You've officially found the BEST yellow cake recipe on the internet! My version is incredibly moist and SO easy with just one bowl (and no mixer!). Recipe includes a how-to video!
Preheat oven to 350F (175C), grease two 8” round pans with baking spray and line the bottoms with rounds of parchment paper. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine cake flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and whisk well to combine.
3 cups cake flour, 2 ¼ cups granulated sugar, 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¾ tsp table salt
Add melted butter and vegetable oil and stir well until thoroughly combined.
12 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled until no longer warm to the touch, ½ cup vegetable oil
Add sour cream, eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla extract and stir well.
1 cup sour cream, 2 large eggs + 2 large egg yolks, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Stir in milk until completely combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula and stir again to ensure the batter is uniform.
½ cup whole milk
Divide into prepared 8” pans, and bake on 350F for 40 minutes or until the top springs back when lightly touched and a, toothpick inserted in center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs (not wet batter).
Cool cakes in their pans for 10-15 minutes, then run a knife around the sides to loosen from the pan and carefully invert onto a cooling rack (don’t forget to remove the parchment bottoms) and allow to cool completely before decorating.
These cakes typically bake up with a dome so I recommend leveling with a cake leveler (linked in equipment section above) or serrated knife before decorating.
Decorate using desired frosting. I like to use my chocolate swiss meringue buttercream or chocolate fudge frosting.
1 batch chocolate fudge frosting
Video
Notes
Flour
Cake flour is best/recommended for this recipe, it yields the lightest, most tender crumb. However, you may substitute all-purpose flour in a pinch – you’ll need 2 ⅔ cup (335g)
Butter
For a richer yellow color, I recommend using European-style butter if you can find it. It will also make the cake a bit more moist and tender. However, if you can’t find this style of butter or don’t have any on hand, don’t worry, regular butter will work just fine and I often make my yellow cake with regular butter, too!
Storing
Cakes can be made a day in advance, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, and stored at room temperature for 24 hours before assembling. Cakes may also be tightly wrapped and frozen for several weeks before or after assembly.Once cake is assembled, store at room temperature for up to three days in an airtight container (assuming your frosting can withstand room temperature for this long) or in the refrigerator for up to a week (note that the refrigerator will dry out the cake some).
Cupcakes
This recipe will make approximately 31 cupcakes. Fill liners ⅔-¾ full and they will need to bake 17-19 minutes on 350F (175C).