 13×9 inch cake pan.

In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar, vegetable oil, and butter.

Cream together at medium speed for 1 minute. 

Add the eggs and egg yolks one at a time on low speed. Stir in the vanilla extract until the batter is smooth and incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Next, mix in the sour cream and beat until well-combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and turmeric until thoroughly combined. 

Add half the flour mixture, and beat on low speed while pouring in half of the buttermilk and mix just until the flour starts to incorporate.

Finally add the remaining flour, mixing on low speed while pouring in the remaining buttermilk and beating until all of the ingredients are combined.

Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl and stir the batter from the bottom to the top to ensure it’s well-mixed.

Pour the batter into the greased pan (or pans) evenly and bake at 350°F for 36-40 minutes (or less time for cupcakes), keeping a careful eye on the baking during the last few minutes. 

Test the cake for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cake––if it comes out clean, the cake is done. 

Cool completely and turn the cake out onto a serving plate. Then decorate with your choice of frosting! (We used our chocolate frosting recipe from our perfect chocolate cake.) I like to flip mine upside down so that I can frost the clean, flat underside of the cake. It’s like a golden, perfect blank canvas!

Slice into squares, and serve! I just served my cake on a sheet pan, because there’s plenty of room to slice.