Nothing beats a classic birthday cake homemade with love; especially one created using the ideal mix of ingredients. This cake features a tender yellow crumb that is fiiiiiiine. The rich chocolate frosting caps it all off for true birthday cake nostalgia.
For a non-birthday, everyday type of cake, try my Sour Cream Coffee Cake recipe!
A Bakery-Quality Birthday Cake that’s Homemade?
Heck yeah! The secret to this cake’s success lies in the reversed creaming process. What is that, you ask? It’s a mixing method where you start with the dry ingredients, add the butter, mix until it resembles coarse sand, then add the wet ingredients. This ensures that the butter is evenly distributed throughout the batter and is coated with flour to prevent gluten formation. In some reverse creaming recipes, milk is first mixed with the other wet ingredients and added to the dry. With this recipe, milk is added last to keep the gluten at bay especially. Did I mention the fine crumb?
For more information on the Reverse Creaming process, refer to this post from King Arthur Baking Company.
Notable Ingredients for Making This Recipe for Yellow Cake With Chocolate Frosting
First, I advise against substituting ingredients in this recipe—at least for the sponge. I tried many methods and proportions of components to achieve the perfect crumb I desired. I give some suggestions for wiggle room, but any substitution will change the result. You’ve been lovingly warned.
Cake flour
This is the flour we’re using for this recipe, and it’s crucial for achieving that fine crumb we’re after. If you don’t have cake flour on hand, don’t fret! You can make an alternative by combining all-purpose flour and cornstarch. For every cup of all-purpose flour, remove two tablespoons and replace it with two tablespoons of cornstarch. It isn’t an exact match, but it’ll get you closer than using all-purpose flour alone.
Granulated Sugar
When granulated sugar is creamed with butter and later baked, little air pockets form around the crystals that help develop the cake’s texture. Don’t substitute this ingredient. If you prefer a less sweet cake, reduce the sugar by a quarter cup.
Leaveners
Baking soda and baking powder are both used in this recipe. The former interacts with acidic ingredients like sour cream to help with the initial rise and general browning. The latter works with heat to continue the rise. Make sure they’re fresh for the optimal rise. Your leaveners may be past their prime if your cake comes out dense.
Unsalted Butter
Use high-quality unsalted butter in this recipe, and be sure it’s at room temperature and cut into TBSP chunks so that it blends easily with the dry ingredients.
Eggs
This ingredient provides structure and moisture to the cake. In testing, I used two eggs; I used four eggs; I used three eggs with two of the whites whipped… trust me and stick with three whole eggs.
Sour Cream
This ingredient adds moisture and tenderness to the cake. If you don’t have it, you can substitute it with full-fat greek yogurt, but the cake’s texture will change slightly.
Oil
Canola or vegetable oil are interchangeable in this recipe since both add moisture without adding additional flavors to the cake. I especially value a combo of oil and butter in cake recipes since butter adds flavor, but oil allows you to refrigerate the cake without drying it out.
Vanilla Paste
This ingredient can be substituted with vanilla extract 1:1. I like the vanilla bean aspect of the paste in creating a creamy, delicious flavor in the crumb.
Whole Milk
We’re using whole milk to bring everything together, and I’d advise not to switch up the milk unless you have to. Remember that using a lower-fat dairy may result in a less tender cake.
Cocoa Powder
This is the main flavor component of the chocolate frosting. Opt for a high-quality, natural unsweetened cocoa for the best flavor. Dutch process can be used for a deeper flavor.
Melted Shortening and Butter
Melted shortening and melted butter give the frosting a smooth and glossy finish with a balance of flavor. Just be sure to freshly melt these ingredients before adding them to the chocolate since the heat and liquid will help the cocoa bloom. You can use all shortening or all butter instead of the mix if you only have one of those components.
Making the Yellow Sponge (1 of 3)
Making the Chocolate Frosting (2 of 3)
Assembling the Cake (3 of 3)
Recipe Notes
Follow these recipe notes to create a birthday cake that’s homemade with love.
- If your cake domes, flip it upside down on a cooling rack when removing it from the pan. The weight of the cake will flatten the dome. This is my primary method for handling a domed cake, but there are ways to prevent it that I don’t typically choose to do.
- Wrap the outsides of each pan in a single layer of foil to help the center bake evenly with the sides.
- Bake at 325°F, but it may take about 40 minutes to finish.
- Don’t mix the milk in with the egg mixture. Cream butter with dry ingredients, add the egg mixture, then add the milk last. This will give the best chance at preventing gluten formation, resulting in a tender cake and delicate crumb.
- Ensure that your butter is uniformly blended with the dry ingredients and that no large lumps remain. If after you add all of the butter and continue blending for about 3 more minutes and you still have lumps, use your fingers to break them up into the flour and mix about a minute longer.
- Frost the cake only when it is completely cooled. Otherwise, the frosting will melt and be a mess.
- This frosting recipe is smooth and easy to use without having to pause midway through and refrigerate after the crumb coat. Don’t refrigerate midway through frosting as the cold will make the frosting challenging to work with based on the ingredients used to make it.
Storage
Once frosted, cover the cake with a cake cover or a large, clean bowl to protect it from dust and to keep it fresh. If you don’t have a cake cover, you can use plastic wrap or aluminum foil to cover the cake (but wrap it loosely). Store the cake in a cool, dry place for up to three days.
