Name: Super-Moist Yellow Cake With Rich Chocolate Frosting
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Yield: Makes two 9"-diameter cakes
Ingredients: ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces, plus more for pans; 3 cups (345 g) cake flour; ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar; 1 Tbsp. baking powder; 1 tsp. baking soda; 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt; 4 large eggs, room temperature; 2 large egg yolks, room temperature; 1½ cups buttermilk, room temperature; 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract; 4 cups (440 g) powdered sugar; 1½ cups (126 g) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder; 1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature; ¾ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt; ¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp. (or more) buttermilk, room temperature

Yellow cake with chocolate frosting being sliced and served.

Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne

Active Time
30 minutes
Total Time
1 hour 45 minutes

Yellow cake mix is widely available in grocery stores if you’re short on time and need a cake in a jiffy, but it’s worth taking the time to make one from scratch. The vast majority of homemade cakes employ a technique called creaming, in which fat (usually butter) is beaten with sugar until light and fluffy. This remarkable yellow cake recipe uses a process called reverse creaming instead. You’ll start by combining the dry ingredients, then adding the room-temperature butter, and mixing until just sandy. The wet ingredients go in together and are then mixed until just incorporated. This method helps to better aerate the batter and prevents gluten from overdeveloping, leaving you with a light, tender cake that stays moist. Finish it all off with a richly flavored chocolate frosting.

Editor's note: ¾ cup sugar may not sound like a lot for a cake of this size, but the light sweetness balances well with the rich chocolate frosting. For more of our favorite cakes, check out our cake recipes finder→

Ingredients

Makes two 9"-diameter cakes

Cake

¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces, plus more for pans

3 cups (345 g) cake flour

¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt

4 large eggs, room temperature

2 large egg yolks, room temperature

1½ cups buttermilk, room temperature

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

Frosting and assembly

4 cups (440 g) powdered sugar

1½ cups (126 g) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

¾ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt

¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp. (or more) buttermilk, room temperature

Preparation

Cake
Step 1
Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 350°. Butter two 9"-diameter cake pans and line each bottom with a parchment paper round; butter parchment. Using an electric mixer on low speed, mix 3 cups (345 g) cake flour, ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar, 1 Tbsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. baking soda, and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a large bowl until combined, about 30 seconds.
Step 2
With the motor running, add ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces, then increase speed to medium and beat until butter is in small pieces and mixture looks sandy, about 3 minutes.
Step 3
Turn off mixer and add 4 large eggs, room temperature, 2 large egg yolks, room temperature, 1½ cups buttermilk, room temperature, and 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract. Beat on medium-high speed until pale yellow and fluffy, about 1 minute (be careful not to overmix batter). Divide batter between prepared pans and smooth tops with an offset spatula.
Step 4
Bake cakes until tops are golden and spring back when gently pressed, 30–35 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack and let cakes cool in pans 15 minutes. Run a small knife or offset spatula around inside of pans to loosen cakes, then turn out onto rack. Remove parchment and let cakes cool completely, about 1 hour.
Frosting and assembly
Step 5
While the cakes are cooling, sift 4 cups (440 g) powdered sugar and 1½ cups (126 g) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder into a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer with clean beaters (or paddle) on medium speed, beat 1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, and ¾ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a large bowl until creamy, about 4 minutes. Add half of dry ingredients and beat on low speed until incorporated. Add remaining dry ingredients and ¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp. buttermilk, room temperature, and beat until thoroughly combined. If frosting is too stiff, thin with more buttermilk (1–2 Tbsp.) until it reaches a spreadable consistency.
Step 6
Using a large serrated knife, slice domed tops from cakes. Place 1 layer on a large plate or cake stand and spread a thick layer of frosting on top with an offset spatula. Place second cake layer on top and generously frost top and sides of cake with remaining buttercream. Smooth sides and create decorative swoops and swirls on the top.

Leave a Review

Reviews (33)

cake was really good. Frosting tasted like butter.
- Anonymous
- 92008
- 11/8/2023
I'm so sorry, but dry, dry, DRY! I'm an experienced cake maker and found that this recipe would be great to build a house foundation with. I will keep looking for a truly MOIST yellow cake.
- SOS
- Phoenix, AZ
- 1/19/2023
Wish I had read the reviews before making this cake. As many states, this cake needs more sugar. I also think it needs more salt. Would have been better using salted butter instead of unsalted. I had to doctor the layers by brushing on simple syrup.
- Laurie
- Texas
- 7/20/2022
I'm not a big fan of super sweet cakes, so this one looked like a winner and did not disappoint. I really like the texture and it works well with the rich frosting. It would make a great base cake for strawberry shortcake or other cakes with more decadent fillings or frosting, and I'll definitely make this again with different variations. If you have a real sweet tooth, this isn't for you.
- Carrie T
- Oakland, CA
- 7/8/2022
While unconventional, this cake turned out lovely. Not as light and fluffy as I expected, but turned out to taste like a professional cake with good texture and flavor. It could’ve used a tiny bit more sweetness. The frosting is out of this world. Supremely chocolatey, but not overly sweet. I will make this again, I made 3 six inch cakes instead of the 2 nine inch cakes. I think they’d make great cupcakes as well.
- M. Di Cola
- Fairfax, Ca
- 5/19/2022
Great cake. Nina, the recipe says 4 eggs and 2 yolks.
- Anonymous
- Baltimore, MD
- 4/14/2022
I use your recipes often. I just need to clarify this recipe calls for 4 whole eggs plus 4 yolks? I'm making this cake for Easter and need to get it right.
- Nina
- Clarksville, TN
- 4/13/2022
I would love to know if this technique can be adapted to a chocolate cake! Feels worth a try!
- Carol
- Northampton MA
- 4/4/2022
This cake is missing about 1 cup of sugar. It really was not very good. I won’t make it again. It needs a lot of frosting.
- Tamiz
- Minneapolis
- 3/29/2022
Look very appetizing gotta have that chocolate
- GlastonJMitchell
- Texas
- 3/28/2022
I don't like cakes that are too sweet, and with the frosting, this was just the right amount of sweet for me. I love how tender it was.
- Anonymous
- Baltimore, MD
- 3/15/2022
Personally, I felt the cake could have been a little sweeter. I found it a bit on the bland side. I was enticed by this recipe just to try the reverse creaming method and it was interesting for sure and one I'd like to continue experimenting with but not this recipe. The cake was disappointing, both in flavour and texture. Bland and rubbery. And no, I am not a novice baker - I've baked many a delightful cake in my time but this one I wouldn't make again. The frosting however, was divine! I will save the recipe but only for the frosting.
- Anne M.
- Toronto, ON
- 3/15/2022
Chefjeff: the Editor's Note at the end of the text confirms that 3/4 c. of sugar is correct. "Editor's note: ¾ cup sugar may not sound like a lot for a cake of this size, but the light sweetness balances well with the rich chocolate frosting."
- Lauren C
- 3/14/2022
A good cake to carry the sweetness of buttercream icing. The cake itself was moist with a nice consistency and not sweet. Disappeared fast with the children!
- Tisha Searles
- Brisbane Australia
- 3/11/2022
This article got me in the mood, big time to proceed with a yellow cake....naivety here, regarding the amount of sugar in this recipe. At first glance it seems like possibly a typo, as I've never made a 2 layer cake with so little sugar. If anyone out there can confirm the 3/4 cup, I will proceed. Thank you.
- chefjeff
- Sherman Oaks, California
- 3/11/2022