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Yellow Cake

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Makes at least 10 servings 1x

Time about 1 hour, plus time to cool

Units Scale

Ingredients

  • 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) butter, softened, plus more for greasing
  • 2 cups cake flour or all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pans
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 8 egg yolks
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup milk

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour the bottom and sides of two 9-inch or three 8-inch cake pans, or a 13 × 9-inch baking pan.
  2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.
  3. Use an electric mixer to cream the butter until smooth, then gradually add the sugar. Beat until light in color and fluffy, 3 or 4 minutes. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, then the vanilla. Stir the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture by hand a little at a time, alternating with the milk. Stir just until smooth.
  4. Turn the batter into the pan(s) and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean, 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the thickness of the batter. Let the cake(s) cool in the pan(s) for 5 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
  5. Frost as you like (many options here) and store loosely covered or in a cake dome for a couple days.

– Recipe from How to Cook Everything: Completely Revised Twentieth Anniversary Edition 

Recipe variations

Coconut Cake
Spectacular as a layer cake but easier as a sheet cake: Stir 1/2 cup shredded coconut into the batter along with the dry ingredients and the milk. If you’re making a layer cake: Spread a layer of cooled Vanilla Pudding or Lemon Curd on the cooled bottom layer, then sprinkle with 1/2 cup shredded coconut. For a 3-layer cake repeat with the second cake layer, more pudding, and more coconut. Put on the top layer and frost with Vanilla Frosting. Press another 2 cups or more shredded coconut onto the top and sides.