You can freeze the cake if you need to store it for longer than a few days. Wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil. Label the cake with the date and freeze it for up to 3 months. To thaw the cake, remove it from the freezer and let it come to room temperature for a few hours before serving.
🍴Enjoy this birthday cake homemade with love. Hungry for more? Check out my other recipes!
Classic Birthday Cake Homemade with Love
Equipment
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Digital Scale optional
- Rubber Spatula
- Whisk
- Mixing Bowls
- Stand or Hand Mixer
- 2 8" or 9" Cake Pans
- Offset Spatula or Cake Scraper
- Cake Turntable optional
- Piping Tips and Bag optional
Ingredients
Yellow Sponge
- 2 Cups Cake Flour 240g
- 2 Tsp Baking Powder 8g
- ÂĽ Tsp Baking Soda 1g
- 1 ÂĽ Cups Granulated Sugar 250g
- ½ Tsp Fine Sea Salt or Table Salt 3g
- 6 Tbsp Unsalted Butter room temperature and cut into Tbsp chunks - 84g
- 3 Large Eggs room temperature - 150g
- ÂĽ Cup Canola or Vegetable Oil 60mL
- 1 Tbsp Vanilla Paste or Vanilla Extract 14g
- 6 Tbsp Sour Cream room temperature - 90g
- Âľ Cup Whole Milk room temperature - 178mL
Chocolate Frosting
- 2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter can replace with shortening, if desired - 28g
- 2 Tbsp Shortening can replace with butter, if desired - 26g
- ½ Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder natural, not dutch process - 43g
- ÂĽ Tsp Fine Sea Salt or Table Salt 1.5g
- â…“ Cup Whole Milk more as needed for desired consistency - 79mL
- 1 Tbsp Corn Syrup 15mL
- 3 ½ Cups Powdered Sugar sifted - 420g
- 1 ½ Tsp Vanilla Extract 6g
- Rainbow or Chocolate Sprinkles optional for decoration
Instructions
Yellow Sponge
- Preheat your oven to 350°F / 177°C. Butter the insides of two 8" or 9" cake pans. Add a small amount of flour to each pan and rotate them to coat thoroughly. Bang out any excess flour. Optionally: Add a round piece of parchment paper to the bottom of the cake pan before adding flour to prevent sticking.
- Sift the cake flour, baking soda, and baking powder together into a large bowl (if using a hand mixer) or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the sugar and salt, and mix on low to combine.
- With the mixer on medium speed, add 1 Tbsp of butter at a time to the dry mixture and continue mixing until it starts to break down before adding the next Tbsp. Continue this process until all butter is added, and mix on medium speed until the mixture looks uniformly like sand, about 3-4 minutes.
- Whisk eggs, oil, sour cream, and vanilla in a medium bowl. With the mixer on low speed, slowly stream in the egg mixture over a period of 1-2 minutes until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- With the mixture on low speed, gradually pour in the milk over a period of 1 minute until just incorporated. Finish gently folding the mixture with a rubber spatula for no longer than 20 seconds.
- Evenly pour the batter into the cake pans, and place in the center of the oven to bake until:-The cake bounces back when you gently touch the center with your finger.-The edges of the cake are pulling away from the sides of the pans. About 30 minutes (rotating the cakes midway through if they are not baking evenly).
- Place the cake pans on a cooling rack for 10 minutes, then remove the cakes from the pans and allow them to cool completely before frosting.
Chocolate Frosting
- Melt shortening and butter together on the stovetop or in the microwave, and add it to a large mixing bowl along with the cocoa powder and salt. Whisk to combine until just about fully smooth.You can also prepare the frosting using a stand or hand mixer.
- Add corn syrup and vanilla to the chocolate mixture and whisk to combine. It may thicken as you're mixing, but that is perfectly fine.
- Gradually add the milk to the chocolate mixture while whisking simultaneously.
- Add the powdered sugar to the chocolate mixture in 3-4 batches, gently incorporating the sugar into the chocolate mixture until combined using a rubber spatula or whisk. If the mixture becomes too thick to handle, mix in 1-2 Tbsp of milk before continuing with the sugar.
Assembly
- Place a small spot of frosting on the surface you'll be frosting the cake on, and place one layer--bottom side up--centered over the frosting. This will hold the cake in place. Be sure the cake is completely cooled before this step.
- Apply â…“ of the frosting to the first layer, and even it out using an offset spatula or cake scraper. Add the second layer, and apply gentle pressure to squeeze out any excess frosting between the layers.
- Apply â…“ of the frosting to the top, and use the spatula to even it out. Apply most of the remaining frosting evenly around the sides of the cake (leaving some if you plan to pipe any designs). Use a spatula or scraper to smooth the sides and remove any excess frosting. Finish by smoothing out the top edges and top, if needed.
- Design Ideas (as pictured)Create a spiral in the frosting on top of the cake. If you're using a cake turntable, apply gentle pressure with the tip of your offset spatula on the outer edge of the cake, and spin the table as you slowly move the spatula toward the center simultaneously. Use any remaining frosting and pipe unique designs into the cake. A french star tip can be used to make the designs shown in the video. Press rainbow sprinkles up the side of the cake. Lay a parchment paper under your work area, and cup a handful of sprinkles. As your hand approaches the cake, turn your wrist and gently press the mass of sprinkles against the cake as you lift your hand along its side.
