Homemade yellow cake with chocolate buttercream frosting

You'll love this moist, tender, and fluffy yellow cake made from scratch with luscious chocolate frosting, it's perfect for parties and so much better than box mix.

I think a perfect yellow cake with rich creamy chocolate frosting might just be the perfect birthday cake. You get a nice balance of vanilla and chocolate and something about the color combination makes me feel nostalgic for childhood birthdays, candles and presents. 

What You’ll Need for This Recipe

Flour: I used a combination of all-purpose flour and cornstarch but you can use 1 1/2 cups of cake flour instead. I love cake flour but find that so many people just do not have it in their pantries. 

Buttermilk: If you don’t have buttermilk you can head over to my buttermilk hack post to whip a substitute up.

Semisweet Chocolate: I used semisweet for the ganache, which I incorporated into the buttercream but bittersweet and milk chocolate will work nicely as well.

How to Make Yellow Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350F and butter and flour three six inch pans. Sift the flour, corn starch, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl then whisk together and set aside.

2. Cream butter and sugar in a stand mixer using a paddle attachment. Once it’s light and fluffy pour in the oil and vanilla then mix until combined.  Add the eggs and yolks one at a time while mixing on medium-low then scrape the bowl down. 

3. Add the flour mixture in three batches alternating with the buttermilk. Mix until just combined then give that bowl one last scrape down. Distribute batter evenly into the three prepared cake pans and bake for about 30 minutes at 350F. I use baking strips for flat layers but they’re optional. Allow the layers to rest in the pans for a minute then invert onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely. 

4. While the cake layers are cooling you can whip up that chocolate buttercream. For extra richness we’re making a ganache and blooming cocoa powder in melted butter; in a small bowl melt the semi-sweet chocolate with 1/4 cup milk, 30 seconds in the microwave should be enough but you can give it a bit more time if needed. In another small bowl mix the cocoa powder with 1/4 cup of melted butter.

5. Cream the butter then pour in the cocoa powder/butter mixture and mix until combined. Scrape the bowl down and mix once more.

6. Add the salt and powdered sugar then mix until incorporated. Beat in the ganache then add milk a tablespoon at a time until the consistency is silky smooth. 

7. Pipe buttercream onto the first layer then add the next layer on and repeat the process until the cake is built.

8. Cover the cake with buttercream then use a spatula to smooth and create a rustic swoopy effect. If you’d like to be a bit fancier check out my how to decorate a cake post, it has lots of tips and tricks for the perfect cake.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the flavor of yellow cake?

Yellow cakes are flavored with vanilla. They’re often paired with chocolate frosting but you can enjoy them with vanilla buttercream, or any flavor you enjoy as the cake itself has a mellow taste that pairs well with everything. 

What is the difference between yellow cake and vanilla cake?

So a yellow cake is a type of vanilla cake. Vanilla cakes will either be white if they use egg whites or yellow if they use whole eggs and butter. Many white cakes will use oil and colorless flavorings like almond oil to keep the color light. 

How long will this keep for?

This cake will keep for three days if refrigerated or three months if you freeze the unfrosted well-wrapped cake layers. Because the cake contains butter it will always be more enjoyable at room temperature so let it warm up before serving.

How do you know when a cake layer is done?

You don’t want to open the oven much when baking a cake so keep an eye on the layers with the oven light on. The edge of the layer will just be pulling way from the pan when they’re about done. When you see that happening, take a layer out and use a toothpick or skewer to test the center. It should come out clean and the center will spring back when pressed lightly.  

Pro Tips for this Recipe

• I specified all purpose flour and cornstarch for this recipe but you can use 2 1/2 cups of cake flour if preferred. 
• If you’re not using 6-inch pans, double the recipe for 8-inch pans or triple the recipe for 9-inch pans. 
• Measure your flour correctly! Adding too much flour to the recipe is the most common mistake. The best, and easiest way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don’t have one then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
• Scrape the bowl down frequently when making the cake batter and frosting. You always want a homogenous consistency throughout.
• To get FLAT layers that are moist inside and out try using cake strips! You can buy a set online or make your own from foil and paper towels at home. I have a whole blog post on it so check it out if you’re interested!

If you’ve tried this Yellow Cake recipe then don’t forget to leave a rating and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! 

A fluffy, tender, moist, melt in your mouth yellow cake covered in the best chocolate buttercream imaginable.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Servings 12 people

Calories 674kcal

For the Cake:

• ▢ 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour 270g
• ▢ 1/4 cup corn starch 35g
• ▢ 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar 250g
• ▢ 2 tsp baking powder
• ▢ 1/2 tsp salt
• ▢ 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature, 113g
• ▢ ¼ cup vegetable oil 60mL
• ▢ 3 eggs room temperature, large
• ▢ 2 yolks
• ▢ 1 tbsp vanilla extract 15mL
• ▢ 1 cup buttermilk 240mL

For the Chocolate Buttercream:

• ▢ 1 ¼ cup unsalted butter 1 cup room temp, ¼ cup melted
• ▢ ¼ cup cocoa
• ▢ ½ tsp salt You can add less if you're salt-sensitive
• ▢ 1/2 cup milk divided
• ▢ 1 lb powdered sugar 450g
• ▢ ⅓ cup semisweet chocolate

For the Cake

• Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and flour three 6 inch round pans. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, corn starch, and salt then set aside.

• Cream butter and sugar in a stand mixer using a paddle attachment, or a large bowl if using an electric hand mixer. 

• Add the oil and vanilla, mix to combine then scrape the bowl down. Add the eggs one at a time mixing until incorporated before adding the next. Scrape the bowl down once more and mix again. 

• Add flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter in alternating batches while mixing on low.

• Bake at 350F for about 30 minutes or until the centers are set and springy.

• Allow to layers cool in pans for a few minutes then invert into a wire rack to cool completely.

For the Chocolate Buttercream

• Melt 1/4 cup of the butter in a microwave. Mix in the cocoa power and set aside.

• Melt 1/3 cup of semisweet chocolate with 1/4 cup milk then mix together and set aside. You can use 1/2 cup of chocolate for an extra-rich frosting if desired.

• Beat one cup of room temperature butter in a stand mixer using a paddle attachment, or a large bowl if using an electric hand mixer. 

• Pour in the melted butter cocoa mixture, mix to combine then scrape the bowl down and mix again. Add the powdered sugar and mix on low. Pour in the melted and cooled chocolate ganache then drizzle in about 1/4 cup of milk. Scrape the bowl down and mix until smooth. Your frosting should be silky, soft and luscious.

For the Assembly

• Pipe or spread the buttercream onto the first layer, add the next layer on top and repeat until the cake Is built. Cover the cake with buttercream then use a spatula to swirl the buttercream around for a rustic effect.

• I specified all purpose flour and cornstarch for this recipe but you can use 2 1/2 cups of cake flour if preferred. 
• If you’re not using 6-inch pans, double the recipe for 8-inch pans or triple the recipe for 9-inch pans. 
• Measure your flour correctly! Adding too much flour to the recipe is the most common mistake. The best, and easiest way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don't have one then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
• Scrape the bowl down frequently when making the cake batter and frosting. You always want a homogenous consistency throughout.
• To get FLAT layers that are moist inside and out try using cake strips! You can buy a set online or make your own from foil and paper towels at home. I have a whole blog post on it so check it out if you’re interested!

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 674kcal | Carbohydrates: 84g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 23g | Cholesterol: 147mg | Sodium: 239mg | Potassium: 215mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 61g | Vitamin A: 963IU | Calcium: 86mg | Iron: 2mg

*Nutrition Disclaimer

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